IndigiNews is dedicated to covering the news in a way that allows for your stories to be heard, understood and respected. We aim to produce valuable, relevant, and trustworthy content by listening to the communities we serve through our work.
Our reporters are currently covering the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island.
IndigiNews was created through a partnership between Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and The Discourse. The goal of this partnership is two-fold: first, to provide journalism that serves and is driven by what local communities say they want. Second, to experiment with new business models for digital local news that contribute to the long-term sustainability of independent Indigenous news in Canada.
Eden Fineday (she/her)
Business Aunty & Contributing storyteller
Eden is a nehiyaw iskwew (a Cree woman), and a multidisciplinary artist from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Treaty 6 territory. She joins IndigiNews as Business Aunty and contributing storyteller, where she writes stories for the website and a newsletter each week to IndigiNews subscribers, while fundraising for and generally taking care of business at IndigiNews. She is an uninvited guest on the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqeum), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) people.
Odette Auger (she/her)
Managing Editor and Contributing Storyteller
Odette is Sagamok Anishnawbek through her mother. As a freelance journalist, Odette’s bylines include Watershed Sentinel, The Resolve, La Converse, The Tyee, Asparagus Magazine, and APTN National News. Odette lives on Klahoose, Homalco, and Tla’amin territories (Cortes Island).
Anna McKenzie
Senior Aunty & Communications Aunty
On her fathers side, Anna is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation with Scots Métis roots from Cumberland House, Saskatchewan. Her mother is a first generation Canadian whose parents immigrated from England and Ireland. Growing up urban and largely disconnected from her culture, Anna moved as an uninvited guest to territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations to pursue a degree in First Nations and Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia. She currently resides on the Snuneymuxw First Nation with her partner, and three children.
Kaila Jefferd-Moore (she/her)
Managing editor
Kaila is a writer, thinker, and questioner of all kinds, who brings her journalism expertise to IndigiNews as Managing Editor. A culmination of her experiences and privileges, Kaila is Haida and Canadian, born within the Coast Salish territory of the Snuneymuxw in British Columbia, though raised in Inuuvik, Northwest Territories on Gwich’in and Inuvialuit lands. She currently lives in Ta’an Kwäch’än and Kwanlin Dün territory.
Tessa Vikander (she/her)
Editor & Contributing Storyteller
Tesssa is a queer settler of Swedish (town of Smedjebacken), British and French ancestry, born and raised on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. As an editor at IndigiNews, she is honoured to support Indigenous storytellers as they claim their rightful place within the media landscape.
Cara McKenna
Contributing editor
Cara is a storyteller and editor of Alberta Métis and Irish/settler descent. She has worked in newsrooms across the country, including the Globe and Mail, APTN National News and the Canadian Press. She is also the former editor of the Salish Sea Sentinel magazine. Along with editing at IndigiNews, Cara is currently working on completing her BFA in Creative Writing at UBC.
Aaron Hemens
Storyteller, Okanagan
Aaron Hemens is a photographer, journalist and visitor in unceded syilx territory. He is Filipino on his mom’s side, and has both French and British roots on his dad’s.
As a settler, he is committed to learning and unlearning in his role as Okanagan Storyteller, and to accurately and respectfully tell stories of Indigenous peoples throughout the region.Aaron’s work is supported in part with funding from the Local Journalism Initiative in partnership with The Discourse and APTN.
Philip McLachlan
Storyteller, Education & Child Welfare
Philip McLachlan is a queer settler of Scottish and English ancestry, born and raised on the unceded territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Quw’utsun Nations. His background includes working in small communities as a journalist for traditional media and freelancing for international wire agencies as a photojournalist. He is passionate about telling authentic stories in a way that honours Indigenous community members on their homelands.
