In the news today: Premiers to hear from Indigenous groups at meeting

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Premiers to hear from Indigenous groups at meeting

A three-day meeting of the country’s premiers gets underway today, and the first item on the agenda is discussions with Indigenous groups.

The premiers are gathering at Deerhurst Resort in Ontario’s cottage country and trade and tariffs are expected to be the main topics, particularly when they meet Tuesday with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

But first they are set to have discussions with leaders from the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Native Women’s Association of Canada, among other Indigenous groups.

That meeting comes as Indigenous communities have expressed concerns with federal and provincial laws meant to fast-track major infrastructure projects as a way to stimulate the economy facing tariff impacts.

The federal law known as Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big projects deemed to be in the national interest by sidestepping existing laws, while Ontario’s Bill C-5 allows its cabinet to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones.”

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Postal workers to start voting on contract offer

Unionized workers at Canada Post begin voting on the Crown corporation’s latest contract offer today.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging they reject the proposal.

Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks.

The vote comes after federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in and put the Crown corporation’s latest offer to a vote.

The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years but also adds part-time workers Canada Post says are necessary to keep the postal service afloat.

Jasper officials give tours ahead of anniversary

Officials with Parks Canada and the town of Jasper, Alta., are to provide remarks and tours of the community today as they get set to mark the one-year anniversary of a devastating wildfire.

The fire destroyed one-third of the Rocky Mountain town on July 24, 2024, and displaced some 2,000 residents.

Officials are scheduled to give media tours of the area to show what’s been done to recover from the fire, and Mayor Richard Ireland is to speak.

A week of activities are also set to bring the community together, including a bike ride, painting workshops and a talking circle.

The anniversary comes after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith demanded an apology from the town for a report it commissioned that says the province interfered in the wildfire response.

Weekend smoke impedes firefighting in Manitoba

Precipitation that’s in the forecast early this week could help crews fighting wildfires that have been threatening a northern Manitoba city after smoke that’s blanketed much of the Prairies over the weekend kept some firefighting aircraft grounded and forced the cancellation of a number of weekend events.

In an update posted to social media on Sunday, the City of Thompson said rain was forecast for the area on Monday as the community continues to advise residents to be ready to flee at short notice due to several fires.

But the battle against the flames was hampered on Saturday, the post said, because intense smoke meant that aerial crews were unable to do suppression work with helicopters and water bombers. The smoke also meant crews weren’t able to be deployed by helicopters, it noted.

The post said the smoke cleared some Sunday, and that crews would attempt to fly to the fire’s eastern flank and “start wrapping that edge.”

Smoke also prevented sonar imaging of land burned by a fire that has kept people out of Tataskweyak Cree Nation, according to an update posted Saturday by the community’s chief, Doreen Spence.

Missing Canadian girl found dead in New York state

Police in New York state say they have found a nine-year-old Canadian girl who went missing in northeastern New York dead.

A news release from New York State Police says officers from the Warren County Sheriff’s office received a call from a man reporting his nine-year-old daughter missing from the area of Exit 22 of I-87 in Lake George, possibly due to an abduction, on Saturday just before 10 p.m.

They say the child was identified as Canadian resident Melina Frattolin, and her father as 45-year-old Luciano Frattolin.

Police in New York say with the help of several local police agencies, Melina was found dead in Ticonderoga, NY, about 50 kilometres northeast of Lake George near the New York-Vermont border, on Sunday.

The investigation has been turned over to the New York State Police, and police say a press conference will be held on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.

The Canadian Press