Sacrifice Zones: the hidden impact of microplastics on Indigenous communities
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, guest host Mark Blackburn looks at what it means to live in the shadow of heavy industry. Factories and refineries are a familiar sight along roads and highways. They make the products we use every day. But for people living nearby, they are more than just part of the view. In places known as ‘sacrifice zones’, chemical leaks, strong odours and long-term health risks are part of daily life. Journalists Angela Belleau and Tom Fennario join the show to talk about their new APTN Investigates documentary, Sacrifice Zones. They explain the link between...
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One Canadian economy, many Indigenous concerns: what’s at stake with Bill C-5?
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at what’s at stake for Indigenous communities as governments across Canada move to accelerate energy and resource projects. In Nova Scotia a ban on uranium mining and fracking has been reversed. Quebec is proposing changes that could make it easier for companies to clear-cut forests. Manitoba is talking about a pipeline and Ontario’s Bill 5 aims to create ‘special economic zones’ for development in the Ring of Fire. At the federal level Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, proposes a powerful new office to select projects of...
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Skin-Deep: How tattoo removal is helping people rewrite their stories
APTN News InFocus
Tattoos can be badges of pride or painful reminders of the past. For some, especially those impacted by gangs, incarceration or violence, their body art tells a story they no longer want to carry. APTN’s Tamara Pimentel joins Cierra Bettens this week on APTN News InFocus to share the story behind Skin Deep, an APTN Investigates episode that looks at Mother Ink, a Winnipeg-based tattoo removal service helping people erase ink tied to trauma. Tamara talks about what she learned, the people she met and what tattoo removal can mean for reclaiming your story. Watch Skin-Deep here: This episode...
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APTN News at 25: The stories that shaped us
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, we’re celebrating a milestone: 25 years of APTN News. From mailing tapes to digital transformation and award-winning journalism, APTN has grown into a network of Indigenous reporters telling Indigenous stories on their own terms. Guest host Karyn Pugliese is joined by Dan David, Bruce Spence, Todd Lamirande and Charmaine Straker, some of the key people who helped build APTN News from the ground up. They share stories from the early days, reflect on major reporting moments and talk about how far Indigenous journalism has come and where it needs to go. It’s a...
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Introducing The Place That Thaws: Climate and Sovereignty in the North
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus we go to the High Arctic, where climate change, sovereignty and survival intersect. We’re featuring the first episode of The Place That Thaws, a six-part podcast from APTN News and Danielle Paradis, recently nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award. Set in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, the series shares powerful stories from Inuit adapting to a warming world, where hunting seasons are shrinking and polar bears are staying ashore longer. With Arctic sovereignty back in the spotlight and wildfires sweeping the country, The Place That Thaws is...
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Alberta separatism: Why the movement threatens treaty rights
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, guest host Kathleen Martens looks at treaty rights and the Alberta separatist movement. Matthew Wildcat, an assistant professor and director of Indigenous governance in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, explains why treaty rights could block Alberta’s push to leave Canada. He unpacks the province’s Sovereignty Act, Bill 54 and what it means for First Nations. We also hear from Gina Starblanket, associate professor at the University of Victoria and a member of the Star Blanket Cree Nation. She weighs in on how separation challenges...
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Wildfire season: Are Indigenous communities ready?
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, we’re looking ahead to wildfire season and asking if our communities are any better prepared than in years past. Wildfires are already burning. Forests are going up in flames. People are being forced from their homes. Guest host Leanne Sanders sits down with Arnold Lazare, interim executive director of the Indigenous Fire Safety Council. He joins us from Kahnawake to talk about what’s working and what isn’t. We also hear from Michelle Vandevord, director of Saskatchewan First Nation Emergency Management. She says most communities are ready, but weather...
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Why this boat won’t sink and what that says about a police investigation
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus we look behind the scenes of debunking a police investigation. In 2015, Matty Fairman and Tyler Maracle from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory were found dead in the Bay of Quinte. Police said the men drowned after stealing fish and overloading their boat. Their families never believed it. Now, neither does APTN Investigates reporter Kenneth Jackson. In the fourth chapter of his series Secrets of the Bay, Jackson challenges the police version of events with a boat that refuses to sink. Guest host Karyn Pugliese sits down with Jackson to talk about how the story...
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Decision 2025: What the results mean for Indigenous Peoples and the NDP
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, we break down the results of the April 28 federal election. The Liberals remain in power and the Conservatives will form the official opposition. The Bloc Québécois lost seats and the NDP dropped to just seven—losing official party status in the process. Twelve First Nations, Inuit and Métis candidates were elected across party lines. One of them is Mi’kmaw Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, now the most senior Indigenous member in the party. He speaks with APTN National News host Dennis Ward about what’s next. We also take a closer look at what the NDP’s...
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Decision 2025: Are Indigenous issues still on the sidelines this election?
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens checks in as the federal election campaign hits its final stretch. For more than a month, party leaders have been making promises about prosperity, wealth and good governance—but what’s in it for Indigenous Peoples? Dennis Ward, host of APTN National News, and Jennifer Laewetz, political commentator and panelist on APTN’s Truth and Politics panel, return to weigh in. We also head to Onigaming First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Our Parliament Hill correspondent Karyn Pugliese brings us a story about the community’s concerns—and...
info_outlineThis week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines the years-long fight to search the Prairie Green landfill and the delays that kept families waiting.
In December 2022, Cambria Harris stood on Parliament Hill, pleading for a search of the landfill where her mother, Morgan Harris, and others were believed to be. Despite her calls for action, it took two more years for the search to begin.
APTN News senior online journalist Kathleen Martens joins us to break down the timeline and the latest developments.
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