Here is something I wrote in my Halifax Media Co-op days, about an interactive map exploring the deep connection between the Mi’kmaq people and the landscape of Mi’kma’ki, the place the Mi’kmaq never ceded and have called home since time began.
Most news organizations in Nova Scotia refer to the Alton Gas water protectors as protesters. I suspect many journalists and editors gravitate to the term protesters because it feels like the more neutral term. The problem is, when you take a closer look, you will find it’s not so neutral after all.
Mi’kmaq grandmothers gave notice to Alton Gas and the various levels of government that the energy giant is not welcome on unceded Mi’kmaq territory.
News release: “The March 12 Court Injunction to remove the Stop Alton Gas Treaty Truckhouse is Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia’s (SuNNS) opportunity to stand with this courageous group of Water and Treaty Protectors. We feel it is important to state our commitment to the Mi’kmaq Water Protectors in a public way as our solidarity acknowledges the legal Treaty relationships and responsibilities which the Mi’kmaq Water Protectors have been safeguarding,” says SuNNS spokesperson Paul Jenkinson.
Media advisory: The Treaty Beneficiary Association of the Mi’kmaw People are hosting a press conference followed by a ‘Treaty Teach-in’ at Saint Mary’s University on Monday March 11th, 2019.
On Friday Feb 22, 2019, Alton Gas served papers for an injunction agianst two of the most dedicated supporters of the Treaty Truck House to Stop Alton Gas. The court date is March 12, 2019.
The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board is deciding whether to extend a construction permit for the Alton Gas underground storage caverns to 2023. Some 60 interested parties submitted comments in writing. What happens next, and how the Board reaches its decision is anybody’s guess. This secrecy and lack of dialogue is not a good thing, given the controversies and complexities surrounding the project.
This weekend we present a short documentary produced by distinguished filmmaker, drummer, teacher and author Catherine Martin about the first Idle No More event in Nova Scotia, on December 14, 2012 at the Grand Parade across from City Hall in Halifax.
Nova Scotia indie filmmaker Ann Verrall often makes movies and documentaries collaborating with youths , and she’s really good at it. What’s with that Treaty? is a great example. The video was made by students of We’koqma’q Mi’kmaq School in Cape Breton during a 5-day video intensive. Students document Treaty Day activities, Orange Shirt Day, meet with elders Joe Googoo, Magit Poulette, Ben Sylliboy, and Malglit Pelletier, and explore Treaty Education. Students also talk about the impact of residential school on them.
Earlier this month anti-capitalist activist Chelsea Fougere, a member of the Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia, took part in a series of public panels on the risks of offshore drilling in Halifax and Mahone Bay. This is her powerful opening statement.