Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa

Matteo Cimellaro will be covering urban Indigenous communities in and around Ottawa.

Canada's National Observer is a proud participant of the Local Journalism Initiative, which supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.

262 Articles

‘The money’s not there’: First Nations schools in Ontario stretched thin by limited resources, piecemeal funding

Longtime grassroots staff, who serve First Nations students from the North because it is meaningful, are stretched thin from years of underfunding and under-resourcing.

First Nations Forward

Matteo Cimellaro

May 30th 2023

Mining companies are snapping up claims to develop Indigenous land

Reconciliation isn’t the only thing threatened when mining exploration companies fail to get consent from Indigenous nations, says one ethical investor.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 29th 2023

Mining and conservation can go hand in hand, environment ministers say

Mining projects and protected land can co-exist, two provincial environment ministers said at a press conference on Friday.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 26th 2023

Road to Ontario’s Ring of Fire will undergo federal environmental assessment

The Northern Road Link Project, a highway leading to the region in northern Ontario, is part of a larger push to develop mining projects in the area and capitalize on critical minerals like copper, chromite and nickel that play a vital role in the energy transition.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 26th 2023

Indigenous education in Thunder Bay was broken. Now there are signs of hope

This is the story of what comes after the Seven Youth Inquest; it's about the First Nation students in Thunder Bay now and the grassroots that serve them.

First Nations Forward

Matteo Cimellaro

May 24th 2023

First Nation launches court challenge testing B.C.’s legal commitment to recognizing Indigenous rights

The Gitxaała Nation's court challenge is testing how much teeth British Columbia's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act will have on the laws of the province, setting up precedent for the federal equivalent that enshrined UNDRIP into law in 2021.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 23rd 2023

As the Prairies burn, Indigenous communities deserve equal support: Indigenous Climate Action

Colonialism causes climate change, and Indigenous rights are the solution — a tagline for Indigenous Climate Action that has taken new meaning following Alberta and Saskatchewan's wildfire crisis.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 19th 2023

Anishinaabe artist reinvents the lounge chair as a ‘place of gathering’

Caroline Monnet’s lounge chair, accompanied by a table, is designed to be a multigenerational “place of gathering,” marked by sloped curves and finished ash wood that is locally sourced.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 4th 2023

‘The violence pandemic continues’: MPs declare MMIWG2S a national emergency

The motion was tabled by Leah Gazan, NDP critic for women and gender equity, and arrived just before Red Dress Day on May 5.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 2nd 2023

CRA Indigenous representation far below Canadian population creating gaps in services, critics say

The Canada Revenue Agency has an Indigenous representation problem in both Indigenous employment and language services, critics say.

Matteo Cimellaro

May 2nd 2023

Researchers urge CRA to file taxes for vulnerable groups to avoid benefit disruption

The Canada Revenue Agency has already shown it can file simple income tax returns for clients, essential for vulnerable populations like low-income Indigenous people to access benefits and credits.

Matteo Cimellaro

April 27th 2023

CRA must tackle trust issues, discrimination against Indigenous clients, report says

Limited trust in the federal agency has also led to many Indigenous Peoples having “a reluctance to interact, or being stressed when dealing with CRA and putting it off as a result,” the CRA report found.

Matteo Cimellaro

April 24th 2023

Indigenous youth groups are ‘lifelines’ in their communities and Ottawa is failing to support them

The report, titled A Labour of Love: The Unpaid and Exploited Labour of Grassroots and Community-Based Indigenous Youth Groups, calls out Ottawa for not valuing the work of young Indigenous organizers.

Matteo Cimellaro

April 19th 2023

Here’s what you need to know about the contentious natural resources law behind the fight

Ottawa and some western provinces are feuding over recent comments made by Justice Minister David Lametti. Here's all you need to know about the Natural Resources Transfer Act and why it matters.

Matteo Cimellaro

April 17th 2023

Upcoming CRA report to gauge how agency can better support Indigenous Peoples during tax season

An access-to-information request filed by Canada's National Observer reveals that the CRA needs to do more to help engage Indigenous Peoples during tax season so they can access eligible benefits and credits.

Matteo Cimellaro

April 13th 2023