Latest news with #Mi'kmawKina'matnewey
CBC
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Province to issue 215,000 farmers' market vouchers to students and newcomers
The provincial government is issuing hundreds of thousands of vouchers for farmers' markets as its Nova Scotia Loyal program continues to shift toward more of a promotional effort and away from the original plan of a rewards program. Growth and Development Minister Colton LeBlanc was at a school in Dartmouth on Wednesday to announce that the $10 vouchers, which started last year with a handful of schools, would be going out this month to students at all public schools, non-profit Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey and clients at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia. Post-secondary students across the province will also receive the vouchers in the fall. A total of 215,000 vouchers that can be used at any farmers' market in the province will be issued. "The vouchers are valid until the end of the year, so you can enjoy some early strawberries or wait until the end of fall for the fall harvest," LeBlanc told reporters. Increased desire to shop local The minister said the numbers show that Nova Scotia companies appreciate what the program is trying to do. In January, 120 businesses were registered with Nova Scotia Loyal. It's now more than 900 and LeBlanc said that's likely connected to an increasing buy-local movement at a time when U.S. tariffs are throwing uncertainty into the economy. "I think that has certainly drawn a line in the sand and really reignited for Nova Scotians their desire to support local. We want to make it easier for them and that's the intent of this program." The original intent of the program when Premier Tim Houston first discussed it during the 2021 provincial election, was for it to be a type of loyalty program. Shoppers who bought local products would receive points or credits that could be used toward provincial fees, such as vehicle registration. But that approach never came to fruition. Instead, the province gave Sobey's an untendered contract for almost $1 million to purchase Scene Points that shoppers could earn through buying Nova Scotia products. Air Miles rewards were also available through select purchases at the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. A shifting model More recently, however, the program has shifted to a promotional approach. Along with issuing the market vouchers, the province has started offering branding support for business operators who wish to participate in the Nova Scotia Loyal program and help their products stand out to shoppers. "It is looking at the opportunities Nova Scotia Loyal has given to different companies to open the door and get them on the store shelves that perhaps they would not have had otherwise," said LeBlanc. Last year, almost 21,400 vouchers were redeemed at markets across the province, with 38 per cent of users saying it was their first time visiting a farmers' market. "I think we'll see that number grow," said LeBlanc.
CBC
26-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Federal funding provides boost to Mi'kmaw language revitalization
Social Sharing The federal government is giving $7.1 million to a Mi'kmaw education organization in Nova Scotia to help revitalize the province's Indigenous language, and Mi'kmaw speakers say the money is badly needed. Blaire Gould, executive director of Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, said she can go almost anywhere in Eskasoni First Nation and not have to speak English, but that's not the case in smaller communities. "We have one speaker left in Annapolis Valley First Nation who is very elderly and we're not replacing those speakers for those communities who are in most dire need," she said Wednesday at her office in Membertou First Nation. "Younger populations [are] not speaking as well as they used to 20 years ago and then communities who are quite small [are] losing language speakers at a steady rate, which is very, very scary." Eskasoni is the largest Mi'kmaw community in Atlantic Canada and is home to the province's only Mi'kmaw language immersion school. In 2022, Mi'kmaw was enshrined in legislation as Nova Scotia's first language. A recent study by Statistics Canada found the number of Mi'kmaw speakers increased by nearly six per cent between 2016 and 2021, which Gould said might not represent an actual increase. It might simply reflect growing pride among those who are able to speak their ancestral language, she said. Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, who lives in Eskasoni, said while the immersion school is helping create new generations of Mi'kmaw speakers, it's difficult to inspire a lifelong love of using the language. "I don't hear it as much as I heard it when I was young," he said. "I grew up a fluent language speaker in my neighbourhood and everyone spoke the language. I'm seeing more and more now that people are not fluent." Battiste said even his son, who graduated from the immersion school, spoke English when hanging out with his friends. "I'd say, 'What are you doing? All of you guys are Mi'kmaw language speakers,' but he always said 'Well, I don't do math for fun either,' so he saw Mi'kmaw as a subject in school rather than part of his culture. "I think that's what we're trying to fight now is to show people that it's part of everyday life and not just a subject in school." Battiste said revitalizing the mother tongue is critical and it has to start with the youth. More needs to be done "Language is a big part of who we are," he said. "It gives us the ability to see the worldview from our ancestors." Gould said there have been language efforts and successes in Mi'kmaw communities across the province, but more needs to be done. She said the funding from Heritage Canada will help ensure programs are available for the next five years and much of it will be aimed at encouraging young people to speak Mi'kmaw.
CBC
22-02-2025
- General
- CBC
Midwinter gathering highlights authentic Mi'kmaw songs and dance
During the coldest month of winter, the Mi'kmaq honour Apuknajit, the February full moon, with a Midwinter feast and ceremony. At a recent Midwinter ceremony in Millbrook First Nation, about 80 kilometres north of Halifax, Michael R Denny debuted three new ko'jua songs to add to his personal repertoire of the traditional Mi'kmaw song genre. "I want to make sure that those songs are handed down in my family just the way it was done before," said Denny, who is from Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton Island. Midwinter ceremony and celebrations are something that Denny, who helped to organize the event, holds near to his heart. "It has always been an important gathering for my people to celebrate that winter spirit Apuknajit," he said. Historically the harshest month for hunting and survival, it was a time when Mi'kmaq left food offerings for the spirit of Apuknajit, to appease him in order to make it through the remainder of winter with plentiful food and favourable weather. The Midwinter celebration is built around this offering by involving community with time to gather, share a feast, reflect on the challenges of winter and celebrate their continued tenacity. Denny organized the event through his work with Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, a Mi'kmaw educational authority in Nova Scotia. This year's event reflected traditional midwinter activities, featuring dice games, wapnaqn and waltes, a pipe ceremony, community feast, and ending with a ko'jua tournament that went on till nearly 11 p.m. The emphasis on ko'jua, a traditional Mi'kmaw dance accompanied by songs played on a ji'kmaqn, or split ash instrument, is important for Denny, who feels a responsibility to maintain this practice at the gatherings he organizes. "Everybody practiced [ko'jua] from Gespe'gewa'gik (Quebec and northern New Brunswick) all the way to Unama'kik (Cape Breton), and everywhere in between," he said. Denny said an important part of keeping the ancient songs alive is recognizing their origins and remembering the people who carried them. "If you don't have the story that goes along with it, you're only singing half the story and you're only honouring half that story," he said. Evan Googoo, a ko'jua singer and dancer from Wagmatcook First Nation, both shared songs and won the adult men's ko'jua dance competition. "Ko'jua, for me, it's just a way of connecting to our people, our ancestors. When I dance, I picture my grandfather there dancing with me," said Googoo. "It's not just a dance. It's a symbol of our resilience as Mi'kmaw people." He said it brings him pride to see his kids and family dancing. Googoo's daughter Karala Googoo, 15, said she looks forward to midwinter for the opportunity to dance. "I love to dance, it's one of my favorite things," she said. "I dance women's traditional also, but I most enjoy doing ko'jua." The family walked away with two victories, with Karala placing second in the women's ko'jua competition. She is passionate about sharing the dance and along with her father has begun teaching it through workshops and lessons across the country.
