By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

DRYDEN — The MPP for the Kenora-Rainy River riding says his government “has not ruled out” financial help for airlines that want to serve regional airports. Speaking to reporters in Dryden, Greg Rickford said 80 to 90 thousand people each year leave the riding to fly to other destinations out […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO — The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service has over a dozen new constables. The First Nations-led police service, which operates in 34 First Nations across Nishnawbe Aski Nation territory in Ontario’s far north, awarded badges to 15 new officers in a ceremony on Jan. 9. They’ve already been sworn […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

IGNACE — The latest major step in the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s push for a massive underground storage site for spent nuclear fuel is “fantastic news” to Ignace’s mayor. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada publicly posted the initial project description submitted by the NWMO for the proposed deep geological […]

By Sonal Gupta
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer

A remote Cree community on the shores of James Bay has declared a state of emergency after its water treatment plant failed this week — a crisis residents say the federal government is responding to far too slowly. Kashechewan First Nation, home to around 2,300 people alongside the Albany River […]

By Connor McDowell
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Brandon Sun

A Parks Canada document shows that staff weighed pros and cons — including a legal threat from Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation — before deciding to ban motorboats from Clear Lake last May. A briefing document was prepared for Thomas Sheldon, the acting superintendent of Riding Mountain National Park at the […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

LONGLAC — A ceremony this week in Longlac to observe the renaming of a local road is another step forward, Greenstone’s mayor says. The municipality says about 25 people gathered on Tuesday to mark the name change of the thoroughfare formerly known as Indian Road. It has been renamed Nishnabe […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

IGNACE — The transportation of nuclear waste hundreds and thousands of kilometres to a proposed burial site is not covered in the project’s first formal public description. Environmental advocates and those opposed to the deep geological repository, or DGR, being planned in the Ignace area say they want to see […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

Fort William First Nation issued a “reminder” this week about an ongoing recall of certain types of Pillsbury Pizza Pops products that have been linked to E.coli bacteria and some Canadians becoming sick. “Some recalled products may still be in household freezers,” a bulletin posted to the community’s website said. […]

By Sandi Krasowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

The Indigenous business landscape in Northwestern Ontario has seen a year of business formation and diversification, which is moving beyond the traditional resource service model. Jason Rasevych, president and founder of Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA), said 2025 was a year of qualitative growth with a surge in technical trades, […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO — Representatives for the region’s municipalities are throwing their support behind new provincial rules they say can help fill needed labour gaps. The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, or NOMA, is backing new “as-of-right” rules the Ford government said went into effect at the beginning of the new year. […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

Allowances for wetlands, some wildlife species like bats and turtles, as well as shoreline access, are included among 25 conditions that must be met before a residential subdivision that would overlook Lake Superior’s Black Bay can receive final approval. The proposed Grann Drive development, which would contain about 50 lots […]

By Natasha Bulowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer

From avian flu to diseases that kill off oysters and invasive pests decimating trees, Canada’s food safety agency is facing an ever-increasing list of challenges to its job performance that are multiplying with climate change. In a detailed statement to Canada’s National Observer, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) broke […]