Reminder – Lease Compliance and Zero-Tolerance Policy

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Important Notice to the Community from the Listuguj Bylaw Enforcement

July 17, 2025

To: All LMG Lease-To-Own, Social Housing & Apartment Tenants

Re: Reminder – Lease Compliance and Zero-Tolerance Policy

Dear Tenants,

The Listuguj Bylaw Enforcement would like to remind you that any involvement in illegal activity, including the trafficking of drugs, is strictly prohibited in all Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) housing units, including lease-to-own homes, social housing, and apartments. A zero-tolerance policy is in effect, and any violation may result in immediate eviction.

We also wish to remind tenants that only individuals listed on your lease agreement are permitted to reside in your unit. Unauthorized occupants are a breach of your lease and may lead to their removal and/or your eviction from the unit.

If you have any questions or require clarification, please feel free to reach out to Bylaw Enforcement Officer, Vera Isaac at 506-987-4524 or Housing Manager, Nora Ritchie at 418-788-2136.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Listuguj Bylaw Enforcement

 

Mawlugtinej Cancer Screening Clinic Call for Art Winners

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The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government is thrilled to announce the winners of the Mawlugtinej Cancer Screening Clinic Call for Art, a powerful initiative by Listuguj Community Health Services that brings Indigenous-inspired artwork into cancer care and treatment locations.

1st Place: Hannah Jay Martin
2nd Place: Emily Isaac Johnson
Their beautiful Indigenous-inspired artwork will help bring healing and culture to cancer care spaces in our communities.

Wela’lioq to all artists who shared their vision and creativity.

Community Notice – Grass Fire Ban

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Grass Fire Ban – Effective Immediately

Community Notice:

The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG), in partnership with the Listuguj Fire Department, Listuguj Police Department, and Bylaw Enforcement, is issuing an immediate ban on all grass fires within the community.

Effective immediately, grass fires are strictly prohibited on all private properties, as well as on any lands or properties managed by the LMG.

This ban is being enforced for the health, safety, and environmental protection of our community. Increasingly dry conditions and high winds make grass fires more dangerous and harder to control, placing additional stress on our fire department. Fires can spread quickly, putting nearby homes and structures at risk. Fires can also pose a risk to people with respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma.

We kindly ask all residents to respect this ban and refrain from starting any grass fires. Your cooperation is essential in helping us keep our community safe.

If you witness a grass fire or someone attempting to start one, please contact the Listuguj Police Department’s non-emergency line at 418-788-2334.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support in protecting our community.

Call for Tender – Infrastructure Work for Listuguj Hills Phase 2 and 3

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Call for Tender – Infrastructure Work for Listuguj Hills Phase 2 and 3

 

See below the link for MERX:

 

https://www.merx.com/solicitations/open-bids/20LST003-Riverside-extension-Phase-2-and-3/0000261470?origin=0

 

See below the link for SEAO:

 

https://www.seao.ca/OpportunityPublication/avisconsultes.aspx?Itemid=6ce874a2-be22-4aed-80fd-3de32ad233cd

CBC Covers Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government call for Moratorium on Shrimp Fishery in Gulf of St. Lawrence

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CBC’s Ka’nhehsí:io Deer covers Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government Call for Moratorium on Shrimp Fishery in Gulf of St. Lawrence.

 

Please see the link below to CBC’s article for more details.

 

Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government calls for moratorium on shrimp fishery in Gulf of St. Lawrence

LCSSD Free Winter Gear for Low Income Individuals

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LCSSD Income Assistance program will be offering low-income individuals and families free winter gear. See the poster below for more details.

Please call Brandey Barnaby at 418-788-2909 to make an appointment to fill out the required paperwork or for more information.

Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government Calls for Moratorium on Shrimp Fishery in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

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PRESS RELEASE

Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government calls for moratorium on shrimp fishery in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

Minister asked to issue additional lobster licenses to offset impact on First Nations and industry

-French version to follow-

 

December 6, 2023, Listuguj, QC – Shrimp stocks in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence are on the brink of complete collapse. The ecosystem is experiencing major changes caused by climate change. Average water temperatures are at recorded highs. Shrimp landings are at historic lows. The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government is calling for a moratorium to protect what few shrimp are left.

 

“As Mi’gmaq, we are guided by the principle of ango’tmu’q: taking care of something in a careful manner. It would be a violation of ango’tmu’q for us to continue fishing shrimp,” said Scott Martin, Chief of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government. “We will not fish our quota next year, and we call on the Minister to impose a moratorium.”

 

With water temperatures and predation by other species only expected to increase, northern shrimp stocks in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence are not expected to improve in the foreseeable future. Since northern shrimp plays a key role as a forage species, low abundance of northern shrimp could have negative consequences for other species that depend on them as a food source, like redfish, cod, and halibut. Weak shrimp stocks highlight the vulnerability to climate change of the entire estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem.

 

Diane Lebouthillier, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, will be meeting with First Nations and industry stake holders in Québec City on December 7 and 8 to discuss the future of the shrimp fishery. At those meetings, the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government will push for a moratorium.

 

“We need to be realistic,” said Chief Martin. “Climate change has killed the northern shrimp fishery. That’s the truth. No one wants to be the person who hauls in the last shrimp.”

 

Not all fisheries are in such a dire state. Lobster stocks, for example, have never been better. Both total landing and catch per unit effort are at all-time highs. All available data indicate that the lobster stocks are healthy.

 

The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government sees the lobster fishery as presenting an opportunity to mitigate some of the impact of the failing shrimp fishery. It could also be an opportunity for Canada to implement First Nations’ fishing rights under the Peace and Friendship Treaties, which the Supreme Court of Canada upheld in the Marshall decisions. The Minister could do both by issuing new lobster licences and distributing them to First Nations first, in acknowledgement the priority of rights-based fisheries.

 

“There has never been a better time to open new access to the lobster fishery,” said Chief Martin. “Fisheries management needs to be flexible in response to climate change. Warmer water is changing the ecosystem. The way we fish needs to change too.”

 

For more information or interviews, please contact:

 

Victoria Belton
Senior Consultant
416-997-5179
Victoria.Belton@mediaprofile.com

Mike Isaac
Communications Manager
418-788-2136
Michael.Isaac@listuguj.ca

 

Le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj demande un moratoire sur la pêche à la crevette dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent

 

La ministre est demandé de délivrer des permis de pêche au homard supplémentaires pour compenser les répercussions sur les Premières Nations et l’industrie.

 

6 décembre 2023, Listuguj (Québec) – Les stocks de crevettes dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent sont sur le point de s’effondrer complètement. L’écosystème subit des changements majeurs causés par les changements climatiques. En effet, les températures moyennes de l’eau atteignent des sommets records. Les débarquements de crevettes n’ont jamais été aussi bas. Par conséquent, le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj demande un moratoire pour protéger les quelques crevettes qui restent.

 

« En tant que Mi’gmaq, nous sommes guidés par le principe d’ango’tmu’q, soit prendre soin de quelque chose avec attention. Il s’agirait d’une violation d’ango’tmu’q de continuer à pêcher la crevette, a déclaré Scott Martin, chef du gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj. Nous n’allons pas pêcher notre quota l’année prochaine, et nous demandons à la ministre d’imposer un moratoire. »

 

Comme la température de l’eau et la prédation par d’autres espèces ne devraient qu’augmenter, les stocks de crevettes nordiques dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent ne devraient pas s’améliorer dans un avenir prévisible. Comme la crevette nordique joue un rôle clé en tant qu’espèce fourragère, sa faible abondance pourrait avoir des conséquences négatives sur d’autres espèces qui en dépendent comme source de nourriture, comme le sébaste, la morue et le flétan. La faiblesse des stocks de crevettes met en évidence la vulnérabilité aux changements climatiques de l’ensemble de l’écosystème de l’estuaire et du golfe du Saint-Laurent.

 

Diane Lebouthillier, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, rencontrera les Premières Nations et les intervenants de l’industrie à Québec les 7 et 8 décembre pour discuter de l’avenir de la pêche à la crevette. Lors de ces réunions, le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj réclamera un moratoire.

 

« Nous devons être réalistes, a déclaré le chef Martin. Les changements climatiques ont tué la pêche à la crevette nordique. Point à la ligne. Personne ne veut être celui qui remonte la dernière crevette. »

 

Les pêches ne sont pas toutes dans un état aussi désastreux. Les stocks de homard, par exemple, n’ont jamais été meilleurs. Le total des débarquements et les prises par unité d’effort atteint des sommets sans précédent. Toutes les données disponibles indiquent que les stocks de homard sont sains.

 

Le gouvernement mi’gmaq de Listuguj considère la pêche au homard comme une occasion d’atténuer une partie des répercussions de l’échec de la pêche à la crevette. Ce pourrait aussi être une occasion pour le Canada de mettre en œuvre les droits de pêche des Premières Nations en vertu des traités de paix et d’amitié, que la Cour suprême du Canada a confirmés dans les décisions Marshall. La ministre pourrait faire d’une pierre deux coups en délivrant de nouveaux permis de pêche au homard et en les distribuant d’abord aux Premières Nations, en reconnaissance de la priorité accordée aux pêches fondées sur les droits.

 

« Il n’y a jamais eu de meilleur moment pour ouvrir un nouvel accès à la pêche au homard, a déclaré le chef Martin. La gestion des pêches doit être souple face aux changements climatiques. L’eau plus chaude modifie l’écosystème, et la façon dont nous pêchons doit changer aussi. »

 

Pour en savoir davantage ou pour obtenir une entrevue, veuillez communiquer avec :

 

Victoria Belton

Consultante principale

416 997-5179

Victoria.Belton@mediaprofile.com

 

Mike Isaac

Gestionnaire, Communications

418 788-2136

Michael.Isaac@listuguj.ca

Governance Symposium Publication

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The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government held a Governance Symposium on November 15th and 16th at the Listuguj Community Development Centre

 

To read the publication on this event, click here..

 

Federal Court affirms validity of recognition of Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation’s rights and Indigenous laws regarding its fisheries in agreement with Canada

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PRESS RELEASE

Federal Court affirms validity of recognition of Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation’s rights and Indigenous laws regarding its fisheries in agreement with Canada

Organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers had sought to have recognition declared illegal and invalid

 

LISTUGUJ, QC October 19, 2023 — The Federal Court of Canada has upheld the recognition of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nations’s rights and Indigenous laws regarding its fisheries provided for in a groundbreaking agreement with Canada. The decision, made public on October 12, 2023, largely dismissed a challenge to the agreement from organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers.

“The court’s decision validates our aboriginal and treaty rights as well as our laws regarding our fisheries,” said Scott Martin, Chief of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government. “I hope that non-Indigenous fishers will now accept that our rights and laws are a constitutional fact. That is the starting point for true reconciliation.”

In April 2021, Canada and Listuguj signed a Rights Reconciliation Agreement on Fisheries (RRA). In the agreement, Canada confirms that Listuguj has a right to fish commercially for a moderate livelihood pursuant to the Peace and Friendship Treaties, as the Supreme Court of Canada recognized in the Marshall decisions. Canada also recognizes that Listuguj has its own Indigenous laws by which it governs its fisheries. The agreement creates a process that helps Listuguj and the DFO coordinate fisheries governance and enforcement.

A group of organizations representing non-Indigenous commercial fishers (the Applicants) applied to the Federal Court for judicial review of the RRA, seeking to have the agreement declared illegal, null, and void. The Applicants included the Regroupement des Pêcheurs Professionels du Sud de la Gaspésie, the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association, and the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board. Listuguj brought a motion to have the application thrown out prior to a hearing on the merits. That motion was largely successful.

The Applicants argued the RRA was invalid because Canada could not recognize aboriginal or treaty rights in an agreement before those rights have been declared by a court. The court dismissed this argument, finding that the Crown has an “obligation to seek negotiated solutions to Aboriginal or treaty rights disputes.”

 

The Applicants also argued that recognition of First Nations’ laws governing the exercise of fishing rights impinges on the Minister’s authorities under the Constitution and the Fisheries Act. Again, the court rejected this argument, finding that “[o]ne aspect of collective Aboriginal or treaty rights is the community’s right to exercise control over how its members exercise that right.”

 

The court did allow the application to proceed to a hearing on one question: whether Canada ought to have engaged with the Applicants prior to signing the RRA. The judge emphasized, however, “[i]f there is any duty on the Ministers to engage or involve the Applicants in the

negotiation process, it is not in any meaningful respect equivalent to the constitutional duty to consult Aboriginal peoples.”

 

“We are confident that if this case proceeds, we will prevail,” said Chief Martin. “We have inherent rights to fish and govern ourselves. These rights can no longer be denied.”

 

The decision makes clear that the interests of Listuguj and non-Indigenous fishers are on a different footing: “The section 35 rights asserted by [Listuguj] and acknowledged in the RRA are worthy of recognition and respect. The interests advanced by the Applicants arise as a matter of license or privilege – and exist at the discretion of the Minister.”

 

Despite the legal challenge, Listuguj and Canada have cooperated to implement RRA. These efforts have enabled Listuguj to exercise its treaty rights to fish lobster commercially in the fall, assume responsibility for enforcement in its lobster fishery, and, most recently, expand its lobster fishery into waters adjacent to the community that Canada previously considered unregulated.

 

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Mike Isaac
Communications Manager
418-788-2136
Michael.Isaac@listuguj.ca