By Connor McDowell
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Brandon Sun

The manager for the Municipality of Gilbert Plains has sparked conversation across Manitoba about growing hostility towards municipal staff and councillors. The manager, Courtney Kostesky, wrote a public letter in January complaining of how hostility is impacting governance in Manitoba. She called for citizens to be more constructive in their […]

By David Briggs
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
BayToday.ca

Hospitals in Ontario, North Bay’s included, are severely underfunded, and the detrimental effects of this underfunding will only increase over the years, a new report from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) explained. The report, written by Doug Allan, a senior researcher with CUPE, reveals that at the current […]

By Thomas Kent
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Woolwich Observer

Strategically planting trees along the northern edge of Canada’s boreal forest could remove multiple gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the end of the century, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Waterloo. The research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, provides one […]

By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Chatham Voice

Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN) has joined a constitutional challenge aimed at quashing Ontario’s Bill 5. The recent announcement means Bkejwanong Territory (WIFN) joins a growing chorus of First Nation communities and environmental groups opposed to changes proposed by both the federal and provincial government’s omnibus legislation. As part of […]

By Jacqueline St.Pierre
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Manitoulin Expositor

MANITOULIN—Water has always carried the illusion of permanence. It returns as rain. It gathers in lakes. It moves, it cycles, it seems to forgive. But according to a new United Nations–backed scientific report, that illusion is breaking. Researchers say the world has entered an era of global ‘water bankruptcy’—a point […]

By Liam Oliver Neilson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
lneilson@fortfrances.com

People who have worked with Wayne Smith throughout his three-decade career all agree on the same thing about him — his ability to lead and teach. The former chief was reminded by friends and colleagues about the significance this impact made during his retirement party last week, held at the […]

By Sandi Krasowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

A partnership between LiUNA (Labourers’ International Union of North America) Local 607 Training Centre, Lakehead District School Board, Superior-Greenstone District School Board and Matawa First Nations is delivering industry-recognized safety training, hands-on skilled trades experience and certification for Indigenous youths across Northwestern Ontario through its Indigenous Skilled Trades Training (ISTT) […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

As snowmobilers embrace what’s shaping up to be a stellar sledding season two years in a row, provincial police are reminding riders of the sport’s deadly downside. “Tragically, seven people have died in snowmobile incidents in OPP jurisdictions since the beginning of the 2025-26 riding season,” an OPP news release […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

ANIMAKEE WA ZHING — To visit friends and relatives in Minnesota, members of one First Nation must cross the Canada-U.S. border three times. Chief Linda McVicar says her members haven’t had any trouble making the trip — so far. The Animakee Wa Zhing 37 chief told Newswatch the triple border […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

A vehicle procession in honour of a young Kakabeka Falls woman who died last week in a highway crash near the village is set to start on Saturday morning. The procession for 28-year-old Cheyenne Mae Vaillant is to leave the Thunder Bay Speedway and travel to the Kakabeka Falls Legion. […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

THUNDER BAY — The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association’s president has been appointed to the board of directors of the international Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The appointment of Jason Rasevych, a Ginoogaming First Nation member, “signals a major step forward in connecting Canadian Indigenous innovation with global conservation finance,” according […]