Mi'kmaq Matters

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An Indigenous engagement session suggests that CBC's coverage of Mi'kmaw issues in the Atlantic region is overseen by non-Indigenous editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Residents at public meeting with Mowi Canada East express concerns about size of project and impact on natural environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Breathe the same air, walk on the same earth, and connect with the ancestors in the most profound way: through our land.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Land defenders offer to give up half of Charlie's Place, but Corner Brook Pulp and Paper keeps coming back for more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.&...

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 In...