Mi'kmaq Matters

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...

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

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

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 m...

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 pa...

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 D...

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...

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. Host...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,...

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. Hosted on Ac...

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

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. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

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

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 J...

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

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

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. Hoste...

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

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