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Winnipeg Free Press
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Face to face in our often contentious historical space
Opinion The two men trapped in the elevator were sure to come to blows. That much seemed clear from the first adversarial undertones of their conversation before the stall. One, a young Indigenous man, gregarious and educated. The other, a white lawyer, in a hurry for a meeting. Both on their way to the top floor, both stalled on their journey and brought face to face with their own discomforting assumptions and histories. This is the setting for David MacLeod's Elevate: Manaaji'idiwin, on the mainstage for another week at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Peppered with local references from Children of the Earth High School to Ray 'Coco' Stevenson's Pow Wow Club, the conversations and place names are unabashedly niche: the Winnipeg we inhabit is also frequented by the characters in the elevator. This familiar landscape cultivates intimacy with the audience, trapped, as we are, in the same suspended time and space as the characters. Like Jonesie, the white lawyer who cannot, despite his efforts, silence his young and verbose travelling partner Tallahassee, the audience is brought into this difficult space of Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations, and is along for the ride, for as long as it takes, until the doors open again. This very local play is a product of RMTC's own Indigenous playwriting circle, Pimootayowin, which works to create and develop new plays written by Manitoba-based Indigenous playwrights. It's an endeavour that comes under fire in the themes of Elevate: Manaaji'idiwin itself: why devote resources to Indigenous stories in particular? What makes them so 'special?' I suppose the answer to this is part of the same reason the Jets' NHL playoff towels were sourced from Dreamcatcher Promotions, an Indigenous-owned business. And it's partly the reason for the Indigenous stoles worn by graduates at our universities and colleges. It's why True North Real Estate Development partnered with the Southern Chiefs' Organization to breathe new life into the former Bay building downtown. It's placing Indigenous success at centre stage of what we do in Winnipeg, what we celebrate and how. In other words, it's a way to get us into the elevator together, to confront and challenge some of the assumptions we may make about one another, and to make sure Indigenous folks not only have a voice, but an audience. It's tricky, but fitting, in the homeland of the Métis, the middle of the country, a place of mixing and remixing ideas and ideologies, that there would be some friction in the necessary shoulder-rubbing we must do to find harmony with one another. I walk the line between these Indigenous and non-Indigenous identities. This friction, the drawing of a bow on a string, resonates in me too. I'm a Red River Métis citizen, but of a rather pale variety, and once had an enlightening and impassioned phone chat with a Free Press reader, who asked me just who do I mean when I write the word 'we.' Do I mean 'we' Métis people? 'We' Indigenous people? 'We' Winnipeggers? The reader, Indigenous herself, wanted me to commit, to write from a Métis viewpoint, to write on Indigenous issues from an Indigenous perspective. I told her I'd have to think about that, and about how freely I toss around this word 'we.' Because like in McLeod's work, 'we' does shift, does change depending on what we're doing, where we're going, what we're hoping could happen. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The truth is I am Métis, and I am also a Winnipegger. I feel at home claiming membership in both communities, and maybe it doesn't matter, in the moment, who 'we' is when I write it on the page. 'We' is just whoever's in the elevator at that moment. And how fortunate is it, that we might be crammed into a theatre, a hockey rink or an elevator with someone we don't recognize as ourselves until we've been there for a while. How we can shift our 'we' because we belong to more than a single identity. How fortunate to live in a place and among people who understand what it is to celebrate one another, to preserve space for creativity, art and enterprise. And not just in self-started playwright circles, but on the mainstage, in the NHL playoffs, and in those passing places like street corners and elevators that bring us to common futures we didn't know were waiting for us. Rebecca Chambers Rebecca explores what it means to be a Winnipegger by layering experiences and reactions to current events upon our unique and sometimes contentious history and culture. Her column appears alternating Saturdays. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Donkin coal mine will likely restart production when world prices rise, says U.S. analyst
A U.S.-based analyst says he believes the undersea coal mine in Donkin, N.S., will reopen someday. Joe Aldina, who writes for said the Cline Group, whose company Kameron Coal owns the Donkin mine, has made significant investments there that it will likely want to recover. "They've invested a few hundred million dollars US in [capital expenditures] in that mine and that was the last project that Chris Cline, the founder of the company, really put himself into, so I don't see them walking away from that," he said. "Donkin has some issues with roof control problems. It's a little higher-cost if you look at the global market, but I think the Cline Group's committed." The mine shut down following a significant roof fall in July 2023 and was cleared by the Labour Department to restart production last March after more safety features were installed and its safety plans were reviewed by independent engineers. But the mine still has not reopened. It is surrounded by shale and has a history of roof falls. Production has been halted a number of times because of that, but no one has been injured. David MacLeod worked underground at the Donkin coal mine and says he'd go back to work if production restarted. He says that would be good for local workers and the provincial economy. (Kyle Moore/CBC) David MacLeod cut coal in the mine and said he can't wait until it's back in operation. He blames provincial regulations and politicians for the lengthy shutdown. "I really believe Tim Houston should call the Cline Group and say, 'We've got to have a meeting,' because they're pushing to have natural resources in Nova Scotia to be self-sufficient. Here's one here, all ready to go." MacLeod said many of his fellow employees are now working in other mines out west. "It's a win-win situation for the province to have that mine running. All the tax money, everybody can sleep at home in their own bed and not go to Alberta and miss their family growing up." Joe Aldina, who writes for says the world price for coal is lower than it has been and that's likely why the owners are keeping the Donkin mine in an idled state. (Zoom/CBC) Aldina said even though governments are slowly turning away from burning coal for power, there is still a market for the commodity. He said metallurgical coal for making steel is not in strong demand, but artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are driving increases in power generation and that means thermal coal is still needed. Donkin has soft metallurgical coal and some thermal coal, but because it's dug from tunnels under the ocean, it's more costly, Aldina said. He also said the world price is lower than it has been and that's likely what's keeping the Donkin mine from reopening right now. "This mine was really doing well when the price of coal was high in Europe and it has a short shipping distance to Europe, so that was beneficial, but now with the price down around $110 per metric tonne in Europe, it's probably difficult for this mine to get the margins they want to get, or really any healthy margin at all," Aldina said. "I think it's probably more price right now than it is geology or operating conditions." Likely no buyers: analyst Aldina also said the U.S. has large stockpiles of coal, which is one factor that's helping keep the price low. It's not likely the mine is being kept ready for a potential buyer, he said. "There are very few buyers out there right now," Aldina said. "Maybe there's some consolidation and someone picks up this mine, but it's hard to think of exactly who the buyer would be right now." Kameron Coal has been hauling and selling product from its above-ground stockpile, which could be seen from the Donkin coastline in the summer of 2024. (Tom Ayers/CBC) Kameron Coal has occasionally been hauling coal from its own above-ground stockpile at the mine. Morien Resources, a publicly traded company that gets a two per cent royalty on Donkin coal sales, reported receiving $82,000 in royalties in the first nine months of 2024, which means the mine owner sold roughly $4 million worth of coal in that period. Kameron Coal did not respond to requests for comment. MORE TOP STORIES
