Latest news with #Mi'kmaq
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Nova Scotia village moves to drop 'Cornwallis' from its name
A village in western Nova Scotia is moving to change its name in the latest example of a community distancing itself from a controversial figure in the province's history. The village commission of Cornwallis Square voted in April to change its name to Kings Square, capping off a process that started a number of years ago following a request from the Annapolis Valley First Nation, which is part of the community. "We felt it was the right thing to do," said Michael Keith, chair of the village commission. The village, which is roughly 15 kilometres west of Kentville, took its name from Edward Cornwallis, the former British governor of Nova Scotia who issued a proclamation in 1749 promising a bounty of 10 guineas for each Mi'kmaw person killed. A statue of Cornwallis was removed from a downtown Halifax park in 2018 and several communities have since renamed streets that featured his name following criticism from Mi'kmaw leaders and activists. "With ours in particular, where the First Nation is within the boundaries of our village, I think it was more important to do it," Keith said. The new name was inspired in part by Kings County, which the village is located in. 'Long overdue' The village's name has been a constant reminder of how the Mi'kmaq have been treated historically, said an Annapolis Valley First Nation band councillor. "It's long overdue and I welcome it," said Nastasya Kennedy of the name change. "For generations, we've had to walk past names and monuments that honour people who wanted to cause deep harm to us," she said. Members of the First Nation were asked by the village commission to be part of the renaming process from the start, said Kennedy. "True reconciliation means sharing the process, not just the outcome," she said. "That's one lesson we can carry forward together." The village needs the approval of the Nova Scotia government to officially change its name. The province is considering the village's request and whether enough community engagement has taken place, according to a spokesperson with the Department of Municipal Affairs. In the meantime, Kennedy said the First Nation continues to call on the province to change the name of the Cornwallis River, which runs for nearly 50 kilometres through the Annapolis Valley. "It's been an ongoing issue to change that before my time here as well," she said. The province has received the request from the First Nation to change the name of the river, a spokesperson said in an email. "We are planning to work through a process with the Mi'kmaq and local communities to consider renaming the river," the email said.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Message in bottle from 1983 washes up on remote island with historical contents intact
A peculiar message in a bottle recently surfaced on the shores of a remote Canadian island. The discovery was announced by the Sable Island National Park Reserve in a May 23 Facebook post. The small island is located off the waters of Nova Scotia. In the post, park officials said the bottle was discovered by Mark Doucette, an archaeology technician from Potlotek First Nation, a community of Mi'kmaq Native Americans. "The message is very faded, but we could make out that the bottle was sent to sea Jan. 14, 1983, from a resupply ship operating near Sable Island," the post noted. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Parks Canada representative Jennifer Nicholson said that, after opening the bottle, the first thing officials noticed was its strong smell. "Well, first off, you could still smell the gin!" she recalled. "Even 40 years later, that hadn't faded." The gin dissolved some of the ink on the letter, but it was still faintly visible. Nicholson said that the paper was still damp from being in the bottle for four decades. "As it dried, you could make out more of the message – and you could see the impressions left behind by the pen," she said. The letter had scant details about the ship it was sent from, which required some research from park officials. "It was a little hard to make out the ship's name at first. You could tell it ended with 'Sea Hunter,'" Nicholson said. "We did a little bit of digging, and one of the archaeologists found that there used to be a resupply ship called the Wimpey Sea Hunter. It was a British supply ship built in Devon in 1982." She added, "There were crew names on the back as well. We haven't been able to track any of the crew down after this time. But if they're out there, we'd love to hear from them!" The bottle also contained a two-dollar bill from 1974, which featured a portrait of young Queen Elizabeth. "We've had appliances like TVs and fridges wash up on the beach – fridges especially." "The Bank of Canada replaced the two-dollar bill with the [two-dollar coin] in 1996, and some of our Sable team had never seen a two-dollar bill before," Nicholson noted. It's not unheard of for similar bottles to wash up on Canadian shores. Nicholson said that one message in a bottle is usually found in Nova Scotia per year. "A lot of them are from the 1980s," she said. "The oldest one my colleagues found was set to sea in the 1930s from a boat that was sailing from the U.K. to North America … that was really neat. " Other than that, Nicholson said park officials have seen "almost everything" wash up on shores. "We've had appliances like TVs and fridges wash up on the beach – fridges especially, because they have a lot of insulation, so they float," she said. "We've had things with Russian labels washing up. We found a little pill container that was from France. And a lot of the typical waste you would imagine – plastic water bottles, other single-use plastic items." For now, the bottle has been sent to the Parks Canada archives for further study and preservation. Bottles containing decades-old messages are often found across the world. In 2023, a French man stumbled across one that was sent by a Massachusetts fifth grader in 1997. In 2021, a 108-year-old message in a bottle was found at a Ford construction site in Michigan.
Globe and Mail
13-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
New rules for mining projects will speed up approvals, says N.S. government
Nova Scotia is streamlining the approval process for potential metal mining projects after they passed have through an environmental assessment. Environment Minister Timothy Halman announced changes Friday to the 'industrial approval' process, which sets rules for the daily operations of a mine and the monitoring of environmental requirements. Mr. Halman told a news conference in Halifax that his government's new 'phased' approach allows applicants to submit some details about their plans after their projects have been approved. For example, a company will be able to submit erosion- and sedimentation-control plans after its project's approval, but before construction on the mine begins. Mr. Halman also said his department will create a specialized team to handle all mining files to ensure timely processing of requests. The minister said the changes will help projects begin more quickly and maintain environmental standards. 'What's being presented to you today is years and years of listening to companies asking for greater clarity and greater predictability and we've delivered that today,' he said. Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw chiefs oppose new fracking law, considering legal action The Mining Society of Nova Scotia said in a release the industry welcomes the changes and hopes they will 'improve the efficiency of the permitting process.' However, Karen McKendry, senior wilderness outreach coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, said in an interview Friday that the provincial government hasn't made needed improvements to transparency in the industrial approval process. The public can't view documents related to industrial approval applications until after they've been approved, she said. 'All of the details about water monitoring and air monitoring and protecting wildlife are very opaque … There's no public input.' In addition, she said, 'under the industrial approval process, the details of how a project operates can be changed over and over again without anybody finding out about it.' She said that while the government is committing to shortening timelines for industry, it has ignored appeals for changes that 'serve the environment or the public' by giving citizens more opportunity to comment on potential projects.
South Wales Guardian
13-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Gaelic scholars' island home reopens after major restoration
The National Trust for Scotland is celebrating the reopening of Canna House in the Inner Hebrides, which was home to John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shaw, who built up a major collection of Gaelic music, folklore and culture. The conservation charity says it has aimed to create an atmosphere which will give visitors a sense that 'someone has just left the room', with a warm, lived-in feel throughout the house. Gaelic song and language fill the air as audio devices are triggered when visitors move through rooms which showcase how the house would have looked in the mid-20th century, not long after the Second World War. Extensive repairs have been made to the building, roof and windows of the house to withstand the Hebridean weather and protect its contents, which include an internationally-significant archive collection of Gaelic music, folklore and culture. Philip Long, chief executive at the National Trust for Scotland, said: 'All of us who have a love for Canna and an appreciation of the important stories this house holds will be delighted to see the incredible condition Canna House is now in. 'Caring for these places is not an easy task, but it is an important one and our charity is privileged to play a part alongside the creative residents, skilled contractors and many others who make projects like this possible. 'I hope everyone, whether they live here, visit often or, after reading this, come for the first time, enjoy the nature, beauty and heritage of this special place.' Mr Campbell bought the Isle of Canna and neighbouring Sanday in 1938, embracing the role of laird and farmer. Alongside his wife, an accomplished photographer and folklorist, they created an extensive archive of Gaelic songs, stories and linguistic material. Mr Campbell and Ms Fay Shaw lived in Canna House until their respective deaths in 1996 and 2004. In 1981, Campbell gifted Canna to the National Trust for Scotland (supported with an endowment from the National Heritage Memorial Fund), along with the couple's vast library, archives and sound recordings. This includes some 1,500 Gaelic folk songs and 350 folk tales, the first recordings of members of the Mi'kmaq nation and more than 5,000 photographic negatives and 25 reels of film spanning 50 years of Gaelic culture on the islands of Canna, Barra, the Uists and Mingulay. Highlights of the collection are a Dictaphone recording machine, which Mr Campbell used to capture Gaelic speakers in the Western Isles and Cape Breton; his wife's favourite Graflex camera and the Book of Pooni, dedicated to their favourite cat. The house recently reopened for pre-booked guided tours and the team is now looking forward to welcoming more visitors. Operations manager Angus Murray said: 'We've worked hard to create an atmosphere that reflects Canna House in its prime — a home full of music stories, and Gaelic, just as John and Margaret would have had it. 'As a team, we are excited to share this experience with a new generation of visitors to Canna.' The project to fully repair and refurbish Canna House cost £3.6 million. Costs were met by the support of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, a number of reserved funds held by the National Trust for Scotland intended for conservation projects of this nature, with the balance covered through funds generated by the charity's supporters, fundraising activities and commercial profits. Geraldine MacKinnon, speaking on behalf of the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust, said: 'The Isle of Canna Community Development Trust is pleased that Canna House has now reopened, enabling the public to access Canna House through guided tours and share the wealth of Gaelic culture it holds, along with the local historical and environmental heritage of Canna.'
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
'Scam': Métis minister slams court's leniency to fraudster making dubious Indigenous claim
A Métis cabinet minister has criticized the sentencing of a convicted fraudster after she received time off her sentence by claiming Métis heritage, despite there being 'no Indigenous identifiers for any known ancestors'. 'We're the ones who get to decide who's us,' said Will Goodon, the minister of housing and property management for the Manitoba Métis Federation. '(Being Indigenous is) not about just standing up in the middle of a crowd and saying 'I'm Métis.'' His comments come after Ashley Gallie was sentenced to a combined six years in two separate cases — including 18 months for trafficking and gun crimes, plus four years and six months for fraud and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Gallie, 40, originally of Oshawa, was nabbed by Toronto police on Oct. 15, 2022 after they conducted a search warrant in a motel room. During the search, investigators allegedly discovered Gallie with drugs, including crack and fentanyl, along with a gun, ammunition and more than $10,000 in cash. In the other case, she was accused of stealing thousands worth of OxyContin pills from two Toronto pharmacies, totalling a street value of up to $194,000, court documents state. In the aftermath of her multiple arrests, the mother of three lost the custody of her child who is under three years old. During her first trial, in regards to fraud and theft from the pharmacies, Gallie said she was of Indigenous descent, claiming Mi'kmaq heritage. She told the author of her pre-sentence report she had her Métis status card, of The Painted Feather of the Woodland Tribe. However, the court indicated the tribe was a 'for-profit organization' in Bancroft and not recognized by the Manitoba Métis Foundation, the Métis Nation of Ontario or the Government of Canada. 'The letter indicates that payment of a fee is required to be a member of that organization,' court documents read. 'There is no requirement of supporting documents to demonstrate any Indigenous ancestry of any family members. The cards are available to anyone who requests one.' A letter from Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) explained they were unable to produce a Gladue report — a presentencing document intended to shed light on an offender's background and unique circumstances — as there 'were no Indigenous identifiers for any of the known ancestors in Gallie's family tree.' 'While there is no proof that Gallie is not Indigenous, there is no information before the court … to assist the court in how it could use her … background as a factor … on sentencing,' Justice Beverly Brown told the court in her reasons. However, in her second case, involving the alleged drug dealing and possession of a firearm and ammunition, the lack of a Gladue report did not stop Justice Brock Jones from deeming Gallie's background as a mitigating factor. 'Gallie considers herself Métis … While the letter from (ALS) indicates that the author is unable to complete a formal Gladue report, it does not question Gallie's Indigenous heritage,' the court heard. He went on to reiterate Gallie's claims that her grandfather informed her of her heritage before he passed away, not wanting to share it earlier due to his fear that his true identity would be discovered. 'That Gallie's connection to her culture was severed in the past is tragic, but sadly it is not uncommon,' he told the court. 'Her recent efforts to reconnect with that culture are meaningful and admirable.' Later in the mitigating factor section, Jones said Gallie's difficult life and 'Indigenous heritage' diminished her moral culpability to some extent. Goodon went on to say that he felt many in this day and age are trying to 'scam the system', including musicians like Buffy St. Marie and former Manitoba environment minister Kevin Klein , who was also a member of The Painted Feather of the Woodland Tribe. 'The suffering that's happened from our grandparents and their parents through the years of colonialism from actual Indigenous people gets diluted when there's folks … who try to use things like Gladue in order to give themselves a leg up,' he added. 'If you want to know who is Métis, why don't you ask the legitimate Métis governments that are out there? That's where we should be trying to end up — if you want to know who's us, ask us.' Gallie also faces a 10-year weapons prohibition and a DNA sample. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
