Latest news with #NorwayHouseCreeNation
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
For David A. Robertson, stories are at the heart of reconciliation
Social Sharing Through his books and public speaking, David A. Robertson has dedicated his career to sharing stories about Indigenous people. Robertson began publishing books in 2010 and has since released 33 titles, including picture books, graphic novels, fiction and memoir. With each of his stories, the Winnipeg author delves into hard truths, always with a gentle touch and a profound sense of hope. His recent book, 52 Ways to Reconcile, is a guide for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who want to take action when it comes to reconciliation — and shows how we can work together on the long road ahead. "I really do think it's a community movement and it's not good enough for one [group] to understand the other," he said on Bookends with Mattea Roach. "It's for us to do the work to talk with each other. I can't stress that enough." A two-time Governor General's Literary Award winner and a member of the Norway House Cree Nation, Robertson shared his approach to building community between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people — and why the term "reconciliation" might not be the right word for it. Mattea Roach: I think reconciliation entered the vocabulary for a lot of people when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established back in 2008. But that wasn't the first time the word reconciliation was used to talk about Indigenous peoples and their relationship with Canada. What does the word reconciliation mean to you? David A. Robertson: I've been lucky enough to go to schools across Canada to speak to kids, teachers and adults all over the place. As I've done this work, I've come to a better understanding of what we're trying to do. I do think that reconciliation, in the broad sense that people think about it, is a misnomer because we're not trying to return to anything. We're not trying to fix something that was not broken before. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canada has always been broken. So it's not exactly the right word, I don't think. I used it, but I just want people to think critically about everything — so we think critically about this word. What we're trying to do, it's building relationships, it's building community. It's doing that through mutual understanding and respect. What we're trying to do, it's building relationships, it's building community. It's doing that through mutual understanding and respect. - David A. Robertson So we're not trying to build or return to anything. We're trying to build something for the first time. If we keep that in mind, I don't care what you call it, as long as we're doing things properly and with the right kind of vision. I think that conversation hopefully focuses that vision onto the right kind of goals we need to have. You've said that you see reconciliation as a verb. Can you talk more about that concept? It is an action, it is intentionality. We need to continue to think about the actions that we can take in our own capacities and have a long-term view and know that we need to continue to act into the future. My dad used to say that — I'll probably mention my dad every single answer I give — if he did things the right way, he won't see the results of the actions that he's taken in his lifetime. I was given this amazing reminder of that when, after he died, I was giving a personal development session to Indigenous teachers at the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. My dad worked in Indigenous education and after the session, the teachers came up to me and told me that a lot of them were there because of my dad. I saw what he meant there and I wish he was there to see that, but he knew he didn't have to be, he wouldn't be. We have a long road to go and a lot of actions need to be taken and will need to be taken for the foreseeable future. - David A. Robertson It's a continual action and keeping in mind as well that we're still trying not only to heal from what's happened, but we'll be trying to heal from what is happening now for a long time. We still have colonial systems in this country that are doing damage. That means that the clock hasn't started ticking yet to when we need to start healing as a whole. The foster care system, the education system, justice, all of these systems are still in place that are doing harm. So we have a long road to go and a lot of actions need to be taken and will need to be taken for the foreseeable future. If we take them with intentionality and with the knowledge that we all do have a role and we all can take an action and we should take an action, that's when we change this word into a verb. And that verb is a motivational factor for us to continue to do the work together as a community. You say that stories are at the heart of reconciliation. Why is that for you? Reconciliation is inexorably linked with truth. You can't get healing, whatever way you want to talk about it, without truth. And the truth lies in the stories that we tell. My dad and I used to talk about reconciliation as a conversation. It's not a one way conversation. It's like what we're doing now, sitting across the table and talking to each other and listening, really listening to each other and working to understand each other and come to respect through understanding. That's what it is. Then, through that, we see two things. One of them is that we're all people. We share the human condition. And the other thing is that the things that set us apart, the differences, make us stronger as a community. There's a teaching of non-interference in the Cree culture and that is that you don't interfere with how someone else lives. You try to model a good life through how you live. I think that's a really good way to go about anything.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Pimicikamak Cree Nation trying to get 767 people out of northern Manitoba community as wildfire closes in
Social Sharing A wildfire is at the threshhold of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, choking the air with smoke, as the northern Manitoba community's leaders work to get 767 people out. "Many that couldn't get out because the junction at Highway 374 and Highway 373 is their lifeline to Norway House, and now it's being compromised by the fire and the smoke," Chief David Monias said Thursday morning. Pimicikamak had started a precautionary evacuation Friday as wildfires impacted air quality. Residents were flown out from the airport in the community, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the shores of Cross Lake, but high winds and dry conditions worsened the situation this week. Without notice, flights were cancelled Wednesday, just as Monias issued a full evacuation order, telling the remaining 6,500 residents to head south to Norway House Cree Nation. That community is under an evacuation notice, but not yet an order. Hundreds of vehicles and buses took people to the ferry for the final crossing to Norway House, but the bottleneck meant some waited up to nine hours without food or water, Monias said. Some of them turned back and are now part of the remaining group trying to evacuate. "It's very smoky here [and] it's getting thicker, because the fire's at our doorstep. The sky is black, but we don't see any flames," Monias said to the CBC Thursday. In a Facebook post Thursday morning after Monias spoke to the CBC, he announced the Canadian Armed Forces had arrived in Norway House with a plane to take as many Pimicikamak residents to Winnipeg as possible. "Please, we need your full co-operation to get on these flights when your name is called," he wrote. "These fires are unpredictable and dangerous. If the smoke shifts toward Norway House or worse, if the fire spreads in that direction, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to evacuate anyone from there." Monias was trying to get answers from the Canadian Red Cross and federal government about the cancellations of flights to Pimicikamak, he said. "I declared a state of emergency for my people [on Friday], and that was not recognized and was not respected. We see the fire, we smell it, we sense the fear. People are running out to Norway House without anything at all," he said, thanking the leaders in Norway House for welcoming his people. "We're here, wondering what's going on." In a Facebook post early Thursday, Monias said Norway House was prepared to receive 1,000 evacuees but instead took in six times that, "making accommodations incredibly difficult." The plan for Thursday was to see if more people could get across to Norway House, if the highway is still passable. "We're doing our best to try and take care of everybody and keep them safe," Monias said to those who have left the community and are worried about the people still there. "I'm sorry about what you have to go through, leaving your community and some of your loved ones. I apologize, but we're doing our best." Norway House has been "incredible" for taking on the burden of hosting so many displaced people "but they too may need to prepare for their own emergency," Monias wrote. Those in Pimicikamak are among 17,000 expected to be evacuated as fires intensify in both northern and eastern Manitoba. Premier Wab Kinew on Wednesday evening declared a provincewide state of emergency. Evacuation orders have also been issued for Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, Pukatawagan Cree Nation (also known as Mathias Colomb First Nation), Marcel Colomb First Nation and Sherridon. In addition to Norway House First Nation, Chemawawin Cree Nation (Easterville) is under an evacuation notice, with people ordered to be ready to leave. The majority of the evacuees will head to Winnipeg and will be housed at large facilities such as community centres, soccer fields and arenas, Monias said. Late Wednesday night, the province said a reception centre for evacuees is being set up at Billy Mosienko Arena on Keewatin Street and it will remain open all night. The City of Winnipeg said Century and Eric Coy arenas will also be made available to the province and Canadian Red Cross. Effective immediately, programming and rentals at those two arenas, along with Billy Mosienko, are cancelled until further notice. Sherridon surrounded Fire is also knocking at the doors of Sherridon, 60 kilometres northwest of Flin Flon. "Last night it was really, really rough there. The winds changed against us, and the north points of our community caught on fire," said Deputy Mayor Sheryl Matheson. Crews were able to extinguish that section, "but the road access as of last night was in flames. It had crossed the road." The fire is currently near houses that were being protected through the night, she said. "Right now, we've had no loss [of structures], but it is surrounding us completely," Matheson said. "I had it at the footstep of my [Kenanow] Lodge yesterday, and the wildfire crew was able to extinguish it." Most of Sherridon's 85 residents are in Dauphin. Some had gone to Flin Flon but experienced their second evacuation in as many days when that city was cleared on Wednesday. "You just think that you get settled … and then we got thrown into this yesterday," Matheson said. "We're from a small northern community, but we have family in Flin Flon, family in the [other] areas that are being evacuated. So it's just been devastating to all of our community residents." About 13 residents are part of Sherridon's fire team and remain there, fighting the flames, including Mayor Michelle Reimer, who has been keeping Matheson in the loop. "I can tell you, if it wasn't for the efforts of the wildfire crews … Sherridon would have been a total loss already," Matheson said. If there's one positive thing to come out of the situation, it's the reaffirmation of how well the province's communities look after one another, she said. "We've been blessed that we have a lot of strength in our Indigenous communities, side-by-side with our northern affairs communities. They work very well together in a time of crisis," she said. "And the people of Dauphin have welcomed us, and they've been bringing donations to the Best Western reception room we have there."
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Pimicikimak Cree Nation trying to get 767 out of northern Manitoba community as wildfire closes in
Social Sharing A wildfire is at the threshhold of Pimicikimak Cree Nation, choking the air with smoke, as the northern Manitoba community's leaders work to get 767 people out. "Many that couldn't get out because the junction at Highway 374 and Highway 373 is their lifeline to Norway House, and now it's being compromised by the fire and the smoke," Chief David Monias said Thursday morning. Pimicikimak had started a precautionary evacuation Friday as wildfires impacted air quality. Residents were flown out from the airport in the community, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the shores of Cross Lake, but high winds and dry conditions worsened the situation this week. Without notice, flights were cancelled Wednesday, just as Monias issued a full evacuation order, telling the remaining 6,500 residents to head south to Norway House Cree Nation. That community is under an evacuation notice, but not yet an order. Hundreds of vehicles and buses took people to the ferry for the final crossing to Norway House, but the bottleneck meant some waited up to nine hours, without food or water, Monias said. Some of them turned back and are now part of the remaining group trying to evacuate. "It's very smoky here [and] it's getting thicker, because the fire's at our doorstep. The sky is black, but we don't see any flames," Monias said Thursday. He's trying to get answers from the Canadian Red Cross and federal government about the flight cancellations, he said. "I declared a state of emergency for my people, and that was not recognized and was not respected. We see the fire, we smell it, we sense the fear. People are running out to Norway House without anything at all," he said, thanking the leaders in Norway House for welcoming his people. "We're here, wondering what's going on." The plan for today is to see if more people can get across to Norway House, if the highway is still passable. "If not, then we have to see if they can get the Canadian Armed Forces to have planes land here to pick up people," Monias said. People also need to be picked up from Norway House and taken to Winnipeg, he said. "We're doing our best to try and take care of everybody and keep them safe," Monias said to those who have left the community and are worried about the people still there. "I'm sorry about what you have to go through, leaving your community and some of your loved ones. I apologize, but we're doing our best." Those in Pimicikimak are among 17,000 expected to be evacuated as fires intensify in both northern and eastern Manitoba. Premier Wab Kinew on Wednesday evening declared a provincewide state of emergency. Evacuation orders have also been issued for Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, Pukatawagan Cree Nation (also known as Mathias Colomb First Nation), Marcel Colomb First Nation and Sherridon. In addition to Norway House First Nation, Chemawawin Cree Nation (Easterville) is under an evacuation notice, with people ordered to be ready to leave. The majority of the evacuees will head to Winnipeg and will be housed at large facilities such as community centres, soccer fields and arenas, Monias said. Late Wednesday night, the province said a reception centre for evacuees is being set up at Billy Mosienko Arena on Keewatin Street and it will remain open all night. The City of Winnipeg said Century and Eric Coy arenas will also be made available to the province and Canadian Red Cross. Effective immediately, programming and rentals at those two arenas, along with Billy Mosienko, are cancelled until further notice.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
The 5 books that saved David A. Robertson's life
Picking favourites can be very challenging for many book lovers — but for prize-winning author David A. Robertson, it's a question he's always excited to answer. "I like doing stuff like that," he told Antonio Michael Downing on The Next Chapter. "I'm a list guy. This is right up my alley. It's my bag." Robertson, a member of the Norway House Cree Nation, has written 30 books for both children and adults. His most recent work is All The Little Monsters, a memoir in which he opens up about his experiences with anxiety as a way to accept and heal. In honour of its release, he joined Downing to share the stories that shaped his life and writing and have helped him feel less alone. "I would say that in many ways, art has saved my life, including these works of literature," he said. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger J.D. Salinger's short story collection Nine Stories is a formative book for Robertson — so much so that he carries it around with him wherever he goes. "I have it in my backpack," he said. "I actually have multiple copies too, because I sometimes give it away or lend it out for other people to read." Robertson cited Salinger as one of his inspirations while working on his short story collection, The Evolution of Alice. "I just found myself absorbing so much of his storytelling techniques, structure, voice, and the incredibly subtle but powerful ways that he worked towards the climax of these stories in such a short amount of time." Robertson's favourite story of the collection is called A Perfect Day for Banana Fish and features a phone conversation between a woman and her mom, a young boy playing on the beach, and an unexpected ending. "It's like this huge, surprising, shocking ending that you don't really see coming," he said. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie Another important book for Robertson is the 1948 self-help book by the late American writer Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. "[Carnegie] had a very analytical way of approaching mental health struggles, in particular anxiety, and it spoke to me in a way that I needed to hear because one of the interventions for me among many is this ability to look at your anxiety objectively and really to rationalize it," he said. Robertson came across the title during a frantic Google search when he was experiencing a mental health breakdown — and he listened to the audiobook during his son's hockey practices. "It's become such an important text for me and how I'm able to sometimes do the same thing that he instructed in this story — try to rationalize your anxiety so that you can live with it better." Swing Low by Miriam Toews Canadian writer Miriam Toews is one of Robertson's favourite living writers — and her book Swing Low really resonated with him. In Swing Low, Toews writes her father's memoir after he dies by suicide. Telling the story from his perspective, she recounts his diagnosis with bipolar disorder at age 17, his psychiatrist's grim prediction for his life, and how he overcame that to marry his high school sweetheart, have three daughters and become a teacher for 40 years. "We all have this kind of similarity in our struggles when we have mental health that I was able to find healing," said Robertson. "That book, even though it's a profoundly sad book, it's also profoundly beautiful." "It's this power of story and it's how when we share our stories, we realize that even though we think we're alone, we're not as alone as we thought we are and I think that is the healing power of stories, especially within the context of mental health." Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce Perhaps best known for his bestselling middle-grade fantasy series the Misewa Saga, Robertson was inspired by Tom's Midnight Garden 's approach to time travel when crafting his own novels. Tom's Midnight Garden tells the story of a boy named Tom who's quarantined with the measles. He's bored in his flat with nothing to do, but when the clock strikes 13, he can open the back door to this beautiful garden that isn't there in the so-called "real world." He goes there every night and meets a girl named Hattie at all different times in her life — and they develop an amazing friendship. "It's just like the construct of it, the storytelling, the beautiful way in which this friendship develops and how Philipa Pearce plays with time travel is really familiar, but also incredibly unique." An Anthology of Monsters by Cherie Dimaline "I love, first of all, that Cherie and I both describe our anxiety as a monster that lives with us, but she connects this experience with living with this monster to stories," said Robertson. In An Anthology of Monsters, Cherie Dimaline explores her experience with anxiety and how the stories we tell ourselves can help us reshape the ways in which we think, cope and survive. She uses examples from her books, her mother and her own life to reveal how to collect and curate stories to elicit difficult and beautiful conversations. She also reflects on how family and community can be a source of strength and a place of refuge.
CBC
02-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Norway House chief says First Nations can help Manitoba's potential to be global 'Costco of critical minerals'
The chief of the only First Nation to fully own a mining company in Manitoba says he wants the provincial and federal governments to recognize his community's role in boosting critical mineral exploration as a global race to secure those materials heats up. Norway House Cree Nation Chief Larson Anderson says his community took full ownership of the Minago nickel project on the Thompson nickel belt in November. The mine could enter production within the next five years, he said. Nickel — which is used to make things like stainless steel, solar panels and batteries — is not the only critical mineral at the site. Magnesium deposits were recently discovered and they're believed to be more abundant and valuable than nickel, Anderson said. While Anderson has noticed the federal and provincial governments jointly announcing support for mining organizations and new mining companies across the country, he says that hasn't been the case for Norway House. "This is the first-ever First Nation-owned mine [in Manitoba], and we think the province and the federal government would want to jump on that opportunity and help First Nations get out of being a burden to the taxpayer," he said. "First Nations can help this province become a have province, as opposed to continuing to be a have-not." Norway House had one of 15 mining projects that received just over $3 million from the province about a year ago. A spokesperson for Natural Resources Minister Jamie Moses declined to comment on this story due to Election Financing Act rules about government communications during byelections. (The Transcona constituency has a byelection March 18.) Premier Wab Kinew recently touted Manitoba as the "Costco of critical minerals" — a line previously used by former premier Heather Stefanson — when he and other Canadian leaders visited the U.S. capital earlier this month to try to dissuade American lawmakers from going ahead with proposed tariffs on Canadian goods. "In order to keep the American economy moving forward, you need access to those raw materials," he told reporters in Washington on Feb. 12. Kinew also said clean energy provided by Manitoba Hydro makes the province a desirable destination for future mining development. "We have what America needs." Digging into the details motivated by a desire to access critical minerals. But if Manitoba truly is the Costco of critical minerals, then some of the shelves appear to be empty. Manitoba is home to 30 of the 34 minerals on Canada's critical minerals list in 2024, which includes six that have been prioritized for their ability to drive economic growth and strengthen supply chains, the NDP provincial government's critical mineral strategy says. However, there were just four mines digging up critical minerals in Manitoba last year, the province says: the Sinomine Resources Group's Tanco mine in Lac du Bonnet, Vale Base Metals' Thompson mine in Thompson, Hudbay Minerals' Lalor mine in Snow Lake and the Potash Agri Development Corporation of Manitoba's mine near the Saskatchewan border at Harrowby, Man., west of Russell. Together, those mines produce seven critical minerals: copper, zinc, cobalt, nickel, potash, lithium and cesium. There are 45 companies actively exploring for 19 critical minerals in Manitoba, including the six minerals prioritized as economic boosters: cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, nickel and rare earth elements, the critical mineral strategy says. Manitoba produced about 31 per cent of Canada's zinc in 2022, as well as eight per cent of its nickel and all of its cesium and lithium, the province's strategy says. Manitoba also has one of two lithium mines in North America. 'Critical to the future' Lac du Bonnet Mayor Ken Lodge says he believes Manitoba has the potential to live up to its billing as the Costco of critical minerals. "A lot of them are already identified in their ore bodies, and it's just a matter of having a company come in and actually start doing the work," he said. "Nothing happens overnight … but you have to start somewhere." However, the province has to be cautious and minimize the environmental footprint attached to increased mining activity, Lodge said. He wants to see Manitoba leave a positive mining legacy to use the minerals "that we've been blessed with, without damaging our environment." Those environmental risks can be managed but not completely eliminated, as critical minerals are typically found in low concentrations, requiring more ore to be dug from the ground, said Warren Mabee, director of Queen's University's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy. "It does raise concerns, because there's so much material [to go through] in order to get the products," he said. The global race to dig up critical minerals is largely motivated by a need to support a green economy in the future, he said. "We need those products in order to make the motors, the batteries, the systems that will allow us to decarbonize and move toward a cleaner energy future," Mabee said. "It's critical to the future to be able to get as much as we can." China produces about 75 per cent of the global market's rare earth elements — a group of 17 heavy metals found in the earth that are crucial to manufacturing electronics, magnets, lasers and glass — and the country therefore has a lot of control over the supply chain, Mabee said. The critical mineral strategy released by the Manitoba NDP government in November says industry must be "more strategic about investment" amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty. It emphasizes Indigenous engagement, including notifying Indigenous groups of proposed mining activity early, and environmentally responsible mining development, requiring environmental licences from prospective mining projects. The strategy also proposes the development of a revenue sharing model for mining with Indigenous communities, and promises to work with the federal government to support Indigenous mining in Manitoba, as well as an Indigenous procurement policy. The strategy concludes by saying that Manitoba "hasn't been ready to take advantage" of its wealth of critical minerals in the past. 'Ready to do what it takes' Chief Anderson said Manitoba and Canada haven't been ready to make the most of First Nations' involvement in mining development. He wants more than just a partnership from the two levels of government. "This has to go far deeper than that, and we need to start talking about being on the same level as the government," he said. He suggested that First Nations are an untapped resource in the fight against Trump's mockery of Canada's sovereignty — if broken treaty promises and outstanding settlement claims are addressed. "If they use the power of the First Nations' land ownership that was never relinquished, that could be a bigger argument to be able to stand firm on their beliefs that Canada is sovereign," he said. "But they need to address the First Nation sovereignty issue first."
