This week: highlights from the Enviro Watch NL online forum, featuring Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins, authors of Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favorite Fish; Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance; and Neville Crabbe of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The event was moderated by Enviro Watch co-chairs Tara Ma…

Protected for years from logging due to its high elevation, precious old growth forests in central Newfoundland now stand in the bullseye of about 300 EVREC wind turbines. This week, we speak with two members of a concerned citizens group, Leanna Paul and Robert Loder, about what could be lost if the project goes ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c…

Can we mine our way to a green transition away from fossil fuels, or will we destroy more natural environment? This week, we sit down with Christopher Pollon, author of Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World's Most Vulnerable Places. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unanswered technical questions, a lack of signed contracts, and a budget crisis in Germany may turn into roadblocks for the wind-to-hydrogen plans in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. We get the latest from Joan Baxter, a reporter at the Halifax Examiner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Five decades after Joey Smallwood flooded Innu land without their consent, another Liberal premier has ripped the nation off on Muskrat Falls revenue and started talks with Quebec on a new hydro project without consulting them. This week, we speak with Peter Penashue, chief negotiator for the Innu Nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for …

An investigative exposé by Norwegian investigative journalists Simen Saetre and Kjetil Østl documents how misinformation and suppression of scientific evidence helped enrich some of the wealthiest people in Norway. This week, we speak with Saetre, co-author of The New Fish: The Truth about Farmed Salmon and the Consequences We Can No Longer Ignore.…

Amid surprise and controversy, Brendan Mitchell has become the first-ever Regional Chief for Newfoundland. This week, host Glenn Wheeler and Mi'kmaq Matters correspondent Greg Janes talk about the implications for Qalipu First Nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some say the change is long overdue, but it's up to the province to make the next move. This week, we speak to the councillor championing the addition, Wayne Mason. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American anthropologist Frank Speck left Newfoundland in the early 1900s with dozens of pieces of Mi'kmaw clothing and crafts that now sit in a museum in Gatineau, Quebec. Archaeologist Natasha Jones says it's time to repatriate the items to bring them closer to her and other relatives of the Paul family from whom Speck obtained them. Hosted on Aca…

Host Glenn Wheeler and correspondent Greg Janes discuss the latest developments in the Benoit court case, its impact on Mi'kmaw people trying to get their Indian status, and the implications for Qalipu First Nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A mammoth wind energy project for the Port au Port Peninsula and Codroy Valley is being rushed to get regulatory approval and experts see alarming parallels with the Muskrat Falls debacle, which has had lasting economic and environmental impacts on the region. This week, highlights from the public forum on the wind energy project organized by Envir…

World Energy GH2's poorly organized and repetitive 4,000-page environmental impact assessment seems designed to discourage public comment. But residents of the Port au Port Peninsula and Codroy Valley are plowing through it, determined to submit their written comments by the October 11 deadline. This week, we asked resident Patrick Park-Tighe about…

An emotional meeting in Stephenville provided an avenue for strategy planning to protect wilderness under assault from multiple development projects. This week, we speak with Chief Byron Alexander of Indian Head First Nation and band administrator Jasmine Jesso. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Despite the hype that we can mine our way out of the climate crisis, researcher Simon Michaux says we're faced with two problems: there aren't enough critical minerals to support technological innovations like electric vehicles; and we won't find enough in time to make the net-zero deadline of 2050. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i…

As development pressure and erosion threaten potentially important sites, archaeologist Natasha Jones launches a research project—one of the few related to Newfoundland Mi'kmaq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, One Man's Journey, Mi'kmaw Elder Calvin White charts the events leading up to the creation of Qalipu First Nation, including how a small group of people prevented the establishment of a tribal council to represent Mi'kmaq interests in Ottawa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, we speak with Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance, about BC's transition away from fish farms, and his thoughts on aquaculture being included in a marine conservation area on the Newfoundland South Coast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The process begins to protect the waters of the Newfoundland South Coast, but proponents of aquaculture want fish farms to be considered, too. We asked Parks Canada NL manager Sigrid Kuehnemund if those differences can be squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the much-anticipated decision in the Benoit case, brought by Friends of Qalipu. As they discuss, a judge found that feds pressured Federation of Newfoundland Indians, who agreed to a supplemental agreement without legal authority. Now the question is: Where do we go from here? Hosted on Acast. See aca…

Outfitters in the area are booked solid for now, but some fear they'll have to cancel clients because of test towers that are set to be built in middle of moose-hunting grounds. This week, we speak with outfitter Art Ryan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A federal environmental assessment opens up the possibility of a more complete review of wind energy projects, and funding for community groups to hire experts on longer time lines. We speak with Shelley Senior, lawyer for the Environmental Transparency Committee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

It's unlikely that hydrogen produced in Stephenville or elsewhere in Atlantic Canada will ever be used for energy because it is so expensive to transport. This week, industry analyst Michael Liebreich looks at the hype around a technology driven by government subsidy rather than business sense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform…

Two-thirds of the way through the current Qalipu term, two council members are turning out to be the leading candidates in next year's race for chief. This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes turn in a performance report card of Qalipu councillors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

In the rush to build projects in response to the climate crisis, governments have tried to take shortcuts around consultation with Indigenous peoples. Twila Gaudet and Patrick Butler of Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMKNO) explain how Mi'kmaq reached an agreement with a hydrogen power developer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information…

Provincial governments in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have rushed to OK massive wind turbine developments without adequately assessing the ecological impact—especially the risks to oceans and fisheries. This week, we speak with Duran Felix of the Environmental Transparency Committee on the Port au Port Peninsula and Melinda Cole of the Guysborough…

In Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, land defenders are up against a rush to build an untested form of energy that some experts feel won't work. We speak with Sheila and Zita Hinks about their latest trip to court in their injunction fight regarding wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula. Later in the show, journalist Joan Baxter tells us about th…

At the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), the largest athletic event ever held in Atlantic Canada, participants will experience Indigenous solidarity as well as competitive spirit. We speak with the chair of NAIG 2023 Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons and Team Indigenous NL coordinator Mike Alexander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in…

In Nova Scotia, the Mi'kmaq Forestry Initiative (MFI) is caring for 30,000 hectares of crown land so that L'nuk today and for generations to come can depend on them for what they need, including culture, medicine, and connection. We speak with MFI project manager Elizabeth Jessome of the Unama'ki Institute for Natural Resources. Hosted on Acast. Se…

White pine is mentioned in the first line of Newfoundland's provincial anthem but on a canoe trip in the upper Humber watershed, writer and educator Daniel Banoub discovered it's no longer found in the forests. This week: the cutting frenzy threatening Newfoundland's white pine. Plus: reflections on the occasion of Episode 250. Hosted on Acast. See…

This week: Will a gold mine shut down temporarily to protect caribou? Plus: the back story of Qalipu's targeting of cultural foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though calving is about to start, vice-chief says a site-visit to gold mine located on migration routes can wait until late summer. Plus: the strange salmon anglers are pulling out of the rivers on the south coast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Tami Park-Tighe on how the West Wind First Nation aims to put land and water ahead of collusion with corporate wind energy interests. Plus: Sheila Hinks tells hosts Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes about an injunction case against land defenders that's taken a surprise turn into a sovereignty claim. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for…

This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the tough dilemma facing voters in Long Range Mountains: Is it okay to vote for fellow Mi'kmaw Carol Anstey, even if her leader, Pierre Poilievre, was part of the anti-Indigenous Harper government? Plus: the Port au Port Mi'kmaq band plans to revive Mi'kmaw culture in communities on the east side of t…

This week, hosts Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the call for harmony from community chiefs when it comes to the wind energy issue. Plus: a new Qalipu band manager, and the anti-Indigenous response to restoring the name of Burgeo's Route 480. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss an injunction application against Port au Port peninsula land defenders. In 2016, the judge involved in the current Port au Port case ordered criminal charges against a Muskrat Falls reporter. The charges were eventually overturned when an appeal court found they did not abide by the tenants of reconc…

This week, Glenn Wheeler and Greg Janes discuss the Qalipu Cultural Foundation's name change, and who might run for Regional Chief. They foresee a difficult choice coming up for Burgeo between fish farms or a marine conservation area. And an update on the Port au Port protests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Mi'kmaq Matters correspondent Greg Janes and host Glenn Wheeler discuss protests that have shut down work on a mammoth wind energy project for two weeks. Plus: What's up with the abrupt stop to Dean Simon's language classes for Qalipu First Nation? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

With exploration for gold taking place within its boundaries and close to its water supply, the Town of Appleton has had to bring in its own permit system to exert some control over exploration. This week, we speak with Appleton mayor, Garrett Watton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Host Glenn Wheeler and our new Corner Brook correspondent, Greg Janes, survey current activities on the island of Newfoundland, the province's weak regulations surrounding such work, and the strict conditions imposed by the Nunatsiavut Government for similar exploration on Inuit lands in Labrador. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf…

This was a year of wind energy and citizen resistance; staff exodus and an enrolment deal at Qalipu; a spot on the Assembly of First Nations for Newfoundland; and a return to the powwow grounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Qalipu members support a proposal that would reinstate military and RCMP personnel but leave out most of the 10,000 people who lost their status in the supplemental agreement? We talk to former Canadian Navy member Greg Janes, who received a deluge of hostile messages when he posed for a photo with Chief Brendan Mitchell in support of the deal…

With the array of powerful political and business forces in favour of the massive World Energy GH2 project on the west coast of Newfoundland, we ask Marilyn Rowe of the Environmental Transparency Committee what needs to happen to stop it before it turns the Port au Port Peninsula into a forest of wind turbines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac…

How the St. John's-based, big-time Newfoundland news media are ignoring the West Coast wind energy project—a conflict-ridden billion-dollar boondoggle in the making. This week, we speak with Ed Hollett, publisher of the Bond Papers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With wilderness-destructive development at the highest rate than at any time in Newfoundland history and eco advocacy at its lowest, Mi'kmaq Matters convenes an emergency meeting to discuss a way forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

World Energy GH2 inks a deal with Qalipu First Nation and promises community cash if it gets permission to place 164 wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula. What's going on? We ask Qalipu councillor Jasen Benwah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Qalipu band member and country star Jason Benoit talks about his Mi'kmaq roots and staying grounded as his song Shootin Me Down climbs the country charts across Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, journalist Joan Baxter on the first phase of a Nova Scotia project that will use coal-fired electricity to produce hydrogen power for export, and a second phase that would see hundreds of wind turbines placed on environmentally sensitive territory important to Mi'kmaq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

An Indigenous engagement session suggests that CBC's coverage of Mi'kmaw issues in the Atlantic region is overseen by non-Indigenous editors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 informati…

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.…