Listuguj Wi'gatign

Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Listuguj Wi’gatign 2
Listuguj
Wi’gatign
Vol 3, March 2021
www.listuguj.ca
Listuguj, Gespe’gewa’gi, Mi’gma’gi
New Post Office
Profile of Gail Metallic
Covid-19 Stories
Saqamaw Darcy Gray
Postcard from Japan
“Today I walked 30 steps, the longest I ever walked after Covid. It feels good
but I’m tired”. This was one of the first text messages I got from Ronnie ‘Lexie’
Martin from the Campbellton Hospital.
By Felix Atencio-Gonzales
Covid-19 hit Listuguj despite the
checkpoints, social distancing, and
being careful. “As soon as we heard
somebody tested positive in the family,
everybody stopped seeing each other and
were in quarantine,” said Tina Condo. The
Listuguj Health Center was calling every
day to check on them. On the 10th day of
their quarantine, January 10th, Tina and
Ronnie were taken to the Campbellton
hospital by ambulance without any family
member allowed to go with them or bring
them personal items. They waited near 10
hours in the ambulance before entering
into their rooms as tending Covid-19
patients requires new precautions and
restriction protocols.
Once into their separate rooms, they were
unable to see each other. Medical staff
would visit them three or four times a day
for a maximum of 10 minutes or would
check with them through a window. The
rest of the time they were alone, isolated,
without human contact, only monitored
through their room’s cameras.
On January 13th Ronnie was sent to
Bathurst hospital battling for his life.
He spent six days in an induced coma,
breathing with the help of a machine
because his lungs were failing.
“We got double pneumonia, headaches,
muscle pain, and weakness”, Tina
narrates. “Our lungs were flooded in
their own fluids and it feels like you’re
drowning, breathless,” she said. The fear,
the separation from each other and their
families added another level of emotional
distress. “Even if I wanted to go see
Ronnie, there’s no strength, you can’t
walk, you can’t breathe. that part was
hard,” reveals Tina. They used their cell
phones to communicate with each other
and family despite their weakness.
On the second day, Tina was told that
Ronnie’s condition was getting worse and
needed to go to the ICU in the Bathurst
hospital. Aware of the doctor’s decision
Ronnie wrote a text to Tina: “tell the
kids that I love them”. Ronnie was put
under a ventilator, also known as a lifesupport
machine. When the body’s
immune system does not fight off the
infection, it can travel to the lungs and
cause a potentially fatal condition called
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome that
makes portions of the lungs unusable.
Ronnie’s life was in danger.
Tina remembers her request to the
nurses that day “Before you take him, I
want to see him. So, they drove him by
my window so that I could see him. As
soon as they brought him out to go to
the ambulance, they brought me all of
his personal belongings and his wedding
ring. I couldn’t touch him or say your
goodbyes. You can’t do anything and that’s
the hardest part. Is he going to make it?
That question was in my mind”.
The one-pound hand weight and his wrinkled hand shows the severity of Covid-
19’s impact on Ronnie “Lexi” Martin’s health. He lost 30lbs in a week and was
battling for his life at the Bathurst Hospital.
Recalling those moments in their house
brings her to tears and Ronnie next to
her goes into deep silence. Doing this
interview was heartbreaking and inspiring
at the same time because they were willing
to share their stories with the community
as part of their healing process.
Tina stayed at the Campbellton Hospital
for 10 days. “When I came home it was
very hard because I came alone, without
my husband”, she said in tears. A long
silence followed.
Ronnie spent almost 7 days in Bathurst
ICU. The family was suffering, unable
from being at his side when he wakes up
or to hold his hands. They relied on the
nurses to ease the anguishes.
Continued on page 2....Covid-19
Elder Joe Wilmot is getting his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination. The fourday
clinic was very busy for the Listuguj Health Center and nurses like Lori Lynn
Wysote. People in the community will be contacted for their second dose.
Lentuk, Amber, Ty and Gerry were ice fishing for smelts. It was cute to see the
kids’ patience in learning ice fishing as well as words in Mi’gmaq. One day all
together they get around 40 pounds of fish that Gerry sent to Gesgepegiag.

2 Listuguj Wi’gatign
Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
there were families, friends, and community
members praying, smudging, making sacred
fires to offer tobacco, sending messages on
the radio, or praying at the church. “For
me, if anything good came out of it is the
renewal of our faith in the power of prayer.
It was like taking Western medicine and
combine it with our Mi’gmaq beliefs,” adds
Rhonda “Lexi”, Ronnie’s daughter. She also
was in a month quarantine when Covid hit
her family.
Tina also credits their recovery and the
ongoing healing process to the health
professionals and the power of prayer. “You
could feel the prayers, the people caring for
you, the community coming together to pray
for you. That was the good experience out
of all of it and it helped us”, she concludes.
On Spring Cultural Day, AGS students made tobacco offerings and prayed for the people affected by Covid-19. Culture Class
teachers, Miss Claudia Gray, Miss Audrey Mitchell, and Pernell Wysote were braving a cold windy day explaining to students the
protocols of the ceremony. Different classes participated at the event, including the class of Ayrianna Condo and Emma Martin
Vicaire, grandchildren of Ronnie “Lexi” Martin and Tina Condo who are now healing from Covid-19.
Tina Condo is now back to work, taking care of her plants for gardening and
volunteering to teach a student how to make her Regalia for this year’s graduation.
Covid-19 Stories...
Continue from page 1
“It was amazing to know how much these
nurses and doctors care. This kindness
brings people closer to each other. They
were compassionate,” affirms Tina who was
fighting for her health and also wanted to
comfort her husband. Rhonda, Ronnie’s
daughter, was also constantly looking for
updates. “I was calling the hospital almost
every three hours and the staff was amazing.
They were patient to explain medical terms
and procedures to me so I could share them
with family and friends.”
While at the hospital, Eldric Martin,
Ronnie’s brother, passed away in Bathurst
hospital due to an ongoing medical
condition. That was another blow to the
family. On January 23, Ronnie was back at
Campbellton hospital, breathing without
the ventilator.
Reading the text he sent me was a shock but
when he told me that after awaking from
his coma, he couldn’t lift a spoon to feed
himself, that he lost 30 lbs of muscles in a
week, or was incapable of chewing that the
nurses had to feed him with liquid food, the
initial shock amplified.
It was hard to imagine the severity of Covid’s
impact on him when only a few weeks
before we were snowshoeing an entire
afternoon around Km 18 of Qospem
Road. I saw his endurance walking the
forest scouting, climbing hills up and
down for archery moose hunting, or
searching for Chaga mushrooms. The
day we harvested a moose he almost
by himself hauled the moose into the
trailer because my minimal hauling
power was not very helpful. He was able
to pull 75 lbs of his traditional bows
that he fabricated. Coronavirus changed
that. His physiotherapy at the Hospital
consisted of exercising with half-pound
hand weights and walking few steps at a
time, helped by a nurse.
As the pandemic is still hurting families,
communities, economies around the world
there is a message that Tina wanted to share.
“We may find people saying, ‘I got tested,
it was negative and they’re all traveling
right away not realizing that they could
be positive tomorrow because the virus
is incubating. It happened to us. I started
getting sick the very next day of my negative
results. A second test came out positive. We
need to protect each other as the doctors say,
‘the ones who are weak, sicker or older will
suffer the most”.
Back Home
Ronnie is now home since February 10.
He’s healing and making plans to go back
to the woods build a camp, plan the hunting
season, walk 6 Kms into the woods around
Km 28 on Qospem Road carrying the block
of salt for moose. He wants to teach and
craft more bows and pass on his knowledge
of the language. “Oh yeah, I’m getting
ready,” tells Ronnie, whose archery accuracy
earned him the nickname of ‘the Master’
among his archery group. After all, he’s the
first Listugujewaq in several generations
to harvest a moose with a traditional bow
and arrow. “When I got back home after a
month at the hospital, it was hard to walk
the stairs or lift a 5 pounds object but every
day I’m getting better. It’s one step at a time”,
said Ronnie. He’s usually conversational but
talking about his life-threatening experience
remains difficult. “I thank the support of
so many people, reaching out and sending
messages that touched my heart, yeah, it
feels good,” he confides with his positive
attitude. “He’s still recuperating, getting his
strength back, moving forward,” confirms
Tina.
It’s the middle of March and as the spring
approaches, Ronnie and Tina are also talking
about the love that keeps them dreaming: go
back to the woods together.
Ronnie “Lexi” Martin is on the road to recovery. He gained back around 30lbs in a
month and is now back to sharing his recurve bow-making skills with students like
Sandy Germain. Dereck “Bouge’ Barnaby put the program together to include local
knowledge into the school program for SSHS students. At the end of the project,
each student will have their own bow, fabricated by themselves.
Power of prayers
When Tina and Ronnie were taken to
the hospital there was a wave of support
and prayers for them. From Alberta,
Montreal, Labrador, NB, other parts of
Canada, the US, and in social media

Si’gowigu’s - March 2021 Listuguj Wi’gatign
3
Joe Tapi Gesga’teg
Ta’n tujiw ula a’tugwaqan telia’q, na
geget nanipunaiap. Gatu ta’n tel
miliaqap na wejiulmiguite’tm nige’. Aa
elg na tujiw gigjiw getu’ Nuelewmg’p,
aq apjiw welmiguite’tman ta’n teliaqap
getu’ pestie’wimg ula poqtape’gsig’p ge’s
‘ngijinen etlia’tugewugsie’g Nuelewei
a’tugwaqan Aqalasie’igtug.
Ne’gaw na pas’g ‘Nnuigtug a’tugewugsieg.
amujna tlta’situg gi’s nugu tepiaq
‘pqojignu’tmasinew pilei tli’suti. Aq
etugje na ugjit tetujiulmiguite’tm muta
telpilue’gp aq ‘ngijinen i’nesplutasip aq
etlins’tmasewugsiegp gulaman ‘ns’tesnen.
‘Eniula’gw Nuelewmt’tew”, e’e Herny
Livingston giswi’g’g’p a’tugaqan ta’n
ewi’gas’g’p ugjit mijua’ji’jg. Gatu ge’s ‘ngij
etlia’tugwej aq niga’mugsieg na natgoqwei
tetiaqap ta’n naqto’sieg.
‘Tlamusis Etue’I aq ntgegusg
pisgwiwnaqaiet ga’qanigtog aq sesgwet
“Nuel, nasa’tu elugwemgewe’I gutapsun
aq gisu’pisa’si.”
Elg telimatl jugwa’tutesg alasenmamgewei
aq gaqatepia mimei.
Etue’l telimapni n’ngi’gug na ‘lpa’tuj,
Joe Tapi Vicaire to’q gesga’taq, ‘mag
nemiam’g weja’tegemgeg gismewlia’ge’g.
Joe, nipugtug etlugwejig witapal Wiliom
Ajigal aq nat samqwane’geteg ugjit
‘ptewei mnaq apaja’sigw. Nespnapnn
samqwano’ji’jl najinqana’pen sipu’ji’jg.
Gatu ta’n gisinqana’petegna awna me’
gneg geituaqa’sit nipugtug.
Gatu na witapal poqjialamt’pnn smtug
apaja’sigweg, gatu poqjipsaqeg na Joe ta’n
wejaptoq poqjioqnaliaqap. Glapis William
mu giswe’jiagweg na aponmati.mg
geitoq’p nuta’tew ‘gtu’ we’jiaj. Jipatmutug
elg negm ‘gs’ga’n muta na’gwegl toqaqji’gl
Gesigewigu’s aq naqsipegeniaq aqjel me’
naqsipoqnitpaqiaq ala’timg gmtnigtug.
Miguite’tm ge’gwe’g wetamtmaneg
na elugemgewei tepaqan aq ta’n
teliulaptmapnn na ‘stoqnamu’gl wasoqnn
ge’gutegpnn. Na tepaqan gi’s wajuaqap
ji’nmug aq ugtalasenmaqannmual.
Tepaqanigtug ugtejg na wesgijega’tas’gp
poqwasn gulaman ma tlitge’gtnug ugjit
naji’nmug.
Newt nujj aq naji’nmug maita’tieg, ‘ntgij
mu siawgitmugsiweg’p na a’tugaqanji’j.
Awna a nutgulpitaieg’p aq alsutmewg’t’p
Joe gulamen ‘nsanoqnigtug liegw aq
we’jia’ten. Amgwes geituap tujiw na wen
gistlialsutmatew ta’n telpuwag aq mu pas’g
ta’n telgnu’trnugsieg’p.
Na enmiula’gweg
Etue’l aq igtig ji’nm
pisga’tipnig nignaq,
etliu’sipnig gijiw
epsaqtejigtug.
‘Ntgij ignmuapnig
‘ptewei aq
amjaqas’gl
pipnaqnu’jl toqo
pipanimapnig me
ta’n teliaq gisna
gi’s wejianew. Etue’l
teluep na muaq goqwei
we’jitu’tigw muta
wesam ma’munipsaq.
Teligsigawipsaq na mu
tamielgoweweg ta’n tujiw
wigumg’j. Na igtig ji’nm
teluep nujjinen piluei se’g
alguiluwasip.
Ni’n aq ‘nsis wetnutaqat’pnig
ge’gwe’g
etlewistu’tij.
Telteg’p na gi’s ‘npanen gatu
mugisinpaweg’p muta wesam
sespena’q’p ugjit ta’n
teliaq. Agnutmaieg’p
ta’n tljipasitug na Joe
aq ta’n tlitge’gtnutug.
Teluweie’gp gatu
ma sespete’lmagwi
mui’naq muta
telteg na mui’naq
musqismita’new gesig.
Amuj na glapis ‘npawegtug muta na
egsitpu’geg meja’tie’g gi’s nujjinen etiilajip
ap apaja’sin nipugtug. Na elugwemgewei
tepaqan ap oqa’p aq teimusieg’p na Joe
pasgitlmaqana’sis igtig utanjijg wela’gweg.
Elies na’te’l wenji’guom aq na mimajuinu’g
enmateja’la’tipnn.
Getu’ tluwei na ta’n na te’s’gl utanji’jl
giwtaq mawita’pnig aq aoqnmua’tipnig
gwilua’tipnn. Etugjel Sarto Cote
gisna Tony Mailloux utepaqant’p ta’n
so’qateja’lapnigji’nmug nipugtug. We’gaw
ta’n teli apje’ji’jg ta’n goqwei miguite’tm
gatu mesgi’g’p ta’n teliaq ula gm’tgiaq.
Angite’te’n ta’n goqwei wejsaputa’sip,
algwilgeg ugtawti ge’spegn’g aq
metu’na’q! Joe na mu gisiuli’sigup aq
muwelins’tuam’g’p ta’n tujiw gelusij.
Wejgwa’tegemgeg na Joe negaw etlnmu’t
als’tuo’guomg aq mawiulte’tasip ula
‘gm’tginaq.
This snowshoe is probably the
last one made in Listuguj. Roger
Metallic gave it to Joe Wilmot
who is taking care of it. At this
moment they didn’t find the
name of the person who made it.
At the time of the
incident, I was
almost five years old. But
due to the extraordinary
circumstances of the
happening. I remember
the occurrence very well.
Also, the story happened very
close to Christmas, and I tend
to recollect the events during the
holidays.
The narrative starts with mom telling
us a Christmas story in English. Before
this, all our stories were in Mi’gmaq. She
probably felt it was time for her two boys to
start learning a new language.
And maybe a big reason why I remember
because this was so different and mom
had to repeat and translate the story so
we would understand.
‘Was the Night Before
Christmas”, yes it was
Henry Livingston’s poem
turned into a children’s
fairy tale. And during
my mom’s narrative and
teaching, we had a big
interruption.
My uncle Edward and also my god-father
came bursting through the door.” Noel”,
he shouted, “Put on your work clothes and
make sure you dress warm”. He also advised
dad to bring his oil lantern and extra fuel
for it.
Edward explained to my parents that a
young boy, Joe Vicaire had gone missing
since noontime that day. Joe, working in
the woods with his friend William Isaac had
been sent to get water for the lunchtime tea.
He had a small pail to dip into the brook.
Instead of turning around to go back to the
work area, Joe kept on going deeper into
the woods.
His friend started to look for him after
a certain time had passed but the falling
snow started to cover Joe’s tracks. Finally,
William had to give up the search, deciding
that more help was needed. He probably
was concerned that he would get lost
himself because daylight fades very quickly
in December, especially more so in the
mountains. Remember looking at the truck
from the upstairs window and admiring the
Lost in the Forest
Roger Metallic wrote this story that happened around 1960. Roger is
a local historian carrying a wealth of information about the Listuguj’s
evolution and he likes to share these old stories with his readers. His
advice: “if you go to the forest, inform people about your plans.” The LPD
is there for us but it’s better to avoid any emergency situation.
green lights on top of the cab. The truck was
already filled with men with their kerosene
lanterns. Part of the box in the back was
covered with canvas to protect the men
from the cold night air.
After dad left with the rest of the men,
mom did not continue with the fairy tale.
Instead, she told us to kneel down and we
said prayers for the safe return of Joe. It
was also the first time that I learned that a
person could say their own prayers beside
the regular prescribed ones.
Later that night Edward and another man
came to the house to warm themselves in
front of the stove. Mom served them tea and
sandwiches and asked about the progress of
the search. Edward said there was no sign of
the boy, too much snow falling. So much so
that even their constant yelling for Joe was
muted by the snowfa1l. The other man said
our dad was searching a different area of the
forest.
My brother and I were listening to the
adults from the top of the stairs. We were
supposed to be in bed by then but we could
not sleep with all the commotion. We talked
about how scary it must be for Joe and how
cold he must be. We said to ourselves that
at least the bears were not a threat to Joe
because bears are supposed to be sleeping
that time of year. We must have finally fallen
asleep because the next morning when we
got up, Dad was already prepared to go up
to the woods again. The truck arrived to tell
him that Joe had come out of the woods all
by himself in the next community in Petit
River de Loup. He went to a house and the
people drove him home.
Would like to stress the fact that all the
adjoining communities got involved in the
search. It was either Sarto Cote or Tony
Mailloux’s truck that drove the men in the
woods. Even what little I remember, it was
a big event.
Joe was mute and he could not communicate
normally. Imagine what he went through,
trying to find his way in the snowstorm
during complete darkness!
In his later years, Joe was a regular church
fixture and a beloved member of our
community.
Mi’gmaw Word Search
You will find the names on: mikmaqonline.org/
Wela’lioq to the Talking Dictionnary Team
Find 16 foods we eat
If you don’t know the words in Mi’gmaw, match the
English and Mi’gmaw like example # 1: lasup = soup
What kind of fish did Amber and Ty catch?
1
LASUP
TAP’TAN
LUSGNIGN
WELA’GOWEI
SISLA’GWA’TAQAN
SISMO’QON
WIGAPU’G
PIESGMIN
EGSITPU’GOWEI
WA’W
MALIPQWANJ
PIPNAQAN
GAQPESAW
MA’SUSI
MLAGEJG
ENMAPEJIT
1
SMELT
POTATO
FIDDLEHEAD
BANNOCK
EGG
SUPPER
MILK
FRY BREAD
SUGAR
TASTE GOOD
CORN
SOUP
BREAKFAST
HAZELNUT
BREAD
CARROT

4
Postcard from… Japan
By Annabel Barnaby
Annabel visiting the Gion district in
Kyoto, Japan, with her mom Suzanne
in July 2019.
When I graduated from University,
I felt it was time to start a new
adventure in life and I moved to Japan
in December 2016. Living abroad allows
me to meet other people and share my
story with them. For example, I did a
presentation on Listuguj, and in return,
I listened to their stories. I believe that
sharing stories is important in gaining
knowledge.
Within Japan, I found layers of cultures
from every country imaginable all sharing
a unique space. Being First Nation and
living abroad does not mean losing my
identity or my culture.
At home, we have our Pow Wow to
celebrate our culture, inviting others
to celebrate with us. That feeling of
celebrating with others is delightful
and helps share and build our sense of
community. I thought, once I left for
Japan, that sense of community would be
Listuguj Wi’gatign Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
gone. Thankfully, I was wrong. I arrived
in Japan and instantly found out that
this island loves to share its culture with
those willing to learn. I learned traditional
dances, songs, and festivals. On the
other hand, I learned about pop culture,
karaoke, and missing my last train home
and I was in awe visiting temples, shrines,
their architecture, and traditions behind
everything.
Of course, at first, I had a culture shock,
but I did my research before arriving,
so I knew what to expect. First, I was
teaching for an Eikaiwa, which means an
English conversation school. I no longer
teach. Instead, I work at a large gaming
software company checking the English
language to ensure that it is both correct
and appropriate to western audiences. The
transportation system is amazing and my
commute is quite short and door to door
is roughly 35 minutes.
If someone is looking to travel abroad,
they should definitely experience it
because living abroad allows you to learn
parts of yourself that you weren’t in touch
with before. Yes, it can be a very lonely
experience if you’re not prepared for that,
but bringing a sense of community with
you, being in touch with your community,
exchanging care-packages or phone
calls is helpful. Also building your own
community, a circle of friends that feels
like family, wherever you go.
I think learning about the history
of Mi’gmaq culture before you go is
important. Everyone I meet has so many
history questions that sometimes I don’t
know the answers to.
Annabel is the daughter of Lester and
Suzanne Barnaby. She studied English and
Psychology at Mount Allison University.
She also studied at a Japanese Language
school in Tokyo.”
Megite’tasultijig Tli’sutie’jg
We honor our Mi’gmaw Language Revitalizers
You reap what you sow
By Crystal Dedam
In these Covid times gardening has become very popular.
Years ago, when I began, I didn’t realize how important
growing your own food can be. It saves money on grocery;
the food is fresh and no worries about any recalls. On top
of that, it has health benefits, it’s a natural stress reliever,
it provides outdoor exercise and helps to reconnect with
Mother Earth.
For me, everything starts in March when I start early
seedlings in my house. In June, I transfer the plants
outdoors. I used to rely on the Sugarloaf Mountain as a
guide to when my plants could remain outside but because
of the global warning and its effects on temperature changes
I now follow the moon in June.
After I transfer the plants, I spend countless hours in my
backyard garden. I’m up at 6am; I walk around barefoot
weeding and making sure all my plants get a good drink
while I feel the Earth’s energy and a sense of peace and
accomplishment. It’s like that all season.
Last summer, I hired LCA Rentals and Outdoor Services
(Lloyd Alcon) and Andy Vicaire to till and expand my
garden. After the till, I plant the vegetables and watch them
grow all summer. This pandemic has reminded us the
importance of supporting local entrepreneurs, especially
when they both did an amazing job.
Last year was bountiful. I grew cosmos petunias, morning
glory and many other types of flowers. I also had my
favorites and easy to grow vegetables: tomatoes, green
peppers, onions, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli.
I have four apple trees, and this year I’m adding a few more
apple trees to produce the tastiest green apples that I usually
share with our Elders.
March and April are very exciting months for me, and I
hope this year to see more gardens flourishing in Listuguj
and more people taking an interest in growing their own
food.
By Erika Gideon Marchand
We are witnessing strong interest in revitalizing
our language through different initiatives.
School, adult courses, nursery, immersion, etc. The
support of different LMG administrations over the
years has been vital. However, there is still the need
to raise awareness about the importance of honoring
and promoting our Mi’gmaw language revitalization
in the community.
Last December we started a program, in the context of
Mi’gmaq History Month, to recognize our Mi’gmaw
Language Revitalizers with an award. This initiative
symbolizes our community’s appreciation for the
men and women who are working to promote and
revitalize our language.
This initiative by the community of Listuguj and the
Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government is intended to create a
space to honor our language champions.
We had early plans with community participation
for the award ceremony but COVID-19 protocol and
restrictions to public gatherings changed our plans.
Thus, it was decided to deliver the awards to our
recipients in their homes or outside public places.
We selected eight community members that
were nominated by the public during a six weeks
nomination period. The Listuguj Mi’gmaw
Advisory Committee and the Mi’gmaw Language
Revitalization Project Developer choose the 2020
Mi’gmaw Language Revitalizers and presented them
with their award
The awards were given to:
Blanche Metallic
Carol Metallic
Diane Mitchell
Donald Louis (River) Isaac
Gail Metallic
Eunice Metallic
Joe Wilmot
Lillian Germain
For the 2021 award, an application package will be
made available on the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government
(LMG) website for community members to nominate
Mi’gmaw Language Revitalizers.

Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
A VIEW FROM THE CORNER OFFICE
The coming of spring brings with it
the anticipation of summer, warm
weather, and the chance to enjoy the
outdoors. At the LMG, we too are
looking forward to the summer and the
opportunity to carry on with our efforts
to bring about sustained growth. In
this regard, I would like to discuss three
areas: infrastructure, acquisitions, and
organizational improvements.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Leo Tolstoy, perhaps one of the
greatest authors of all time, once said
that, “Spring is the time of plans and
projects.” In our case, we are looking
at a number of projects ranging from
lagoon sludge removal and Caplin Road
drainage to composting and a new
triplex development. In addition, new
buildings will be constructed, repairs
made, and roads paved. Our ability to
offer long term senior care, provide
additional housing, and increased
office capacity will all be increased. An
increased network of fiber optics is being
laid down and almost 100 new jobs.
ACQUISITIONS
In order to build future capacity, we
have taken several steps to ensure that
the LMG is positioned to offer enhanced
services and revenue generation. As a
result, we are purchasing a state-of-theart
RSW (recirculating salt water) boat
to add to our fishing fleet. We will soon
be adding additional police vehicles
that will improve our patrol capabilities
in addition to further training for new
officers and a K9 unit. We are also
looking to expand the land base of the
community, in addition to securing
relationships with companies to increase
our “own source revenue”.
Listuguj Wi’gatign
ORGANIZATIONAL
IMPROVEMENTS
It is not enough to acquire assets and to
build infrastructure. Real growth can
only occur if it is based upon an effective
foundation. To this end, the LMG has
forged a strategic plan that is reasonable
and achievable. In essence the plan is
comprised of three overarching goals:
1.The promotion of greater
operational accountability. These
steps include the institution of a
time system, documented monthly
reporting, KPI’s (key performance
indicators), compliance audits,
a written “case system” to justify
significant expenditure-based
decisions, and uniform rules dealing
with remuneration and even project
development. In addition, we have
introduced new measures to review:
hiring, disciplining, performance, and
expenditures.
2. The promotion of greater
operational efficiency. These steps
include the creation of LMG wide
salary scales, streamlining of budget
and operational plans, the creation
of a systems-wide informational
flow process, and tighter integration
between the directorates.
3. The promotion of enhanced
operational service delivery. These
steps include the attraction of
additional funding, on-going staff
training, and data collection to be
used to assist us in determining
functional strengths and gaps. We are
also building our Health and Safety
team which is an integral part of
LMG’s progress towards
ISO standardization.
I should point out that, in addition to
the measures described above, the LMG
has been working to protect, promote
and provide for the community through
everyday activities from vaccine clinics
and garbage collection to educational
efforts and NB entry registrations.
In a relatively recent book entitled “The
Psychology of Optimal Experience”,
the author states that, “...success, like
happiness, cannot be pursued; it must
ensue...as the unintended side-effect of
one’s personal dedication to a course
greater than oneself.”
The LMG has taken concrete actions
to build effectiveness, gain efficiencies,
enhance services, and promote a
positive environment. These measures
demonstrate a dedication to a course
greater than oneself. The LMG is NOT
focused on profit, capitalizing on
assets, or maximizing ROI (return on
investment) for itself. Rather, it considers
social impact, the effect of choices so that
it benefits the community-as-a-whole,
and mechanisms that build capacity in
the long term.
The proof of this can be seen in the
improvements that all community
members experience whether it be the
quick manner in which snow is plowed
from our roads, the offering of covid-19
vaccinations, numerous job and training
opportunities, a new Post Office facility
along with a renewed community
development centre, planned
greenhouses, improved work spaces,
new social spaces, the benefits that will
be derived from innovations such as
the unique fisheries rights recognition
agreement and the increasing benefits
derived from our own sources of revenue
(as opposed to program funds from the
federal and provincial governments).
The LMG has incredible staff, a great
mission, and is working hard to help
make the community better, day by day.
Wela’lioq,
Alex Kocsis
Chief Executive Officer
5
Attendance Report: Duly Convened Council Meetings (2020-22)
November 16, 2020
December 2, 2020
December 15, 2020
December 16, 2020
January 4, 2021
January 13, 2021
January 20, 2021
February 10, 2021
February 17, 2021
February 24, 2021
March 10, 2021
March 24, 2021
Total Absents
Total Absents (With
Excuse)
Total Present
Chief Darcy Gray
0 13
Councillor Ali Barnaby 0 13
Councillor Annette Barnaby
Councillor Brian Caplin Jr.
Councillor Chad Gedeon
Councillor Gordon Isaac Jr.
Councillor Cathy Martin,
Dr.
Councillor George Martin
Councillor Sky Metallic
Councillor Wendell Metallic
Councillor Alexander
Morrison
Councillor Kevin Methot
Councillor Sheila Swasson
2
2 9
0 13
0 13
1 12
5 1 8
2 11
0 13
0 13
0 13
1 1 12
1 1 12
Absent with Excuse Absent
Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation
17 Riverside-Drive West,
Listuguj, Quebec
(418) 788-2136
Produced by the Communications Team of the LMG
Manager: Hilary Barnaby
Journalist: Felix Atencio-Gonzales
Layout: Felix Atencio-Gonzales
Wela’lieg to: Jill Martin, Roger Metallic, Maddie Metallic, Gerry Isaac
Mimiges Delarosbil, Bobbi Madahbee, Rhonda Martin, Kammy Vicaire,
Rene Martin, Lita Isaac, Tim Dedam, Dean Martin, Sheila Swasson, Joe
Wilmot, Karen Martin and everyone who contributed to this this issue.
The views and opinions expressed in some of the articles are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position
of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government.
Agnutamaqan
Listen to our radio program at CHRQ
Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00 am.
Covid-19
It’s our responsability
to take care of our Elders
and of each other.

6
Listuguj Wi’gatign Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Fishing season 2021
To all fisherwomen & fishermen...
May the bounty of the sea provide for your families and our community.
Your safety is important. Leave home safe and come back safe.
Earth Day, April 22
“It takes a village to rise a child”...it also takes the land
Indigenous peoples are guardians of global biodiversity – but we
need protection too. Indigenous land contains 80% of the world’s
biodiversity, but local peoples are criminalized for their efforts to
preserve it”
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, May 7, 2019
UN’s Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples
Kankanaey Igorot Nation, Cordillera region, Philippines.
“The rights to lands, territories and resources are at the
heart of indigenous peoples’ struggles around the world.
Indigenous peoples’ relationships to ancestral lands are
the source of cultural, spiritual and social identity, and form
the basis of their traditional knowledge systems. There is an
urgent need to advance these rights to improve indigenous
peoples’ well-being but also to address some of the most pressing
global challenges, including climate change and environmental
degradation. Advancing collective rights to lands, territories and
resources is also an effective way to protect critical ecosystems,
waterways and biological diversity.
United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Indigenous Peoples Lands, territories and resources
In fact, we Indigenous peoples are about 370 million across 90
countries. Our peoples currently occupy, own, manage or have
land tenure over 25- 50 percent of the Earth’s land. However,
legal ownership of these lands is only 10%, as many Indigenous
communities aren’t able to prove in non-native courts that the lands
we occupy since time immemorial is legally our, leaving an opening
for industries to establish claims or annexations of ancestral
territories for resource exploitation.
It was a cold day but around 16 people attended the Full Moon teachings held at the
Nepisimgewei Mnoqwotqeg - Healing Arbour. There will be another one in April.
Community Development Centre is being renovated
“Bingo” seems to say Mary “Tu’ji’j Joseph while Ruby is still playing. In order to keep
social distance, Heaven House organized a Car Bingo for Women’s Day, on March 8.
know that the current Retail Postal
Outlet has outgrown its space, which has
been evident for many years. There are
currently 540 mailboxes, and at least 850
houses in Listuguj. Typically, there is one
mailbox per household. The prevalence
of online shopping has created a logistical
nightmare given the extremely small
space of the current location near the
Elder’s Lodge.
Reggie “Ajig” Isaac, Ryan Mitchell, Jason Isaac, and Donovan Metallic are the ones
uplifting the building and adapting a more spacious area for the Listuguj post office.
By Delphine Metallic, Economic Development Senior Manager
The Community Development Centre
as we know it will get an uplift to its
exterior, its current usage as well the new
critical service station that will be added.
The community centre on Dundee Road
was constructed around the mid 90’s
and its space has hosted many events
over the last 25 years from weddings,
birthday parties, community members,
consultation sessions, elections,
community feasts, bingos, and other
collective games. It has been well used
and lately has shown its deterioration.
While discussing the community centre’s
state, we aligned it with Listuguj’s need
for a revamped retail postal outlet. We
This is the main reason why LMG decided
to utilize a section of the community
centre to relocate the new post office. The
Canada Post Office is under the authority
of the LMG who manage its operation in
the community and hires the employees.
Construction work led by the Capital and
Infrastructure Department is currently
underway and it is anticipated to conclude
in April. There are currently 4 people
working directly on the construction and
others who are providing expertise and
specific technical expertise.
In addition to the retail postal outlet, the
renovation of the whole building will
encompass a modernized commercial
kitchen, and common space.
Elizabeth Barnaby left the kitchen
pantry to pick up the painting roller.
She, Clara Martin, and Tilda Jacques are
giving a new beauty to the interior of
the “new” Community Centre.
There will continue to be sufficient
space to hold community gatherings and
wedding receptions. The food bank will
remain in the same space and the new
commercial kitchen will allow for the
Meals on Wheels program to return to the
Community Development Centre.

I
Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Listuguj Wi’gatign
Gail Metallic: “We still have a long road ahead of us.”
By Felix Atencio-Gonzales
know how it feels to be unable to communicate in
Mi’gmaq. You feel empty. You’re always questioning
‘why can’t I speak Mi’gmaq’”, remembers Gail Metallic.
“My mother didn’t want us to speak our language because
she didn’t want us to be mistreated as she was by the nuns
at the Indian Day School here in Listuguj”. Gail learned
Mi’gmaq as a teenager with her grandmother’s assistance.
The mistreatment her mother got at Indian School
traumatized her that she refused to speak in Mi’gmaq to
Gail and her siblings. “About ten years before she died, she
finally said the first words in Mi’gmaq to me. It was nice, I
knew she lost her fear,” recalls with emotion Gail.
are a minority in that system. It’s up to us to do it”, she
asserts. Gail got the vibe for teaching and in 81 took an
education program at the University of New Brunswick,
in Fredericton.
Her program would take her a few weeks at a time in
Fredericton and also staying home for her assignments.
Between May and September, she would spend 12 weeks
in Fredericton, away from her family but four years later,
she got her Education degree. Almost immediately she got
a teacher offer at Lord Beaverbrook Middle school where
she had some students from Listuguj.
7
The denial of passing on an Indigenous language to the
children happened in Mi’gma’qi and I heard similar
stories from other Indigenous peoples in other countries.
However, today’s Indigenous decolonization movements
include getting back, transmitting, and revitalizing our
languages. This is a journey that started in the 70’s for Gail
Metallic as a teacher, principal and Director of Education.
She wanted to make sure that Mi’gmaq children have the
opportunity to learn their language in the school system.
Younger days
As a young lady Gail, her family and other families from
Listuguj would travel to Maine to pick up potatoes for
several weeks during the fall. They needed to work to help
the family’s economy. That changed when the schoolaged
children were obliged to stay in Listuguj and not go
pick up potatoes because the government would cut their
family allowances, between 6 to 8 dollars per child.
She was living with her mother in a two-bedroom house.
There were not many jobs here and her mom worked as
a housekeeper in Campbellton. Gail’s mom together with
other women had to walk across the frozen river during
the winter months. They had to be careful crossing the
river and would travel in pairs or groups of women
crossing the river to go and clean houses in Campbellton.
In the spring and fall, they would hire a taxi to drive them
around Matapedia when the ice was starting to break up to
minimize the risk of falling through the ice. Once the river
froze over, the taxi service purchased a long snowmobile
that would carry four ladies to cross the river. After the
bridge opened in October 1961, they continued to travel
by taxi,” affirms Gail.
Getting and education
It’s under that context that Gail started school here, right
across from the church where students were learning in
English and French until 1968 when she completed grade
10. Her knowledge of the English language gained her
recognition and an offer to be a teacher assistant. She
worked at the Apollo School and the Beaverbrook school
from ‘71 to ‘76. “We shouldn’t have our kids in town at
all. We should be taking care of our own here. They can’t
make sure our kids have pride in who they are because we
Our school in the community
Gail’s experience and drive in education combined
with the interest of families to have Listuguj’s own
school was setting the basis to achieve that vision.
It was not easy. “Some people were opposing
because they figured we’re not going to have
any teachers with degrees because in their
parents’ time anyone was hired off the street to
teach. Many people felt that there were better
teachers in town. We had meetings, different
days to explain. We’re bringing the teachers in.
We wanted the best for our kids.”
Pre-fabricated classrooms were built at the same
place where the Indian Day school operated.
The nursery and elementary classes started in
1994 and the first students and teachers endured
not perfect conditions, but they did it. If the
construction of the AGS didn’t get unanimous
support, today there is no telling what our
chances would be to revitalizing the Mi’gmaq
language, pride in Listugujewaq students and
providing a good level of education within the
community. Today people are asking for a High
School building.
The construction of the AGS was completed
in 1997 and now it’s expanding with a new
cafeteria, a large gym, a healing area and a
Mi’gmaq immersion wing. A dream of Gail
and other people who joined that dream, as the
song of late Jack Wysote called for.
Last fall Gail visited the construction of the
extension site at AGS. Despite her health
conditions, Wendell Metallic got her a
motorized wheelchair and she entered the
school. People were standing solemnly,
recognizing her role in Listuguj education
since the 70’s.
“It was emotional and I was happy to see them
all there. We’ve come a long way. But we still
have so much, such a long road ahead of us.”
said Gail.
“Gail’s dreams are becoming a reality.”
Lorna Sook, Director of LETE wrote about her
experience working with Gail Metallic
think about my 12-year experience at provincial
I schools and the grave impact it had on my wellbeing
and identity for many years.
This story is not unique to me. It is a story of many who
experienced far worse at Indian Residential Schools and
Indian Day Schools. Many of our People across turtle
island are still experiencing harm caused by the current day
provincial schools, colleges, and universities, as institutions
continue to ignore and devalue Indigenous knowledge, ways
of teaching and learning, and ways of being.
With this knowledge, Gail Metallic sought to bring our
students back home. Because of her, my now-adult sons and
so many of our children and grandchildren experienced ten
years of education in our community before going off to a
provincial school. Gail was also instrumental in bringing the
first full university degree program in-community. Almost
six years ago, Gail left me with very explicit instructions,
which sent me on a steep learning journey, a journey that
she continues to support to this day. One, in particular, is
the expansion of the Alaqsite’w Gitpu School, which will
be the home of the Mi’gmaw Immersion Program and will
continue to support the revitalization and reclamation of
our language and culture through experiential and landbased
learning, storytelling, and ceremony.
Construction of the AGS extension is on schedule and it includes
a cafeteria, a Mi’gmaq Immersion wing and a Healing room
(tipi shape). Mark Sorby and Roger Barnaby are part of the 30 %
Mi’gmaq crew working on the site.
Last fall, Gail visited the construction site of the AGS
expansion. I remember the staff surrounding her as she
sat in the vehicle with her son. We all joined hands as they
began singing one of the first children’s songs translated
into Mi’gmaq. I would describe Gail’s visit as ceremonial in
a way, and for staff, it was such a great symbol of all of her
hard work. Mr. Grass could not help but notice her bond
with the people behind the steel and concrete, as they shared
in Mi’gmaq the layout and structure of the expansion. We
expect that she will be visiting and checking on the progress
very soon.
As we push to bring more students back home, I am
confident that Gail will continue to provide guidance. We
have already started expanding our in-community postsecondary
program and the preliminary work to build a high
school. Gail’s dreams are becoming a reality.”

8
Listuguj Wi’gatign Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Interview with Saqamaw Darcy Gray
“WE HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY TO ONE ANOTHER”
There is almost one year that Listuguj, and nations all over the world, were hit
by Coid-19. The second week of March the Listuguj Wi’gatign interviewed
Saqamaw Darcy Gray to review how the community and the LMG responded to
the challenges brought to us by this global pandemic.
Listuguj Wi’gatign: This pandemic hit
all over the world at different levels. How
did you see it affect Listuguj’s health,
economy, and spirit?
Saqamaw Darcy Gray: We managed
the pandemic very well. We’ve had
very minimal cases. We complied very
well with the safety regulations, the
restrictions. Whatever was asked of
community to help keep each other safe,
we did. From a leadership standpoint,
that’s very encouraging. Here we are,
about a year in, and the results speak for
themselves – that as a community, we
did what we had to do to keep each other
safe and we continue to do what we have
to do to keep each other safe.
L. W.: What were the challenges for the
LMG to provide services during the
pandemic?
S. D. G.: One of the hardest things is
that when we did the shutdown of LMG.
Around March 18 (2020), basically
everybody went home. There was only
a skeleton crew that remained. Despite
everybody being home, the demand for
services went up. We had less people but
greater expectations because we were in
the middle of a global pandemic. There
was a lot of unknown, a lot of fear,
anxiety and people wanted constant
communication and updates. They
wanted to make sure that the services
that were provided to
them under normal
circumstances
continue.
would
So whether helping our
elders out at home, snow
removal, payroll, social
services, police, safety,
security are there to support them so they
can get a hold of people when they’re
needed. We saw an uptick in terms
of communications and information
sharing, but also extra safety precaution,
having checkpoints, stopping people
from coming into the community, etc.
All that takes people, resources, time
and maintaining good services while
having less people, is pretty difficult. But
nevertheless, we did it.
L. W.: Did the pandemic cause heavy
economic strain on the LMG?
S. D. G.: If you look at the local
businesses, I think they’ve been hit really
hard by people not moving around or
having to shut down because they may
not be considered essential businesses.
So from that standpoint the community
has suffered. They felt the strain.
From the LMG
standpoint, we’ve been
very fortunate that we’ve
had no layoffs. We’ve
had nobody that had to
be sent home because
of a lack of funding or
resources being held back
or drying up. We’ve been able to maintain
every full-time employee throughout the
entire pandemic. We had some projects
begin in and around the beginning of the
pandemic or started soon after that were
“We’ve been able
to maintain every
full-time employee
throughout the
entire pandemic.”
able to move ahead. There were slight
delays, but nevertheless we got it going:
school expansion, the reconstruction
of Caplin road, home repairs. We had
a lot of work in construction, in and
around the community. You see people
still doing siding now on some of our
rental units, our section 95 buildings. All
these things that we were hoping to get
done were still able to happen. We were
able to keep people employed and keep
people safe, while maintaining a little bit
of normalcy and continued progress as a
community. So, I think overall, in terms
of economy, we did very well.
L. W.: So, we didn’t go in debt because of
the pandemic?
S. D. G.: We have not incurred any debt at
all. We did have trouble with 11% of our
snow crab quota that got left in the water
but through other federal government
program or elsewhere, we were able to
make up that difference. So, we remain
in a good financial situation, despite all
the hardships we’ve endured.
Continue on page 9...
Listuguj students
L. W.: One of the main issues was
having our students out of the SSHS
classrooms.
S. D. G.: The conversation around our
students started last July. We saw how
our people were being treated when
they went to Campbelton, Atholville
or anywhere else in New Brunswick. A
Quebec plate, a dream catcher, a sweet
grass braid or any Mi’gmaq emblem
on your car almost put a target on
you. We saw that dynamic going in a
bad direction. So we engaged with the
education system in N.B. to say we need
to do everything we can to not let that
dynamic infiltrate the school system.
A student from Listuguj, Campbellton
or Atholville or wherever you come
from, needs to be a student. First and
foremost, we can’t differentiate.
Everybody was on board up until the
end of September, early October. On
October 8th we got the call that our
students would have to continue their
learning from home. That just basically
blew up all the momentum that we
had generated locally. But it was not a
local decision. It was a decision out of
Fredericton that greatly impacted here.
From July until now, we’ve continued
that fight, to try to find a way for our
students to go back. If they can’t go
back, then what? What is it that we
need to have in place to provide the
support that we need for our students?
Just sending them home to continue
their education was unacceptable. So
we turned our LMDC into the Learning
Hub. We kept our enhancement staff
here. We lobbied with the support of the
SSHS and ask to send teachers, supply
teachers, principal, vice principal,
whoever you can.
They’ve been very helpful, very
accommodating in doing that. We
have full time teachers, a full-time
administrator. We have all of our
enhancement staff that are they are
doing the best they can for our students,
while they continue there to connect
with the school virtually or through
online platforms. It hasn’t been perfect,
but it’s been pretty darn good. The focus
remains on education for our kids. If
they stay there until June, they stay there
until June, but they’ll know that they’re
supported, loved, and we’re all about
them succeeding and doing whatever
we can until something changes.
Photo 1: Talking Circles with an Eagle feather are used to teach at the LMDC Hub.
Photo 2: Since April 6th, Listuguj students are allowed to go back to the SSHS. They
were warmly welcomed by students holding signs. Among our students, they have
mixed emotions because they were comfortable with the Hub’s delivery of classes.

Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Interview with Saqamaw Darcy Gray
Listuguj Wi’gatign
9
L. W.: We experienced the pandemic
throughout different seasons;
commercial fisheries, traditional salmon
fishing, moose hunting season. What
were the challenges there?
S. D. G.: We started our conversations
about moose hunting season in July.
We knew that New Brunswick intended
to maintain restricted access. We said,
“that denial of access to our traditional
hunting territory would not sit well
with us and it would create a fight that
we don’t need to have. Instead, we can
find ways around it.” So, all through
the summer we had maintained a good
relationship with the N. B. government.
People were allowed to go in and buy
ammunition, buy
rifles or get ready
for the hunting
season. However,
when it came time
for hunting season,
we did experience
some Covid-19 cases
in the region, and that caused tighter
restrictions. But being who we are, we
tend to find ways to get where we need
to go. We’re never stuck.
We said, “that denial of
access to our traditional
hunting territory would
not sit well with us.”
I had heard that some of our hunters
after being denied access to go hunting
in Kedgwick were going back the next
day at five o’clock in the morning. I
made sure I was up at four o’clock and
I went to the checkpoint. I spoke with
the officials there and I said, “Look,
we’ve got a situation on the horizon
that could go in two ways – that it can
become very ugly or we can find a very
peaceful and simple solution that works
for everybody here”.
In doing so, we were able to find a way
for our hunters to maintain access to
the traditional hunting territory, that
was respectful of social distancing and
safe practices but also recognizing that
it was important to take care of our
food security, feeding our elders, giving
back to our community. We found that
solution locally and I was happy to go
out there and get results. The hunters
told me that they were thrilled to be able
to go over and hunt.
L. W.: In fact, the border issue was a
constant source of internal and external
pressure. How difficult was it?
S. D. G.: That’s been probably one of
my biggest sources of frustration since
the start of the pandemic because it
has always been about maintaining
access to essentials and doing so in a
respectful way. The approaches from
the beginning seemed to be imposed
on us without prior consultation or
consideration for what the impact might
be on us. I think that’s been really heavy
from the moment we first found out
towards the end of March (2020) that
there would be some restrictions for
our people going over to Campbellton
and Atholville – something that we as a
region have taken for granted.
L. W.: : This border issue has
economically affected our neighbours
and benefited others.
S. D. G.: The discussions from the end
of March (2020) till today have never
stopped. It has always been about
developing that relationship, developing
that understanding, and then seeing
how that influences the decision-making
around what’s happening here. Around
October, we got very close to having
both N. B and the Quebec governments
to say, “Okay, figure it out a solution
locally between Campbellton, Cross
Point and Listuguj.” Unfortunately,
there were other circumstances or
other influences that just made it
impossible for us to figure that out
locally. There were others involved that
benefited from us not having access to
Campbellton and thus, their economies
were booming, and they didn’t want to
see that dry up. So obviously, there was
an interest in keeping that access denied.
On the flip side, we have Campbellton
and Atholville that are really feeling the
strain of not having
our dollars, our people
going and spending
money regularly. I
would say with that
wedge that was driven
in here, we’ve had to
rethink all of that and
how we approach it all. I think it’s made
us a little stronger, more aware of what
we can do as a community, what we
need to do going forward and I think
that’s been good for our planning. The
silver lining is that we know how strong
we are now. I think we have a little more
confidence in ourselves as a community.
L. W.: This situation has created
awareness about the need to diversify
and strengthen our economy.
S. D. G.: In the past, we may have looked
at business opportunities here but were
not sure. Now, the pandemic makes
some of them viable. Say, if you were a
dog groomer in Listuguj. In the past, you
would have been competing with dog
groomers in Campbellton. Now, that
competition has gone. That opportunity
is greater now. We have plenty of pet
owners, and we have a dog groomer
that went and got the training and is
back. That’s a tremendous opportunity
that may not have existed, if things had
remained the way they were. We look
at a grocery store in the community.
We have a community member that’s
taking on that responsibility. We’ve
had a tremendous push to expand our
Community Garden, bringing in a
greenhouse. We amended our Salmon
Fishing Management Plan last year to
allow our fishers to go one week earlier.
It’s about food security and we needed
to feed our people. That’s an important
adjustment we need to do internally. I
think it’s really forced us to re-evaluate
and prioritize our internal community
development.
L. W.: The number of Covid-19 cases
in Listuguj was worrisome at one point.
How did the LMG respond to keep it
down?
S. D. G.: We responded very well. First
off, assessing the situation, getting a
full understanding of what was going
on. Thankfully, it had been several
months since the beginning of the
pandemic. We had had an opportunity
to get used to certain things like coming
together, discussing, focusing on the
facts, not social media, because when
there was announcement that we had
confirmed cases, there was this giant
sort of groundswell of anxiety and
fear and rumor and gossip and finger
pointing. You could not let yourself get
blinded by that or consumed by that.
We had some good practices where the
Unified Command, us in Council, we
were able to get together very quickly
and say ‘Okay, what do we do?’ At that
time, no testing had been set up, people
had been isolating, contact tracing was
being done. Our health services were
in total collaboration and constant
communication with
CLSC Gaspésie, who
were coordinating
the testing. A testing
site was brought
into the CLSC in
Cross Point. There
were also calls with N. B. to help with
any contact tracing there. So, you had
health departments on both sides of the
bridge, coordinating with our health
department here.
We also had the Unified Command
meeting and coming up with
recommendations for how we should
approach this. Do we shut down the
offices for a few days or not? Do we
keep the schools closed? Or not? Do we
bring back the high school students or
the elementary students differently?
All of these considerations. All of these
recommendations, we were just familiar
with how to deal with them. And I think
that allowed us to make good decisions,
very timely decisions and impose – I
would say – that right level of restriction
that people felt safe, but not threatened
by the restrictions, or that they were
over and above what we should ask of
anyone.
L. W.: How did the community respond
when we had several cases?
S. D. G.: Everybody stepped up and did
what they had to do. What was great is
the people directly implicated or directly
affected by the situation did what they
needed to do. They stayed home, they
shared who they were in touch with,
they got tested. That contributed, I
“No one person can do
it alone. It took everyone
from the community to
keep each other safe.”
think, to everybody’s well-being, and
despite a high number of cases in a very
short time, it stopped there, because
everybody did what they needed to do
when they needed to do it.
I think as a community, we’ve
confirmed how interdependent we are.
No one person can do it alone. It took
everyone from the community to keep
each other safe. I
think this pandemic
has really emphasized
that we have that
responsibility to one
another.
L. W.: We had the chance to be among
the first communities to get the first
dose of the vaccine. Was everyone in the
community vaccinated?
S. D. G.: We had identified 1100 vaccines
for the community that were made
available. There were four clinical days
as part of the rollout by our health
team. They executed those four days
beautifully. It was such an amazing,
clean, efficient, structured process.
It was beautiful, a lot of great, great
feedback. In those days, they vaccinated
960 people in early February.
L. W.: It was moving to know that
people were praying for each other and
others going out and smudging the
community.
S. D. G.: You don’t realize how important
ceremony has been for us, how much
you miss it, until you’ve gone without
it. There was a smudging ceremony at
the Arbour coordinated by Councillor
Chad. Just that smudge, that prayer and
being together around ceremony just felt
really good. I think we just took that for
granted. Last year we had to give up a lot
of our annual celebrations, graduation,
our pow wow and other celebrations
that we’ve become accustomed to, but
we’ve still managed to do some of them,
respecting the health protocols.
Teri Lynn Wysote explaining to Lloyd Arsenault about the procedures for his vaccine.

10
Significance of the territory
Nm’tginen and our responsibilities
Our Aboriginal Title and inherent right to self-government is not a delegated right,
created by the Canadian Constitution. Our title to the land and our inherent right
to self-government comes from our relationship with Creation. The following
statements reflect the nation-to-nation relationship envisioned by the Mi’gmaq:
Listuguj Wi’gatign Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
New Agreement LMG – AV Cell Group
Migmewigtug na geggnu’tmulg
ta’n telia’sutman aq ta’n
tlnmites ta’n goqwei mu nemitmg,
st’ge gjijaqamij aq Gisu’lg. Na’te’l
wejigweg ta’n teliga’lugsi’gup Gisu’lg
elg ta’n teliango’tmn aq tetapua’tmg
ms’t goqwei. Iga’lulg ujgit qamutmn
ta’n telpma’timg. Na na’te’l wetaqiaqal
g’pnno’lewe’l aq saqamawuti’l.
Translated: The territory is integral to
the worldview of the Mi’gmaq; our
worldview is predicated on the idea
that the world is alive and by living
with the four elements of Creation:
land, water, air and sky, we the
Mi’gmaq of Gespe’gewa’gi accepted
our responsibilities to our territory
and with each other. From
these responsibilities, emerge
systems of governance that are
best understood through the
Mi’gmaq language, stories,
songs and traditions.
The foundation of Mi’gmaq
law, order and governance is
the territory. Our relationship
with the territory is
spiritually based, with all
things in a constant process
of balance, harmony and
flux. Governance is a lived,
continuous and everyday
way-of-life.
An Elder from Gesgapegiag
emphasized the importance of
taking care of the places from
which we get our sustenance.
For instance, when discussing the
pgumane’gati’l (the berry places),
which the Gesgapegiag territory is
known for, she said:
Gat amgwes ala, st’ge nige’ nujjaq ge’s
wele’geg na steti na nipugt musigte’g,
aq na ula pugsugu’tl na getantoqol
a’? Musigte’g na steti, egel telgi’g na
pilel, aq pugsugl ap gmetug elagutigl,
gat nige’mu nugu’ wen tela’tug na pa
nipugt, nige’.
Aq gaqigs’ga’s’g goqwei, gat amgwes,
o’ pana pgumann, gmu’jming, glitaq,
pana waju’aqap nipugt. Malipqwanjl, aq
ula telui’tmi’titl masgwe’simann, elpana
The Peace and Friendship Treaties
agreed to by our ancestors with
the British Crown affirm our right
to envisions how we, the Mi’gmaq of
Gespe’gewa’gi, live, use and occupy
our traditional territory. The Mi’gmaq
treaties are treaties of peace and
friendship and do not contain any
surrender of the Aboriginal Rights and
Aboriginal Title of the Mi’gmaq. These
treaties are considered inviolable by the
Mi’gmaq; the treaties have been upheld
by the Supreme Court of Canada.
temo’tuegl nipispaqann
pana telpitaqal
i’petateitu’tiegl.
Translated: In my
family, it was my father’s
responsibility to take care of
some of these berry
fields. When my father was
well, he would regularly clear
the woods, take all the wood
out, clear the whole field.
This clearing and trimming
was done to make sure that
the woods remained full of
strawberries, raspberries, hazel
nuts and masgwe’simann.
The Elder also gave other names
of individuals who also had “their
woods,” telling us that
our territory was shared; other
families in the community also had
responsibility for the maintenance
of the territory. She spoke about the
abundance of these berry places in
Gesgapegiag
Pgumane’gati, tet nnue’gatiqa? Ula
tet nipugtug, ula pa tet nupugtug,
o’pana tetuji pugwelg’p pguman. Pana
telpitaqsegl na, pana enmagsegi’gl na
nige’ ala’ telui’tm’g gisigu Lui Guntew
teluisipnaq ji’nmaq, “ugnipugtm”, lpa
pgumann waju’aqap, gmu’jming lpana
telpitaqsijig. Lpana ni’n, steti mewisi,
na tet pa etlgaqtepte’m gesigewei,
pasgoqsign na nipg na mewisi na
gmu’jming aq na nige’ na pgumann.
Pana tewjiglulg’pneg tet nipugtug
pgumann aq gmu’jming, aq glitaq.
Translated: There were
abundant berry fields here
in the woods. That high and
spread all over... over there
they called that old man Louis Condo’s
place, “his woods”, it was full of berries,
and raspberry bushes that high! I would
get all my berries for the winter, and
of course jam for the summer. I would
gather berries and cherries, they were
the finest here in these woods; berries,
raspberries and strawberries.
Furthermore, these Rights and Titles
are now protected by section 35 of the
Constitution, which reads in part: “The
existing aboriginal and treaty rights of
the aboriginal peoples of Canada are
hereby recognized and affirmed.” The
Mi’gmaq occupied Gespe’gewa’gi before
the assertion of sovereignty by the
British. We have continuously occupied
Gespe’gewa’gi since that time, and our
occupation has been exclusive of any
other Aboriginal nation.
Extracts from: The Nm’tginen: Me’mnaq ejiglignmu-etueg gis na naqtmueg, a
Statement of Claim to the Seventh District of the Mi’gmaq national territory of
Mi’gma’gi. Nm’tginen is a document wrote by the Mi’gmaq of Gespe’gewa’gi
(Listuguj, Gespeg and Gesgapegiag ) and submitted to governments by the
Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat in October 2007.
Lawrence Martin started his first year working as a janitor at AV Cell in Atholville.
When vestiges of the former Jagoe
Village were found at the AV Cell
mill area in Atholville, NB in the late
1980’s and early 1990’s, measures were
taken to protect them and bring them to
Listuguj in the late 1990’s. This included
arrowheads and pottery.
This created awareness of Mi’gmaq
historic presence on both sides of the
river and also developed a new economic
partnership with the Atholville Mill. This
cooperation was sealed with four service
agreements intended to create jobs for
Listugujewaq.
Wood chipper, woodyard, hog fuel, and
janitorial services are separate agreements
that, when combined, employ around 17
people. Janitorial services have been under
contract with LMG for 20 years, with the
last agreement negotiations happening
approximately 10 years ago. With
three full-time workers, two part-time
workers, and a 10-year old agreement,
this contract was operating in deficit over
the past several years. Adjustments were
required to bring the swelling costs in
line with the negotiated contract budget.
However, this left a degree of uncertainty
respecting the willingness of AVCell to
modify the agreement and increase the
compensation to the LMG accordingly.
The Atholville Mill operates 24 hours
per day, 7 days per week, all year-round.
LMG janitor salaries and benefits are paid
according to a scale salary which may be
adjusted annually. Such adjustments were
not generally followed by the Agreement
in the past. As a result, the deficit
regarding the janitor contract started to
increase. LMG asked AV Cell Group to
review the Agreement’s compensation
amount or there was a possibility that
the LMG negotiators would recommend
that the LMG not sign or renew the
janitor contract agreement. “We needed
to report the reality and put the facts in
front of AV Cell managers. It is “in the
spirit of collaboration” as they put it,
“that AV Cell accepts to sit with LMG and
review the whole service agreement and
share the operational concerns they had,”
said Tim Dedam.
In the spirit of collaboration
AVCell developed concerns throughout
several years and pointed out their
dissatisfaction about some janitorial
duties. For LMG’s part, they found
that the working hours and the lack
of personnel for the growing cleaning
tasks resulted in employees who were
overloaded and who couldn’t perform
correctly. In addition to that, while
employees were using their vacation time,
LMG needed to find replacements. “Most
times it was difficult to find replacement
workers and certain tasks were not being
performed,” relates Tim Dedam. “LMG
also had the issue of worker retention and
finding potential workers because of the
difficulty to attract Listuguj citizens to
work in Atholville, for which is necessary
that workers have transportation.”
“A lot of credit goes to collaboration
between the management team and the
janitors who agreed to raise the standards
of service. Working together to come
up with effective solutions to address
concerns of the AV Cell managers was key
to successful negotiations”, declared Vance
Brisk, LMG’s Director of Administration.
“AV Cell Group was receptive to our
issues and, as a result, we successfully
reviewed the agreement and signed a new
one which is more reflective of today’s
needs. For Listuguj, it is important to
create jobs for our people and while we
didn’t want to lose these jobs, we realized
we could not go on working in a deficit
situation,” noted Tim Dedam.
“The negotiations to come to a new
agreement stretched over four meetings
in one year. While this was mostly due to
the pandemic, the lengthy negotiations
allowed for readressing the concerns of
AV Cell. We both wanted this partnership
to continue” concludes Tim Dedam.
The new agreement was signed on March
5th, is effective since April 1st, 2021,
and spans over five years with annual
increases, unprecedently built into the
agreement.

Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
By Charlene Labillois
It was the spring of 2018 and the snow
was melting around Elder, Rene Martin’s
home on Dundee road in Listuguj. Rene’s
home is one of many homes in Listuguj
that experienced flooding due to the rising
water table, ground water saturation and
high tides.
Each spring, Rene’s house would
experience flooding. He installed a few
sump pumps to help keep the water out
of his home. However, that year the
sump pumps would be overwhelmed
with the amount of water flowing into his
basement.
“This time, the water just came up so fast.
My pumps were under the water and we
couldn’t do anything. We had about 10
inches of water,” recalls Rene.
The flooding resulted in over 80,000
dollars in damage to the home Rene built
for his family over 43 years ago. He feels
a great deal of pride in having built the
home for his family, without the help of
the band office. Throughout the years,
Rene had added two additional bedrooms
in the basement. Due to the flooding,
they were now ruined, along with the
furnace, deep freeze and many other
personal items.
The Listuguj Health Department,
partnered together with the
Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource
Council (GMRC), provided funding to
launch the Pemsa’se’wigisg’g project.
Pemsa’se’wigisg’g translates into “the
weather is changing,” and uses a twoeyed
seeing approach to combine western
Listuguj Wi’gatign
Climate Change: GMRC is using a two-eyed seeing approach
Caplin Road, near the Interprovincial Road, was regularly flooded over the years,
causing stress to several families. Some areas of Listuguj were built on a wetland.
science with Mi’gmaq knowledge to come
up with an adaptation plan. This project
identifies climate change as being a new
reality our community members are
facing and identifies adaptation measures.
“Our goal, through a two-eyed seeing
approach, is to provide the best knowledge
available that combines the strengths of
western science and Mi’gmaw ways of
knowing and being,” says John Murvin
Vicaire, Executive Director of GMRC.
Impacts of flooding
“The community is facing many
challenges with regards to flooding,”
explained GMRC Director of Research,
Dr. Carole-Anne Gillis. “Members
identified these floods as being very
problematic, causing stress, unsanitary
living conditions and displacement, thus
impacting the community as a whole.”
These are issues that really hit home for
Rene. He remembers a few months after
the flood. His family was displaced from
their home while repairs were being done.
Rene estimates it took them about seven
months to fix his home, which consisted
of raising his house, and repairing the
water damage to the basement. Rene’s
wife went to live with their daughter;
however, he made the decision to remain
at home.
“I wanted to work on my house at the
same time, and try and help them,” said
Rene. Rene’s decision to remain at home
would have some dire consequences
for his health. “Well, it was October and
getting cold. I didn’t have no heat, because
they had lifted up my house. I just had a
space heater for my bedroom, and that is
how I got sick.”
When Rene Martin’s house on Dundee road was lifted, he and his wife Joyce were
displaced for several months. There used to be a small lake near his house.
Rene’s wife and daughter convinced him
to go to the hospital in Campbellton, and
soon he was transferred to the hospital in
Bathurst. Rene was very sick, and almost
lost his life but thankfully has since
recovered.”.
Just behind Rene’s house is a wetland, and
there was a small lake behind his house.
He remembers that there used to be about
four or five streams in the community.
Throughout the Pemsa’se’wigisg’g
project, GMRC has conducted research
on the wetlands in Listuguj. They began
mapping out those historical streams and
looking at where the buildings are today
to see if they overlay.
Wetland areas
“We know there used to be a lot more
wetlands than we have today. We know
that part of the community was built on
unproductive swamplands,” said Carole-
Anne Gillis. “I think it is important to
talk about wetlands and how they buffer
floods. The more wetlands you have, the
less flooding you will have. They will
be able to store all that snowmelt water,
all the seawater, and they will be able to
buffer rain and high tides. If we keep
filling in all the time, well at some point
the water will have no place to go. So, if it
Extract from an interview with Saqamaw
Darcy Gray about Climate Changhe
How do we slow down climate change?
What can we do as a community?
What can we do as individuals? Just over
the last years, we’ve noticed that in the
spring, there’s a quick snow-melt, so the
water comes down really fast.
The water goes upriver and then it’s gone.
Then you see the river dry up very, very
quickly. In August, there are dry spots
where there used to be water. That didn’t
happen 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Now
we’re seeing very, very low levels of water,
changes in water temperature that affect
the salmon, their patterns in the estuary,
and the local environment. We’re very
concerned about that.
We’re concerned with the shoreline and
sea-level rise, and how that will affect
maybe some of the houses that are close
to the shoreline. We have a shoreline
restoration project that’s starting
through our fisheries department that
should help with some of the effects of
climate change.
We see an emphasis on recycling
11
has no way of draining and no sponges,
then there will be more flooding.” Climate
change projections show there will be an
increase in precipitation and rain during
winter months.
GMRC examined many angles to help
protect the community from climate
change. Modelling sea level rise was
conducted. “The shoreline is higher than
where the houses are and the highway is
higher,” explained Carole-Anne. “So, it’s
like a big bowl. When the rain comes, it
fills the bowl up and everything floods,
then it exits away. The flooding is caused,
at this time, by the rain and snow melt
then by sea level rise and high-water table.
There will be more flooding in the future
unfortunately.”
Carole-Anne says, “Climate change is at
play, but so is development. Let’s plan
around where the wetlands are and
then decide based on what nature tells
us where residential and commercial
areas should be based on the landscape.”
Adaptation plans can reduce the rising
cost of climate change. The 2018 flooding
costs of remediation and loss of personal
items costed the community between 4
and 6 million dollars.
Climate change: We need to respond
as a community and as individuals
The work on Caplin Road, part of multiple projects, is expected to resolve the
flooding problems in that area. The road will be paved before the summer.
programs, the importance of bringing
in composting and that’s where the
renewable energy conversations come
in. When we take our garbage away, we
pay per pound. So, if we can reduce how
much we put in the garbage in terms of
weight, food waste being some of the
heaviest, we can reduce the costs around
garbage. We can use that food waste to
turn it into compost and give it back to
the garden, which is a good thing.
How can we start with a small-scale solar
project, adding solar to a greenhouse?
A greenhouse is something that lowers
transportation costs, helps with food
security. We can grow a lot here in
the community and not have to truck
things in and out. Having solar capacity
increases that capacity to grow yearround.
In terms of climate change, we need
to talk more about that; to act as a
community and also as individuals. I
hope that we have, as a community, that
innate ingrained way of looking at the
world and saying we need to do our part
to protect the environment.”

12
Listuguj Wi’gatign Si’gowigu’s - March 2021
Winter memories
Winter is always eventful in Listuguj.
There were tasks to be done, classes to attend,
health walks, and more. We didn’t have much snow but
Lori “Pie” Gedeon was always ready to spend 2 to 3 hours
shoveling her yard while Roland Jacques and Vance Brisk
used their machines to deal with the snow.
There is a group, mostly ladies, snowshoeing the
Gespe’gewa’gi Trail. Mildred Metallic, Lisa Metallic,
Amy Chamberlin, Carole Pelletier, Sheila Swasson, and
Bear the mascot are the weekend regulars on the trail.
On the frozen river, while two ladies were attempting to
free their four-wheeler from the snow, Gerry Isaac and
Herbert Barnaby were catching dozens of pounds of
smelts. Not far from there, on Sundays, Lita and a group
of ladies will spend a few hours near the fire, playing
music, talking, and just enjoying the season.
The image of Derek Barnaby and students teaching and
learning, holding an Eagle feather, is very special. Sandy
Germain was shooting a recurve bow, the same style she
and her group are fabricating under the guidance of
bowmaker, Ronnie “Lexi” Martin.