micmacs of gesgapegiag
TRANSCRIPT
MICMACS OF
GESGAPEGIAG Newsletter for the First Nation Micmac Community
October 2017
Inside this Issue Administration/Policing 1
Economic Development 2-4
Education 5-7
Health 8-13
Norma Condo represents
Mi’gmaq Nation 14
Greatest Wealth is Health 15&16
Credits 17
Community Calendar 18
Micmacs of Gesgapegiag Micmacs of Gesgapegiag [email protected] www.gesgapegiag.ca
Teamwork makes the dream work!
By: Melissa Bryan
On September 21st and 22nd 2017, Chief and Council along
with the management team, Strategic Planning Advisory Com-
mittee, and post-secondary student Erika Marchand Gedeon
launched a Strategic Planning retreat in Beresford, NB. The
purpose of hosting this session a short distance away from
home was so that individuals gave their full and undivided at-
tention to focus on the Strategic Planning activities. For 2 days, consultant Rodney Nelson guided the group,
and everyone worked together in analyzing community input that had been gathered over the past couple of
months through surveys and engagement sessions. They took the in-
formation and used it to help identify the priorities that Chief and
Council will support for the next 5 years. It also gave the group an op-
portunity to discuss the development of community values statements,
a mission statement, and a vision statement which will all serve as the
foundation for the road map for Gesgapegiag. At times, the entire
group was broken into smaller groups to formulate their own vision,
mission, and value statements which later on was discussed and the
group as a whole found ways to merge each others ideas together to
form one. The collaborating efforts of the different departments and Chief
and Council will only strengthen the direction that Gesgapegiag is going in.
The strategic plan is to be approved by Chief and Council by the end of November 2017 and will be implement-
ed starting 2018.
Consultant Rodney Nelson leading the group
through a priority exercise
Some ideas that were shared during an
exercise to identify priorities
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Congrats Gesgapegiag Police Department on your new wheels!
2018 Ford Expedition
Gesgapegiag Lobster Hut to expand and triple
in size!
By: Melissa Bryan
In 2015, a 5-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan was created following the expressed need of Economic Development growth by community members in Gesgapegiag. The First Nation of Gesgapegiag provided input in this plan to set the direction for the Economic Development Depart-ment. The third priority in their strategic plan is to focus on industry opportunities in fisheries, tour-ism, and real estate development. The Gesgapegiag continues to move in the right direction so it only made sense for the expansion to mirror the growth within the community. Chief Rod Larocque was accompanied with Fredric Dubois (President of MAMU Construction Inc.), Angel Ward (Micmacs of Gesgapegiag Economic Development Director), Lina Condo (Ulnooweg Business Development Team), Fred Vicaire (Gesgapegiag Director General), and Allison Metallic (Consultant) on August 31st to kick off the beginning of the ex-pansion project. Federal and provincial government is funding approximately 50% of this project. The Lobster Hut is also expanding its fisheries sector into other seafood species including the Sea Cucumber which Gesgapegiag just recently received a licence for this past summer of 2017. Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. Also, the collaboration with Salawag products will continue. Salaweg is an initiative of the Mi'gmaq Maliseet Aboriginal Fisheries Management Association (MMAFMA). The MMAFMA aims to promote the sustainable management and conservation of aquatic and oceanic ecosystems on the territories and activity zones of the Mi'gmaqs of Gesgapegiag, the Mi'gmaqs of Gespeg, and the Maliseets of Viger, while promoting their interests and participation in co-management processes. With the Lobster Hut tripling in size, this also means an immense growth of the number of employees. Employment will double from 5 employees to 10! Gesgapegiag will continue to utilize their 5-Year Strategic Plan as guidance in the path they have taken.
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WEDNESDAY MEALS AT THE ELDER’S LODGE HAS BEGUN!
By: Philomena Martin Just to let you know that the meals on Wednesday’s will be resuming on Wednesday September 13th, 2017. The main purpose for this program is to have you come in and enjoy a meal with friends, fam-ily. Maybe you haven’t seen each other for a long time. Everyone is busy during the summer holidays and everyone has their own little agen-da. There are great times and great laughs at the Elder’s Lodge on Wednesdays. It’s always nice to see you all get together and spend some time with each other. We’re a very small community but it seems that we’ve drifted apart. We don’t spend as much time as we used to in the past. Some of our families don’t even see each other anymore. Life is too short, we should make it a point to acknowledge the beauty of our family members, friends. We need to get connected again like the old days. I remember back in the day when my grandmother would teach us to make a meal that would feed whom ever that came through our door. This is what and who we are as members of this community. So please come in and join us every Wednesday. Come share your stories, and come reconnect with old friends and family. Delivery will only be available for those that are not able to make it to the Elder’s lodge. For those of you that want a meal but do not wish to or have the time to come join us, you can come pick it up or have someone pick it up for you. In the hopes to see you on Wednesday, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a great fall and winter, stay safe. Wela’lin
MAWIOMI TREATMENT CENTER
WEEKLY NA (Narcotics Anonymous)
MEETINGS
Every Tuesday @ 7:00pm
Everyone is welcome! 8
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Norma Condo serves as Ambassador for the Mi'gmaq Nation in “Le Rencontre
des Grand Chefs”
By: Melissa Bryan
Norma Condo has always shown interest in cooking. Her grandmother who used to cook everyday first influenced her. It was a tradition in their home to feed anyone and everyone who walked through the door if there was food on the table. Any chance Norma had access to a stove she was right there whipping up something delicious.
Recently, Norma was chosen to represent the Mi’gmaq Nation in “LE RENCONTRE DES GRANDS CHEFS”, event that took place on September 2nd and 3rd 2017 in Quebec City at Le Chanteau Frontenac. It was also Aboriginal Tourism week, which made it the perfect opportunity for people to see the ingredients and dishes behind each Nation. There were 11 grand chefs from all over Canada to represent the 11 Nations. For 2 months, Norma worked along side Chef Marie Chantale Lepage to prepare for the “Rencontre de Grand Chefs. The grand chefs worked closely along side an Indigenous ambassador from each Nation to pre-pare a dish with ingredients that represented their culture and traditional food. Grand Chef Marie Chantale Lepage asked Nor-ma for her input on a dish. Norma recommended an herb oil smoked salmon mixed with moose cream and Salaweg relish topped off with dried peas and popcorn. After going back and forth communicating by phone, they perfected the dish that would be prepared for the event. Grand Chef Marie was blown away with the idea of the dish. At the event, the dish was a hit and enjoyed by all. “Most individuals attending the event were not knowledgeable about Gesgapegiag and the location. I was talking non stop all day, but I enjoyed every minute of it, I get goosebumps every time I talk about it, even several weeks lat-er” stated Norma Condo.
This is only the beginning for Norma. In the past, she has worked alongside 8 other chefs in serving over 500 people in a charity event right before last Christmas. Cooking is her passion. She will continue going to culinary school to strengthen her culinary knowledge to advance her to even greater opportunities. “It is never too late to go for what you want”, stated Norma. She hopes to one day be able to come back to the community with her advanced culinary skills and share them with youth, families, and elders. She wants to show her kids that anything is pos-sible, to look up to her, and to have them follow their dreams.
Herb oil smoked salmon mixed with moose cream and
Salaweg relish topped off with dried peas and pop corn.
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The Greatest Wealth is Health
Interviewed by: Melissa Bryan
Christine Berube-Martin of Gesgapegiag did
not always have the best habits. In 2011 she
started a transformation that would benefit
her not just for the moment but for the rest of
her life. Her life changes made her capable of
attending challenging and enduring events
such the Raid international Gaspésie. This
race took place from September 7th to the 10th
in the Gaspésie and involved several different
obstacles all while hiking, kayaking, and run-
ning covering a distance of 150km.
Bring able to participate in events like the
Raid International Gaspésie is not easy. It
takes continuous training, healthy habits, self-
control, and discipline. This did not come easy
for Christine. There was once upon a time that
she drank alcohol regularly and smoked a pack
of cigarettes a day from age 18-23 years old.
She knew in order for her to lead a healthy
lifestyle the cigarettes had to go immediately.
She quit cold turkey and never touched anoth-
er cigarette after that. She realized that her in-
tense social lifestyle of partying and drinking
would not get her to where she wanted to go.
So she changed that too.
Christine started off with a boot camp class
during the first year of her transition into a
healthy lifestyle. That is where she saw poten-
tial in herself. She dropped the unhealthy hab-
its and started picking up healthier ones. Dur-
ing her second year she enrolled in her first
half marathon. “I went from being an intense
negative person to an intense positive person,”
stated Christine. With all of these changes, she
began noticing the amount of energy
she had. She no longer had that dread-
ful low energy. Instead, her energy was con-
sistent.
During the off-season she is still incredibly ac-
tive. She continues to do activities that get her
moving in her everyday life. The days that she
doesn’t work out, she will still go for a walk to
get her heart pumping and legs moving. “I
hope at 45 & 55 years old I am still running.
You see people doing it all the time. I am doing
this for myself, but also to encourage others to
help them get through the same endeavors
that I had,” said Christine excitedly.
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Christine mentioned that liv-
ing a better and healthier life-
style does not always have to
be about sports and athletics.
It could also mean making
healthier habits overall that
make you happy. Christine
said, “It could be anything
from writing, drawing, singing,
or even dancing. If it makes
you happy, run with it and
don’t stop”
A few days before the Raid International Gaspésie she participated as a volunteer to help youth in a version of the Raid but at a much smaller scale. This Raid for the youth covered 15-20km, which Christine mentored and motivated them while following a map and show-ing them the checkpoints of the race. One of the youths that attended was also from Gesgapegiag named Shyleigh Larocque. Christine hopes to contin-ue inspiring others and especially the youth. Christine says, “You are the center of your happiness. Believe that even if there are hard times, you can break through.”
By: Shyleigh Larocque Age 16
It was the first time that I participated in the raid and I am quite glad I did. It was a fun experi-ence but it was also tough. We biked, ran, canoed and hiked . It was roughly 15-20 km and throughout the course we had to follow hints that were given to us and follow a map to find the checkpoints. I happened to be the only girl and graduating student from NRHS to participate this year. I did not mind because I was there to represent my school and my community of Gesgapegiag. During the event, everyone was so positive and encouraging it made me feel less self conscious since it was my first time. For an example: whenever I took breaks, the people that passed by asked if I was okay and encouraged me to go forward. It was a positive and fun experience entirely
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Bianca Martin, Kateri Martin, Courtney Jerome, Philomena Martin, Louise
Cyr, Mitch Syvret-Caplin, Pamela Boisvert, Melissa Bryan, Shyleigh Larocque
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melissa Bryan, Jennifer Gedeon, Raid International Gaspesie
PHOTOGRAPHS
Melissa Bryan
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Fred Vicaire
EDITOR
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