Latest news with #Eskasoni
Hamilton Spectator
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Chief Leroy Denny given four more years to lead Eskasoni
A jubilant Chief Leroy Denny live-streamed a message to his community Tuesday night after learning he had won yet another election and will lead the Eskasoni First Nation for another four years. He already has 15 years of leadership under his belt with the largest Mi'kmaq community in the world. Speaking in Mi'kmaq and English, the first thing the chief did was express gratitude to those who helped him come through a contentious election in which he was up against six other candidates. And the second thing he did was express respect to all the candidates who put their names forward to run. 'We heard your issues,' he said. 'Let's get on with the work. Let's focus on healing.' During the election, the candidates were respectful of each other, but people in the community took to social media to throw out unfounded accusations of everything from fraud, to greed and nepotism, to improprieties of all kinds. But at the end of counting day Tuesday, Chief Denny won the most votes with 1,148 cast for him. The vote counts were unofficial as of deadline time. And just as the returning chief was gracious in victory, other candidates for chief were gracious in their unsuccessful attempts. Candidate Darlene Marshall wrote on social media that she wanted to thank the community for the honour of candidacy for chief this term. 'Regardless of who is elected, want to express my optimism that our community will continue throughout this upcoming term to be respected with transparency and accountability by our leadership. Our community should be a reflection of community members and governed for us by us,' she said. Fellow candidate, Alyssia Jeddore was equally gracious in her response to Denny's win. 'I am so grateful to the 693 people who believed in me! This was such an eye-opening experience – hearing all the things our community wants and needs. I am truly humbled by it,' she said. 'I was so happy to show what a community approach to campaigning looked like, and it took off like wildfire. One of my goals was to unite the community which I saw happen with all the positive events that took place. 'I truly love our community and our people. All I ever wanted for our community was to strengthen what exists currently. I want to congratulate the elected Chief Denny and Council. Let's go!' For his part, Chief Denny summed up what most of the candidates said in their approach to voters: 'We all love Eskasoni.' NEW COUNCILLORS The youngest candidate for band council, Cole Stevens, 21, and a local sports star, garnered 423 votes in his first try at politics. Twelve councillors were elected out of a field of 61 running. Only two, Kateri Stevens and Jerod Francis are new to council: (unofficial counts) ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
Hamilton Spectator
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Meet the seven candidates in the race for chief of Eskasoni First Nation
Seven candidates are running for Chief of Eskasoni First Nation, the largest Mi'kmaq First Nations community in the world. Three women and four men are going door-to-door and hosting meet and greet events leading up to the May 26 election. Seven candidates are running for Chief of Eskasoni First Nation, the largest Mi'kmaq First Nations Band in the world. Three women and four men are going door-to-door and hosting meet-and-greet events leading up to the May 26 election. CHIEF LEROY DENNY Leroy Denny was first elected chief in 2010. He garnered twice the votes of his nearest opponent in the last election in 2021 which was held up for ten months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his last term – the first four-year term in the band's history – Denny concentrated on housing and employment and took on some contentious work around the ongoing battle between First Nations and the federal government over fishing rights. He is running based on his record over the last 15 years of serving the needs of the largest Mi'kmaq community in the world with 4,750 band members. Last November, Denny was elected by the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs as its new co-chair to represent all the Unama'ki (Cape Breton) communities. He also holds the chair positions for the boards of Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey (education initiative), Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselling Association, and the Health Partnership. He is a graduate of Cape Breton University and a strong proponent of education in his community. He is an advocate for the Mi'kmaw language and supports youth endeavours in his community. ALYSSIA JEDDORE A mother of four daughters, Alyssia Jeddore holds three degrees: bachelor of science; bachelor of arts; and bachelor of education, and considers herself a lifelong learner. Other education includes a designation in Certified Aboriginal Professional Administration. Her focus in this election is both uniting and empowering her community. Presently working as Eskasoni's Business Development Manager, Jeddore wants to: 'invest in education, healing, jobs and opportunities for all.' Jeddore is calling for more transparency and accountable governance. She would like to ensure that meeting minutes are accessible to the public; local governance has an open door policy; and improved communications among band members and departments so that all – even those not on social media – can be kept informed. Her platform stresses the importance of strengthening Eskasoni's future through education and developing skills and better opportunities in trades and professional development. Jeddore wants to work to protect the Mi'kmaq language and cultural teachings. A major part of her platform calls for looking for economic and business opportunities that serve to promote self-determination with the hope of implementing Treaty Rights without outside interference. TUMA CHRISTMAS Thomas Stephen (Tuma) Christmas is running on a platform of more open transparency about the workings of the band council and chief. He is disappointed with what he sees as 'secrecy' within the administration and people working for themselves and not the community as a whole. The signs supporting Christmas all have the slogan: 'For greater transparency and accountability' written underneath his name. Christmas wants to strengthen property rights, and allocate more band funds towards home renovations and home building, education, health care, policing, and community infrastructure. If elected, he says he will raise wages and provide financial support to people wanting to succeed. At the same time, if elected, Christmas pledges to 'conduct an internal investigation into fraud in healthcare, pandemic spending, water/sewer investments, fisheries, RCMP and any other departments linked to the administration.' DARLENE MARSHALL For 38 years, Darlene Marshall worked for the Eskasoni Band Council and has worked alongside five chiefs. She recently retired and is running for the position of chief herself. Marshall is a member of the First Nations Housing Professional Association. 'I have worked at the senior level of the administration within the Eskasoni Band, tirelessly advocating for families to ensure their needs are met with urgency and care. I gained a comprehensive understanding of our internal governance process, systems, operations, capacity and external governance processes. Most importantly, I learned the unique needs of our people and pursued a broad spectrum of relevant training and education to ensure I am equipped to meet the evolving needs of our community,' she said shortly after her nomination. Marshall's approach to voters is that she has had the privilege of representing the Mi'kmaw Nation at the local, regional and national levels as an expert in housing and emergency management. She served on numerous committees providing strategic guidance to drive meaningful change, contributing to improvements in national policy, funding structures, and better Indigenous relations with the federal government. INKIN NELSON YOUNG Inkin Young is a prevention counsellor with the Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselling Association. He does not have a presence on social media and is hoping his knowledge of his community and knowledge of them will serve him well in the election. JONATHAN LINDSAY PAUL On Facebook, Johnathan Lindsay Paul – known as 'Billy Goat' – says his plan is to create a border pass at the entrance to Cape Breton and people must show their status card to enter for free. He proposes a $2 fee to come into Eskasoni, suggesting this will create a few jobs with the profit going to paving new and old roads throughout the community. In a social media post, he is also calling for ID card license plates which are monitored for their 'comings and goings' in and out of Eskasoni. Paul's reasoning is that it will make a safer community for the children. If Paul wins the election as chief, he wants to have only band members working on the band council. He is a local Facebook video personality who documents cars and his trips around the country. A seventh candidate, Samantha Doucette, could not be reached.
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
After a suicide, running helped a Framingham mother and son cope. This will be their first Boston Marathon together.
Each stride helps him find a balance between grief and solace, between the trauma he's endured and the freedom that running offers. Ben's mother, Lisa Burgess, a veteran marathoner, 'As I started to focus specifically on running,' Ben said, 'that was my channel for agency and having control over my life, given what was around was unstable.' A family photo shows Eric Burgess (second from left) with his children (left to right) Abby, Sam, and Ben. Ben and his mother Lisa are running the Boston Marathon after years of running to help process the grief of Eric's suicide in 2016. Courtesy of Burgess Family Advertisement Eric Burgess was known for his beaming smile that often shone on Ben during basketball, football, and baseball games. Alcoholism turned Eric into a different person after he separated from Lisa in 2009, the family said, but he saw his kids when he could, especially at sporting events. His suicide in July 2016 came as a shock. Since then, grief has propelled Ben and Lisa, who say they love being able to train on the Boston Marathon route year-round, surrounded by a support network of people who have also lost family members. 'You get a runner's high, and it just makes you feel better,' said Lisa, 55. 'It means you have wings, you could run forever, you feel like it's effortless.' Advertisement Lisa Burgess trains for the Boston Marathon in Framingham. Burgess has spent years running to help process the grief of her ex-husband Eric's death to suicide in 2016. This year's Boston Marathon will be her seventh time competing in Boston. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff This will be Lisa's 13th marathon. It's her seventh time running Boston and the second time she's 'Grief doesn't discriminate and so we never want financial barriers to get in the way of people accessing services,' Kennedy Panto said. Son speaks out about mental health, family trauma Ben Burgess isn't just training to run the Boston Marathon. He's aiming to crack the top 100 runners, with a time under 2 hours and 30 minutes, he said. He recently finished 'I couldn't be more proud of him, to see him persevere given the personal challenges he's had,' his mom said. This month's marathon also marks two years since the 24-year-old was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A breakdown in April 2023 left him irritable and angry, and he landed in a hospital just a month before he was set to graduate from UMass Amherst. Burgess and his mom see his bipolar diagnosis as connected to his father's mental health struggles. The family also believes the suffering goes back a generation further: Eric was half Native American, raised by a First Nation Eskasoni mother who had been forced into an Advertisement 'There is genetic disposition,' said Ben, who will join his sister Abby Burgess on a After his mental health crisis, Burgess had to figure out which medications would relieve his symptoms, and for a time, he had to sacrifice his athletic training. But the road back has led him to the Boston Marathon. 'You can still reach high levels of achievement given the circumstances,' he said. Ben Burgess, 24, trains for the Boston Marathon in Framingham. His goal is to finish among the top 100 runners. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Running for Eric's memory Lisa and Eric Burgess met on AOL when she was 28 years old, working for a New York City law firm, and he was 31. They realized they were both from Framingham and knew a lot of the same people. Soon, they married. 'I wanted to move home so we could start our lives together, and he picked me up from New York to move me out of my apartment with an engagement ring,' she said. In Massachusetts, the couple and their four children were happy together, taking their German Shepherds to Callahan State Park and trick-or-treating in Framingham. Though the couple divorced in 2010, Lisa hoped that Eric would stop drinking and seek mental health treatment so she could have him back. 'For all the years that we weren't together, I hoped in my deepest hopes that we would get back together again,' she said. Lisa Burgess shows off her medals from various world major marathons that she's run, including London and Berlin. She says the Boston Marathon is her favorite. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff her loss, she said. 'It's such a resource for me, I want to give back every chance I can,' Lisa said. 'This is the club that none of us wanted to be a part of, but we're really glad we have each other.' Advertisement She'll wear bib number 25091 this year as she follows her son, who will start running hours before her in the second corral of Wave 1, wearing bib number 1650. The staggered start means Ben will be able to cross the finish line with plenty of time to go cheer for his mom along Beacon Street in Brookline, she said. She thinks Eric will be watching, too. 'Sometimes I imagine that he actually is looking down and beaming with pride,' she said. 'He would exude pride for what his kids are doing.' If you or someone you know is considering suicide or struggling with mental health issues, help is available. The national suicide and crisis lifeline in the US is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at and . Additionally, Samaritans has . Claire Thornton can be reached at
