Mi'kmaq Matters: Recent Episodes
Mi'kmaq Matters
A podcast about Mi'kmaq people, politics, land, and water. A message to our listeners: the Mi'kmaq Matters team hopes you are all staying safe during this difficult time. Now, more than ever, we thank you for supporting independent Mi'kmaq journalism. Stay safe, and take care.
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This week: highlights from the Enviro Watch NL online forum, featuring Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins, authors of Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favorite Fish; Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance; and Neville Crabbe of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The event was moderated by Enviro Watch co-chairs Tara Manuel and Glenn Wheeler.
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Protected for years from logging due to its high elevation, precious old growth forests in central Newfoundland now stand in the bullseye of about 300 EVREC wind turbines. This week, we speak with two members of a concerned citizens group, Leanna Paul and Robert Loder, about what could be lost if the project goes ahead.
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Can we mine our way to a green transition away from fossil fuels, or will we destroy more natural environment? This week, we sit down with Christopher Pollon, author of Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World's Most Vulnerable Places.
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Unanswered technical questions, a lack of signed contracts, and a budget crisis in Germany may turn into roadblocks for the wind-to-hydrogen plans in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. We get the latest from Joan Baxter, a reporter at the Halifax Examiner.
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Five decades after Joey Smallwood flooded Innu land without their consent, another Liberal premier has ripped the nation off on Muskrat Falls revenue and started talks with Quebec on a new hydro project without consulting them. This week, we speak with Peter Penashue, chief negotiator for the Innu Nation.
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An investigative exposé by Norwegian investigative journalists Simen Saetre and Kjetil Østl documents how misinformation and suppression of scientific evidence helped enrich some of the wealthiest people in Norway. This week, we speak with Saetre, co-author of The New Fish: The Truth about Farmed Salmon and the Consequences We Can No Longer Ignore.
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Amid surprise and controversy, Brendan Mitchell has become the first-ever Regional Chief for Newfoundland. This week, host Glenn Wheeler and Mi'kmaq Matters correspondent Greg Janes talk about the implications for Qalipu First Nation.
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Some say the change is long overdue, but it's up to the province to make the next move. This week, we speak to the councillor championing the addition, Wayne Mason.
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American anthropologist Frank Speck left Newfoundland in the early 1900s with dozens of pieces of Mi'kmaw clothing and crafts that now sit in a museum in Gatineau, Quebec. Archaeologist Natasha Jones says it's time to repatriate the items to bring them closer to her and other relatives of the Paul family from whom Speck obtained them.
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Host Glenn Wheeler and correspondent Greg Janes discuss the latest developments in the Benoit court case, its impact on Mi'kmaw people trying to get their Indian status, and the implications for Qalipu First Nation.
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A mammoth wind energy project for the Port au Port Peninsula and Codroy Valley is being rushed to get regulatory approval and experts see alarming parallels with the Muskrat Falls debacle, which has had lasting economic and environmental impacts on the region. This week, highlights from the public forum on the wind energy project organized by Enviro Watch NL.
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World Energy GH2's poorly organized and repetitive 4,000-page environmental impact assessment seems designed to discourage public comment. But residents of the Port au Port Peninsula and Codroy Valley are plowing through it, determined to submit their written comments by the October 11 deadline. This week, we asked resident Patrick Park-Tighe about what he's read so far, and his for tips on those who want to respond.
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An emotional meeting in Stephenville provided an avenue for strategy planning to protect wilderness under assault from multiple development projects. This week, we speak with Chief Byron Alexander of Indian Head First Nation and band administrator Jasmine Jesso.
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Despite the hype that we can mine our way out of the climate crisis, researcher Simon Michaux says we're faced with two problems: there aren't enough critical minerals to support technological innovations like electric vehicles; and we won't find enough in time to make the net-zero deadline of 2050.
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As development pressure and erosion threaten potentially important sites, archaeologist Natasha Jones launches a research project—one of the few related to Newfoundland Mi'kmaq.
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In his new book, One Man's Journey, Mi'kmaw Elder Calvin White charts the events leading up to the creation of Qalipu First Nation, including how a small group of people prevented the establishment of a tribal council to represent Mi'kmaq interests in Ottawa.
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This week, we speak with Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, about BC's transition away from fish farms, and his thoughts on aquaculture being included in a marine conservation area on the Newfoundland South Coast.
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The process begins to protect the waters of the Newfoundland South Coast, but proponents of aquaculture want fish farms to be considered, too. We asked Parks Canada NL manager Sigrid Kuehnemund if those differences can be squared.
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This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the much-anticipated decision in the Benoit case, brought by Friends of Qalipu. As they discuss, a judge found that feds pressured Federation of Newfoundland Indians, who agreed to a supplemental agreement without legal authority. Now the question is: Where do we go from here?
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Outfitters in the area are booked solid for now, but some fear they'll have to cancel clients because of test towers that are set to be built in middle of moose-hunting grounds. This week, we speak with outfitter Art Ryan.
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A federal environmental assessment opens up the possibility of a more complete review of wind energy projects, and funding for community groups to hire experts on longer time lines. We speak with Shelley Senior, lawyer for the Environmental Transparency Committee
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It's unlikely that hydrogen produced in Stephenville or elsewhere in Atlantic Canada will ever be used for energy because it is so expensive to transport. This week, industry analyst Michael Liebreich looks at the hype around a technology driven by government subsidy rather than business sense.
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Two-thirds of the way through the current Qalipu term, two council members are turning out to be the leading candidates in next year's race for chief. This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes turn in a performance report card of Qalipu councillors.
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In the rush to build projects in response to the climate crisis, governments have tried to take shortcuts around consultation with Indigenous peoples. Twila Gaudet and Patrick Butler of Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMKNO) explain how Mi'kmaq reached an agreement with a hydrogen power developer.
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Provincial governments in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have rushed to OK massive wind turbine developments without adequately assessing the ecological impact—especially the risks to oceans and fisheries. This week, we speak with Duran Felix of the Environmental Transparency Committee on the Port au Port Peninsula and Melinda Cole of the Guysborough County Inshore Fishermen's Association about the effects these projects can have on the environment.
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In Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, land defenders are up against a rush to build an untested form of energy that some experts feel won't work. We speak with Sheila and Zita Hinks about their latest trip to court in their injunction fight regarding wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula. Later in the show, journalist Joan Baxter tells us about the Nova Scotia government's rush to approve projects despite unanswered questions and public concerns.
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At the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), the largest athletic event ever held in Atlantic Canada, participants will experience Indigenous solidarity as well as competitive spirit. We speak with the chair of NAIG 2023 Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons and Team Indigenous NL coordinator Mike Alexander.
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In Nova Scotia, the Mi'kmaq Forestry Initiative (MFI) is caring for 30,000 hectares of crown land so that L'nuk today and for generations to come can depend on them for what they need, including culture, medicine, and connection. We speak with MFI project manager Elizabeth Jessome of the Unama'ki Institute for Natural Resources.
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White pine is mentioned in the first line of Newfoundland's provincial anthem but on a canoe trip in the upper Humber watershed, writer and educator Daniel Banoub discovered it's no longer found in the forests. This week: the cutting frenzy threatening Newfoundland's white pine. Plus: reflections on the occasion of Episode 250.
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This week: Will a gold mine shut down temporarily to protect caribou? Plus: the back story of Qalipu's targeting of cultural foundation.
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Though calving is about to start, vice-chief says a site-visit to gold mine located on migration routes can wait until late summer. Plus: the strange salmon anglers are pulling out of the rivers on the south coast.
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This week, Tami Park-Tighe on how the West Wind First Nation aims to put land and water ahead of collusion with corporate wind energy interests. Plus: Sheila Hinks tells hosts Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes about an injunction case against land defenders that's taken a surprise turn into a sovereignty claim.
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This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the tough dilemma facing voters in Long Range Mountains: Is it okay to vote for fellow Mi'kmaw Carol Anstey, even if her leader, Pierre Poilievre, was part of the anti-Indigenous Harper government?
Plus: the Port au Port Mi'kmaq band plans to revive Mi'kmaw culture in communities on the east side of the peninsula.
This week, hosts Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the call for harmony from community chiefs when it comes to the wind energy issue. Plus: a new Qalipu band manager, and the anti-Indigenous response to restoring the name of Burgeo's Route 480.
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This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss an injunction application against Port au Port peninsula land defenders. In 2016, the judge involved in the current Port au Port case ordered criminal charges against a Muskrat Falls reporter. The charges were eventually overturned when an appeal court found they did not abide by the tenants of reconciliation and Indigenous rights, which raises questions about how the judge will approach this new case.
This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the Qalipu Cultural Foundation's name change, and who might run for Regional Chief. They foresee a difficult choice coming up for Burgeo between fish farms or a marine conservation area. And an update on the Port au Port protests.
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Mi'kmaq Matters correspondent Greg Janes and host Glenn Wheeler discuss protests that have shut down work on a mammoth wind energy project for two weeks. Plus: What's up with the abrupt stop to Dean Simon's language classes for Qalipu First Nation?
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With exploration for gold taking place within its boundaries and close to its water supply, the Town of Appleton has had to bring in its own permit system to exert some control over exploration. This week, we speak with Appleton mayor, Garrett Watton.
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Host Glenn Wheeler and our new Corner Brook correspondent, Greg Janes, survey current activities on the island of Newfoundland, the province's weak regulations surrounding such work, and the strict conditions imposed by the Nunatsiavut Government for similar exploration on Inuit lands in Labrador.
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This was a year of wind energy and citizen resistance; staff exodus and an enrolment deal at Qalipu; a spot on the Assembly of First Nations for Newfoundland; and a return to the powwow grounds.
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Will Qalipu members support a proposal that would reinstate military and RCMP personnel but leave out most of the 10,000 people who lost their status in the supplemental agreement? We talk to former Canadian Navy member Greg Janes, who received a deluge of hostile messages when he posed for a photo with Chief Brendan Mitchell in support of the deal.
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With the array of powerful political and business forces in favour of the massive World Energy GH2 project on the west coast of Newfoundland, we ask Marilyn Rowe of the Environmental Transparency Committee what needs to happen to stop it before it turns the Port au Port Peninsula into a forest of wind turbines.
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How the St. John's-based, big-time Newfoundland news media are ignoring the West Coast wind energy project—a conflict-ridden billion-dollar boondoggle in the making. This week, we speak with Ed Hollett, publisher of the Bond Papers.
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With wilderness-destructive development at the highest rate than at any time in Newfoundland history and eco advocacy at its lowest, Mi'kmaq Matters convenes an emergency meeting to discuss a way forward.
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World Energy GH2 inks a deal with Qalipu First Nation and promises community cash if it gets permission to place 164 wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula. What's going on? We ask Qalipu councillor Jasen Benwah.
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Qalipu band member and country star Jason Benoit talks about his Mi'kmaq roots and staying grounded as his song Shootin Me Down climbs the country charts across Canada.
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This week, journalist Joan Baxter on the first phase of a Nova Scotia project that will use coal-fired electricity to produce hydrogen power for export, and a second phase that would see hundreds of wind turbines placed on environmentally sensitive territory important to Mi'kmaq.
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This week, journalist Joan Baxter on the first phase of a Nova Scotia project that will use coal-fired electricity to produce hydrogen power for export, and a second phase that would see hundreds of wind turbines placed on environmentally sensitive territory important to Mi'kmaq.
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An Indigenous engagement session suggests that CBC's coverage of Mi'kmaw issues in the Atlantic region is overseen by non-Indigenous editors.
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An Indigenous engagement session suggests that CBC's coverage of Mi'kmaw issues in the Atlantic region is overseen by non-Indigenous editors.
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Talks between the government, developer, and Qalipu about a new proposed wind farm went of for weeks before the public found out what was in the works. This week, we speak with Marilyn Rowe of the Environmental Transparency Committee about the reaction and potential effects on the community.
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Talks between the government, developer, and Qalipu about a new proposed wind farm went of for weeks before the public found out what was in the works. This week, we speak with Marilyn Rowe of the Environmental Transparency Committee about the reaction and potential effects on the community.
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A fish farm expansion, a gold mine approved, and a mammoth windmill project. With our two chiefs in bed with the provincial government, we need a strategy to bring Mi'kmaq people together to do what our leaders refuse to do: defend our land and water.
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A fish farm expansion, a gold mine approved, and a mammoth windmill project. With our two chiefs in bed with the provincial government, we need a strategy to bring Mi'kmaq people together to do what our leaders refuse to do: defend our land and water.
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Residents at public meeting with Mowi Canada East express concerns about size of project and impact on natural environment.
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Mi'kmaw leaders say their concerns over impact on salmon and other species from fossil fuel project off Newfoundland were ignored and regulators did not live up to their duty to consult.
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A plan to place 164 wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula will not only affect humans who live in the area but also rare species of plants and birds, says Jasen Benwah, Chief of Benoit First Nation and Port au Port ward councillor for Qalipu First Nation.
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Authors Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins assemble a damning dossier about sea-based aquaculture in their new book Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favourite Fish, whose research took them to Miawpukek First Nation on the NL South Coast.
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Amid the continued silence from Ottawa on the much-awaited deal to return Qalipu status veterans and RCMP to the band, we check in on two lawsuits that might end up in overturning of notorious supplemental agreement.
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If Blaine Higgs tries to start fracking in New Brunswick once again, he's very likely to see the same resistance from First Nations and other land defenders that rocked the province nearly a decade ago.
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Breathe the same air, walk on the same earth, and connect with the ancestors in the most profound way: through our land.
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The town of Burgeo looks to combine aquaculture with what has been a decades-long push to establish a marine conservation area on the south coast. We ask former mayor Barbara Barter if it's a feasible plan or a toxic tangle waiting to happen.
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The province of Newfoundland has one of the worst conservation records in the country—is its promise to do more to protect provincial wilderness areas just talk, or will action follow? Plus, an update on the fight to defend Mi'kmaq ancestral land.
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Land defenders offer to give up half of Charlie's Place, but Corner Brook Pulp and Paper keeps coming back for more.
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Aquaculture brings sea lice and division to Burgeo: there are those who believe it will create job opportunities, while others question whether the jobs are worth the environmental downside. This week, we speak with Leo White, a spokesperson for the Newfoundland and Labrador Coalition for Aquaculture Reform, about the potential impact of the expansion of sea-based salmon aquaculture in Bays West.
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This week, we check in with land defender Justin Hodge as he organizes a protest to help save Charlie's Place from logging . Set to take place at noon on May 3, the protest will coincide with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper's meeting with Mi'kmaw and municipal leaders.
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CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes discussions about gender-based violence and assault. Please listen with care. This week, Mi'kmaq Matters researcher Rachael Dyal speaks with Heidi Marshall, co-founder of the Jane Paul Indigenous Resource Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, about human trafficking and the particular risks Indigenous women face in the province.Read the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls here: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report. For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. This is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis call line providing support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. If you or someone you know is affected by gender-based violence, here is a list of additional crisis lines offering support: https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence-knowledge-centre/crisis-lines.html.
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Mi'kmaq gear up for a last-ditch effort to save Charlie's Place, ancestral Mi'kmaq land in central Newfoundland, from Corner Brook's Pulp and Paper Ltd. We speak with land defender Justin Hodge.
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After abruptly launching a report in middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and letting a minister issue inflammatory and incorrect info, Newfoundland's provincial government is now stalled on appointing members to WERAC advisory council.
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Across Newfoundland, status and non-status Mi'kmaq are building community and cultural connections by reviving community bands that fell dormant with the establishment of Qalipu. Now, they're back. The latest is in Elmastukwek (Bay of Islands) and we speak with Chief Terri Greene.
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The member for Torngat Mountains says the provincial political system has written her constituents out of services and entitlements because they're Indigenous.
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This week, Chief Jasen Benwah helps us understand the significance of the change of season in Mi'kmaw traditional life. And we look at how Memorial University's promises of Indigenization include keeping the name of a racist medical doctor for its Corner Brook campus.
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This week, King's College journalism student and Mi'kmaq Matters intern Rachael Dyal speaks with Eskasoni rapper Gearl about his new album, From The Ground Up, his songwriting process, and music as a form of therapy. You can listen to From The Ground Up on Spotify and Soundcloud.https://open.spotify.com/album/7F11xXJYIMLsMwVmcswDkV?si=600-k05TQp6-l9EnyrFysA
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Marathon Gold has turned in a new version of its environmental impact statement for the largest gold mine in Atlantic Canada to be built on the most ecologically sensitive land on the island of Newfoundland. While some of the additions are positive, natural resources expert Brian McLaren says the risk for vulnerable caribou is still high.
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After Indian Act chiefs intervened with the province, hunting licences for non-status Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia were taken away. Now, the Native Council of Nova Scotia has scored an important legal win in the battle to reinstate them. This week, we speak with Lorraine Augustine, Chief of the Native Council of Nova Scotia.
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Proposed gold mines would be located on last undisturbed wilderness in Nova Scotia, areas important to residents of Millbrook First Nation for food gathering and traditional use. This week, we speak with reporter Joan Baxter, who has been covering the story for the Halifax Examiner.
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We measure carbon emissions, but how do we value the loss of traditional territory to copper, cobalt, and lithium mines?This week, we speak with engineer Jennifer Dunn, who is working with the Ojibwe on an evaluation that takes the impact on Indigenous people and land into account.
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The desperate search for materials for electric vehicles and alternative fuel sources sends mineral exploration companies to Indigenous territory across Turtle Island, including Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland).
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With regular supply chains disrupted by the pandemic, recreational drug users looking for opiates often end up with synthetic drugs that are far more powerful than what they're used to, and run they risk of accidental overdose. There are precautions that users, friends, and family can take to avoid tragedy. This week, we speak with Jessica Rex, the harm reduction manager for the Safe Works Access Program in Corner Brook.
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Indigenous people across our territories are asserting rights provided for in the Peace and Friendship Treaties, most recently in New Brunswick, where the Welostoqey have filed a land claim covering 60 percent of the province. For Qalipu, however, the outgoing council ran up the white flag of defeat without a fight. Will the new council, which has its first regular council meeting on January 22, take a more Mi'kmaw stance?
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Mi'kmaq are written out of the tourism narrative of Newfoundland and Labrador in favour of quaint and quirky people and events sanitized of their historic reality. Case in point: mummering, that charming Christmas-season dress-up. But in the 1800s, mummers' parades were marked by drinking, violence, and sectarian clashes between a Catholic underclass and Protestant-dominated elite. This week, we speak with folklorist Joy Fraser about the history of mummering.
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In New Brunswick, provincial governments handed over unceded lands to forestry companies that were not theirs to give. Now, Wolastoqey are trying to right a historic wrong. This week, we speak with their lawyers: Renée Pelletier and Senwung Luk of OKT LLP.
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The day after Premier Andrew Furey gifted the fossil fuel industry with $25 million in public money, southwest Newfoundland was flooded by a weather formation known as an "atmospheric river." The frequency and severity of atmospheric rivers are increasing due to climate change, of which the burning of fossil fuels are a major factor. This week, we discuss atmospheric rivers and climate change with two experts: atmospheric scientist Rachel White of the University of British Columbia and meteorologist Marty Ralph of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.
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Though it will have gone through a process to remove cyanide and other deadly chemicals, effluent from mine operations will go into salmon rivers.This week, Don Ivany of the Atlantic Salmon Federation on why he fears it will have negative impact on vulnerable fish population.
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This week, Charlene Combdon, David Howse and Toby Penney on the the neglect and alienation of Qalipu members in central Newfoundland, and how things could be different.
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Famed medical philanthropist Wilfred Grenfell has a university and a health authority named after him, but for the Inuit of coastal Labrador, he was the one who took away the children. As the complete story of Grenfell emerges, there are calls for the renaming of institutions that bear his name. This week, we speak with Evan Careen, a journalist with The Telegram and Saltwire.com, whose recent article sparked protest from Grenfell defenders, and with Michelle Kinney, deputy minister of health and social development for the Government of Nunatsiavut.
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Highlights from our panel discussion in Stephenville on the troubled Bay St. George–Qalipu relationship. This week, finding an Indigenous response to the addictions/mental health crisis in the area, and Qalipu's privileging of Corner Brook in economic development, featuring Stephenville mayor Tom Rose; Kippens mayor Debbie Brake-Patten; candidate for Qalipu Western Vice-Chief Jenny Brake; and Peggy White, Chief of the Three Rivers Mi'kmaq Band and candidate for Qalipu Chief.
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D'Arcy Butler calls for an Indigenous approach to the opioid crisis in the Bay St. George area. And we have details about the upcoming Mi'kmaq Matters debate between four candidates for chief of Qalipu First Nation.
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The first part of our special Mi'kmaq Matters presentation held on September 23 in Stephenville, featuring Stephenvlle mayor Tom Rose, candidate for Qalipu Chief Peggy White, Kippens mayor Debbie Brake-Patten, and candidate for Qalipu Western Vice-Chief Jenny Brake.
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After serving on Qalipu council with Chief Brendan Mitchell for three years, Stephenville ward councillor Odelle Pike is seeking to topple the embattled incumbent.
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This week, Terri Greene wants to make members her ward feel more connected to the band, and Rod (Blackie) Bennett promises to be a Vice-Chief who gets people answers—even they aren't always what the answers they want to hear.
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This week, veteran journalist Trina Roache on her move from APTN to the University of King's College school of journalism, and her mission to change the way mainstream media approaches Mi'kmaw issues.
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This week, Peggy White—the second candidate to announce their candidacy for the top elected position of Qalipu First Nation—calls for a change in focus so that the band can more effectively serve members in all communities.
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Innu entered into Impact Benefit Agreement with Canada and province of Newfoundland and Labrador regarding Muskrat Falls hydro development, but economic promise to Innu have been undermined by a pending rate mitigation deal—a double cross that has alarmed First Nations across the country, who wonder if the same thing could happen to them.This week, we speak with John Olthuis, a lawyer for the Innu Nation.
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This week, we speak with vice-Chief candidate Jenny Brake, who says Qalipu has to be more Indigenous- and less business-focused; more welcoming to Mi'kmaq who visit the band office; and more willing to heal the wounds caused by the enrolment disaster.
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As a lacklustre and lame duck band council ends its term, we look at what we need from the next chief and council as Qalipu enters its second decade.
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Caribou were the giver of life and warmth for many nations of Indigenous people, and the Innu honoured this precious creature through intricately made caribou skin coats won by hunters. There are only a few of these coats left; most of them were taken away by colonizers. But after an unexpected discovery earlier this month, we know about at least one more. This week, we hear from Jodie Ashini, cultural and heritage guardian for the Innu Nation, about the unlikely finding.
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This week, we speak with Evan Butler of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance about new funding the organization has received to do outreach in the province, and its plans for a conference in the fall.
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The proposed Bay du Nord offshore oil field would overlap with vulnerable marine ecosystems that are closed to fishing under international law in order to protect the corals and sponges on the ocean floor. This week, we speak with Sigrid Kuehnemund of the World Wildlife Fund-Canada on how the profitability of the project is exaggerated, while the environmental risk is minimized.
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A lack of environmental oversight is part of the business model for the troubled oil and gas sector. This week, we speak with lawyer James Gunvaldsen Klassen of the NGO Ecojustice about the plan to allow 100 exploratory oil wells off the coast of Newfoundland without a proper environmental assessment, and the court challenge against it.
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A warning to our listeners: this week's episode talks about residential schools, trauma, and violence against Indigenous peoples. Please listen with care. This week, we speak with Mary Ann Nui, Deputy Grand Chief of the Innu Nation, about the impact on her and her community after the discovery of a mass grave of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of what was once the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Later in the show, Karen Pictou of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association tells us about the fight to stop the proposed Goldboro LNG plant on Nova Scotia's eastern shore, which would include a 5,000-person camp largely made up of men, and the dangers it could pose to Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. RESOURCES If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, you can contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society for counselling support available at 1-800-721-0066, or a national 24/7 Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.Read the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls here: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/ Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report here: http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html
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One of the biggest political issues in Maine these days is a bid by Hydro Quebec to push a corridor through pristine wilderness to carry power across the state to Massachusetts. Land defenders say Hydro Quebec's billing of the corridor as "clean power" is a green lie, evidenced by the impact on Indigenous people in Labrador in Quebec. This week, we speak with John Banks of the Penobscot Nation and Becky Bartovics of Sierra Club Maine about the impact of this corridor on the land, and the ways in which land defenders based in the U.S. are supporting Innu in their bid for Churchill Falls hydro compensation.
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Cathy Martin, a band councillor of Listuguj First Nation, offers a new vision for the Indigenous advocacy organization while recognizing her long political odds.
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This week, more on the decline of wild salmon on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland and the possible role of salmon escapees from fish farms, whose hybridization or inter-breeding create mutant fish unsuited to the marine environment. Our guest is Department of Fisheries and Oceans research scientist Ian Bradbury.
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In theory, everyone living in what is now Canada should be able to file access to information and privacy (ATIP) or freedom of information (FOI) requests with their governing bodies. In practice, it isn't always that simple—especially when it comes to First Nation bands. This week, our intern-in-residence, Ellen Riopelle, tries to find out why it's so difficult—and, at times, impossible—to access information about First Nations governments. We hear from former Elsipogtog chief Susan Levi-Peters and reporters Wawmeesh Hamilton and Paul Barnsley about how a lack of access affects not only those filing the requests, but communities at large.A big thank you to Ellen, who has been with us since April working on this story, and to King's College for facilitating the internship.
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After Qalipu First Nation chief and council boycotted a protest held in support of ousted band members, Greg Janes, Chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians, and Margaret Cranford, who was denied status because she lives on the east coast of Newfoundland, ponder where to from here.
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According to Chief George Ginnish, that would be Blaine Higgs, who last week launched a financial war against New Brunswick First Nations that will starve them of the shared tax revenue they use for health, education, and Elder care. This week, we speak with Chief George Ginnish, spokesperson for Mi'kmaw chiefs in the province.
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This week, Geoff Sparkes, candidate for Chief, says seeing complete Qalipu enrolment file would help explain why talks with the band and feds collapsed. And we speak with Grand Chief Etienne Rich of the Innu Nation about what hydro development has taken from his people, and their continental campaign for compensation.
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Miawpukek-backed fish farms have been linked to the near-extinction of Conne River salmon.This week, Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologist Nick Kelly explains that it aquaculture-associated factors like sea lice and interbreeding are contributing to the alarming decline.
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Capelin are a forage fish that are a major source of food for cod, but they're being scooped up offshore before they have a chance to spawn. This week, Robert Rangeley, director of science for Oceana Canada, explains why that has to stop.
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This week, Cathy LeBlanc and Dave Chapman of Mi'kmaw Moons speak about the Mi'kmaw moon of spring, named after the maple sap that our ancestors collected to make sweet water.
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This week, we discuss the latest Qalipu election news, the band's so-called "strategic" plan, and what it might mean for community bands.
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One year old and looking to the future, the new community band continues to advocate for an aging community with dwindling services and nurture Mi'kmaq culture—all while looking for a relationship with Qalipu. This week, we speak with Chief Peggy White.
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In 2018, Murray Duffy was charged with taking too many fish in the recreational cod fishery. This April, nearly three years later, he will be back in court to continue his fight to establish that Mi'kmaq in Newfoundland, like our people in Nova Scotia, have a Treaty right to fish. Despite promising in the last election campaign to fight for fishing rights for Qalipu members, Chief Brendan Mitchell now says there's nothing he can do to help. Duffy will have to face the judge alone.
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Two members have already bowed out of the Qalipu Chief and Council race, and at least two more are also expected to do so. The future of Brendan Mitchell is up in the air, but if he runs again for chief he'll face his cousin, Geoff Sparkes. This week, Sparkes explains how he wants to change Qalipu. Plus, we hear from Jeff Young about why he's running for Port au Port ward councillor.
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A warning to our listeners: this episode features conversations about anti-Indigenous racism, violence, and death. Please listen with care. More than six months after Chantel Moore was killed by an Edmunston, New Brunswick, police officer, her family remains in the dark about the progress of the investigation into her death. We speak with Lorraine Whitman, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, who wonders if the grieving family would have been treated differently if Chantel was not an Indigenous woman.
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Elaine Ingram remembers being shunned as a child for being Mi'kmaq. Now, she's chief of the Burgeo First Nation, which provides food, culture, and belonging to everyone in the town—whether they're Mi'kmaq or not. This week, we speak with Ingram about her experiences growing up in Burgeo, her initial hesitation about becoming chief, and what's next for the band.
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While Mi'kmaq chiefs like Misel Joe and Terry Paul defend sea-based aquaculture, First Nations in BC have been waging a years-long struggle to shut it down. Just before the holidays, they scored a major victory: a phaseout of aquaculture operations near the Discovery Islands between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland. This week, we speak with Bob Chamberlin, one of the leaders of the successful First Nations effort.
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This week, we speak with Rhonda Sheppard, newly elected Chief of the St. Georges Indian Band, about the important role bands like hers play in connecting status and non-status Mi'kmaq with our culture.
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Highlights from the Mi'kmaq Matters online public meeting on the proposed Valentine Lake gold mine, featuring Muchie Bennett, Brian McLaren, Richard Huang, Jim Kuipers and Simone Cominelli. You can watch the full meeting at facebook.com/mikmaqmatters.
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Millions of dollars flow into rural Newfoundland communities each year from the outfitting industry, which draws hunters and anglers to the area from across the United States and around the world. One of the biggest draws is the world's only non-resident hunt for woodland caribou. Now, many outfitters—and the revenue they bring into the province—are threatened by the proposed Valentine Lake gold mine. This week, we speak with Cory Foster, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association.You can view a recording of our December 14 virtual public meeting about the impacts of the Valentine Lake gold mine on our Facebook page. Visit https://www.facebook.com/mikmaqmatters
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Join us on Monday, December 14, for a public discussion about the potential environmental impact of the Valentine Lake gold mine, moderated by Glenn Wheeler—host of the Mi'kmaq Matters podcast and radio program.The virtual public meeting begins at 7 p.m. NST (6:30 p.m. AST/5:30 p.m. ET) with an opening prayer from Muchie (Kenneth) Bennett, keeper of traditional Mi'kmaq knowledge, followed by a panel discussion with Brian McLaren, Lakehead University professor and caribou expert; Richard Huang, Trent University graduate student; Jim Kuipers, mining engineer; Suzanne Dooley, Conservation Director of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS NL); and Simone Cominelli, Memorial University graduate student.A 30 minute Q&A session will follow, when attendees can submit questions for the panelists.Register in advance for the virtual meeting here:https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_PdRPEPMKTYG-pz8BcrlujwAfter registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Mining engineer Jim Kuipers, who has studied resource developments across the continent on behalf of Indigenous peoples, says the area in Central so-called "Newfoundland" is at the height of land and near multiple bodies of water, making an operation that will use cyanide in its processes more risky. Plus: details on the Mi'kmaq Matters virtual community circle on the proposed mine, happening on December 14 at 7 p.m. NST (6:30 p.m. AST/5:30 p.m. ET). This is the opportunity to hear from mining experts, and to ask questions about the environmental impacts of the proposed Valentine Lake mine.
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Marathon Gold Corporation has released its environmental impact statement on the controversial Valentine Lake mega-mine. Marathon acknowledges there will be "significant" negative effects on the Buchans Plateau caribou herd—already at historic low numbers—and it is not known if mitigation measures will work. The release of the Marathon impact statement begins the period for public comments, which can be sent to iaac.valetine.aeic@canada.ca. Here at Mi'kmaq Matters, we're using public participation funds from the Impact Assessment Agency to review the Marathon submissions on caribou. This week, we speak with our lead researcher, Dr. Brian McLaren, a caribou expert and professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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The purchase of Clearwater by Mi'kmaq is the perfect antidote for those images of harassment by non-Indigenous fishers. But what does the mega deal mean for sustainability and internal equity among Mi'kmaw communities? This week, we speak with professor Tony Charles of St. Mary's University. Plus a preview of the next Qalipu meeting and the enrolment protest that will greet chief and council.
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Let down by RCMP and government, the Sipekne'katik First Nation band has launched a flurry of lawsuits challenging provincial fish buyer regulators and targeting perpetrators of harassment and violence against Moderate Livelihood fishers. This week, we speak with Ron Pink—the lawyer leading the legal fight.
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With less than a year until the next election for Qalipu Chief and Council, we survey the field for those who may run—and for those who definitely will not.
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) were quick to seize Moderate Livelihood, but the DFO looked the other way for years while corporate seafood giant Clearwater ignored key fisheries regulation. This week, we speak with Shannon Arnold of the Ecology Action Centre about the events leading up to the exposé of Clearwater's "gross violation."
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Labelled "Waspu" after the Mi'kmaq word for seal, Qalipu will soon launch its own brand of seal oil capsules says John Davis of Qalipu Development Corporation. Plus: are the feds really getting it on Moderate Livelihood?
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Jaimie Lickers has been front and centre in the legal struggle on behalf of Qalipu applicants, but now she's leaving law for the corporate world. We sit down with her to talk about the wins, the losses and the future of the Abbott appeal.
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Traditional leader Gary Mettalic Sr. of Listuguj First Nation calls for Mi'kmaq to assert Aboriginal title for the rest of Mi'kma'ki not included in Elsipogtog claim. And we hear from lawyer David Rosenfeld on who's in and out of Qalipu enrolment class action case.
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This week, host Glenn Wheeler and producer Allison Baker discuss the $11,500 in funding Mi'kmaq Matters has received from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada that will enable an independent review of the Valentine Lake project with the assistance of a caribou expert and researcher. And later, we check in with Cory Francis, the Mi'kmaw Conservation Group Commercial Fisheries Liaison Coordinator, about Mi'kmaw moderate livelihood fishery.
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We speak with the new Assembly of First Nation's representative for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Paul Prosper, who was selected over three other candidates—including Judy White, current chair of the Human Rights Commission of Newfoundland. And later, we touch base with Lisa Dempster, the new minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation for Newfoundland and Labrador.
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A proposed gold mine next to the Valentine Lake mega-mine would create a development corridor spanning half the length of the island of Newfoundland. This week, we speak with Keith Bowes of Matador Mining Ltd. about the plan, the timeline, and the talks with Qalipu.
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This week, news of another gold mine proposal for central Newfoundland, and a conversation with filmmaker Robert Lang about gold's toll on the environment and human rights. Plus: Details on how to access a free screening of Lang's new documentary, The Shadow of Gold. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Lang, Mi'kmaq Matters and other Atlantic Canada correspondents.
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This week, we speak with Michael Peters of Glooscap Radio, the newest member of the Mi'kmaq Matters radio network. And later, we ask MHA Andrew Parsons about how to get blueberries on the table before they're poisoned by herbicide spray.
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Qalipu First Nation has claimed that it had no advance warning of herbicide spraying by Emera on power lines that pass through a popular berry-picking. It has since emerged, however, that the band received multiple notices about the spraying over the past four months and did nothing to stop it. The herbicide has made hundreds of gallons of blueberries and bakeapples unfit to eat. This week, Greg Janes of the Burgeo Band of Indians wants answers, and Norm Strickland Sr.—who has been picking berries in the area for more than 40 years—worries about runoff into nearby brooks and the impact on the area's birds and caribou.
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This week, we sit down with Chief Edward Peter-Paul of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to talk about the band's legal challenges with the state, Canadian connections, and living under Donald Trump's administration during COVID-19.
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This week, Don Ivany of the Atlantic Salmon Federation talks about the proposed Valentine Lake mine—located very close to lakes that feed the Exploits River—and how an accident could have catastrophic consequences.
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On this week's episode, we speak with legal scholar and former negotiator Jerry Wetzel, who says Qalipu is blowing its bargaining power by trying to reach a deal with Marathon Gold before the project's environmental review process is complete. Not only that, Wetzel says, but any agreement entered into by Qalipu without consultation with its members could set the band up for legal challenges.
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Qalipu Chief and Council have begun discussions with Marathon Gold about hiring band members without waiting for the results of a report on the environmental impacts of the massive Valentine Lake gold mine on caribou.
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Hilding Neilson, an assistant professor in the department of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto, wanted to incorporate Two-Eyed Seeing—a combination of Western science and traditional knowledge—into his course material. But he found that some academics dismissed Indigenous ways of knowing, comparing it to pseudo science.
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Residents on the Great Northern Peninsula—some of them Mi'kmaq—have condemned the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC) report, encouraged by compromised cabinet minister Christopher Mitchelmore. Has the provincial government finally released the conservation plan only to kill it? This week, we speak with biologists Victoria Neville and Bill Montevecchi, who resigned from WERAC over the delayed report release.
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Uninvited, federal fisheries officer crossed a checkpoint at Listuguj, set up to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 transmission, even though the community manages its salmon. This week, we speak with band councillor and traditional leader Gary Metallic Sr. about the recent visit, the fight for salmon rights, and the lessons that can be learned from the Listuguj process for current Mi'kmaq rights negotiations in Nova Scotia.
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While the band was giving aquaculture company Mowi a clean bill of health after the mass salmon die-off in 2019, it was receiving financial benefits from the company in the form of a fishing vessels and other equipment. This week, we review two leaked documents that detail the relationship between the Miawpukek First Nation and the aquaculture industry with watchdog Bill Bryden.
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Dean Simon left Flat Bay and crossed the water to live in Eskasoni so he could hear Mi'kmaw whenever he walks down the road. He says you, too, can take back your language—if you want it enough.
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A quarter century after he finished his Master's thesis, Jerry Wetzel's paper remains a powerful statement on the history of the island of Newfoundland as told from a Mi'kmaw perspective, rather the European view that has colonized minds for hundreds of years. This week, we speak with Wetzel about his thesis.
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In a study published in journal Genome, Steven Carr, a biologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, finds genetic continuity between Beothuk and modern persons, and says delayed research into possible Mi'kmaq-Beothuk overlap may fill gaps in our knowledge.
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This week, Cathy LeBlanc and Dave Chapman of "Mi'kmaw Moons" describe how our people relied on the moon to guide them through the cycles of life, and the significance of the next full moon (happening on May 7 based on the Gregorian calendar), known to many Mi'kmaq as Frogs Croaking Time.
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Based on an environmental study of the Hope Brook gold mine, three months of quiet time are needed at Valentine Lake to protect caribou in the region, says Brian McLaren, professor of natural resources management at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. McLaren, who analyzed the data of the study, says restrictions on operations during calving and migration seasons are imperative.
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Due to COVID-19, Qualipu council has been conducting meetings without members. Regardless, the band has continued its discussions with developers about the Valentine Lake gold mine—even though the environmental impact assessment has yet to be completed. This week, financial analyst John Sclodnick explains why the Valentine Gold Project is the darling of Canadian investors. A message to our listeners: the Mi'kmaq Matters team hopes you are all staying safe during this difficult time. Now, more than ever, we thank you for supporting independent Mi'kmaq journalism. Stay safe, and take care.
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With little involvement from Mi'kmaq fishers, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Chiefs appear on the verge of signing a deal that may undermine treaty rights. Cory Francis, who has worked on fisheries policy for Indigenous organizations, calls for a re-think and more transparency.
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The Newfoundland Liberals under Dwight Ball are among the worst of any provincial administration in terms of environment, both for actions and inactions, says former civil servant and biologist Douglas Ballam.
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Victoria Neville and Bill Montevecchi, two senior members of the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC), say there were mere window-dressings in a political game in which mining and other resource interests have the provincial government's ear, and conservation plans just gather dust on the desks of bureaucrats.
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Gary Metallic Sr., a member of the Listuguj First Nation band council and the hereditary tribal council, talks about the community's rail blockade in support of Wet'suwet'en, and the need to look beyond colonial structures toward Indigenous leadership.
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The Regional Chief for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia is relatively unique role in the Assembly of First Nations: She or he will serve one nation, the Mi'kmaq. This week, we ask Cheryl Maloney—whose complaints of harassment, along with others, led to the ousting of former Regional Chief Morley Googoo—about the job, future challenges, and whether she's interested in applying.
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After developing his navigational skills on the West Coast of "Newfoundland," James Cook arrived on the east coast of Australia in 1770. The 250th anniversary of that date gives special significance to this year's Invasion Day, the term Indigenous people give the government-recognized 'Australia Day'—the country's national holiday. But it's a day that, for many Indigenous Australians, marks the beginning of the violence and oppression they continue to face today. Our guest this week is pastor and Indigenous rights activist Ray Minniecon, speaking with us from Australia.
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Seki Bernard Sr. of Eskasoni is the latest fisherman to have his boat sabotaged in the power vacuum created by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' failure to implement the 20-year-old Supreme Court decision.
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Former Qalipu Chief Brendan Sheppard reflects on the 1976 land claim, why it failed, and how to improve chances of success for a future claim.
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Oral history suggests a connection between ancient Beothuk and Mi'kmaq—so far there is no scientific proof, but that could change with the results of a genetic study commissioned by Miawpukwek First Nation. This week, we speak with Steve Carr of Terra Nova Genomics Inc. who was hired by Miawpukwek to do that very research.
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As the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland gathers for its annual meeting, members will be lamenting the Abbott case but revving up for an appeal. They'll also be planning another crack at becoming the Newfoundland affiliate in the national organization, which represents non-status Indigenous people.
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The North American Indigenous Games in 2020 will bring 5,000 athletes to Halifax next July, and culture will be showcased along with the sports. We hear from Brendon Smithson of the organizing committee and Mike Alexander, one of the coordinators for Team Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Note: this episode deals with topics of sexual assault that may be triggering to some listeners. Please listen with care. We speak to Elizabeth Marshall about the reaction in Eskasoni to the 25 sex-related charges against Joel Denny, a prominent member of the community known for his work in Mi'kmaq language development.
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Lawyer Michael McDonald speaks about the land, the treaty and the river at the heart of the struggle to protect the waters of the Shubenacadie that are part of traditional Mi'kmaq life in central Nova Scotia.
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A decision by the Federal Court of Appeal in the Brake case means more judicial scrutiny of the controversial side deal between Canada and Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The class action offers another chance to nix the supplemental agreement.We interview plaintiffs' lawyer David Rosenfeld of the law firm Koskie Minsky.
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Miawpukek First Nation's Chief Mi'sel Joe still supports the sea-based industry, but worries about transparency—he also has questions about whether warm weather caused the massive die-off at Northern Harvest, and why no other operation was affected. Later in the show, Wade Locke, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland Professor, explains why Indigenous issues were left off the table at an upcoming conference on economic, social, and cultural development.
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Sea-based aquaculture or no jobs? Government media management offers the public few alternatives to risky ventures. But PODCO, a new provincial affairs podcast, aims to empower citizens with evidentiary background on a variety of policy options. This week, we speak with one of its creators, Stephen Tomblin.
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Chief PJ Prosper of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs hopes there will be a better process for choosing Morley Googoo's replacement. And later in the show, we check-in with Cheryl Maloney about going public with her harassment and bullying complaint against Googoo, and how she feels now that he has been removed from office.
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Who knew what, and when? This week, we speak to NDP Fisheries critic Jim Dinn who says that rather than personally attacking those raising questions about the salmon die-off, Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne should appoint a legitimate, independent inquiry into what is turning out to be an environmental and economic disaster.
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Upon her death, Corner Brook resident Dee Dee Starling wants to be buried in a section of Mount Patricia cemetery reserved for Mi'kmaq people. In recent weeks, talks have started between Qalipu First Nation and the cemetery to make that a reality. This week, we hear from Starling and Lloyd Walters, chair of the Mount Patricia board of directors, about what it will take to honour Mi'kmaq wishes to be buried in a traditional way.
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Cheryl Maloney's allegations of harassment led to the suspension of the Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Morley Googoo. Now, the former President of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association says people are afraid to speak out against Googoo for fear of losing jobs, funding and services because the chiefs of the 13 First Nations in Nova Scotia dominate every Indigenous organization in the province.
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The hydro company recently sprayed a power line right of way with three kinds of herbicide, just as people from across southwestern Newfoundland headed to the area to pick blueberries, as they have for decades. Norm Strickland Sr. of Burgeo, one of the first to discover that the area had been sprayed, tells us about how it has been fairing since.
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Funny man Greg Malone, a member of the legendary comedy troupe CODCO, is running as the Green Party candidate in Avalon. Formerly part of the NDP, he's now urging Newfoundlanders to make an economic U-turn that would make the province cleaner and happier.
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Did he or didn't he? A lawyer says he received the go-ahead from his government client to argue that Mi'kmaq are conquered people. Columnist Jim Vibert says if documents prove that the lawyer is right, there will be major political fallout for Premier Stephen McNeil.
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Archeologist Barry Gaulton is looking to ancient rock carvings for insight into patterns of Indigenous movement across "Newfoundland."
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Lawsuit challenges have permitted Stephenville's controversial Indian Head Hatchery to expand without environmental assessments of the risks of introducing farmed salmon into marine waters. In other news, we're happy to be adding Miawpukek First Nations Radio to our list of radio partners. You can now listen to new episodes of Mi'kmaq Matters every Thursday at 1 p.m. on MFN Radio.
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Some reflections after the Miawpukek Powwow in Conne River. While the climate is in crisis, band councils are cozying up to resource companies. Now, ordinary Mi'kmaq are left to protect the lands and water that connect us to our ancestors.
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For 40 years, researcher Don Pelley has been uncovering evidence of Beothuk life along the shores of the Exploits River and Red Indian Lake.
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Participant funding for the Valentine Lake environmental assessment will be announced soon, and Jamie Kneen from MiningWatch Canada says groups planning to intervene on the gold mine development on traditional Mi'kmaq land need to start lining up experts and to back them.
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After a splashy photo-op last fall with Liberal MPs, the Qalipu/Federation of Newfoundland Indians has not sealed a deal with the feds on getting back status for any of the 10,000 kicked out a year ago. Time to turn up the political heat, says Greg Janes, one of the organizers of ABLE: Anyone But Liberals Elected. But is it realistic to think anyone or anything can unseat MP Gudie Hutchings in a riding as red as the Long Range Mountains?
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Melanie Smith of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency says funding will be available for both the public and Indigenous groups who want to have a say in whether the Valentine gold mine project proceeds, and how it should be executed.
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While First Nations in New Brunswick threaten to protest over lack of consultation on resource issues, two Mi'kmaq bands in Newfoundland remain silent as plans unfold for a massive gold mine on traditional Mi'kmaq territory and caribou habitat.
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A reflection on the past 100 episodes, and a discussion of our plan going forward. Over the past three years, our small, two-person team has been covering the issues of concern to Mi’kmaq people in so-called Newfoundland and beyond. Time after time, we’ve been the first—and, too often, the only—to report on Mi’kmaq-focused stories.Mi’kmaq Matters promises to be there for you in the future just as we have been in the past. We’ve reached 100 episodes without any financial help, but we now need your support in order to expand our coverage and to continue to improve our content, both technically and journalistically. We now have a Mi’kmaq Matters Patreon page to allow listeners to make a small, monthly contribution to independent Mi’kmaq journalism (https://www.patreon.com/mikmaqmatters). We’ll use the money to invest in better equipment, to sustain a website that will host all of our multimedia output, and to fund reporting trips to the areas of our territory that are most at risk. We commit to remaining accountable to you, the listener, as we, in turn, endeavour to hold those in power accountable to the land, water, and to the Mi’kmaq people.
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CEO Phil Walford and Director of Environment and Stakeholder Engagement Jamie Powell answer questions about timelines, risks posed by the mining process, and whether Marathon Gold Corps has any duty to consult Mi'kmaq people on whose traditional territory the development would take place.
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Without having consulted the Mi'kmaq people who have used the lands over centuries, a mammoth gold mine is being developed in the Valentine Lake area of central Newfoundland. Jamie Kneen, the Communications and Outreach Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, discusses the potential environmental risks the development could have on the surrounding ecosystems. Of particular concern is the potential impact to the watershed of central and northeastern Newfoundland due to the use of an ore processing technique called "heap leaching"—a low-cost but controversial process because of its role in mine accidents elsewhere.
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We interview three of the four candidates for Humber-Bay of Islands about their campaigns, resource development and environmental protection. We hear from Liberal candidate Brian Dicks (Liberal), NDP candidate Shawn Hodder, and Progressive Conservative candidate Michael Holden. The independent candidate, Eddie Joyce, did not accept our interview invitation.
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The vote to admit Qalipu into Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) passed by a vote of fourteen in favour and two opposed.As other chiefs in the region begin to regain confidence at end of the enrolment process, does joining the APC mean a chance for Qalipu to make peace with other Mi'kmaq communities? We hear about the vote and the next chapter in the Qalipu-Mi'kmaq relationship from the congress's executive director, John Paul.
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Talks between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) and the federal government are bogged down, which means no results in sight for those who lost their status. Burgeo Band of Indians Chief Greg Janes (who is also a spokesperson for one of the veterans who lost their status while serving overseas) has been asking for updates on where veterans stand in the enrolment process. His requests seem to have fallen on deaf ears, and, as Liberals trail in the looming federal election, hopes for any resolution on the matter have begun to fade.
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Everyone was at a mining announcement in Glenwood last month except Qalipu—the band didn't even know it was happening. Is this another example in a pattern of neglect by the provincial government?Later, we hear from Millertown mayor Fiona Humber on efforts to bring back the remains of two Beothuk people to the lands from which they were stolen.
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This week, Robert Bertrand, national Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), tells us about the search for the next Newfoundland affiliate. And later, Jerry Brake's lawyer, David Rosenfeld, gives us a debrief on the Brake case.
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Jerry Brake's lawyer, David Rosenfeld, tells us about the latest move to launch a class action lawsuit against the enrolment process. And later, we hear from Greg Janes, chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians, on a new alliance between Mi'kmaq bands that's trying to reach deeper into communities than Qalipu.
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This week, a preview of a newly formed alliance of Newfoundland bands which have been mostly dormant since Qalipu's creation. And later, a debrief with Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland Chief Dave Wells on the Abbott case and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
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The fate of 10,000 people who lost their status rests on the Abbott case decision. Jaimie Lickers, lawyer for the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland, tells us what to expect in federal court this week. Later in the show, we take a look at Yellow Vests Canada, a group that includes Indigenous people while promoting anti-Indigenous racism.
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This week, Russ Diabo, policy analyst and publisher of the First Nations Strategic Bulletin, joins us to discuss the Jody Wilson-Raybould affair. He says that Perry Bellegarde, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), seems to have a different opinion than most Indigenous communities regarding the Wilson-Raybould resignation. And later, Dave Wells discusses how the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland (MFNAN) could become a non-status band.
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It's too soon to say whether Beothuk are really extinct, says Chief Misel Joe, and DNA research is still needed to show if there's a Mi'kmaq connection. Later in the show, Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band’s cultural resource co-ordinator, Nicole Travers, tells us about an ongoing project to expand an interactive map that centres traditional Mi'kmaq language with collected stories.
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The remains of two Beothuk people, Demasduit and Nonosabasut, are to be returned to Newfoundland in the near future. But where is an appropriate resting place: a museum, or their traditional territory near the Exploits River? MP Scott Simms discusses the process of returning the remains and the complicated decisions still to be made.
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Russ Diabo, policy analyst and publisher of the First Nations Strategic Bulletin, says that when Judy Wilson-Raybould ran afoul of the bureaucracy and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sided with Bennett. Later, Greg Janes discusses the promotion of Seamus O'Regan to Indigenous Services from Veterans Affairs, where his performance got an F from vets.
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After intense discussion at a council meeting on Saturday, Qalipu decides to risk the wrath of anti-hunt protesters and get into the seal business with its own brand of seal oil capsules.
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When Joanne Miles takes over from Liz Lasaga at the end of the month, she will be in charge of managing a difficult relationship with the Qalipu First Nation and preparing for a long-awaited summit of the two bands.
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Enrolment was the Qalipu story of 2018, and Chief Brendan Mitchell gives us his take on the process which began last week in a meeting with the feds to resolve some of the outstanding issues.
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In Gros Morne, there is no official Mi'kmaq involvement in terms of moose harvest. Across the water in Unima'ki (Cape Breton), though, Mi'kmaq people carry out the harvest in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in our traditional way and distribute the meat across the province. Clifford Paul of the Unima'ki Institute of Natural Resources tells us about it.
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How to define a Mi'kmaq nation and how does Qalipu fit in? This week: reflections on the self-government summit from Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Roger Augustine and Qalipu councillor Brian Dicks.
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The federal government of Canada and the Federation of Newfoundland Indians are set to meet on December 11 and 12, signalling the beginning of the next stages of the enrolment process. Qalipu councillor Frank Skeard tells us what to expect.
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During the Abbott case, expected to be heard early next year, the federal court will determine whether the points system used to decide Qalipu membership was legal.
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This week, we speak with Chief Misel Joe and historian William Wicken about how Qalipu members can gain hunting and fishing rights. This requires getting around the Drew decision, which found that ancestors of the Mi'kmaq in Miawpukek arrived on the south coast with the Europeans. According to the government, this means Qalipu members have no Aboriginal or treaty rights.
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As the new Central Vice-Chief, Randy Drover will be one member of a three-person executive council that will run the Qalipu band between council meetings and decide what's included—and excluded—from the agenda.
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After a brutal three years, Brendan Mitchell has been re-elected chief of Qalipu First Nation. His new council will be dominated by allies, and the enrolment issue safely at a distance in the courts.
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Russell, a candidate for chief of the Qalipu First Nation, says, like many other band members, he doesn't know much about Mi'kmaw culture but will learn on the job.
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Mayor Tom Rose would rather no urban reserve be built then see the planned development suck business out of Stephenville.
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Jasen Benwah was unopposed in the last election, but this time he's facing Michael Alexander. This week, they both join us to talk about their campaigns.
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This week, we take a look at the candidates for the 2018 Qalipu election. With three members of the extended White family of Flat Bay in the running, only two of the other candidates are women.And later in the show, the Assembly of First Nation's Regional Chief Morley Googoo talks to us about repairing Qalipu relationship with other Mi'kmaq.
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Greg Janes and Ed Brake describe their emotional meeting with the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Seamus O'Regan, this past Thursday. Brake, a retired RCMP officer returned his service medal to the Minister to protest the loss of status.
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Preliminary processing of newly abundant redfish is set to begin in Benoit's Cove in October, says Bill Barry, CEO of Barry Group Inc. In the meantime, the band and Qalipu are working with the feds to finalize their quota share.
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The Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland (MFNAN) expects to be in court early in the new year with the Abbott case, thanks to some free legal services and the support of wealthy, but anonymous, donors.
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The Assembly of First Nations' (AFN) regional chief Morley Googoo tells us what happened during the AFN's annual general meeting in Vancouver, and Greg Janes gives us a preview of the south coast gathering on August 18.
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Glenwood ward councillor Frank Skeard looks back on a term in which divisions were reflected among those who sat at the council table.
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As a step toward self-governance, Qalipu band manager Keith Goulding says that a new financial model would guarantee funding for 10 years and allow Qalipu to make its own spending decisions.
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Lawyer Jaimie Lickers says the case in Federal Court will take on the notorious points system, and there are elements in the recently released Wells decision that will be helpful
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Whether the Benoit and Abbott cases go ahead may be determined by money, and if the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland can find enough of it.
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Chief Brendan Mitchell says Canada wouldn't give any commitment during a conference call this week, and that six Benoit plaintiffs may not be kept on Qalipu membership list.
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John Davis, general manager of Qalipu Development Corporation, says a First Nation can leverage federal funds unavailable to a provincial government.
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On June 18, Keith Morgan, lawyer for Friends of Qalipu , will ask the Supreme Court of Newfoundland to temporarily stop the finalization of the enrolment process. On this week's episode, Morgan discusses the irreparable harm of denying 10,000 people their Indian status and what the injunction application means for enrolment.
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As the only confirmed candidate so far in the Qalipu elections, Young promises more transparency as he defends supporter who says the Qalipu is an "illegitimate" band.
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Our guests this week—Kelly Ann Butler, chair of the committee that organizes the Bay St. George Powwow in Flat Bay, and Charlene Combdon of the Exploits Mawi'omi—talk about three major events planned this summer, and another that's in the works.
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The Qalipu Chief and Council elections will take place this October, but who will be eligible to vote? Not everyone, according to Qalipu band manager Keith Goulding. Though 4,000-plus recently added members will be able to submit their ballot in this year's election, 10,512 who are losing their status will not.
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Live from Bay of Islands Radio: After her partial win in federal court this week, Jaimie Lickers discusses the implications of the court's decision and next steps for Qalipu applicants.
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Miawpukek chief Mi'sel Joe discusses issues he wants to raise with other Atlantic chiefs later this month. Plus, an update on last week's somewhat bizarre story about allegedly leaked documents pertaining to the indemnity agreement between the FNI/Qalipu and the Canadian government. Note: We would like to apologize for the low sound quality of Glenn's interview with Chief Mi'sel Joe and thank you, the listener, for your continued support.
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Fred Caron, the ministerial special representative, is determined to proceed with the founding members' list, even in face of litigation. This may mean multiple lists—but which one will govern the upcoming Qalipu band vote?
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Mayor Jim Parsons says Corner Brook is a conservative place, and acceptance of its Mi'kmaq history will come with time.
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According to the ministerial special representative, Fred Caron, the three cases before the courts are not affecting timelines for finalization of Founders List.
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Mayor Tom Rose needs band support for his economic agenda, and the band could use another friend in Bay St. George.
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This week, listen to our live broadcast on Bay of Islands Radio. We speak to Qalipu band manager Keith Goulding about urban reserves. He expects the project to be a reality in three to five years.
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As they leave federal court in Toronto, supporters reach a consensus that a positive decision is at least possible in the Jerry Brake case. Meanwhile, a controversial government surf clam decision is an ill wind for the budding relationship between two Newfoundland First Nations.
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Lawyer in Jerry Bake class action says that, unlike in MFNAN case, the infamous points system will be front and centre in federal court on March 6 and 7.
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Qalipu Chief Brendan Mitchell and councillor Frank Skeard assess the impact of the enrolment process, and the road ahead for the Qalipu band.
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Two more protests are planned, one in Stephenville and the other in Corner Brook, to coincide with the march on Parliament Hill on February 24.
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As Qalipu members and applicants prepare to protest on Parliament Hill, the group Friends of Qalipu seek a court injunction to stop the enrolment process in its tracks.
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This week, Jim Duhart talks about organizing the upcoming demonstration on Parliament Hill to protest the enrolment process, and Elder Daniel Paul discusses why he thinks it took Halifax so long to remove the statue of an anti-Mi'kmaq war criminal.
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Hayward Young says the revived Indian Head band will welcome Mi'kmaq people with and without cards in the hopes of creating a sense of belonging not found in the ward system.
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While many Canadians put Captain James Cook on a pedestal, many Indigenous people in Australia will be protesting his colonial legacy later this week. Does he deserve the reverence we give him?
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Former Qalipu chief Brendan Sheppard says there's little support in Flat Bay for separation and Liz Lasaga should have consulted community before publicly pitching breakaway.
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Hear Chief Brendan Mitchell's end-of-year interview, uncut.
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"We've hit a wall." In and end-of-the-year interview, combative Chief Brendan Mitchell fends off criticism from Elder Calvin White, talks enrolment, and takes on Facebook foes.
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Elder Calvin White, a pioneer of the Aboriginal movement in Newfoundland, is harshly critical of how the Qalipu have handled the enrolment fiasco. He's calling for a strong leader who will take the federal government—and the band council—to task.
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Mi'kmaq in Burgeo say they will stay part of Qalipu, but would have their own band list that includes status and non-status members
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Identity, inclusion, and bridging divides: Qalipu councillor Frank Skeard, former Corner Brook mayor Charles Pender, and former president of Newfoundland Aboriginal Women 's Network Suzanne Berry, debate future of Mi'kmaq community
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In an Indigenous nation where Newfoundland Mi'kmaq have not been fully accepted, Justin Brake's new job as APTN's Atlantic correspondent has political significance.
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The band partners with Miawpukek and Innu First Nations to bid on a lucrative seafood quota, but the move is facing political opposition—and competing bids—on the south coast. We talk to Miawpukek Chief Mi'sel Joe about the prospects for success.
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A class action lawyer is demanding to be heard at the same time as Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland, but the MFNAN says no way and both the feds and the FNI agree with its decision.
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As Chief Mi'sel Joe calls for further research into possible links to Mi'kmaq, DNA studies show the Beothuk were a distinct Indigenous group.
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Robert Bertrand, chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, told APTN he cannot remember details of Indigenous ancestry.
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Tom Rose hopes to act as a bridge between the band and the alienated Bay St. George Mi'kmaq
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Officially, decisions by the appeal master are the end of the appeal process—but Chief Brendan Mitchell says court cases regarding enrolment may change that.
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Benjamin Hynes says his ancestors are buried in Brakes Cove in Corner Brook. Martha Drake, provincial archeologist for Newfoundland and Labrador, warns that development that disturbs the cemetery will not be approved.
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As signs point to ever more acute addictions issues in Mi'kmaq communities in Newfoundland, service providers look to combine Aboriginal culture with conventional counselling for better healing outcomes.
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We interview Jaimie Lickers on the cross-examinations starting this week, and MFNAN chief Dave Wells on the Facebook flak he's been getting.
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This week, we hear from Flat Bay chief Liz Lasaga about the recent controversy surrounding the new Friendship Centre.
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How did the social media discussion regarding the hiring of the executive director for the new Friendship Centre get out of hand, and how can we have challenging—but respectful—dialogue in the future? We hear from Blain Ford, Jasen Benwah and Shane Snook.
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An excerpt from episode 27 where historian Daniel Paul explains why we need a new Mi'kmaq flag.
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Our guests this week include Patrick Park-Tighe, the executive director of the newly established People of the Dawn Indigenous Friendship Centre in Bay St. George, and, later, historian Daniel Paul who explains why Mi'kmaq should ditch the Grand Council flag.
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Elder Calvin White says the Flat Bay community needs its own band status to generate economic development and to ensure its future.
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Lawyer David Rosenfeld discusses a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of applicants denied Qalipu status, and artist Marcus Gosse shares his passion for ancient rock engravings.
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The Mi'kmaq Grand Council flag flies in front of Qalipu headquarters, even though keptin John Cremo says it has no place there as long as the band is not part of council.
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Hayward Young is first out of the gate in a campaign that may be as bitter as the enrolment debate.
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Port au Port ward councillor says he and other council members are dragged down by the negativity of a toxic time for the Qalipu band.
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Mi'sel Joe, chief of Miawpukek First Nation, says that any time Mik'maq ancestors and their extended family could come together and eat was a cause for celebration, regardless of the time of year.
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As the Qalipu ponder creating an urban reserve, we talk to a councillor from the First Nation that created the first such reserve more than two decades ago. What challenges will the Qalipu face and what mistakes should we avoid?
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Michael R. Denny, singer and keeper of Mi'kmaq tradition, explains why he intends to make the journey to Cow Head to participate in the controversial Gros Morne Indigenous Cultural Festival.
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Fallout from the Gros Morne Indigenous Cultural Festival—boycotts, bitterness and uncertainty.
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Sherry Dean, chair of the Qalipu Cultural Foundation, describes how the Gros Morne Indigenous Cultural Festival taking place August 4 to 6 came to be, and the importance of culture in building the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation. Remember to sign the e-petition calling for the Government of Canada to acknowledge and rectify the enrolment process. You can find it here: https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-1027
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Morley Googoo, AFN regional chief for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, discusses reconciliation between the Qalipu and other Mi'kmaq, and why the Qalipu should join the AFN.You can find the Qalipu Enrolment E-petition here: https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-1027
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Elder Calvin White on his honorary degree, struggles past, present and future and his cousin, former chief Brendan Sheppard.
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We interview Jaimie Lickers, lawyer for the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland, on next steps in the legal action to be filed in the Federal Court of Canada.
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We interview Mi'kmaq musician Paul Pike about building an inclusive Mi'kmaq culture to get us to a better place, beyond enrolment bitterness and division.
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We interview Mi'sel Joe, Chief of the Miawpukek First Nation, about Qalipu enrolment, the hostility of some other Mi'kmaq leaders toward us, and what it means to be Mi'kmaq.
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We interview journalist and Qalipu member Justin Brake on the criminal charges against him that have drawn condemnation from national and international press-freedom groups.
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An interview with town councillor Tom Rose on why Stephenville, not Corner Brook, is the right location for the proposed Qalipu urban reserve.
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An interview with Qalipu member and Corner Brook mayor Charles Pender on enrolment pain, bitterness, and the way forward.
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We talk to NTV west coast correspondent Don Bradshaw about the Qalipu, the media and whether Facebook is a friend or foe.
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Jaimie Lickers, lawyer for the Mi'kmaq First Nation Assembly of Newfoundland, reviews the enrolment letters and talks next steps in the litigation process.
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The tale of Gerry Byrne and Gudie Hutchings -- Liberal watchdog and Liberal lapdog. We also preview APTN's upcoming special series on the Qalipu.
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We interview MHA and former MP Gerry Byrne on his involvement in the Qalipu issue over the years and the arguments for ditching the supplemental agreement.
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We interview lawyer Jaimie Lickers who's getting ready to launch legal action on behalf of the Mi'kmaq First Nation Assembly of Newfoundland as soon as the rejection letters begin to arrive.
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We interview enrolment protest organizer Blain Ford and Qalipu chief Brendan Mitchell, the man in the hot seat as band members and applicants wait for word from the feds on who's in and who's out.
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An interview with Dave Wells, chair of the Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland, on the coming legal and political storm regarding Qalipu enrolment due to hit in January.
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We talk to the new National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples about the future of CAP and whether the Qalipu have a place in it.
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