• Council of Canadians applauds Elsipogtog’s sovereignty declaration

    Press Release

    Council of Canadians, Fredericton Chapter


    Council of Canadians applauds Elsipogtog’s sovereignty declaration

    FREDERICTON – The Mi’kmaq Chief and council of Elsipogtog First Nations issued a statement on Tuesday vowing to protect our land, water, and air from mining companies like SWN Resources Canada. SWN Resources was also told by Chief and council to leave the province. The Maliseet Chief of Saint Mary’s First Nations concurred.

    “We proudly stand by our Aboriginal brothers and sisters on this issue,” says Julia Linke, member of the Fredericton Chapter of the Council of Canadians.

    “It is difficult to imagine how this could come as a surprise to anybody,” says Alma Brooks, Traditional Clan Mother Wolastoqiyik of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

    Next Monday, October 7th marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 states that lands not ceded to, by treaty or purchased by, the Crown, are reserved for First Nations.
    “The elected and hereditary leaders of Elsipogtog and the Signigtog district,” says Andrea Bear Nicholas, Retired Chair of Native Studies, St.Thomas University, “are therefore re-asserting their obligations as rightful stewards over Crown lands which they believe are continuously being mis-managed by Canada, the province, and corporations.”
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  • ELECTION TOOLS for SSNB supporters for NB ELECTION 2018!

    1) DOWNLOAD this Quiz with 6 questions for your political candidates, to test and mark them on their knowledge of the #StopSprayingNB campaign and the issue:

    QUIZ: SSNB’s Questions for Political Candidates 2018 and Quiz Marking tool
    (version française ici)

    2) Purchase: an Election Sign Topper ($7) for your existing SSNB sign, or buy a SIGN & Topper ($15) to place on your property so that political candidates and other voters are reminded about this campaign that is supported by a hand written petition drive with 35,000 signatories but was ignored by NB Govt.

    Payment: email caroline@stopsprayingnb.ca to make payment and pick up arrangements. We have sign-selling volunteers all over NB!

    For more information, check out www.stopsprayingnb.ca

    IMG 6809
  • Forest Rally on May 10th

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  • Funding appeal by the Plants, Swimmers, Flyers, Crawlers, and Four-legged creatures of Mount Carleton Provincial Park

    La version française suit la version anglaise.


    Funding appeal by the Plants, Swimmers, Flyers, Crawlers, and Four-legged creatures of Mount Carleton Provincial Park

    We are the plants, swimmers, flyers, crawlers, and four-legged creatures of the park, whose ancestors have lived in this part of Wolastokuk (Maliseet homeland) for thousands of years.  Our wish for now is to have a New Brunswick court of law designate this part of Wolastokuk—our homeland—as our sanctuary.

    Members of our extended families, the Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet Grand Council), will bring our case before the court later this month. The Wolastoqewiyik (Maliseet people) have been, and always will be, our protectors. The Grand Chief of the Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik, Ron Tremblay, will be joined by Jean Louis Deveau, a co-founder of the Friends of Mount Carleton and former manager of the park, who will intervene on our behalf. Our lawyer is Gordon Allen from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. 

    The struggle to preserve our home for All Our Relations by challenging in court the decision to turn our home into a snowmobile hub will take thousands of dollars of the plastic money used by two-legged creatures. The economy of the land, air, and water where we live, however, is based not on plastic money, but on sunlight. So, we don’t have plastic money used by two-leggeds and will need the help of friends like you to win this court challenge.

    So, this a special appeal to those of you compassionate two-legged creatures, who understand that we are all interconnected in the circle of life and who are sympathetic to preserving our way of life, here and/or elsewhere in Wolastokuk homeland, to donate your kind of money to help pay for our legal fees in court.

    Please make your donations, large or small, online via our Go Fund Me page or offline to the Maliseet Grand Council, c/o Alma Brooks, 50 Maliseet Drive, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3A 2V9. 

    • • •

    Demande de fonds par les plantes, les créatures aquatiques, ailées, rampantes, et les créatures à quatre pattes du Parc provincial Mont-Carleton

    Nous sommes les plantes, les créatures aquatiques, ailées, rampantes ainsi que les créatures à quatre pattes vivant dans ce parc et dont les ancêtres ont vécu dans cette partie du territoire Wolastokuk (malécite) pendant des milliers d’années. Ce que nous voulons, aujourd’hui, c’est qu’un tribunal du Nouveau-Brunswick désigne cette partie de Wolastokuk – notre territoire - comme notre sanctuaire. 


    Des membres de nos familles élargies, le Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik (Grand Conseil malécite),  soumettront notre cause au tribunal plus tard ce mois-ci. De tout temps, les Wolastoqewiyik (le peuple malécite) ont été nos protecteurs et ils le seront toujours. Le grand chef du Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik, Ron Tremblay, accompagné de Jean Louis Deveau, un co-fondateur des Amis du mont Carleton et ancien directeur du parc, interviendra en notre nom. Notre avocat est Gordon Allen de Dartmouth en Nouvelle-Écosse. 


    Notre lutte pour préserver notre territoire pour toutes nos relations en contestant en cour la décision de transformer nos terres en un centre d’entretien centralisé pour motoneiges va coûter des milliers de dollars de la monnaie qu’utilisent les humains. L’économie de la terre, de l’air et de l’eau où nous habitons ne reposant pas sur le système monétaire des humains mais plutôt sur la lumière du soleil, nous ne disposons pas d’argent. 


    C’est pourquoi nous avons besoin de l’aide d’amis comme vous pour gagner cette bataille juridique. Nous vous lançons donc un appel à vous, créatures à deux pattes compatissantes, qui comprenez que nous sommes tous étroitement reliés dans le cercle de la vie et qui êtes favorables à la préservation de notre mode de vie ici ou ailleurs sur le territoire Wolastokuk, pour que vous nous aidiez, par vos dons, à défrayer nos frais juridiques.  


    Vos dons, peu importe le montant, peuvent être faits en ligne sur notre page Go Fund Me ou envoyés par la poste à Grand Conseil Malécite, a/s Alma Brooks, 50, promenade Maliseet, Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick, E3A 2V9.


  • Letter from the Moncton Fish & Game Association to Min. Denis Landry

    The following letter was sent to the Minister today....

    Hon. Denis Landry 
    Minister of Natural Resources


    As a resident of the Province of New Brunswick, I am deeply concerned that the spraying of our forests is a very dangerous practice that is irresponsible, reckless and potentially affecting the health of its residents. 


    As the President of the Moncton Fish & Game Association, I am also concerned that spraying is also killing our wildlife. Animals in the forest and fish in our waterways are allegedly suffering the negative effects of the spraying of our woodlands. We know that the practice is legal and permissible in our province however we need to ask ourselves should it continue? Should companies be allowed to spray to prevent hardwood growth? Should they be allowed to spray to prevent the spread of berries and other nutrients that wildlife eat? 


    As a province that relies very heavily on its natural resources, (which by the way include generations of hunters and fishermen all of which bring in tens of millions to our NB economy), we all should be deeply concerned. There is a fine line that we have to respect when dealing with Mother Nature. She is not very forgiving at times and it may take many many years to correct the wrongs of previous generations. While current forestry practices permit vast clear cuts and the related spraying of these chemicals, all of these activities must be analysed. 


    Potentially, a moratorium on spraying could be put into place until more scientific information is available. We know that this government is not opposed to moratoriums as is evident by the current one on fracking. Rather than point fingers at companies which will garner the whole cause no credibility at all, we as residents and people who enjoy the outdoors, people concerned for our own health and the health of our children, we all need to band together and question the government in a relentless, credible yet organized public campaign to end this practice once and for all. 


    Forestry activities will continue and as a manageable resource they rightfully should continue; however, neighbouring Provinces of Nova Scotia and Quebec are doing very well with their forestry practices, both enjoying great revenues which belong to the taxpayers and they are NOT spraying. If they can do it then why are we not able to continue forestry operations without spraying and potentially harming people, wildlife and fish? 


    The Moncton Fish & Game Association has taken an official stance that we do not support the spraying of our woodlands. 


    Thank you and I look forward to a response.


    Robert Snider, 

    President

    Moncton Fish & Game Association
  • Letter to the New Brunswick Hydraulic Fracturing Commission from the Maliseet Grand Council

    Attention: The New Brunswick Hydraulic Fracturing Commission

    Ancient Voices

    We are totally dependent on the Earth for life, and because of the arrogance of a superiority attitude, western society is headed in the wrong direction. As a consequence, climate change is here and people are in a panic. Grandchildren are asking, “What will happen to me?”

    What 200 year old prophesies said has now come to pass. People have disobeyed the natural laws of the universe, and are stubbornly determined to ignore the voices of reason and truth. The Earth governs all life here, and she will have no mercy.

    The Wolastokewinobk (Maliseet Grand Council) is the traditional decision-making structure of the Wolastokewiyik - the people of the beautiful river. We are the river people, indigenous to the entire St. John River watershed. Our Grand Council is made up of our clans, from the oldest to the youngest. We send these words to your commission on behalf of our extended families, as well as the deer, the moose, birds, fishes, and all other living things within our traditional territories. Our lands and waters have never been ceded or surrendered, therefore we are still the title holders.

    Canada, New Brunswick and big business have and continue to exploit and expropriate our traditional lands and resources amounting to categorical infringement on our right to use our land and hunt, fish, and gather. Currently the following industries are infringing on our Aboriginal and Treaty Rights:
    • All attempts to further the industry of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in our territory must stop immediately.
    First of all our people have not been adequately consulted, and in fact we have been abused and punished for taking a stand to protect our sacred lands and waters. Secondly, traditional stories in our language tell us of a time when there was great flooding on the river and the reversing falls was caused by an ancient earthquake. There is also historical evidence of major fault lines through the centre of our territory from earlier earth quakes which is what caused salt water lakes to form all the way up to central parts of the Province of New Brunswick. It is well known that ‘fracking’ causes earthquakes to happen, because of the lubricated, chemically laced cocktail that is pumped into the ground under extremely high pressure. There is too much of a risk to allow fracturing to take place here and we do not support this destructive industry. We request that you to put a stop to this detrimental activity in our homeland.
    • The Irving Forestry Companies have not only clear cut our forests, they are also spraying poisonous carcinogenic herbicides such as glyphosate all over ‘our land,’ to kill hardwood trees, and other green vegetation. Both human and animal health is at serious risk, not to mention leaving no food for the animals.
    Streams, brooks and creeks are drying up, causing the dwindling of Atlantic salmon and trout. Places where our people gather medicines, hunt deer and moose are being contaminated with poison. We were not warned about the use of these dangerous herbicides, but then cancer rates have been on the rise in Maliseet communities, especially breast cancers in women and younger people are dying from cancer.
    • Open Pit Mining for tungsten and molybdenum is another infringement on the rights of our people – archeology shows that our people have been there around 7000 years – the oldest period found in the heart of New Brunswick.
    This is Maliseet traditional territory and we have not been consulted. Open pit mines require tailing ponds, this one designated to be the largest in the world. It is well known that all tailing ponds have a high probability to breach their bounds, and definitely will seep out into the environment. A spill or leak from the Sisson Brook open pit mine will permanently contaminate the Nashwaak River, which is a tributary of the Wolastok (St. John River) and surrounding waterways. This is the only place left clean enough for the survival of the Atlantic salmon.
    • Oil pipelines and refineries are also among the current abominable schemes, bent on contaminating and destroying the very last inch of (Wblastokok) Maliseet territory.
    The above mentioned industries are just another layer of infringements on the aboriginal and treaty rights of the Wolastokewiyik. Rivers, lakes, streams, and lands have been contaminated already to the point that we are unable to gather our annual supply of fiddleheads, and medicines. This territory has never been ceded or surrendered by our people – yet not an inch of our land has been spared for our traditional use. Government and industry blindly and carelessly proceed to exploit and misappropriate Indigenous lands and resources to the point of extreme damage and destruction, and continue to ignored the concerns and protests of Indigenous peoples in New Brunswick.

    The Supreme Court of Canada has stated that all levels of government have a “duty to consult with aboriginal people” prior to the beginning of any project, or any other kind of land use, that would cause an infringement on the Indigenous rights of our people.

    The Wolastokewiyik (Maliseet People) - the Title Holders - have not been consulted on any of the above projects. Therefore governments and/or companies do not have our consent to proceed with hydro-fracturing, open pit mining, or the building of pipelines for gas and oil bitumen, on or across our traditional lands and waters.

    The duty to consult has become a meaningless process. Companies meet with INAC Chiefs, who’s jurisdiction is limited to within each of their respective reserves. Individuals are given a power point presentation, and then told the next step is accommodation. Question: then to the chief - What do you want?

    The majority of the people do not go to these meetings due to the manipulation of the process, and the lack of regard for collective rights. Collective rights require collective discussion and collective decision-making. The closest interpretation of our treaty and aboriginal right to consultation is written in international law: Free, Prior and informed consent.

    In conclusion, humans are supposed to be responsible and intelligent beings, who were given instruction on how to live on the earth.

    One of the oldest teachings about how to live on the land – “ wihkwelan tehpo eli powalbkw wblam keti sepowsowipbn” itbm Kelowbskap.” Take only what you need in order to live. Maintaining the balance of nature is the way to live on the earth. Arrogance is why we are going in the wrong direction. If we do not follow the spiritual laws of the universe, nature will take over. There will be no mercy in nature, only law.

    It is the Earth that governs life here – all life comes from the earth. You can have no value for resources that have been stolen. Greed, selfishness, and foolishness have taken over, and they have no value at all for life. Why else have become the enemy of the earth?

    Business as usual is over. Oil and Carbon is over. We will pay for damages by what is coming. Economies will be wrecked. If we continue to disregard the laws of nature the Earth will bring about the balance herself, through diseases, crisis events – etc. We have to change the way of living.

    Sincerely,

    Alma H. Brooks
    Grandmother, The Maliseet Grand Council

    October 15, 2015
  • MEDIA RELEASE May 17, 2015 11,000 Signature Petition Presentation To Stop Herbicide Spraying in New Brunswick Public Forests and NB Power right-of-ways

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (French follows)

    Total signatures presented: 12,686!
     
    MEDIA RELEASE

    May 17, 2015

    11,000 Signature Petition Presentation To Stop Herbicide Spraying in New Brunswick Public Forests and NB Power right-of-ways

    FREDERICTON - On Wednesday, May 18, 2016, 11,868 signatures will be presented to MLAs for tabling at the Provincial Legislature to stop spraying of public forests and NB Power right of ways in New Brunswick. This second petition represents communities from every part of the province including francophone, anglophone and Indigenous communities. The petition drive will continue with future presentations planned later this year. 

    A delegation of community organizers representing “Stop Spraying in New Brunswick” (SSNB) will be travelling to Fredericton from communities across New Brunswick to present a petition with (NUMBER) signatures to provincial politicians:

    Petition Presentation:  Stop The Spraying of Glyphosate Herbicides
    Wednesday, May 18, 2016
    12:00noon - 1:00pm
    In front of the Provincial Legislature Buildings
    706 Queen Street
    Fredericton, New Brunswick

    The Stop Spraying NB movement has been growing rapidly since the recent hunting season found that there are almost no deer in our public forests. A catastrophic deer collapse was underway, with the deer population now one-quarter what it was 30 years ago.  A petition campaign which was started on December 16, 2015 with an initial submission of almost 1200 signatures from Kedgwick.

    Two MLAs, David Coon (Fredericton South) and Gilles Lepage (Restigouche West) will be meeting SSNB representatives to accept and table the petition at the Legislature. They have both stated that they will sign the petition as well.

    Recent data from Maine Inland F&W, Quebec Chasse et peche, NSDNR and NBDNR shows that hunting numbers in NB are now 15% of what they were in 1985, whereas in Quebec the numbers have increased threefold and in Maine they have stayed relatively stable over the same period of time. The combination of increased clearcutting and glyphosate spraying of monoculture softwood plantations are eliminating a very large amount of deer food, removing enough browse to feed 32,000 deer each and every year.  People who live near or in the woods have noticed the effects on the deer population in New Brunswick themselves.
     
    David Ward, an avid outdoorsman and writer for the on-line magazine Wilderness Obsession has noticed the effects on the deer population in NB and draws a correlation with the fate of monarch butterflies : “It is time that we, as caring citizens of New Brunswick, recognize the monarch butterfly as the proverbial “canary in the coal-mine” that it truly is!  Just as using glyphosate to remove milkweed has destroyed an entire population of butterfly, removing hardwoods and shrubs from our forests in favour of new growth monocultures is having a devastating effect on Whitetail Deer and a number of other species.  We need to stand up and recognize how important this is, before it’s too late.”

    Wildlife guide Leo Goguen from Rogersville is out in the woods all the time and says,  "Our livelihood depends on hunting wildlife and fowl. Irving not only poisoned the meat we eat but destroyed multiple game habitat that this game depends on to reproduce and strive. We are losing revenue on recreational activities and our families are being robbed of healthy food."

    “The spraying of glyphosate converts our mixed Acadian Forests into boreal forests, consisting of conifers only. “ says André Arpin, retired canoe-outfitter from Kedgwick, “This kind of vegetation is more at risk of forest fires like we saw latety in Fort McMurray. With climate change, If we favour only one monoculture and if our new climate doesn't choose conifers, the risk of ruining our provincial economy is greater."

    Charles Theriault lives in Kedgwick, one area of the many affected by glyphosate spraying. Charles is connected to many New Brunswickers all over and says, “If government does not address these petitioners concern, they can expect a ramping up of upheaval in this province.”

    The acting Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick, Dr. Jennifer Russell has been contacted by various groups including Stop Spraying NB on the status of the glyphosate report which was started by Dr. Eilish Cleary before she was terminated in the Fall of 2015. New Brunswickers deserve to know.


     Please arrange to meet members of Stop Spraying New Brunswick and other New Brunswickers who are alarmed about the continued use of these sprays outside the legislature buildings on Wednesday May 18, 2016 at noon. All political leaders and MLA's are invited to attend.


    - 30 -

    MEDIA CONTACTS:
    Peter Gilbert, Smithfield: (506)261-1840
    Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy, Fredericton: (506)292-7503
    André Arpin, Kedgwick : (506)284-2769/(506)284- 0054



    PETITION TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NEW BRUNSWICK
    TO THE HONOURABLE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, ASSEMBLED:
     
    Whereas approximately 13,000 ha of New Brunswick Crown forest are sprayed every year with herbicides to kill hardwoods and plants that compete with seedlings in plantations;



    Whereas spraying herbicides to kill broad leaf trees and shrubs in young conifer plantations destroys the food source and habitats of forest wildlife;



    Whereas glyphosates, the herbicide used in New Brunswick Crown forest silviculture, has been labelled a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015;



    Whereas the province of Quebec, with approximately 90 per cent of its forested land under public ownership, banned herbicide spraying of its public forest in 2001 in light of public health concerns;



    Whereas replacing the use of herbicides in Crown forest with thinning crews of people working in the woods
    - as Quebec has done since 2001 - would ensure more jobs from our forest resource;


    Whereas the Auditor General of New Brunswick attributed the annual forest deficit ($7-$10 million for each of the last five years) to the costly silviculture program in a report tabled to the N.B. Legislature in June 2015.  At a cost of about $1,000/hectare, herbicide spraying contributes to N.B.'s annual forest deficit and prevents natural forest regeneration;
     
    Whereas there is a widespread public opposition to the spraying of the forest in New Brunswick.  Three petitions against spraying the forest have been tabled in the New Brunswick Legislature in just over ten years.
     
    The petition of the undersigned requests that NB MLAs support a ban on the spraying of glyphosates in Crown forest management in New Brunswick.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

     
    COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

     
    17 mai 2016

    Présentation de plus de 11000 signatures de Pétition de Stop Spraying NB/ Arrêtons l’arrosage NB pour l’arrêt de l'arrosage d'herbicides sur les forêts publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick ainsi que sur les droits de passage d’ Énergie NB.

    FREDERICTON - Le mercredi 18 mai 2016, 11856 signatures seront présentées aux députés pour le dépôt à l'Assemblée législative provinciale pour arrêter l’épandage d’herbicides sur les forêts publiques du NB et sur les droits de passage d’Energie NB. Cette deuxième pétition, provenant de toutes les régions de la province, inclue les régions francophones, anglophones et les communautés autochtones. La campagne pour ramasser des signatures de cette pétition se poursuivra avec des présentations futures prévues plus tard cette année.

    Une délégation d'organisateurs communautaires représentant « Stop Spraying NB/Arrêtons l’arrosage NB », provenant de partout dans la province, se rendra à Fredericton pour présenter une pétition de 11856 signatures aux politiciens provinciaux:

    Présentation de la pétition: Arrêtons l’arrosage des herbicides glyphosate
    Mercredi 18 mai 2016
    12:00(midi) - 13:00
    Devant les bâtiments de l’Assemblée législative
    706, rue Queen
    Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick

    Le mouvement Stop Spraying/Arrêtons l’arrosage NB a connu une croissance rapide depuis la dernière saison de chasse qui a démontrée qu'il n'y a presque plus de chevreuils dans nos forêts publiques. Un effondrement catastrophique du cheptel de chevreuils est en cours, la population du chevreuil étant maintenant le quart de ce qu'il était il y a 30 ans. Une campagne pour ramasser des signatures de pétition a alors débuté le 16 Décembre 2015, avec le lancement de près de 1200 signatures provenant de la communauté rurale de Kedgwick.

    Deux députés, David Coon (Fredericton-Sud) et Gilles Lepage (Restigouche-Ouest) ont accepté de rencontrer des représentants de Stop Spraying/Arrêtons l’arrosage NB et de déposer cette pétition à l'Assemblée législative. Ils ont tous deux déclaré qu'ils vont également signer la pétition.

    Des données récentes du Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife , Québec Chasse et Pêche, Ministère des ressources naturelles de la N.E. et du N.B. démontrent que le nombre de captures au Nouveau-Brunswick sont maintenant 15% de ce qu'elles étaient en 1985, alors qu'au Québec, les chiffres ont triplé et dans le Maine, ils sont restés relativement stables au cours de la même période. La combinaison de l'augmentation de la coupe à blanc et de l’arrosage de glyphosates dans les plantations de monocultures de résineux éliminent une très grande quantité de nourriture de cerfs, soit l’approvisionnement en nourriture de 32,000 chevreuils et cela, chaque année. Les gens qui vivent à proximité ou dans les bois ont, eux-mêmes, remarqué les effets sur la population du chevreuil au Nouveau-Brunswick.

    David Ward, un amateur de plein air et écrivain pour le magazine en ligne Wilderness Obsession, a remarqué les effets sur la population de cerfs au Nouveau-Brunswick et en tire une corrélation avec le sort des papillons monarques: "Il est temps que nous, en tant que citoyens bienveillants du Nouveau-Brunswick , reconnaissons le papillon monarque comme le «canari dans la mine de charbon" qu'il est vraiment! Tout comme l'utilisation du glyphosate pour éliminer l'asclépiade a détruit toute une population de papillons, enlever les feuillus et les arbustes de nos forêts pour favoriser la croissance de nouvelles monocultures a un effet dévastateur sur le cerf de Virginie et un certain nombre d'autres espèces. Nous devons nous tenir debout et reconnaître à quel point cela est important, avant qu'il ne soit trop tard".

    Leo Goguen, guide de la faune de Rogersville, passe une bonne partie de son temps en forêt et dit: "Notre subsistance dépend de la chasse de la faune et de la volaille. Irving a non seulement empoisonné la viande que nous mangeons, mais détruit l'habitat multiple de jeu dont ils dépendent pour se reproduire et survivre. Nous perdons les revenus sur ces activités récréatives et nos familles se font voler de la nourriture saine".

    "Le glyphosate transforme nos forêts acadiennes mixtes en forêts boréales, composées uniquement de conifères.", dit André Arpin, opérateur touristique retraité de Kedgwick, "Ce type de végétation est plus à risque d'incendies de forêt, comme nous l'avons vu dernièrement à Fort McMurray. Avec les changements climatiques, si nous favorisons une seule monoculture et si notre nouveau climat ne choisit pas les conifères, le risque de ruiner l'économie provinciale est plus grande."

    Charles Thériault vit à Kedgwick, une des nombreuses zones touchées par l’arrosage du glyphosate. Charles est en lien avec de nombreux Néo-Brunswickois partout dans la province et dit: "Si le gouvernement ne répond pas aux préoccupations de ces pétitionnaires, ils peuvent s’ attendre à une montée en puissance de bouleversement dans cette province."

    Le médecin hygiéniste en chef par intérim du Nouveau-Brunswick, le Dr Jennifer Russell, a été contacté par divers groupes, y compris Stop Spraying/Arrêtons l’arrosage NB, sur l'état du rapport de glyphosate qui a été commencé par le Dr Eilish Cleary avant qu'elle ne soit mise à pied à l'automne 2015. Les Néo-Brunswickois ont le droit de savoir.

    S'il vous plaît prendre des dispositions pour rencontrer les membres de Stop Spraying/Arrêtons l’arrosage Nouveau-Brunswick et d'autres Néo-Brunswickois qui sont énormément préoccupés par l'utilisation continue de ces herbicides, à l'extérieur des bâtiments à l’assemblée législative le mercredi 18 mai 2016 à midi. Tous les dirigeants politiques et les députés provinciaux sont invités à assister.

    PERSONNES CONTACTS

    Peter Gilbert, Smithfield: (506)261-1840

    Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy, Fredericton: (506)292-7503

    André Arpin, Kedgwick : (506)284-2769/(506)284- 0054


    PÉTITION À L’ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DU NOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK
    À L’HONORABLE ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DU NOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK

    Attendu qu’approximativement 13,000 hectares des forêts des terres de la Couronne sont arrosés chaque année avec des herbicides pour tuer le bois dur et les plantes qui rivalisent  avec les jeunes pousses des  plantations;

    
Attendu que l’arrosage d’herbicides pour tuer les feuillus et les arbustes dans les plantations de jeunes conifères détruit les sources de nourriture et les habitats des animaux sauvages;

    
Attendu que le glyphosate, l’herbicide utilisé  sur les terres de la Couronne au Nouveau-Brunswick, a été déclaré un cancérogène probable pour les humains en 2015 par le Centre international de recherche sur le cancer créé par l’Organisation mondiale de la santé;
    
Attendu que la province de Québec, avec approximativement 90 pour cent de ses forêts qui sont publiques, ont interdit  l’arrosage sur ses forêts publiques en 2001 à cause des préoccupations au niveau de la santé;

    
Attendu que remplacer l’utilisation d’herbicides sur les forêts de la Couronne par des équipes de travailleurs en forêt-tout comme l’a fait le Québec en 2001-assurerait plus d’emplois provenant de nos ressources forestières;

    
Attendu que la Vérificatrice générale du Nouveau-Brunswick a attribué le  déficit annuel de nos forêt ($7-$10 millions pour chacune des 5 dernières années) au coût du programme actuel de sylviculture dans un rapport remis à l’Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick en juin 2015. Au coût d’environ $1,000/hectare, l’arrosage d’herbicides contribue au déficit annuel des forêts du Nouveau-Brunswick et empêche la régénération naturelle de la forêt;


    Attendu qu’il y a une vaste opposition du public à l’arrosage des forêts du Nouveau-Brunswick: trois pétitions contre l’arrosage de la forêt ont été remises à l’Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick dans les derniers 10 ans.

    Les signataires de la pétition demandent  que les Membres de l’assemblée  législative du Nouveau-Brunswick supportent d’interdire l’arrosage de glyphosates dans la gestion des terres de la Couronne au Nouveau-Brunswick.
  • NB Forest Strategy a Welcome Step for Conservation – Still Need Action on Protected Areas

    The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) welcomes the release of the updated Forest Strategy from the New Brunswick Department of Energy and Resource Development. While there are still gaps in this plan, we are looking forward to concrete action on protected areas. CPAWS NB is encouraged that the strategy will re-instate conservation policies (over five years) for some old forests and wildlife habitats that lost those protections in 2014. The strategy recognizes the importance of the long-term conservation of biodiversity, and the need to involve and respect the knowledge and rights of Indigenous Peoples.

    Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of CPAWS’s New Brunswick Chapter, says, “This Forest Strategy is a positive indicator of movement in the right direction for conservation. We are pleased that government has listened to those ecologists, wildlife groups, Indigenous Peoples and environmental organizations who made the case for increased conservation. We are cautiously optimistic that this shows stronger intention for habitat conservation, and protecting water quality and the forests’ role in flood prevention. However, we should note that it slowly returns habitat conservation to 2012 levels and is not an advance in on-the-ground conservation by itself. CPAWS encourages the government to go even further with their plans regarding climate change and forests, making sure that the resilience of the forests is paramount in all forest management decisions.”

    Governments have been eroding protection of forest habitats. In 2012, the provincial government reduced the level of conservation forest from 31% of Crown forests to 28%. In 2014, against the advice of wildlife ecologists, that number was reduced even further to 23%. As a result, many of the provinces old growth forests have been lost to five years of forest cutting and road-building. Wildlife that need old forests, such as flying squirrels, American marten and pileated woodpeckers, have been put at risk.“

    To protect the nature in our forests, more of the so-called “conservation forest” needs to be in protected areas. This Forest Strategy does not tell us what level of protection the habitats will be given. A modern Forest Strategy needs to have a serious insurance policy of significant areas where nature is permanently protected from industrial development,” says Roberta Clowater. “This would also help New Brunswick address the commitment Canada has made to protect 17% of its landscape by 2020.”

    To date New Brunswick has protected only 4.6% of the province and needs to add more.

    The Forest Strategy includes plans to increase transparency about the state of New Brunswick’s forests. While this is a positive move, it means the public will find out after the fact about the impacts of forest harvesting on habitats, water or other values. CPAWS New Brunswick believes the Strategy needs to actively promote cooperation among governments, Indigenous Peoples, industry, NGOs, researchers and the tourism sector. Together, with public input, we can develop forest management plans that manage risks, protect a wide range of forest values, and have consistent ways for the public to be involved.
    -30- 

    For interviews, contact: Roberta Clowater, rclowater@cpaws.org ; phone: 506-452-9902

    CPAWS official logo EnglishP9080086
  • New Brunswick's Crown Forests: A Priceless Trust - Betrayed

    .


    This video examines the JD Irving and Government of New Brunswick
    Crown Land Forestry Plan and explains why it must be stopped.


    ‪- produced by the Green Party of New Brunswick‬



  • Opponents push alternative to Mount Carleton gas bar and snowmobile trail on mountain

    Opponents push alternative to Mt. Carleton gas bar and snowmobile trail on mountain


    Fredericton -A perfectly good alternative to developments being proposed for within Mt. Carleton Park exists outside the wilderness park, say people dead-set against an enlarged snowmobile circuit and gas bar being promoted by the Province.

    Jean Louis Deveau is spokesman for a group of citizens concerned about the expanding presence of snow machines in the Park and their impact on wildlife. The group is advancing alternative locations to keep the park free of new infrastructure and what they view as incompatible use by motorized vehicles in New Brunswick’s only designated wilderness park. 

    Governor's Lodge at Popple Depot, located east of the park, is one such alternative and is at the centre of a proposed snowmobile ‘hub.’ “From my understanding, Governor’s Lodge has the space for sled gatherings and it also sells gas,” Deveau, a former manager at Mt. Carleton said Tuesday.

    “Why build new infrastructure to enable sleds to gas up in a wilderness park when there are already private establishments in the area offering the services they want?” Deveau asks. Taxpayers would pay for the gas dispensary being proposed for the park, whereas the gas dispensary at Popple Depot was paid for by the private sector.

    “By putting a new gas bar in the park, the Province may well disadvantage or even handicap Governor’s Lodge and other privately owned gas distributors in the area. Won’t that defeat the Province’s goals of trying to create new jobs with this project?” Deveau said.

    Park advocates including Deveau have launched a legal challenge to force the government to abandon the scheme to infringe on the Park, and to follow its own legislation. A crowdfunding campaign on gofundme.com was launched in June to help cover legal fees. The court is scheduled to hear the case on September 2nd in Woodstock.

    The Parks Act (2014) stipulates a management plan based on a zoning system must be completed prior to any development in Provincial Parks. Mt. Carleton has been zoned but doesn’t have a management plan.


  • Plants and Animals Take New Brunswick Government To Court

    Plants and Animals Take New Brunswick Government To Court

    Fredericton - When push comes to shove, as it has in the case of pending developments in New Brunswick’s only wilderness park, it’s always good to have allies with deep pockets.

    Such allies are being courted by concerned citizens who are taking the Province of New Brunswick to court over its management of Mount Carleton Wilderness Park near Nictau, N.B. 

    The proposal entails extending a network of snowmobile trails to the summit, park electrification and a gas bar, things the group opposing the project believes will damage the natural area and its wildlife.

    “We’ve turned to Go Fund Me, a crowd-source fundraising website, to gather the $15,000 needed to stop this development in court,” said Jean Louis Deveau, former park manager at Mount Carleton. 

    “The plants and animals cannot speak for themselves,” Deveau said. “With everything around the Park being clear cut, we cannot stand by and let this sanctuary be destroyed. We've raised over $13,000 in the past week so this clearly resonates with people.” 

    Grand Chief Ron Tremblay of the Traditional Maliseet Government has reached out to media outlets to cover this story. In an interview on CBC radio this week he argued strenuously that snowmobiles should not be allowed to expand their range in the park.

    “The commodification of this wild place through snowmobile tourism is not only incompatible with our values, tradition, and culture but will inevitably lead to conflicts between those who, like the Gallant Government, see the park as a place of business and those who, like us, see it as sacred,” said Tremblay. 

    A provincial court justice will hear arguments at the end of June in Moncton. Donors are urged to go to GoFundMe.com and search for ‘Plants & Animals Take on NB Gov’t’ to contribute towards the group's court expenses.




  • Scientists Concerned Upcoming New Brunswick Forestry Plan will Eliminate too Much Habitat

    Commentary - February 27, 2014
    Scientists Concerned Upcoming New Brunswick Forestry Plan will Eliminate too Much Habitat

    We are writing as a collective of concerned scientists and professionals who have spent many decades studying the needs of wildlife, healthy forests, and rivers in New Brunswick. Less than two years ago (March 2012), the Minister of Natural Resources announced a new 10-year Crown forest management plan that, while not acceptable to all, at least attempted to hold the line on keeping a minimum amount of habitat for wildlife, and appropriate buffers along rivers and streams. This was a plan that the Department developed after a year of consultation with wildlife researchers, forest companies, hunting and angling groups, environmental groups and First Nations. It was supposed to have set the amount of forest managed for conservation goals at 28% of the public forest. This was the bare minimum deemed necessary by government wildlife managers to make sure we have enough old forest to maintain healthy populations of our wildlife. The 2012 plan would have reduced clearcutting in certain Acadian mixed-forests, and reduced the amount of wood logged from hardwood stands to make sure there will be enough hardwoods to log in the future.

    We thought the 2012 plan was the path forward. Now we are deeply concerned to learn that a new plan has been in development behind the scenes, government is apparently ignoring previous recommendations from their own staff, and did not ask for input or feedback from wildlife researchers or others who could speak on behalf of the public’s stated priority values - water, wildlife and basic sustainability of the forest.

    The Premier in his 2014 State of the Province address, and Minister of Natural Resources in recent media interviews, both alluded to a new strategy that will allocate more wood to the province’s mills. Having not been part of the discussions that led to these decisions, we cannot be sure where this wood will come from. Since all Crown forest is already allocated, we are concerned the wood will come from buffer strips on brooks and wetlands, from deer yards, and from the small pockets of forest used to maintain wildlife and old forest. We are left to wonder if the wood will come from these previously conserved habitat areas, taking us below the minimums that are deemed necessary for wildlife and the health of our rivers. If this is what is being proposed, we believe it would be an irresponsible plan that will have serious negative consequences for the sustainability of our public forests for a long time to come.

    Roberta Clowater (Executive Director, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-NB Chapter); Dr. Tom Beckley (Professor, Forestry and Environmental Management, UNB); Dr. Tony Diamond (Research Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Biology Dep’t and Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Management, UNB); Dr. Graham Forbes (Director, New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Centre, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science, UNB); Dr. Roger Roy (Professor and Interim Director, School of Forestry, UdeM); Dr. Marc-André Villard (Professor, Biology, Université de Moncton).

    www.cpawsnb.org



  • SSNB (StopSprayingNB) Petition Submission/ Présentation de la pétition SSNB

    SSNB needs your support us as we step forward to let our voices be heard. Join us at the Legislature for the submission of the SSNB petition signatories. Bring your loud voice and all the signs, noisemakers and conviction you can muster.
  • Stop Spraying New Brunswick calls for human health, wildlife health studies and immediate moratorium

    Stop Spraying New Brunswick group calls for human health study, wildlife health study and immediate moratorium.

    New Brunswick’s acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Jennifer Russell has concluded that there is no need to stop glyphosate forest spraying at this time in NB. After review of the Glyphosate report released by the Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick on July 26, 2016, Stop Spraying New Brunswick group calls for an immediate moratorium on forest spraying and the start of human and wildlife health studies.

    “What I saw was a report that acknowledged that the use of Glyphosate is contentious,” says Peter Gilbert, co-organizer of Stop Spraying New Brunswick. ”Some say it’s okay and some say it’s not. There are provinces, states, countries and scientific authorities on both sides of this debate. That in itself is enough reason to press pause on the use of this controversial herbicide.“

    “The extent of forest spraying in this province and the dramatic drop in the deer population are two compelling reasons to launch a major health study immediately in NB including humans and large forest animals”, says Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy, co-organizer of stop Spraying New Brunswick.

    New Brunswick is seeing an increase in forest spraying as a result of the 2014 Forest Management Strategy, which allows for more Crown forest clearcuts than before with resulting plantations that are managed by herbicide spraying. 40% of cut forest was sprayed in 2014, a much higher percentage than any other province in Canada.

    “Canadian Environmental Protection Law recognizes that the protection of the environment is essential to the well-being of Canadians,” says Francine Levesque from Écovie, Kedgwick River. “It includes a precautionary principle that says that "lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation" and "The application of this principle is a legitimate and distinct decision-making approach within risk management". This principle should be used in NB at this moment with glyphosate since we have the second-highest cancer rate In Canada (Statistics 2015).” 

    Clearly something is wrong as we are witnessing with large mammals (other than humans) living in our forests. One only has to look at the significant drop and change in distribution of New Brunswick’s deer population. Our deer population is now a quarter of what it was 30 years ago (New Brunswick’s deer population has plummeted from 270,000 to 74,000 over the past 3 decades). Data comparing New Brunswick, Maine and Québec show that the deer harvest numbers in New Brunswick have decreased to 15% of 1985 LEVELS, whereas numbers are up 300% in Québec and have remained stable in Maine. Québec has had a ban on forest spraying since 2001. 

    It should be noted that it has been reported that deer will not eat sprayed vegetation and that they will migrate to find food in unsprayed areas, but their supply of food is diminishing due to increased clearcuts and herbicide spraying. Moose however, will eat sprayed vegetation so the health of these large mammals should be studied. If there is no risk this needs to be proven and not assumed. A study would help answer several important questions since a large percentage of our population hunts moose and fishes for food. Is their meat and organ tissue tested for the presence of this chemical? 

    “New Brunswick’s wildlife such as deer and moose are our canaries in the coal mine with respect to forest spraying," says Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D'Arcy. “Stop Spraying New Brunswick (SSNB) is asking for an immediate health study to be launched on humans and large mammals in New Brunswick as well as an immediate moratorium or outright ban on forest spraying. Our acting CMO should be applying the precautionary principle and not use the New Brunswick rural population as guinea pigs."
  • Wildlife, forestry and conservation groups join with scientists and academics to call for new Crown Lands and Forests Act

    FREDERICTON — A broad range of public interest groups and experts in New Brunswick says new legislation is needed to ensure our public forests are being managed to meet the needs of all New Brunswickers.

    The group, which includes representatives from wildlife organizations, the scientific community, private woodlot owners, environmental and conservation organizations, is calling for the urgent development of a new Crown Lands and Forests Act.

    In a statement sent to the provincial government today, the group says the existing act, which came into law in 1980, fosters an outdated approach to forest management and fails to reflect the interests of the whole province. Forest management has become more complex, and New Brunswickers now expect forests to be managed for water, wildlife, recreation and other uses as well as jobs and revenue.

    The statement referenced Auditor General Kim MacPherson’s June 2015 report on forest management, which stated our public forest should be managed for economic, environmental and social values, and highlighted that the province has lost money from the management of public forests for at least the last five years.

    The group says new forest legislation should:

    (1) State clear principles for managing public forests to protect the range of life in the forest, nature’s benefits, a wide variety of sustainable, forest-based business opportunities, and recreational values all in the context of climate change;

    (2) Clarify and reinstate government as the trustee responsible to the public for the stewardship of Crown lands;

    (3) Ensure transparency in setting forestry goals and objectives, and in achieving them, including a robust system of public involvement and consultation throughout the process;

    (4) Respect the Peace and Friendship Treaties and establish mechanisms for consultation through free, prior, and informed consent with indigenous peoples;

    (5) Support diversification and value-added processing within New Brunswick’s forest products sector; and,

    (6) Ensure that private woodlots provide a proportional share of the wood supply and promote productivity from private woodlots through stronger management, pricing and marketing measures.

    Read the group’s statement and background information here.

    -30-

    “Our membership is convinced that opening more conservation land to harvesting of trees in sensitive, stream buffers could endanger vulnerable Atlantic salmon populations by damaging the habitats upon which they depend. It is appalling that such a sweeping change to the forest management regime was forced upon us without any discussion with the concerned watershed groups and conservation groups.   We have deepened our commitment to work cooperatively with the provincial government, First Nations, the forest industry, scientists, conservation organizations and other interest groups to better manage our Crown resources,” says Debbie Norton, President of NB Salmon Council.

    “What’s really significant here is the broad range of people who are coming together and saying, ‘this act doesn’t work for us anymore — it doesn’t work for the good of the province. Our forests are very special to New Brunswickers, so when this many people and different types of experts are saying something is broken, it’s time to fix it,” says Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

    “Naturalists from across New Brunswick are very concerned about the lack of attention the province pays to wildlife and habitat in our public forests. We see the consequences of this every day, we are ready to work with government in developing a new act that better protects New Brunswick nature,” says Vanessa Roy-McDougall, Executive Director of Nature NB.

    “NB lags behind all provinces in Canada except PEI when it comes to protecting nature. New legislation could carefully craft new directives about how to balance investments in forest conservation and other economic interests,” says Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of Canadians Parks and Wilderness – New Brunswick.

    “The fundamental flaw in the act is that industrial consumers of wood were made managers of crown land and not customers, there are conflicts of interest, that can only be resolved by creating a new CFLA.Wood lot owners believe that the people harvesting crown wood should have a common interest with us in getting fair market value for  logs and other forest products. It is time to correct the mistakes of the past for the good of all N.B.,” says Andrew Clark of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners.

    “The New Brunswick Wildlife Federation supports the use of public forests in the province to provide a variety of social and economic benefits. However, those uses should not compromise the integrity of natural habitats and biodiversity,” says Charles LeBlanc, President of the New Brunswick Wildlife Federation.

    For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:

    Jon MacNeill, Conservation Council of New Brunswick: 458-8747 | 261-1353 | jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca  

    Sabine Dietz, Nature NB: 536-1260 | 536-7560 | sabine.dietz@bellaliant.net (bilingual)

    Andrew Clark, New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners: 459-2990 | 324-3380 | andrewclark@xplornet.com

    Peter J Cronin, NB Salmon Council: 444-9012 | 238-4616 | pjcronin18@gmail.com

    Roberta Clowater, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, NB Chapter: 452-9902 | rclowater@cpaws.org

    Rod Currie, New Brunswick Wildlife Federation: 458-5643 | racurrie@nb.sympatico.ca
  • Wolastoq Grand Council Addresses the Energy East Pipeline / Le Grand conseil Wolastoq aborde le project Oléoduc Énergie Est

    Wolastoq Grand Council Addresses the Energy East Pipeline
    Ottawa January 29, 2016

    The Wolastoq Grand Council represents the non-ceded homeland of the Wolastoqewiyik who occupy the homeland and waterways as follows: North - Wolastoq River (aka St.John River which flows from Maine to the Bay of Fundy), South - KenepekRiver (aka Kennebec), East - Supeq (aka Atlantic Ocean), and West – Wahsipekuk(aka St. Lawrence River).

    As members of the Wolastoq Grand Council we unanimously oppose the Energy East Pipeline Project in order to protect our non-ceded homeland and waterways, our traditional and cultural connection to our lands, waterways, and air. The Wolastoq Grand Council has serious concerns for the safety and protection of the animals, fish, birds, insects, plants and tree life that sustains our Wolastoq Nation.

    The Wolastoq Grand Council recognizes and values the statements made by the Federal Government on January 27, 2016 to consult with Indigenous Nations with respect to the project of our Ancestral Homeland. The Wolastoq Grand Council is willing to meet with the Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr and other senior personnel in critical discussions that are consistent with our Peace and Friendship Treaties in a Nation-to-Nation relationship. There is a legal duty of the Crown to address and support our concerns due to the inadequacy of the National Energy Board process.

    The Wolastoq Grand Council will expect from the appropriate Crown delegate and provincial representative, a written acceptance of our traditional philosophy, and our rejection of the Energy East tar sands pipeline as soon as possible.

    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

    Ottawa, le 29 janvier 2016

    Le Grand conseil de la communauté Wolastoq représente la patrie non cédée des Wolastoqewiyik. Ces derniers occupent les terres et les cours d’eau suivant : Nord – Wolastoq River (maintenant connu sous le nom de fleuve Saint-Jean et qui coule de l’état du Maine à la Baie de Fundy), Sud – Kenepek River (aussi connu sous le nom de la Kennebec), Est – Supeq (également appelé l’Océan Atlantique) et Ouest – Wahsipekuk (appelé également le fleuve Saint-Laurent).


    En tant que membres du Grand conseil Wolastoq, nous sommes unanimement contre le projet de l’Oléoduc Énergie Est afin de protéger notre patrie non cédée et nos cours d’eau, nos rapports traditionnels et culturels avec nos terres, nos cours d’eau et nos espaces aériens. Le Grand conseil Wolastoq entretient de vives inquiétudes à l’égard de la santé et la sécurité des animaux, des poissons, des oiseaux, des insectes, des plantes et de la vie des arbres qui soutiennent notre peuple Wolastoq. 


    Le Grand conseil Wolastoq reconnait et valorise les déclarations faites par le gouvernement fédéral le 27 janvier 2016. Ce dernier avait dit qu’il consultera les peuples autochtones par rapport au projet de notre territoire ancestral. Le Grand conseil Wolastoq est disposé à rencontrer le ministre des Ressources naturelles, Jim Carr, et d’autres fonctionnaires de rang supérieur, pour entamer des discussions critiques qui sont conformes à nos traités de paix et d’amitié dans une relation de nation à nation. La Couronne a une obligation légale d’adresser et de soutenir nos préoccupations en raison de l’inefficacité du processus de l’Office national de l’énergie.

    Le Grand conseil Wolastoq attend du délégué approprié de la Couronne une confirmation écrite de notre philosophie traditionnelle et de notre rejet du projet de l’Oléoduc Énergie Est, de la pipeline et de ses sables bitumineux, et ce, le plus rapidement possible.

    Ron Tremblay,
    Wolastoq Grand Chief / Grand chef de la nation Wolastoq
  • Would you consider having your group co-sign the letter below to the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet Chiefs

    Please let Jean Louis Deveau (deveaujl@gmail.com) know  if your organization is willing to co-sign this letter.  

    Dear Chief [_________________]:

    We, the undersigned, are requesting that the Maliseet and Mi’kmaq chiefs not support a proposal to develop a snowmobile hub at Mount Carleton Provincial Park.  The snowmobile hub is a decoy for a much bigger issue which is that public officials appear not be adhering to Mount Carleton’s previously established and adopted zoning system and the 2014 Parks Act. In 1980, a zoning plan was developed for the park, defining what could and could not be done based on the level of protection needed for each of the five zones attributed to this park.  
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