The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government recently sent out two packages to off-reserve members concerning the Listuguj Lobster Law and the Listuguj Election Code. The purpose of these mail-outs was to further engage and update our members on community projects.
While preparing these packages, a technical error occurred which resulted in names and addresses being switched.
If you received a package with either the wrong name or address, please contact Tina Barnaby at 418-788-2136 or tinabarnaby@listuguj.ca. Also, please take this time to update your address if you’ve recently moved and did not receive these packages.
Thank you for your cooperation.
The following is important information regarding the McLean v Canada (Court File No. T-2169-16) Federal Indian Day Schools class action. On March 12, 2019, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, announced an out-of-court Settlement with Class Members in relation to Canada’s establishing and funding of Federal Day Schools (“Indian Day Schools”) and its subsequent control and management of the schools, known in the north as Federal Day Schools.
To join the class action, click the following link: https://ca.gowlingwlg.com/dayschoolclassaction/
As part of the Settlement, Canada will provide compensation to eligible Survivor Class Members. Compensation ranges from $10,000 for harms associated with attendance at an Indian Day School to $200,000 for repeated incidents of sexual abuse and/or physical assault causing long-term injury. The baseline harm for claims is such that nearly everyone who attended an Indian Day School will receive a single payment reflecting the most severe harms they suffered, irrespective of the number of schools attended.
The process to claim compensation will be simple, culturally sensitive, non-adversarial, and user-friendly. There will be minimal verification requirements, and the documentation people may be asked to provide (for example, photos or personal correspondence) will not require a difficult process or third-party to obtain.
In recognition of the intergenerational trauma caused by the Indian Day Schools, the Settlement also provides for a $200M Legacy Fund that will be used to support commemoration projects, health and wellness projects, and language and culture initiatives. More information on the Legacy Fund is available on the IDS website.
The Notice below provides information on the Settlement Agreement and next steps, including the Settlement Approval Hearing scheduled to be heard on May 13, 14 and 15, 2019 at the Federal Court, 363 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3N9.
Notice of Certification and Settlement Approval Hearing – Long Form
Notice of Certification and Settlement Approval Hearing – Short Form
These notices are also available in Mi’gmaq. They can be found here:
Mikmaq Notice of Certification and Settlement Approval Hearing – Long Form
Mikmaq Notice of Certification and Settlement Approval Hearing – Short Form
Community Announcement:
We will be expecting approximately 60 mm of rain over the weekend. Capital & Infrastructure have been working to remove the water from our pump stations to make room for this significant rainfall. They will continue to monitor the water levels in the community over the weekend.
The LMG is asking community members who experience flooding in their basements due to rising waters to please call (418) 788-2215.
This number will be in use starting tomorrow morning, April 19th, 2019. If you experience flooding this evening, please contact the Listuguj Police Department at (418) 788-2334.
The Listuguj Community Health Services would like your help in compiling influenza stats for the community. If your child or yourself were diagnosed with Influenza since October 2018, please contact Robin Clement or Caroline Jacques at 418-788-2155 to answer a few short questions. Thank you!
Pam Palmater, renowned Mi’gmaq lawyer from Ugpi’ganjiq (Eel River Bar) and professor at Ryerson University, delivered a keynote address at Listuguj’s Alaqsite’w Gitpu School on March 22 as part of the school’s Siggw Cuture Day events and the LMG’s Honouring our Land mawiomi.
The address was delivered to the Grades 7 and 8 students, teaching staff, elected leaders of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, Mi’gmaq Grand Council members, Elders and community members.
Palmater spoke about the importance of Mi’gmaq nationhood and sovereignty. She reminded the audience that Youth need to be involved and actively engaged in nation-building initiatives.
You can check out Pam’s keynote address “Mi’kmaw Nationhood and Sovereignty in Listuguj” on Pam Palmater’s YouTube channel by following this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xBOHHrPCPo
The Listuguj Police Department is asking the community members of Listuguj and the surrounding areas to be sure to secure their property during periods of night fall, such as locking shed doors, tools in the yard that may be visible from the roadway, snowmobiles & ATV’s (be sure to remove keys) and to ensure your doors are locked on your vehicles.
This message is pre-emptive preparation in nature, for the increased pedestrian traffic that will be approaching as the weather becomes warmer.
Grand Council members, elected leaders, Elders, academics, community members, and youth assembled at the Honouring our Land Mawiomi on March 21-23 in Listuguj. Over this three-day event, participants shared stories, songs, and engaged in active conversations about moose harvesting, nation building, and the transmission of Mi’gmaq knowledge to the youth.
The discussion responds to an ongoing concern raised by several communities about moose hunting on Mi’gmaq territory without properly requesting permission of local communities. In the fall of 2017, Chief Darcy Gray met with the Grand Chief of Kahnawake to express Listuguj’s concerns and to remind him that there is a traditional protocol of asking, and waiting for permission, when hunting on Mi’gmaq territory.
Chief Darcy Gray
The talks at the Honouring our Land Mawiomi culminated in the acceptance of a Proclamation that recognizes that Moose harvesting by Mi’gmaq should be in keeping with Mi’gmaq law including the concept and practice of Netugulimg. The Proclamation does not say ‘how many moose’ Listuguj community members, or others, can harvest. Rather, the Proclamation is intended to open the doorway and provide a foundation for Listuguj to adopt its own regulations for the responsible and respectful management of moose resources.
Pam Palmater, Mi’gmaq activist, author and lawyer, delivered a keynote talk at Alaqsite’w Gitpu School for Siggw Culture Day as part of this mawiomi. Palmater emphasized that nationhood is about taking action and is expressed in the ways we live. She added that it is critical that nationhood talks include Youth.
Pam Palmater speaking to Grand Council and Alaqsite’w Gitpu School students
“You are the ones who need to be actively engaged in nation building right now on a daily basis. Our nations, especially the Mi’gmaq nation who has suffered five hundred years of colonization, we actually need you in nation building. We need you to be leaders right now, warriors right now, caregivers right now.”
At the gathering, Elders and youth raised concerns about safety, about respecting hunting areas, and about how to share the moose meat with community. Others raised concerns about over harvesting and emphasized the need to use all parts of the moose. There is a clear need and desire for communities to develop their own moose harvesting protocol.
“This event was a learning opportunity. It was about opening up that dialogue for people to share, to build, and to contribute. We are coming out of this event with guiding principles to develop our own moose harvesting plans. This is not our last gathering, it is the beginning and continuance of something bigger,” said Chief Gray.
Gji-Geptin Antle Denny
Jaime Battiste (Treaty Education Lead at Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey in Nova Scotia) delivered a powerful presentation about Mi’gmaq self-determination and Treaty Rights. He played the following video during his presentation: Click here to watch a video on Treaty Education in Nova Scotia.
“We have persevered through famine, disease, and genocide,” said Battiste. “Relationships are the most important thing and our rights [to our land] have been there all along.”
Gji-Geptin Antle Denny of the Grand Council echoed this assertion by emphasizing how governance is rooted in families, language, and connections with Mi’gmaq ancestral lands.
Danny Paul, Luke LaBillois, Jasmine LaBillois, and Corey Metallic (L to R)
Other highlights from the mawiomi include: three (3) facilitated discussions with approximately one-hundred participants. Paige Isaac and Denny Isaac facilitated A’tugwaqann (stories from Gespe’gewa’gi) where participants shared their stories from the land. Corey Metallic, Jasmine LaBillois, Luke LaBillois and Danny Paul delivered panel presentations on moose harvesting community programs. Tracey Metallic held an art workshop with a small group of mawiomi participants. The grades seven and eight students, and their teachers, from Alaqsite’w Gitpu School took part in a workshop on traditional approaches to moose management facilitated by Clifford Paul of the Unama’gi Institute of Natural Resources.
The event came to a close with a feast on Saturday evening. Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of the Manitoba Chiefs delivered a keynote reminding us that nation building is about acknowledging relations and staying connected with each other. Click on this link to hear Grand Chief Dumas singing the Mi’gmaq Honour Song.
We would like to retract our previous statement that community members are experiencing flooding. The issues are actually due to frozen pipes. This was a communication error and we apologize.
Please remember to keep your faucets running a little to help prevent freezing.
Natural Resources will be closed until noon today due to issues with the pipes. It is being worked on as best as possible. Updates will be provided as they happen.
For anyone experiencing frozen pipes, please call the Band Office, 418-788-2136, and speak to the receptionist. They will transfer you to the designated individual.
