Mi'kmaq Matters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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