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Akaitcho First Nations assembly kicks off in Dettah
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-27 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Energy, Governance, Resources]The Akaitcho Territory Government held its annual general assembly in Dettah, N.W.T., bringing together leadership from the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation, Salt River First Nation, Tthebatthie Denesųłiné Nation, and Yellowknives Dene First Nation to discuss shared priorities. The assembly addresses major regional infrastructure projects referred to the federal government's Major Projects Office, including the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor and the Taltson Hydro Expansion, which have faced wavering support and criticism over inadequate consultations from nations like Deninu Kųę́ and Łutsel K'e. Additionally, the assembly follows up on a 2025 initiative by a committee of elders to rename the Great Slave Lake to remove its derogatory historical connotations. Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Justice and Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald are scheduled to attend.
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A ‘reset’ or ‘one and done’? First Nations and first ministers set to hold historic meeting
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-25 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Governance, Infrastructure, Resources, Mining]The Assembly of First Nations, led by National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, and Canadian first ministers are holding a historic, closed-door First Ministers' Meeting in Ottawa to redefine relations, discuss infrastructure, healthcare, and economic development, and address major project involvement. Notable absences include the premiers of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec, while several Indigenous leaders have expressed skepticism over meeting formats, speech restrictions, and stalled federal Indigenous legislation under Prime Minister Mark Carney. The federal government, through the Privy Council Office and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, plans to announce new community supports during the one-day conference.
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Alberta Métis leaders oppose exclusion, not Pacific Link, as Cold Lake takes Ottawa to court
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-14 14:05:34.0
Tags: [Alberta, National, Energy, Infrastructure, Indigenous, Resources]Six Métis nations in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, along with the Cold Lake First Nations (which filed a Federal Court application), are challenging federal and provincial authorities over their exclusion from consultations regarding the proposed Pacific Link pipeline. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the pipeline as a project of national interest on October 1, 2026, to carry Alberta oil to the British Columbia coast with a groundbreaking targeted for September 1, 2027. Indigenous leaders criticize the lack of consultation, noting that equity ownership stakes and co-development terms were offered without proper engagement with Métis communities, violating Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 and the Crown's duty to consult.
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First Nation opens work camp at Faro mine cleanup project in Yukon
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-18 20:54:45.0
Tags: [National, Mining, Environment, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Resources]The Dena Nezziddi Development Corporation, owned by the Ross River Dena Council, has opened the Tsē Zūl work camp at the abandoned Faro mine site in central Yukon to house workers for a massive federal remediation project. Located 200 kilometres northeast of Whitehorse, the facility is designed to accommodate nearly 300 workers and provide long-term revenue and employment opportunities for the First Nation. The Faro mine complex, which operated for nearly 30 years as a lead-zinc mine before its bankruptcy and abandonment in 1998, represents one of Canada's most complex industrial cleanup sites, expected to take decades to complete.
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Nunavut pitches major infrastructure projects at Canada’s Investment Summit
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-16 17:29:31.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Energy, Transportation, Resources, Indigenous]Nunavut Premier John Main and Inuit leaders, including representatives from Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, attended Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit in Toronto to pitch four major territorial infrastructure projects. The proposed projects include the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project, the Grays Bay Road and Port, and the Qikiqtarjuaq Deep-Sea Port. Notably, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project and the Grays Bay Road and Port have been designated as projects of national interest and placed on the federal government's Major Projects Office fast-track list. Territorial leaders emphasized the necessity of early Inuit involvement and regulatory compliance to address Nunavut's significant infrastructure gap in energy and transportation.
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N.W.T.’s ice road to 3 diamond mines unlikely to open for 2027 season
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-14 23:13:23.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Transportation, Mining, Resources, Indigenous]The Northwest Territories' Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is unlikely to open for the 2027 operating season for the first time since opening in 1982, due to the end of commercial production and financial restructuring at three major diamond mines: Rio Tinto-owned Diavik, Ekati (overseen by PricewaterhouseCoopers under creditor protection), and De Beers' Gahcho Kué. Management committee director Howard Nowell stated that the closure decision provides early clarity for contractors, service providers, and support communities, though operations are expected to resume in 2028 to support ongoing site remediation and clean-up efforts. Marc Whitford, president of the North Slave Métis Alliance, noted the suspension will negatively impact Indigenous-owned corporations and contractors such as Det'on Cho Logistics, which rely on the winter infrastructure for seasonal employment and transport.
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N.W.T.’s ice road to 3 diamond mines unlikely to open for 2027 season
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-14 23:13:23.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Transportation, Mining, Resources, Indigenous]The Northwest Territories’ Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is unlikely to open for the 2027 operational season, marking the first closure since the ice road opened in 1982. Operated annually from February to March, the road services three diamond mines northeast of Yellowknife: the Rio Tinto-owned Diavik mine, the Ekati mine overseen by PricewaterhouseCoopers under creditor protection, and De Beers' Gahcho Kué mine. The suspension is driven by the end of commercial production and active remediation at Diavik and Ekati, alongside financial difficulties at Gahcho Kué that accelerated its closure timeline to 2028. Indigenous corporations and contractors such as Det'on Cho Logistics, owned by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, face significant economic impacts from the loss of infrastructure maintenance and lodge operations, though winter road service is expected to tentatively return in 2028 to support ongoing cleanup efforts.
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Support wavers from pair of Akaitcho First Nations on major N.W.T. infrastructure projects
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-11 19:13:19.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Energy, Indigenous, Mining, Resources]Two Akaitcho First Nations, Deninu Kųę́ First Nation and Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation, have expressed strong disapproval and suspended support for major Northwest Territories infrastructure initiatives, specifically the Taltson Hydro Expansion and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor. Deninu Kųę́ First Nation stated its suspension will persist until the Government of the Northwest Territories formally recognizes its severe legacy impacts from the original 1965 Taltson generation facility built near Fort Resolution. Both First Nations cited a lack of meaningful consultation and failure to secure free, prior, and informed consent under Section 35 of the Constitution Act. In response, Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for Strategic Infrastructure Caroline Wawzonek maintained that the territorial government remains confident it can address outstanding concerns and continue discussions regarding land use, caribou habitats, and community benefits.
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N.W.T. looking to bolster critical minerals at Canada Investment Summit: Premier Simpson
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-11 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Economy, Mining, Resources, Infrastructure, Indigenous]Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Caitlin Cleveland will pitch half-a-dozen resource projects at the invitation-only Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, organized by Prime Minister Mark Carney to target $1 trillion in investments over five years. The delegation will showcase advanced critical mineral, gold, and silver projects—including Honey Badger Silver's Prairie Creek mine (PC Silver), the NICO Mineral Reserves mine, the Yellowknife Lithium Project, the Nechalacho rare earth mine, and the Pine Point mine development project. Furthermore, the territory is highlighting enabling infrastructure such as the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Nunavut’s Grays Bay Road and Port Project to reduce transportation costs and facilitate ethical, sustainable resource development through regulatory co-management arrangements with Indigenous governments.
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N.W.T. looking to bolster critical minerals at Canada Investment Summit, says premier
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-11 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Economy, Mining, Resources, Infrastructure, Indigenous]Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Caitlin Cleveland are attending the invitation-only Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, organized by Prime Minister Mark Carney to target $1 trillion in federal investments. The N.W.T. delegation is pitching half-a-dozen advanced resource projects to global investors from the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, including Honey Badger Silver's Prairie Creek mine (PC Silver), the NICO Mineral Reserves mine, the Yellowknife Lithium Project, the Nechalacho rare earth mine, and the Pine Point mine development project. Furthermore, the territory is highlighting enabling infrastructure initiatives—such as the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Nunavut's Grays Bay Road and Port Project connecting to the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor—alongside established Indigenous regulatory co-management frameworks to lower operational costs and attract sustainable development capital.
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