FSIN says Indigenous man was assaulted by guards at Saskatchewan Penitentiary, calls for change
CBC
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) says an Indigenous man was assaulted by guards at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert and is calling for change.
FSIN Vice-Chief Edward Dutch Lerat and executive director of justice Jason Stonechild held a news conference in Saskatoon on Thursday about the alleged incident. Darla Fourstar, the mother of Kihiw Fourstar, was present. She said her son was assaulted in his cell by correctional officers.
"My message is hard to hear. My child wasn't in a safe place. It's a mother's worst nightmare," said Darla.
She said Kihiw was beaten by guards while in handcuffs on Nov. 7 and wasn't able to call her until Nov. 10.
The FSIN represents Saskatchewan's First Nations.
"The over incarceration of First Nations people speaks to the systemic racism brought upon our people by colonialism and residential schools. In a situation where the family is already hurting by having a son in jail, it's appalling to see a mother living with constant worry and fear that her son may die at the hands of federally employed guards," said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in an emailed statement.
In that same email, Lerat said that the public should not dismiss this as a justified assault.
"It happened off-camera with calculated rage unleashed on a person the guards were charged with keeping safe," said Lerat.
Darla said Kihiw needs medication and healing. She said he told her during a phone call that he was being denied the medication he needs for his mental health issues.
"I feel sorry for him. I love him and he's been telling me he feels empty and depressed," she said.
"I know he's in jail, but he suffers mental health issues and there's nothing I can do about it. Sometimes I was afraid to hang up with my boy."
Kihiw has been moved to Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba. Darla said the facility is a better location for him and he is doing much better. However, Darla said she and her son never want anyone else to go through what he did.
"If this helps one person. It has been successful," she said.
The FSIN was informed of the incident on Nov. 10.
Changes are coming to residential recycling in Toronto starting in the new year, two councillors announced on Thursday.
Before a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s northwest coast can be built, there's another box that needs to be checked: a massive investment in carbon capture and storage in central Alberta.
Jeremy Tunraluk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), is on leave from his position after he was charged with assault.
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.
The Alberta Health Services CEO who took over after a controversial firing in January is now himself off the job.
Standing inside her non-profit managed rental unit in central Windsor, Ont., Sue Pare points to a crack in her kitchen floor she can’t get fixed.
Five people were sent to hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries, after a fire broke out at a fraternity house near Western University prompting a police investigation.
A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.
Greater Sudbury taxpayers will be paying 3.9 per cent more in property taxes in 2026.
When it comes to wintry weather, the Maritimes has certainly dipped a toe into the water with this week's chilly temperatures and snow.
N.B. Power is warning that the U.S. company it hired to build and run a billion-dollar gas plant could walk away in April — a move that would set the project back years, and possibly lead to power shortages in the province.
After Serge Belloncik suffered a stroke in 2022, he developed aphasia, a communication disorder affecting his ability to speak.
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation says its annual Winterfest celebration has been cancelled for 2026, with the southwestern Manitoba First Nation's newly elected chief saying there was not enough time or funding to plan the four-day festival.