Matteo Cimellaro
Journalist | Ottawa |
English
About Matteo Cimellaro
Matteo Cimellaro is a Cree/settler writer and journalist who currently covers urban Indigenous communities in and around Ottawa thanks to a grant from the Local Journalism Initiative and the Government of Canada.
Honours & Awards
Finalist for the JHR / CAJ Emerging Indigenous Journalist Award for 2022 and 2023
Digital Publishing Awards' Best Topical Reporting: Climate Change 2024 nominee
Winner of the 2024 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards Justice category
New pilot program promises to revolutionize diagnostic healthcare in the remote North, but will Ottawa pay?
A demonstration of how healthcare delivery in the North could be transformed was witnessed Thursday by a gathering of First Nation health directors.
Churchill at a Crossroads: A traditional way of life clashes with 'last chance tourism'
The encounter between Mamgark and the tourists is where the real and practical world of the North confronts an idealized and romanticized Arctic. It’s an imaginary Arctic, part of an image sold for southerners’ consumption.
That tension is underlined by an increasingly common phrase: “last chance tourism." This phrase refers to the threats posed by the rapid ebbs and flows of the Anthropocene. As for Churchill, the term could mean a tourist’s last opportunity to see the Arctic as it is now, before its iconic wildlife is gone, a relic of a colder era.
While plastics are negotiated internationally, a First Nation breathes toxic air in Chemical Valley
This week as Canada’s National Observer toured the refineries at the doorstep of Aamjiwaang First Nation, rotten egg and acrid chemical smells wafted over children playing ball hockey nearby. Air monitoring data revealed another spike of sulphur dioxide on Nov. 26, reaching 300 parts per billion — a level more than four times higher than the maximum hourly concentrations set by the federal government. Just another day in Chemical Valley.
One small solar panel started big East Coast dreams for energy self-sufficiency
Drew Bernard, the ambitious young energy leader from Lennox Island First Nation, graduated from community college with a mission to make his nation energy self sufficient. Now, the community of about 400 people is working toward large-scale renewable projects, a revamped greenhouse and a major retrofit campaign on every house.
Northwest Territories Project for Permanence a lighthouse model for the future of Indigenous-led conservation
$375 million in support has been announced for Indigenous-led conservation efforts across the territory.
First Nation in Canada's most polluted valley puts Ontario government on notice
“Aamjiwnaang will no longer be known as the community that is a victim of Chemical Valley, but we will be known for our environmental leadership,” said Chief Janelle Nahmabin, elected in September of 2024.
Indigenous friendship centres say they can't handle the costs of climate crisis and urbanization
Friendship centres, which serve the needs of urban Indigenous people, are increasingly important in responding to climate disasters
Despite promises, Indigenous Peoples struggle for a seat at the table at global biodiversity conference
While nation-states continue to negotiate at the international biodiversity talks, Indigenous Peoples continue to push for greater inclusion.