The National Association of Friendship Centres Calls for Investment in Friendship Centres
With federal Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) funding set to expire in 2026, the NAFC is seeking long term funding of $65 million annually starting in 2026 to support the crucial work of Friendship Centres in urban Indigenous communities.
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Cision Canada
8 hours ago
- Cision Canada
100% INDIGENOUS OWNED: K'en T'em Purchases Merritt Herald, Honouring Legacy and Amplifying New Voices
MERRITT, BC, Aug. 1, 2025 /CNW/ - nłeʔképmx Territory - K'en T'em Limited Partnership is proud to announce the purchase of the Merritt Herald from Glacier Media, marking a new chapter in the paper's long history and a milestone in Indigenous ownership of local media. Founded in 1905, the Merritt Herald has been a steady presence in the Nicola Valley for more than a century. Printed weekly on Thursdays, it covers local news, events, sports, opinion, and public notices, serving readers throughout the Nicola Valley. Now under the ownership of K'en T'em, the economic development arm of the Citxw Nlaka'pamux Assembly (CNA), the paper will continue to serve the community while opening new doors for inclusive, locally grounded journalism. "This is an opportunity to bring together different ways of seeing the world," said Chief Lindsay Tighe of Shackan, Director on the K'en T'em Board. "Through this partnership, we can create space for stories that reflect who we are as nłeʔképmx people, while continuing to serve the wider community. It is about respect, collaboration, and the power of being seen and heard." Chief Lee Spahan of Coldwater, Director on the K'en T'em Board, reflected on the broader meaning of the acquisition. "This is a moment we can be proud of. It brings long-term value to our people, not only through business, but through visibility. Our communities have important stories, perspectives, and knowledge to share. This is a way to ensure those voices are part of the conversation and the future of the region." The acquisition was guided by a shared vision between K'en T'em and Glacier Media, with a focus on continuity, collaboration, and long-term community benefit. It reflects a broader shift toward Indigenous leadership in media and the meaningful partnerships that make it possible. "This is an exciting opportunity to support local journalism in a way that reflects the region and the people who call it home," said Nicole Johnny, Acting General Manager of K'en T'em and Executive Director of CNA. "We're looking forward to growing the Merritt Herald sustainably and collaboratively, while creating space for new ideas and shared success." "Glacier is excited to hand over ownership of the Merritt Herald to a very capable and successful local group," said Orest Smysnuik, Chief Financial Officer for Glacier Media. "We anticipate that this local ownership group will breathe new life into this very important community publication." "After being with the paper for 31 years and seeing the changeover of hands multiple times, I'm excited to see that the Herald will find a permanent home in the community it has served for over 120 years," said Theresa Arnold, Publisher at the Merritt Herald. "Our readers trust us to reflect what matters in their lives. We are looking forward to working with K'en T'em, and continuing to grow that trust together, one edition at a time." Day-to-day operations at the Herald will remain the same. A new joint committee made up of K'en T'em and Herald staff will help guide collaboration and identify opportunities to further strengthen the paper's role in the region. "This is an exciting step forward," said Marius Auer, Communications and Engagement Manager at K'en T'em. "The Merritt Herald has been part of this valley's story for over 120 years. We see this as a chance to keep that story going, with more voices at the table and stronger ties to the communities we serve." About K'en T'em Limited Partnership – Established in 2015, K'en T'em Limited Partnership (KTLP) is a 100 percent Indigenous-owned for-profit corporation committed to providing the nłeʔképmx people of the eight Citxw Nlaka'pamux Assembly (CNA) Participating Bands with the resources that will help them efficiently create, manage and operate business opportunities. K'en T'em is mandated to explore business opportunities that are created by proponents working in the unceded territory of the nłeʔképmx people. Building relationships with proponents is a vital step for K'en T'em to support our Participating Bands in becoming self-sustaining and vital economic communities. K'en T'em offers environmental monitoring, cultural heritage, and printing/design services. We are leaders at putting cross-cultural values at the forefront of our business while prioritizing simple, efficient, integrative solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients. and industrial projects.
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
The Keg Royalties Income Fund Obtains Unitholder Approval for the Transaction with Fairfax
Not for distribution to U.S. News wire services or dissemination in the U.S. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Keg Royalties Income Fund (the 'Fund') (TSX: is pleased to announce that, at its special meeting ('Meeting') of the unitholders ('Unitholders') and holders of securities exchangeable into units (the 'Exchangeable Unitholders') of the Fund (the 'Units') held earlier today, Unitholders and Exchangeable Unitholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed acquisition by 1543965 B.C. Ltd. (the 'Purchaser'), a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (the 'Parent') of all of the issued and outstanding units of the Fund not otherwise owned by it and its affiliates (collectively, 'Fairfax') for a price of $18.60 per Unit (the 'Consideration'), payable in cash by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) in accordance with the arrangement agreement dated June 16, 2025 among the Fund, the Purchaser and the Parent (the 'Arrangement Agreement', and such acquisition and the other transactions contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement, the 'Transaction'). The Arrangement Agreement provides that in addition to the Consideration, Unitholders will be entitled to receive a prorated monthly distribution for the month in which the closing occurs, as well as a special cash distribution based on the Fund's historical practice of paying annual special distributions, with such special cash distribution being set at $0.055 per Unit for the 2025 fiscal year, prorated for the portion of the fiscal year completed as of the closing of the Transaction.
Vancouver Sun
9 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. NDP has promises to keep, but no money to spend
VICTORIA — The New Democrats face increasing pressure to live up to their commitments on long-term care for seniors, child care for families, and safeguards for children in government care. The most recent push came this week from the B.C. seniors advocate, Dan Levitt. He warned that seniors on the waiting list for long-term care facilities are clogging hospital beds and ER waiting rooms. The number of seniors on waiting lists for publicly funded long term care has tripled under the NDP, from 2,381 the year before they took office to 7,212 currently, Levitt reported. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Premier David Eby defended the government's performance, saying the New Democrats had added 5,500 spaces since taking power. Yet Levitt provided a scorecard on NDP election promises. The party's 2020 election platform promised 3,315 new beds and replacements for 1,755 others. To date, it has only delivered a fraction, 380 net new beds in all. The advocate identified the current shortfall at 2,000 beds. Eby professed to welcome the findings and conceded, given an aging population, 'we have to build faster, we have to build more and we have to build it more affordably to meet the demand that's out there,' Earlier this summer, the Coalition of Child Care Advocates lamented B.C.'s faltering progress on $10-a-day child care, a key promise in NDP election platforms going back to 2017. 'In 2018, because of $10-a-day advocacy, B.C. became a national leader in child care,' said spokesperson Sharon Gregson in a June 24 news release. 'That progress has now stalled. With just three years remaining in the government's 10-year plan, the province has flatlined provincial child care funding in the last two budgets, with no new provincial funds committed to achieving the promise of quality, universal $10-a-day child care by 2028.' Joining Gregson in the call was former NDP MLA Katrina Chen, who served as the NDP's minister of state for child care under Premier John Horgan. 'We need to get child care back on track in B.C.,' she said. Three weeks later came a survey from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which found that B.C. had the most expensive child care in the country. Only 10 per cent of the province's licensed spaces met the $10-a-day standard promised by the NDP. Also in mid-July, the child and youth representative, Jennifer Charlesworth, provided a one-year update on the recommendations in Don't Look Away, her report on the horrific case ofYou saw there is a correction Colby. Colby is the name the representative gave to the 11-year-old Indigenous boy, tortured to death by the extended family members into whose care he was placed by the government. While acknowledging the province had made 'significant progress in some areas,' the representative said it still fell well short of where it needs to be in safeguarding children in care. 'We said in our report Colby's death was entirely preventable and without significant change future deaths are entirely predictable,' Charlesworth told Simi Sara on CKNW. 'Important changes have been made. But we are still in a very precarious state in child well-being and we've got a lot of work still to do before I can say with confidence that it's extremely unlikely that this kind of horrific situation would not happen again.' Charlesworth credited the New Democrats with good intentions in their response to the report. But she also flagged the main reason for the lack of sufficient progress on her recommendations. 'I am very concerned that with fiscal limitations, these good intentions will not translate into timely on the ground improvements,' the representative told Ashley Joannou of The Canadian Press. 'The government has a significant deficit, there are fiscal reviews underway, and what we worry — because we have seen it many times — that what gets cut are social programs.' One could readily adapt the same excuse for the NDP failure to deliver on child care, long-term care and any number of other programs and priorities. Premier David Eby referred this week to the 'fiscal challenges' facing his government, an understatement if ever there was one. The government is budgeting for an $11 billion deficit this year and shortfalls of $10 billion each of the next two years. Moreover, with the economy slowing and revenues faltering, the fiscal situation could get worse. In his time as premier, Eby has failed to manage the budget or set realistic priorities, instead spending as if there were no limit. Now, when he's run out of money, he faces the challenge of satisfying the expectations he and the New Democrats themselves have raised. In a column Friday on the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat, I wrote that an LNG Canada spokesperson said 'a new facility of this size and scope may face operational setbacks.' The quote marks wrongly gave the impression of a direct quote from the company. Rather, it was a paraphrase from a story by the Reuters news agency. An LNG Canada spokesperson says the company told Reuters: 'A new facility of the size and complexity of LNG Canada requires a break-in period to stabilize, which is normal in new LNG facilities.' vpalmer@
