CBC Igalaaq - May 23, 2025
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
National Indigenous Peoples Day about celebration, community
Saturday marked National Indigenous People's Day in Canada and the Barrie Native Friendship Centre (BNFC) held a special barbecue at Springwater Provincial Park to celebrate the occasion. Despite the afternoon thunderstorms, community members enjoyed a wide range of activities, crafts and food, as well as traditional practices such as gathering around the sacred fire and the BNFC's ceremony grounds. 'Represents a lot of things,' said Josie Fiegehen, BNFC Cultural Resources Coordinator, of the annual occasion. 'It also is the solstice, which is the longest day of the year, so that is really important to us to come together as a community.' Fiegehen emphasized that, while September is a 'heavier' month with the commemoration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, National Indigenous People's Day is an important time of celebration. 'You hear a lot of stories and people sharing their truth, like as survivors and family members of survivors, and it's really important to hear those stories,' she added. 'But this day is really more about celebrating our joy and the community that is thriving. Gathering and just celebrating each other in that too is very important.' The barbecue at Springwater Provincial Park was among several Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations around the region on Saturday. The BNFC will offer a week of their culture camp this summer along with their regular summer programming.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
N.B. striped bass association says DFO management order abandons science, fishermen's union disagrees
The Striped Bass Association – Miramichi Chapter said it's concerned about the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' (DFO) 'abandonment of science' in a striped bass management order for the Gulf of St. Lawrence released Friday. The DFO order requires anybody fishing for gaspereau to keep up to 500 incidentally caught striped bass daily. 'For the reasons described in the memorandum before me, I am of the view that a threat to the proper management and control of fisheries exists and that prompt measures are required to address that threat,' said Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson in the order. The memorandum was not included in the minister's release. An administrator with the Striped Bass Association said they are demanding DFO release the evidence and internal advice supporting of the order. They are also requesting a meeting with DFO to discuss striped bass and the consequences of changes to management policy. 'These actions are being taken despite the most recent population data showing striped bass numbers in decline, currently estimated at just 345,000,' said Nick Noel in the association's release. 'This places the population barely above the Limit Reference Point (LRP) and squarely within the Cautionary Zone—a status that would typically prompt greater conservation, not increased harvest.' The Maritime Fishermen's Union (MFU) said the striped bass population in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is 'out of control' and threatening other fisheries in a news release on June 10. The executive director of the union said gaspereau fishers were catching up to 5,000 striped bass in their nets last year but this year it can be as many as 25,000. 'It has become impossible for them to sort through them,' said Martin Mallet. 'They have to throw their entire catch back into the water. So, it's a fishing effort that yields nothing, but the fishermen still have to pay the expenses.' Mallet said they've been pressuring DFO to review its research on striped bass. 'DFO told us in 2024 that, according to scientific assessments, there has been a decline in the population. It's hard for us to believe that,' Mallet said. 'The species is overflowing its natural habitat, riverside fishermen are catching more and more of them, and our lobster fishermen are reporting an abundance of this fish in their traps.' The Striped Bass Association said it's critical that fisheries management is guided by science – not politics – in a response to a CTV News story about the MFU's concerns. It said the striped bass population has been stable since 2015 with the exception of one anomalous year. DFO's new order comes after other recent decisions regarding striped bass, including: an experimental project launched in April allowing striped bass bycatch retention in the lobster fishery an increase in the Indigenous striped bass quota to 175,000 from 50,000 in July 2024 daily bag limit increased to four fish between 50 and 65 centimetres for recreational striped bass fishing in April 2024 The Atlantic Salmon Federation has advocated for striped bass population controls including culling to balance the ecosystem for salmon smolts. DFO was unavailable for comment regarding the management order or requests to see the memorandum referenced in the minister's letter. A representative said the department would respond to CTV Atlantic as soon as possible.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
After the firestorm: Loss and hope in Saskatchewan's scorched north
Social Sharing It was a beautiful day when we hit the road, heading north toward La Ronge. The skies were mostly clear, the air no longer smelling of smoke. It was the kind of day that made it hard to imagine the chaos that had unfolded just weeks before. Wildfires, made worse by a dry spring, forced thousands of Saskatchewan people from their homes. With the worst of the danger behind, at least for now, we wanted to see what was left behind — in the forests, the communities and the people's lives — after the flames moved on. We started seeing the first signs of fire a few kilometres south of Weyakwin. Small patches of burnt forest grew into large, blackened swaths. The sides of the highways were like graveyards full of skeletons that used to be trees. In some spots, scorched trunks leaned and toppled like fallen matchsticks. In others, the fire had burned so hot that only charred stumps remained. The flames did not just devour forests. They took homes, too. Gregg Charles and his wife have been living in a tent in a family member's backyard in Air Ronge. Their cabin, 40 kilometres south of the village, burned to the ground. "It's always been my home. My parents were trappers over there," Charles said. "Sewing, beadwork, even a leather jacket [my wife] made for me, all those are lost." Both were raised on a trapline. He isn't interested in staying in a city. He belongs in the wilderness. Charles is optimistic their living situation will improve soon. His community is working on finding a place for them. "I'm just thankful that me and my wife and my other family are OK, that's the main thing," he said. "We can lose structures and stuff like that, we can rebuild. But if you lose a life you can never see that person again." Memories in the rubble Bob Forward also has strong connections to the area. His family started coming to Nemeiben Lake, just north of La Ronge, in the '70s. His cabin there has been their home away from home ever since. The sky was clear when we met him at a boat launch as he prepared to check on the cabin for the first time since the fire came through. He didn't know what was left of it. After a short trip, the worst was confirmed. "There's no cabin there anymore," Forward said as he pulled up to his dock. "It's gone." He made his way through what remained, choking up as he pointed out part of a door that he built with his father-in-law. Nearby, a few of his wife's books were nothing but crumbling ash. So many memories, gone in an instant. WATCH | Heading out by boat to survey wildfire damage: Heading out by boat to survey wildfire damage 9 hours ago Duration 1:32 "It's tough to see. There's a lot of years of work here," he said, blinking back tears. "All my relatives that would come over from the U.K., this is one thing they always wanted to do, is come to the cabin." Bob said he does not plan to rebuild. Once the area is cleaned up, he will see if anyone is interested in taking over the lease on the land. "We know it's climate change. I mean, we're probably a big part of what's happening here, because boats and snowmobiles are just terrible on fuel, right?" Hope for the land Further south, in Air Ronge, Randy Johns had nature's strength on his mind. We met him outside Boreal Heartland, where he was busy catching up on orders delayed by wildfire evacuations. The company harvests and produces teas, seasonings and dried wild mushrooms gathered from the boreal forest. He took us to a spot close to the community that was hit by fire, pointing out plants already poking their heads out of scorched patches. "What fire weed does is it grows where there's been a fire, or the ground is disturbed, and it prepares the forest for its regeneration," Johns said, pointing out a tall leafy green plant. "The evolution of the boreal forest has been based on fire, based around fire. So it's certainly not a new thing, and it's part of the natural cycle." Johns is concerned the fire cycle is changing and maybe becoming more frequent. "If you would have caught me a week ago, I would have been more emotional about it," he said. "Now it's about moving forward." One of the lucky ones The call of a loon welcomed Shelly Lawrence home. She had left during the evacuation of the area around Narrow Hills Provincial Park, where the fire swept through. Lawrence, co-owner of Rainbow Lodge at Piprell Lake, still can't quite believe the lodge was spared. It stands like an island surrounded by a sea of blackened forest. "We're so grateful that the resources were available for us, maybe because we were the first ones with the fire, but without that sprinkler and those resources, we probably wouldn't be here today," she said. It's a different story at a nearby campground, just a two-minute drive away. You can see the outlines of scorched campsites, along with skeletal remains of campers, RVs, bed frames and sinks, surrounded by blackened trees. Lawrence said she was able to talk with some of the firefighters who helped save the lodge. "It was great to meet them and give them a hug," she said. "It's hard to know how to pay them back, but we definitely want to go forward and pay it forward." WATCH | How a wildfire destroyed the Piprell Lake campground: How a wildfire destroyed the Piprell Lake campground 9 hours ago Duration 1:10 The Piprell Lake campground, northwest of Saskwatchewan's Narrow Hills Provincial Park, was devastated by the Shoe Fire. The provincial park is closed for campers this season, but Rainbow Lodge (which sits just outside the park) is open for business. Lawrence is hoping visitors will still make the trip. Her business depends on it. Protecting Prince Albert National Park Visitors are also welcome at Prince Albert National Park this season. Dustin Guedo, a vegetation and fire ecologist with Parks Canada, is always thinking about how to protect Waskesiu and the surrounding land. It's been a dry spring, but rain has brought some relief to the area. It's important to protect sites like the water treatment plant, Guedo said, so they remove anything that could fuel a fire from within 10 metres around the building. Another measure is the community fuel break, just south of Waskesiu. They created a break in the forest, removing all the conifers, to create a safety zone around the town site. In the aftermath of the fires, what stands out is not just what was lost, but how people are coming together to rebuild, support each other and get ready for the next time. "The last four or five years have been some of the largest wildfire seasons we've encountered in Canada," Guedo said.
