STM Daily News
RESOUNDING SUPREME COURT WIN FOR FIRST NATIONS
OTTAWA, ON /CNW/ – The Supreme Court of Canada has chastised the Ontario and federal governments for an “egregious” breach of a 175-year old treaty, and ordered them to move quickly to compensate a group of First Nations located north of Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
Using unusually harsh language in its unanimous decision, the Court gave the governments six months to pay just compensation for its refusal to increase the annuities under the Robinson Treaties of 1850, in keeping with the “honour of the Crown.”
Representatives of the Robinson Superior Treaty group hailed the decision as a major landmark along the road to reconciliation that demands governments make good on their promises.
Harley Schachter, counsel for Red Rock First Nation and Whitesand First Nation, expressed delight at the Supreme Court’s recognition that the governments neglected their First Nations treaty partners – even as they permitted the rampant exploitation of natural resources from land within the treaty territory; wealth that they had promised to share, but did not.
“The Court took these breaches very seriously,” he told reporters. Mr. Schachter said the Court made it clear that judges have an important role to play in future treaty disputes to ensure that governments uphold the honour of the Crown so that true reconciliation is achieved.
“The Supreme Court has ruled today that governments are not above the law,” he said. “It is a sacred relationship between First Nations and the Crown. It is a partnership, not a dictatorship.”
The Supreme Court found that the government’s attitude made “a mockery” of the treaty promise and left the Anishinaabe with “an empty shell of a treaty promise.”
Chief Lawrence Wanakamik, Chief of Whitesand First Nation, said that he was overcome with emotion when he heard of the Court decision.
“We have struggled a lot over the last 175 years,” he said. Once his communities have been properly compensated. Chief Wanakamik said, upgrading health services is likely to be their highest priority.
The Court found there was a flagrant disregard of promises made in the 1850 Robinson Superior and Robinson Huron treaties, and that the Indigenous signatories received next to nothing.
“The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson treaties,” the Court said, adding that governments must now act quickly to fulfill their dishonoured promises.
Prior to the Supreme Court hearing the appeal last fall, the trial judge in the sprawling case – Justice Patricia Hennessy of Ontario Superior Court- had embarked on the final phase of the litigation, which involved an assessment of how much the plaintiffs are owed in compensation.
Her decision on the compensation issue is currently under reserve and will remain so for another six months to give the parties time to try and come to a mutually acceptable agreement in relation to past compensation to be paid.
Justice Hennessy heard intensely human testimony from Indigenous chiefs and elders about the abject poverty their people have lived in at the same time as logging and mining companies were exploiting their natural resources. They told of growing up in tarpaper shacks where large families had no plumbing or insulation, and slept on floors. Food was scarce or unobtainable. Winters were virtually unbearable.
Yet, just kilometres away, large companies such as Kimberley-Clarke were reaping handsome profits from sawmills or mining operations located on their land.
Under the treaties, the annuity was to be augmented over time in keeping with the rising economic value of the land. However, a recalculation took place only once – in 1874. It has remained at $4 per person since 1875.
The Ontario government’s legal position was that the province suffered a net loss in developing this resource-rich region over the past 150 years. It claimed that the costs of colonization – building railroads, roads, insect control, land surveys, and so on – should be subtracted from its net value. It alleged a net loss of $7-12 billion.
Economists testified that as much as tens of billions of dollars are owed to the Indigenous communities. Included in their calculations were the opportunity cost of wasteful decision-making; the giving away of free hydroelectricity and undervalued stumpage rates and mining rights to industry; the deprivation of the ability of the Anishinaabe to create proper educational and health facilities; and the fact they Ontario procured the treaty acting in a monopolistic manner.
In stark contrast to Ontario’s position, the federal government conceded that the treaty beneficiaries are owed a considerable sum.
Unless the governments meet their obligations honourably for payment of past breaches of the treat by Jan. 26, 2025, the Lake Superior plaintiffs will return to the Court to seek compensation for these historic wrongs.
SOURCE Stockwoods LLP
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Local News
Maricopa Boil Water Advisory Lifted After Negative E. Coli Tests
Maricopa boil water advisory lifted: Global Water–Santa Cruz Water Company customers in Maricopa can resume normal tap water use after follow-up testing found no E. coli.
MARICOPA, Ariz. — A precautionary boil water advisory for Global Water–Santa Cruz Water Company customers in the city of Maricopa was lifted Thursday, October 8, after repeat testing found no E. coli in water samples. The utility announced the cancellation at approximately 2 p.m. Arizona time.
The advisory was issued October 7 after two preliminary tests indicated possible contamination. Customers were temporarily instructed to use bottled water or boil tap water for at least one minute before drinking it or using it for food preparation.
With follow-up results negative, affected customers no longer need to boil water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes, according to the utility.
The advisory affected the utility’s customers in the city of Maricopa, located in Pinal County. It was not a countywide warning for Maricopa County or Phoenix.
Residents can visit Global Water Resources’ official notice page for updates or call 866-940-1102 with questions.
STM Daily News
Woman Charged With Felony Animal Cruelty in Santa Ana Puppy Killing
Santa Ana Puppy Killing: Prosecutors have filed felony charges against a 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy, Blackey, in Santa Ana.
Last Updated on October 3, 2026 by Daily News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 75-year-old Anaheim woman accused of deliberately running over and killing her puppy on a Santa Ana street has now been formally charged with felony animal cruelty, marking a major development in a case that drew widespread attention after surveillance video was released by police.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, October 2, that Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim, has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty, one felony count of animal abuse by a caretaker, and a felony enhancement alleging the personal use of a weapon — a vehicle — to kill the animal.
Nguyen was arrested by Santa Ana police on Thursday, October 1, after investigators used automated license plate reader technology to identify the green Honda Odyssey seen in surveillance footage from the September 8 incident. Police subsequently located Nguyen and found the minivan at her Anaheim residence.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Nguyen was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on November 2, 2026, in Department C55.
Surveillance video led to investigation
The case began on September 8 at approximately 9:15 a.m., when Santa Ana Animal Services officers responded to a report of a dead black-and-white male pit bull-mix puppy on West Park Lane.
Surveillance footage obtained during the investigation showed a woman removing the puppy from a minivan and placing food near the driver’s side of the vehicle. Authorities allege the woman then slowly drove forward as the puppy approached the food, running over the animal with the vehicle’s rear tire before leaving the scene.
The puppy, identified by authorities as Blackey, died.
The District Attorney’s Office describes Blackey as a 9-week-old puppy. Earlier statements and local news reports described him as approximately 9 months old.
Santa Ana police released surveillance footage of the incident on September 30 and appealed to the public for help identifying the driver.
Within a day, investigators said automated license plate reader technology helped them trace the Honda Odyssey to Nguyen. Police found the vehicle in her garage and took her into custody.
Police previously said Nguyen acknowledged owning and abandoning Blackey. According to the Los Angeles Times, a Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson said Nguyen told detectives she had left the puppy because he had been annoying her boyfriend by biting his shoes and belongings. Police said she acknowledged abandoning the dog but did not admit to intentionally running him over.
Prosecutors file felony charges
The filing of felony charges moves the case beyond the initial police investigation and into the Orange County court system.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the alleged killing in announcing the charges and said his office intends to prosecute acts of violence against animals.
Deputy District Attorney Danica Drotman of the Orange County District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit is prosecuting the case.
Nguyen is accused of the offenses and has not been convicted. The allegations against her will now be addressed through the court process.
Her next scheduled court appearance is November 2.
STM Daily News will continue following the case and provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Source and Related Links
- Orange County District Attorney — October 2 charging announcement
- The DA’s release is the strongest source for this update. It provides case number 26CF4923, the exact charges, $20,000 bail, November 2 court date and the prosecutor assigned to the case. Orange County District Attorney
- For corroborating coverage, CBS Los Angeles reports the arrest, use of automated license-plate readers and the subsequent felony charges. CBS News
- CBS Los Angeles — arrest and charges update
- NBC Los Angeles — felony charges update
Local News
Santa Ana Police Seek Woman Accused of Intentionally Running Over Puppy
Santa Ana police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman accused of intentionally running over and killing a puppy with a minivan on September 8.
Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by Daily News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Santa Ana police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman accused of deliberately running over and killing a puppy after leaving the animal in a residential street earlier this month.
The disturbing incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. on September 8, 2026, in the 900 block of West Park Lane, near 926 W. Park Lane. Police said the dog, described as a pit bull mix puppy, was later found dead in the street.
Investigators subsequently obtained home-surveillance footage showing an older-model green or blue Honda Odyssey minivan stopped along the street.
According to police, the female driver opened the vehicle’s door and placed the puppy on the ground. The puppy went underneath the minivan, and the woman then allegedly placed food on the street near the driver’s side of the vehicle.
As the puppy approached the food, the driver moved the minivan forward. Police said the vehicle’s rear driver’s-side tire went over the puppy and that the minivan remained stopped on the animal for approximately 15 seconds before the driver drove away.
A nearby resident later told officers that they had seen the minivan in the area and believed the puppy had been deliberately run over. Police and animal services personnel spent several weeks canvassing the neighborhood and eventually located surveillance footage that authorities said corroborated the witness’s account.
Police searching for driver
Investigators have not been able to obtain a readable license plate from the surveillance footage.
As of September 30, Santa Ana police were seeking information that could help identify either the woman or the older green or blue Honda Odyssey seen in the video.
Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Santa Ana police at 714-245-8378.
The case comes two years after another highly publicized animal-cruelty incident in Santa Ana involving a woman accused of intentionally running over a 2-month-old Rottweiler puppy in August 2024. In that case, the puppy survived after emergency treatment, and the suspect subsequently turned herself in to police.
STM Daily News will update this story if authorities announce an identification, arrest or charges in the case.
Sure and Related Links
Los Angeles Times — “Santa Ana Police search for woman who appears to deliberately run over puppy in disturbing video”
Los Angeles Times report
CBS Los Angeles — “Santa Ana police seek minivan driver who allegedly intentionally ran over puppy”
CBS Los Angeles report
NBC Los Angeles — “Female driver wanted for ‘intentionally’ running over a puppy in Santa Ana”
NBC Los Angeles report
MyNewsLA — “Santa Ana Police Seek Help Woman Who Fatally Struck Puppy”
MyNewsLA report
