Windspeaker

The next North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) are now expected to be held in Manitoba. That’s because the NAIG Council has conditionally awarded the 2028 Games to Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN), located in northern Manitoba, as well as the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), which represents 33 First Nations in southern Manitoba.

Edmonton Northwest MP Billy Morin and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine are urging Indigenous Albertans to get out on Oct. 19 to vote to remain in Canada, emphasizing the stakes for treaty rights and future generations. Their appeals come as advance voting continues on 10 referendum questions, including whether Alberta should remain a province or begin the legal process toward a future binding vote on separation. The separation question on Monday is listed as Question 10.

For Drew Hayden Taylor, Ojibway author from the Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, Ladybug LaFlesche “is one of my most favourite characters ever created.” Ladybug drives the narrative in Taylor’s newest novel Sucker Falls. Ladybug is a survivor. She builds Casino N’Gataage — “a shining example of Indigenous sovereignty” — on her home, Sucker Falls First Nation, that has yet to be granted reserve status by the Canadian government.

Calgary’s TELUS Spark Science Centre is bringing Indigenous scientists, astronomers, researchers and knowledge keepers together for Indigenous Science Night: Stones, Stories & Stars. The evening of Oct. 16 will feature hands-on activities, telescope observations and community conversations that highlight Indigenous relationships to astronomy, mathematics and the natural world.

Ethan Bear is hoping his road back to the National Hockey League goes through the Ontario city of Hamilton. The 29-year-old defenceman, a member of Ochapowace Nation in Saskatchewan who last played in the NHL in March of 2024, started the 2026-27 season with the Hamilton Hammers, which competes in the American Hockey League (AHL). The AHL is the continent’s top minor pro hockey circuit. The Hammers are the top affiliate for the NHL’s New York Islanders.

The editors of Truth Before Reconciliation: Confronting Residential School Denialism admit they would rather be working with Indian residential school survivors on other issues, but the appearance of a group of masked white supremacists on the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Nation near Kamloops, B.C. make confronting denialism a priority. “We think of our book like a toolkit.

The new fantastical world that young adults will soon be exploring In the Long Shadows is steeped in Indian residential school history and intergenerational impacts. Ojibwe and Scottish writer Bear Meawasige (a pen name) explains that in his hometown of Spanish, Ont.

Gavin Hemeon and his teammates with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football squad have yet to win a game this season. But Hemeon, a member of Red Rock Indian Band in northwestern Ontario, is remaining upbeat in what could potentially be his final season of university ball. The Varsity Blues saw their record fall to 0-5 on Oct. 3 when they were blanked 46-0 by the visiting Guelph Gryphons in a match held at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.

Skin, Tyler Pennock’s final collection of poetry in their trilogy, ends a journey that began more than 20 years ago. “Skin just…flowed. And it felt too easy, if I'm honest. It felt like I was being lazy, but I wasn't because there was so much background put into the other two books,” said Pennock, a two-spirit adoptee and member of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in northern Alberta. Skin is preceded by Bones, released in 2020, and Blood, published in 2023.

Correction: The online course module 1 for “Indigenous Engagement and Partnership Development” is free, and then there is a $68 fee to take the other 11 modules. It is not completely free as previously reported. We apologize for this error. University of Alberta representatives are hoping their newest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Indigenous issues is as successful as its previous one.