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Indigenous artist Shelley Niro has won the $50,000 Scotiabank Photography Award.
Niro was named recipient of the lucrative prize at a gala in Toronto on Tuesday night.
She was selected from among a trio of finalists for the award, which included Montreal-based photographers Raymonde April and Donigan Cumming.
Niro encompasses photography, painting, beadwork and film in her multimedia work, which focuses on challenging stereotypical images of indigenous identity and history.

Ontario is investing in new sports opportunities for indigenous youth across the province.
The funding will provide $4.5 million dollars over two years for leadership training for indigenous youth to develop traditional knowledge and language skills.
It will also provide nearly $4 million dollars over three years— growing opportunities in competitive sports for urban indigenous youth.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada is urging indigenous women to stand up and report sexual assaults to police.
This includes everything from harassment to sexual assault – which helps police collect data that accurately reflects how common these types of attacks are on indigenous women.
The organization says it is supporting a bill in parliament that would ask courts to consider a woman’s race as an aggravating factor if the accused has a history of race based assaults.
NWAC president Francyne Joe says although it may be difficult to come forward, victims are not responsible for their own sexual assault.

The trapeze-artist wife of daredevil Nik Wallenda is planning her own stunt high above Niagara Falls.
Aerialist Erendira Vasquez Wallenda plans to dangle by her teeth from a helicopter as it flies over Niagara Falls.
Niagara County officials approved the act, planned for June 15 — the fifth anniversary of Nik Wallenda’s televised 550-metre tightrope walk from the New York side of the falls into Canada.

A Manitoba indigenous leader plans to walk 120 kilometres next month in commemoration of Canada’s 150th birthday.
Derek Nepinak, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said his Walk to Remember is to celebrate indigenous resilience through the assimilation, genocide and elimination policies of Canada towards indigenous people since Confederation.
Along with a number of supporters, Nepinak plans to cover the 120-kilometre distance over four days starting June 16.

Ontario’s top health officials say they are launching a new tracker for industry workers to gather data on opioid related deaths.
Statistics for 2016 show an 11% increase in opioid related deaths since 2015.
The province says the tool will help health care workers and policy makers across the province better understand the scope of the opioid problem and support the development of targeted policies to respond to the crisis.