Indigenous

VANCOUVER — First Nations along British Columbia's coast have announced with the Canadian government the designation of the country's largest marine protected area.

First Nations chiefs have heard enough promises and "performative reconciliation," Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday, adding they deserve a partnership based on honest conversations.

WINNIPEG — Jeremy Skibicki admitted to police that he killed four women in Winnipeg in 2022. Court heard he targeted them at homeless shelters. A judge convicted Skibicki on Thursday of four counts of first-degree murder.

EDMONTON — One of Canada's greatest painters, who wedded Indigenous elements to the mainstream of modern art, has died. Alex Janvier, whose thousands of works hang in private homes and public galleries across the country, was 89.

IGNACE, ONTARIO — A northwestern Ontario town has formally decided it is willing to become the site of a deep geological repository for Canada's nuclear waste.

EDMONTON — Renowned artist Alex Janvier has died at the age of 89. Officials at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting announced his death and held a moment of silence on Wednesday.

OTTAWA — The Assembly of First Nations wants Manitoba to hold an independent inquiry into the killings of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg.

MONTREAL — The head of the Assembly of First Nations has informed chiefs that a draft deal with Ottawa on child-welfare reforms is worth $47.8 billion, a source who was in the room says — more than double what was initially promised.

HAYWARD, Wis. (AP) — Ganebik Johnson started learning traditional Ojibwe songs when he was about 2 years old. He'd hang around listening to his uncle sing, or observe elders, or even pull up music on YouTube.

OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations said Tuesday that she has received a draft offer from Ottawa to overhaul First Nations child-welfare systems, but insists she cannot say publicly how much money is on the table.