By Maggie Macintosh
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press

Inner-city students and their families are getting more options and flexibility to study Indigenous languages. The Winnipeg School Division is testing out a new model to reach more residents with its free evening classes this winter. “After COVID, we said, ‘If teaching online worked, why not try this?’” said Rob […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — There are over 40 “major exploration projects” listed on a mining map updated yearly by local economic development officials. And one in particular, over 500 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, is capturing people’s attention, said Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission CEO Jamie Taylor. “We’re really tracking Kinross, the Great Bear (gold) project, just […]

By Thomas Kent
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Woolwich Observer

A new University of Waterloo-led research initiative is taking aim at one of the region’s most pressing challenges: the growing gap between incomes and the cost of homeownership. The Future Cities Institute (FCI) has launched a living lab in partnership with BUILD NOW, an affordable housing initiative led by Habitat […]

By Crystal Greene
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
IndigiNews

Inuvik resident Harley Minakis was on his way home from visiting his daughter in Costa Rica last week — transiting via “Houston” airport — when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer stopped him. Despite having his Canadian passport, Indian status card, and Gwich’in tribal card, he found himself turned […]

By Anushka Yadav
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Pointer

“Science is humanity’s best effort at uncovering the truth about our world”: Canada’s first science minister, Kirsty Duncan, lost her battle with cancer on January 26, but her words echo louder than ever as a new round of federal job cuts fuel concerns about the future of environmental and climate […]

By Isabel Buckmaster
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
GuelphToday.com

FERGUS – A beloved bedtime ritual for a young Fergus author and her grandmother has since exploded into a popular children’s series now available across the globe. Brynn Law, 12, started creating her children’s adventure series, Bravery the Alaskan Wilderness Girl, a few years ago, after she was inspired by […]

By Liam Oliver Neilson
Staff writer
lneilson@fortfrances.com

If there’s one thing that Wayne Smith has valued highly during a remarkable 32-year tenure as chief of Naicatchewenin First Nation, it’s consistency. While many First Nations see a high turnover in governance – the average length in Canada for a single executive position is around 3.5 years – Smith’s […]

By Laura Balanko-Dickson
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

Some students in the Rainy River District are getting a hands-on look at what it’s liketo be a school administrator. As a way to get students ready for the workforce, post-secondary, apprenticeship, and more, the Rainy River District School Board (RRDSB) developed the Pathways to Success program. From Grade 7 […]

By Laura Balanko-Dickson
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

Addiction support, housing shortages and homelessness remain unsolved issues in the Rainy River district despite years of efforts by social welfare agencies, but a recent report is shedding new light on previously undiscovered parts of the conversation. The report, co-sponsored by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario and the […]

By Sandi Krasowski,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

It was 1976 when Cosimo Riccio opened up his music store, Music World Academy, on the 500 block of Simpson Street and began giving music lessons to students wanting to learn the accordion, guitar and drums. Fast forward 50 years, two store relocations, thousands of instruments, and more than 30,000 […]