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BC Hydro names new president, the day after power ‘action plan' unveiled

BC Hydro names new president, the day after power ‘action plan' unveiled

Toronto Star07-05-2025
VANCOUVER - BC Hydro is promoting from within for a new president and CEO.
Executive vice-president of operations Charlotte Mitha will take over the top job when outgoing president Chris O'Riley retires in August.
BC Hydro board chair Glen Clark says the Crown corporation is heading into a 'massive growth phase' as the province looks to drive sustainable economic development.
The utility's announcement comes the day after the Ministry of Energy unveiled its Clean Power Action Plan which includes a push for up to another 5,000 gigawatt-hours per year of energy from new renewable projects.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Mitha calls the plan 'very ambitious' and says it can only be done through partnerships with First Nations, companies and the community.
She joined BC Hydro in 2004 and says plans for the future have her feeling excited about the 'big builds era.'
'And it really is such a privilege to be in a leadership role at this time,' she says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025
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Brokenhead Ojibway Nation plans 60 acres of economic expansion
Brokenhead Ojibway Nation plans 60 acres of economic expansion

Winnipeg Free Press

time10 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation plans 60 acres of economic expansion

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky's field of dreams is one step closer to reality. 'I call it that because I always drive past it and say it's going to be something one day,' he said, standing in front of a 60-acre soybean field on the northeast edge of Winnipeg. The goal is to turn it into 60 acres of residential, commercial and retail development. NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky on the East St. Paul farm field recently designated as reserve land. On Friday, Bluesky announced the parcel of land had been successfully transferred to the Manitoba First Nation from the Rural Municipality of East St. Paul, 16 years after it was initially purchased through a federal Treaty Land Entitlement claim. The land sits within the RM, on the boundary of the City of Winnipeg, east of Highway 59 and south of the Perimeter Highway. Bluesky is eyeing the area as the next opportunity for economic prosperity for Brokenhead and the areas it surrounds. 'We've already increased the land value around our main reserve with the developments that we have there,' the chief said. 'The work that we're going to be doing on these lands doesn't just benefit First Nations people.' The transfer to reserve land is the first step in the site's redevelopment. Next will come consultations with surrounding landowners and community members from Brokenhead to see what is desired for the area. Affordable housing and retail are among the amenities expected to be built on the land, Bluesky said. The parcel is part of 480 acres previously purchased by the First Nation in the late 2000s. It was only recently was transferred to reserve status through the federal claim agreement, with a push by the provincial government through an order in council. Brokenhead also owns land in the RMs of Lac du Bonnet, Alexander and East St. Paul, and within Winnipeg (including the Westwood Village Inn and property on Nairn Avenue which is currently going through the reserve creation process). 'We're trying to fulfill our treaty land entitlement, which is an outstanding obligation from 1871 — our people were promised these lands,' Bluesky said. Federal Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski) attended the ceremony on behalf of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty. Chartrand called the transferred land a foundation for community prosperity. 'These new lands open doors, they bring opportunity through jobs, investment and thriving business that lift up entire communities.' NICOLE BUFFIE / FREE PRESS Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said urban reserves are a testament to the economic sovereignty of First Nations communities and looks forward to seeing more urban First Nations development. Since 2006, more than one million acres across Canada have been transferred to reserves, Chartrand added. In Manitoba, about 10 other First Nations are eyeing transfers through Treaty Land Entitlement claims, which Chartrand said she would help advocate for. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Bluesky compared the 60-acre parcel to the 160-acre Naawi-Oodena site along a portion of Kenaston Boulevard in south Winnipeg. The former Canadian Armed Forces land is jointly owned by the seven Treaty 1 Nations (Brokenhead, Long Plain, Peguis, Roseau River, Sagkeeng, Sandy Bay and Swan Lake). Naawi-Oodena recently opened its first business at the site: a gas bar/convenience store. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said urban reserves are a testament to the economic sovereignty of First Nations communities and she looks forward to seeing more such development. 'We are strong in our business, we're strong in our vision and it's about reclaiming that land and those spaces,' she said. Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

Norway's Marinvest Energy pitches LNG  project in Quebec
Norway's Marinvest Energy pitches LNG  project in Quebec

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Norway's Marinvest Energy pitches LNG project in Quebec

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‘Huge step for us': Opaskwayak opens downtown apartment building
‘Huge step for us': Opaskwayak opens downtown apartment building

Winnipeg Free Press

time19 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

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At first, Lisa-Marie Lathlin's apartment hunt did not go well. The Opaskwayak Cree Nation member sought a place off-reserve in Winnipeg. She's enrolled to attend Yellowquill University College this fall. 'I couldn't find anything affordable,' Lathlin said Friday. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Paragon Living President & CEO Nigel Furgus helps Opaskwayak Cree Nation Chief Maureen Brown cut the ribbon at the new apartments at 380 Young St. Then Lathlin heard about a complex OCN was building downtown. By Friday, she'd settled in to her suite at 380 Young St. The Winnipeg apartment is the first of three that OCN plans to build and own by 2028. A handful more — led by various First Nations — are in the pipeline. They are rising up as governments pump funding into affordable housing projects. 'This is a huge step for us,' said Ginger Martin, chief executive of Paskwayak Business Development Corp. She and fellow Opaskwayak members were on hand for 380 Young's grand opening Friday. 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A remaining 1,070 are targeted between 2025 and 2026, city spokesman Adam Campbell wrote in a statement. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'What we're seeing across Canada and certainly within Winnipeg (is) a tremendous advancement of First Nations-led development,' Distasio said. It extends beyond housing: Distasio pointed to transformations at the former Kapyong Barracks on Kenaston Boulevard, the former downtown Hudson's Bay store and the historic Bank of Montreal at Portage and Main. Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn alone, the Southern Chiefs' Organization's redevelopment of the Bay, could add more than 300 housing units, a child care centre and commercial space. '(Indigenous nations are) really adding a unique and important dynamic to the urban development of Winnipeg,' Distasio said. 'We're going to begin to see a dramatically different downtown and Portage in the next couple years.' Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

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