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Woman charged with attempted murder after child, 6, stabbed
Elliott Chorny, 19, was scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court Monday

Halifax Regional Police say a 19-year-old woman is facing charges including attempted murder after a six-year-old child was stabbed multiple times.

In a news release, police said the child was found suffering from stab wounds in the 1900 block of Barrington Street in Halifax at around 1:20 p.m. AT Sunday. The child was taken by ambulance to the IWK Health Centre with what police said were life-threatening injuries.

The child was still in hospital as of Monday.

The accused, Elliott Chorny, was scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court Monday morning to face charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace.

Investigators said it's not believed that the victim and Chorny are known to each other.

Police are asking anyone who may have video of the area around the time of the incident to contact them directly.

On Sunday evening, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston expressed his condolences on X.

"I struggle to fully express my outrage and sadness at learning about this attack on an innocent child in Halifax," he said.

First Nation says McEwen Mining breached agreement, owes almost $1M in unpaid shares
Apitipi Anicinapek Nation is taking the matter before an Ontario court

The Apitipi Anicinapek Nation (AAN) has launched a lawsuit against McEwen Mining Inc., alleging breach of contract and environmental damage.

The lawsuit centres around an Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) signed in 2011 between AAN and Brigus, the then-owner of the Black Fox Mining Complex near Matheson, Ont.

IBAs are agreements between resource extraction companies and Indigenous communities intended to mitigate the impacts of development on traditional territories and ways of life.

In this case, the IBA promised AAN financial compensation in the tune of 25,000 shares of the mining company annually.

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AAN's director of negotiations, Lance Black, says it was the first IBA ever signed by the First Nation, and it brought good things to the community.

"We benefited a lot from the construction… Over the years we've had many of our members work there. We've had different contracts thanks to the project," he said.

"We are not against mining development. It's helped advance our community and supported different programs."

Black says McEwen Mining has not paid the shares as detailed in the IBA since it took over the project back in 2017. It also says the previous owner of the mine failed to make those payments.

In a press release, the mining company says it does not believe its shares and the shares of the mining company that initially signed the IBA are "interchangeable on a 1-to-1 basis" and that this "[complicates] the conversation."

"We are not responsible for shares that were not delivered by [the previous owner], among other things," they write.

First Nation is suing for $100M in damages
The Black Fox Mining Complex changed hands several times over the past 15 years, from Brigus to the now-defunct Primero to McEwen Mining. Both Brigus and Primero have since dissolved.

The First Nation says that, in 2022, it noticed it hadn't been receiving the money promised in the IBA for some time. It calculated there's $1M worth of unpaid shares, some of it dating back to the years Primero was operating the mine.

It says meetings to resolve this issue with McEwen mining were unsuccessful.

As for the company, it says it was not notified of any outstanding liability in the IBA when it took over the project in 2017 and therefore cannot be held responsible.

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This means AAN effectively has no means of recovering the payments promised in the IBA.

"It's really hard to wrap my head around this," said Black. "How can the company not honour the longstanding agreement with the nearby First Nation?"

Black says the community relies on these revenues to pay for day-to-day operations like band office expenses, social housing and public works.

The First Nation says McEwen Mining tried to resolve the share dispute by offering 15,000 shares of its stock to cover the period between 2018 and 2023.

It deems that offer is too low to cover what was initially promised in the IBA.

Company says it remains open to "constructive dialogue"
McEwen Mining denies the allegations that it has let waste materials seep into a nearby creek, as alleged it the lawsuit.

It has declined multiple interview requests from CBC.

The company says that both before and during this dispute it has worked with AAN to respect the terms of the IBA, including "providing $20M in direct and indirect benefits since 2017," without specifying what these "indirect benefits" are and how much they account for.

It says it has paid the salary of an AAN representive to have a presence on the ground during operations but that this person has not visited the project in over a year.

"Given there seem to be significant misunderstandings about environmental matters and transparency, we believe it would be highly beneficial to have an AAN representative present at Fox on a daily basis," it writes.

The company recently boosted mining exploration in the area in a bid to extend the mining life at the Fox Complex.

Mining industry, business groups in NWO call for better support for mining from next provincial government
More power generation, meaningful consultations with First Nations needed if projects are to move forward

Kris Ketonen · CBC News · Posted: Feb 24, 2025 4:00 AM CST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago
Queen's Park winter drone images taken Jan 28, 2025
A photo of Queen's Park in Toronto. Business and First Nations groups in northwestern Ontario say they'd like to see whichever party forms the next provincial government to offer more support to the region's mining industry. (Ken Townsend/CBC)

Whichever party is elected as the next government of Ontario needs to show better support for northwestern Ontario's mining industry if some of the region's major developments are to move forward, industry and First Nations groups say.

"We need Queens Park to actually recognize us more," said Garry Clark, executive director of the Ontario Prospectors Association. "We need more money put into exploration to move things forward."

The provincial election takes place Thursday. While much of the focus has been on the Ring of Fire, there are many other mining projects in the region that are moving forward, said Iain Angus, co-chair of the Northwest Energy Task Force.

"There's 41 major projects working their way through, with 37 of them advanced to the point where they're saying they can be operational by 2033," Angus said. "That's not too far away."

More power needed for growing northwestern Ontario mining sector: task force
The task force recently released a report showing an additional 250 megawatts of power will be needed if those 37 mining projects do reach the operational stage.

"It takes seven years to build a transmission line," Angus said. "And while a lot of these mining projects are close to the existing grid, a number of them are not."

Jason Rasevych, president of the Anishinawbe Business Professional Association, said the province needs to ensure it meets its duty to consult First Nations, as well.

"We've seen there's been some communities that have been able to progress on their exploration agreements with some of the companies related to employment and having community based discussions on some of the exploration activities," he said. "But we still see there's challenges from the existing mining regime that's here in Ontario around meeting the bare minimum of duty to consult."

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"In Ontario there's been a number of injunctions due to the Crown failing and its obligations to properly consult with communities," Rasevych said. "And this shows we need to evolve the mining regime to one of a consent-based approach, somewhat similar to what we're seeing in British Columbia."

Rasevych said he'd also like to see the next provincial government fund some of the development work, up-front, for mining companies to work in partnership with First Nations who are the rights holders in an area.

Terms set for Ring of Fire impact assessment
Angus said, meanwhile, power needs to be a priority.

"We've identified a number of areas where new transmission lines are required if those mines are to be powered up with electricity, as opposed to natural gas or diesel," he said. "That needs to be accelerated because quite frankly, without the power, the mines may not happen."

Clark added that more investment from Queen's Park will be required.

New research explores impact of Ring of Fire mining on First Nations in northern Ontario

In the Ring of Fire, he said, things are moving about as fast as they can, given the need for exploration, roads, and power.

"We need more money put into exploration to move things forward, to get it to the point where we do need electric power at these sites," he said. "That's how they were found, is with exploration dollars."

'Record-setting' boom in development driven by new zoning rules and new LRT
50% more residential development and building permits in 2024 over previous year

Construction of new residential and commercial spaces is booming in Edmonton, influenced by new relaxed zoning rules as well as a longer-term trend of neighbourhoods being reshaped by the city's expanding LRT.

In a recent year-in-review report, the City of Edmonton's development services department called 2024 a "record-setting year for growth."

The city awarded 50 per cent more residential development and building permits than it did in 2023, with the overall value of construction permits at $4.2 billion, a 31 per cent growth from the year before.

"I'm not shocked," Coun. Andrew Knack said about the numbers. "Thinking about the growth that we've been seeing, it's just continuing to explode in our city."

The councillor for Ward Nakota Isga said 2023 and '24 saw an influx of people moving to Edmonton from other parts of Canada, and the development boom reflects that.

"You really started to see people in other parts of the country realize just how much more affordable almost all of Alberta is — but when it comes to a major city, how much more affordable Edmonton in particular is."

Edmonton's new zoning bylaw went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, allowing more diverse and dense types of housing in all parts of the city. In residential zones, the new bylaw allows eight or more housing units to be built on a single lot.

Almost 16,000 net new dwelling units were approved in 2024, of which more than 6,000 were classed as row houses, backyard housing or secondary suites.

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According to David Cooper, a transportation planner and consultant with Leading Mobility, Edmonton has — and is — building a significant amount of LRT, which is driving development.

"Rapid transit projects do sometimes spur changes in the urban form to build more housing," said Cooper, who is the lead author on a national report called Housing is on the Line. It makes recommendations on how transit can help Canada's housing issues.

Edmonton now has three LRT lines: the Capital Line, Metro Line and Valley Line Southeast. The Valley Line West is under construction and the Capital Line extension has been approved. The city also plans to extend the Metro line to the northwest of Castle Downs.

Downtown Edmonton sits in the backdrop of a new LRT bridge that crosses an icy North Saskatchewan River.
The Valley Line Southeast LRT is the newest line in Edmonton with the west leg now under construction. (David Bajer/CBC)
In Edmonton, Cooper said transit-oriented developments — or TODs — are evident in areas along the Valley Line Southeast LRT, like Bonnie Doon, Strathearn, Holyrood and Mill Woods Town Centre.

"There's areas that will see development happen over time. We've had TODs occur in Edmonton that are multi-phase: Century Park still getting built out."

With growth comes a wealth of new amenities, he added.

"Stadium Station's a great example of that," Cooper said, referring to the LRT station near Commonwealth Stadium. "You got a reconstructed station, you got a number of different housing units, you got new commercial services that didn't exist before, you have a renovated recreation centre."

'Downtown coming to the neighbourhood'
Many people across the city aren't happy about the changing landscape.

Jaclyn Moravec and her husband, Dallas Moravec, have lived in a single-family home in the Woodvale community of Mill Woods for nine years.

"We looked for a lot because [Dallas] had some friends grow up here and he just thought it was a little gem in Edmonton," Moravec said in an interview earlier this month.

Now, a developer has applied to build a 10-unit apartment complex on the lot next door.

Moravec said the three-storey building will block views, sunlight and take away their privacy. She's also worried about how the increased population will impact existing sewer and water issues.

One of the Valley Line South LRT stations, which went into operation in late 2023, is located a few blocks away. She said that has added to congestion in the neighbourhood.

"This is our home and now we have downtown coming to the neighbourhood," Moravec said.

The Woodvale community was developed in the 1970s and early '80s as a mix of single-detached homes, row housing and walk-up apartments, according to the city. Moravec said she recognizes the need for diverse housing types but said other neighbourhoods might be more suitable for high-density developments.

Moravec started a petition to stop the development; as of Friday, more than 300 people had signed it.

Cooper said these developments can be difficult for neighbours.

"That will always be a tension. That's not unique to Edmonton. That's really a national tension if you look at it, when we look at the integration of transit and housing."

Generational lifestyle shift
Niraj Nath, president and founder of NDura Developments, focuses on building multi-family infill housing in Edmonton's west end.

Business is up 300 per cent this year, he said. In 2024, he built 10 units of row housing. This year he's building 30 units within eight-plexes.

He credits the city's revised zoning bylaw as the impetus for more permits but also points out 70 per cent of his projects are within a kilometre of the Valley Line West LRT.

"I think there's a lot of long term generational benefits to the LRT," he said. "We're the generation that has to make that change but I think it's really been a catalyst for a lot of the development that we're seeing in the neighbourhoods we're developing in."

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Nath, who grew up in the west end, said the changes in housing type around transportation routes is part of a growing city.

When he started 10 years ago, people in traditional single-family home neighbourhoods questioned the style and density of skinny home infill and townhouses. He says people eventually came around.

"I've had some of these neighbours become friends," Nath said. "It's a cool little ecosystem and community."