Portions of the Northwest Territories are on a state of emergency footing this week thanks to some dangerously high water levels. Nunavut continues to battle COVID-19, with residents at an elders home evacuated after a staff member tests positive. Saskatchewan announces its initial phase out of restrictions will start May 30 in the wake of a vaccination milestone. Recent graduation celebrations for the University of Manitoba recognize a record number of Indigenous grads.

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A third wave of COVID-19 continues to pummel some provinces, especially Ontario and Manitoba. Some want restrictions on travel to the Yukon via the N.W.T.'s Dempster Highway to be relaxed. A mother in Alberta is found guilty of manslaughter in the death of her five-year-old daughter. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh shares his thoughts on the Liberal government's repeated failure to keep its pledge to clean water for all First Nations.

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On today’s Brief, a number of stories about Red Dress Day, this week’s commemoration of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls: a Stoney Nakoda First Nation event which involved Alberta RCMP; Confusion and anger on Instagram after it appeared the platform removed posts honouring families and survivors; MMIWG advocates and family in Vancouver hold memorials, with participation from the city. In other news, new information has emerged surrounding the February death of inmate William Ahmo after an altercation with officers at a Manitoba correctional facility. A Yukon First Nation has demanded their region’s MLA resign after he sent inappropriate text messages in a group chat.

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At an MMIWG Awareness Day event in Halifax, attendees ask what’s become of the 231 Calls for Justice. Bill 601, a bill to establish a province-wide suicide prevention strategy, finally passes in the Saskatchewan legislature. The wealthy Vancouver couple who hoped to jump the vaccine queue by flying into a remote Yukon First Nation this past January have their first court date.

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With Alberta now North America's COVID-19 hotspot, the federal Indigenous Services minister reports a First Nations vaccination rate significantly higher than the rest of the province. The Blackfoot Confederacy of Montana shares its surplus vaccines with residents north of the border. As Nunavut's COVID case numbers continue to grow, a concerning number have appeared among young people 18 and under. Acho Dene Koe First Nation's long-awaited election saga comes to a close, but the result ia not to everyone's liking.

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Conflict returns to the waters off Cape Breton, as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans once again seize traps from a Mi'kmaw moderate livelihood fishery. A pair of Yukon politicians are in hot water after some indiscreet text messages go public. Nearly two years after the MMIWG inquiry released its plan of action, NDP MP Leah Gazan wants the Liberal government to issue a plan of its own. Saskatchewan's lone safe consumption site reduces its hours due to a lack of funding from the province. 

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Canadian officials declare progress on the pandemic, with some exceptions: as daily COVID case counts drop, new variants of concern have helped drive up the number of severe illnesses. Nunavut's COVID case count continues to climb, the bulk of them in Iqaluit. A Manitoba mother unable to see her newborn because of the virus encourages others to take the pandemic more seriously. A DNA match helps verify an Indigenous woman’s identity more than 40 years after she first disappeared. A new public/private partnership will upgrade cellphone coverage on B.C.'s infamous 'Highway of Tears.' 

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A man faces charges following the death of a woman from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation in Alberta. Details about Quebec's recently-announced plan to fight domestic violence include close to $20 million for greater staffing and client capacity for men's healing programs. Cooperation between two of the Yukon's leading political parties brings recent election-related uncertainty to an apparent close.

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Growing COVID-19 case numbers in Nunavut mean Iqaluit schools and non-essential businesses will remain closed indefinitely. Nunavut's lone member of Parliament announces a second leave of absence in less than a year. Yukon's Liberal leader hints a travel bubble is in the works with the Northwest Territories. A Métis group in the NWT feels frustrated in its efforts to secure affordable housing for its elders.

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As Ontario reels from COVID-19, Ottawa pledges more military personnel. Signs of promise for First Nations on the vaccination front. Although Yukon is among the country's leading jurisdictions for pandemic management, some grow frustrated with its restrictions. British Columbia’s new travel restrictions spark worry about their potential enforcement against Indigenous people. A woman from the Enoch Cree Nation alleges an assault by security at an Edmonton Walmart.

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