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National Indigenous News September 9 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a look at your National Indigenous News.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Daryl Stranger.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: The National Association of Friendship Centers, or NAFC, is calling on the Government of Canada to make Budget 2026 a transformative moment for urban Indigenous communities by building on recent federal investments and scaling support through the Friendship Center Network.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: In a letter submitted to the Honorable Francois Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance, the NAFC welcomed the federal government's recent commitment of$168 million over five years through Indigenous Services Canada.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: They say the funding represents an important step towards stabilizing the operational foundation of Friendship Centers and recognizing their essential role in delivering culturally grounded services to Indigenous peoples living in urban areas.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: As nearly 80% of Indigenous peoples in Canada now live in urban communities, the NAFC is urging the federal government to take a targeted approach to new investments by working through the Friendship Center Network.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: The NAFC's recommendations focus on expanding support across key federal priorities, including housing and infrastructure, employment and skills development, gender-based violence prevention, emergency response and preparedness, and Indigenous-led artificial intelligence and data capacity.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: The NAFC is specifically calling for the creation of dedicated friendship centered delivery streams within federal housing, infrastructure, and employment programming, sustained multi-year investments to address gender-based violence and support survivors, permanent funding to recognize the role of friendship centers in emergency response, including during wildfire evacuations, and targeted investments in Indigenous-led digital infrastructure to support data sovereignty and modernized service delivery.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Nunavut's first ever addictions and trauma center will include more than just a clinical approach to recovery.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: The center's new executive director said the center will include on-the-land programming, workshops to build traditional hunting tools, and feature a cultural room with sewing machines.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: The hope for the 24-bed facility is that Nunavumiut will be able to access care without having to leave the territory for treatment.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: The current focus is on hiring and getting the center opened as quickly as possible.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: The center itself has been years in the making and is still undergoing construction.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Nunavut Tungavik Incorporated, as well as the federal and territorial governments, all signed an agreement in 2019 to have the center built.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: However, it has faced construction delays since.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: As of today, there is still no opening date for the center just yet.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Students from three Gitsang communities in northwestern BC no longer have to travel to Hazleton for high school following the opening of a new secondary school in Gitwangak.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: The Gitsan West Secondary School will serve the communities of Gitwangak, Git Yanwau, and Gitsagukla, located between 98 to 117 kilometers northeast of Terrace, BC.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: The aim is to give students the opportunity for secondary education in a culturally enriched learning environment rooted in Gitsan culture, language, and community.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Indigenous Services Canada provided about$39 million for the design and construction, as well as program delivery for the first year of operations.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: The school is locally governed by a school board representing the three communities.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: The new school has the capacity for up to 170 students from nearby communities from grades 8 to 12.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: It includes 12 classrooms, a library, kitchen, gymnasium, and other facilities.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's a look at your National Indigenous News.