Matteo Cimellaro

Reporter Ottawa English

News, Indigenous communities, climate change, municipal policing, Ottawa

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.

He was a finalist for the JHR / CAJ Emerging Indigenous Journalist Award for 2022.

Read Matteo's stories

167 Articles

Chief April Martel of K’atl’odeeche First Nation takes NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on a tour of her community following a devastating wildfire in May. Photo submitted by the NDP

As communities hit by wildfire ‘pick through the rubble,’ Jagmeet Singh calls on feds to do more on climate change

To drive home the seriousness of the climate crisis, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh travelled to the Northwest Territories on Tuesday to visit two communities on the front lines.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 26th 2023

From left: Savanna McGregor, grand chief of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council; Lance Haymond, chief of Kebaowek First Nation; Dylan Whiteduck, chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg at a press conference in June. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / CNO

Algonquin leaders want Ottawa's attention on proposed radioactive dumping ground

The Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution at its general assembly last week calling for an urgent meeting with Ottawa over nuclear waste transport and disposal decisions.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 21st 2023

A pumped storage facility in Ludington, Mich., which sits on Lake Michigan. Photo by Consumers Energy / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Clean energy project will help power Ontario and bring revenue to Saugeen Ojibway Nation

A proposed clean energy facility slated for construction near Georgian Bay will help facilitate Ontario’s energy transition and earn money for Saugeen Ojibway Nation, if a relationship between the nation and the project proponent proceeds.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 20th 2023

Uahikea Maile runs the University of Toronto's Ziibiing Lab, one of the organizations urging Canadian organizations to pull their support for the telescope project. Photo submited by Uahikea Maile

Native Hawaiians slam Canada for supporting telescope on sacred land

Opponents are calling out Canada over its role in the development of a controversial telescope on Hawaii’s tallest volcano, Mauna Kea, citing human rights abuses.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 18th 2023

Former Neskantaga First Nation chief Wayne Moonias, seen at the far end of the boat. Photo submitted

First Nation takes Ontario to court over Ring of Fire road

On Thursday and Friday, Neskantaga First Nation will face off in court against the Ontario government over what the nation argues was a flawed consultation on a road that will link the province’s road infrastructure with the Ring of Fire mining region.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 14th 2023

In Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Inuit harvesters are dealing with an influx of ships transporting iron due to the Mary River Mine, which has impacted local food sources. Photo by Isaac Demeester / Unsplash

Shipping frenzy threatens Indigenous food security

Arctic shipping and the noise and environmental pollution left in its wake are driving narwhals and other animals farther away from those who depend on them.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 13th 2023

Cedar LNG, if developed, will also rely on Coastal GasLink, the controversial pipeline crossing Wet'suwet'en territory, to transport product to the facility. Photo by Unma Desai / Unsplash

LNG’s future unclear as conference kicks off in Vancouver

The next two to three years will be critical in deciding the fate of Cedar LNG, Robert Johnston, executive director at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said in an interview with Canada’s National Observer.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 12th 2023

Lester Anoquot, former chief of Saugeen First Nation, and Veronica Smith, chief of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, attend a nuclear conference in Ottawa in February. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada's National Observer

First Nations won’t back nuclear plant expansion until waste questions are answered

Two First Nations near the proposed expansion of Canada’s largest nuclear power plant will not support any new projects until there is a solution to the nuclear waste problem on their territory, the Saugeen Ojibway Nation wrote in a letter to its membership obtained by Canada’s National Observer.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 7th 2023

Caribou thrive in dense, populated forests. Now wildland fires and logging and mining threaten the habitats that caribou rely on. Photo by Thomas Lefebvre / Unsplash

Industry and forest fires destroying last remaining caribou habitat

Protection for caribou is more critical than ever: the cumulative impacts of forestry in Quebec and forestry and mining exploration in Ontario are exacerbating the steady decline of caribou populations.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | July 4th 2023

Steven Guilbeault, the federal environment minister, released the national climate adaptation strategy on Tuesday. Photo by Natasha Bulowski / Canada's National Observer

Canada’s climate adaptation plan gives a nod to Indigenous knowledge as wildfires burn

Indigenous communities remain on the front lines of the climate crisis, suffering the worst effects of climate disaster and tragedy. Here are two components of Ottawa's national climate adaptation strategy that may help.

News, Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa | June 30th 2023