Mi'kmaq Matters

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. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit 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.  Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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

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

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The member for Torngat Mountains says the provincial political system has written her constituents out of services and entitlements because they're Indigenous. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.