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What kind of country is Canada?
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It depends on how you look at the matter.
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Nova Scotia, Canada's marine playground.
4
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I grew up in the capital Halifax.
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00:00:28,111 --> 00:00:31,031
Less than an hour's drive
away, regardless of direction.
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00:00:31,114 --> 00:00:34,868
You are met by a beautiful
and carefree coastline
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In some ways, Nova Scotia embodies
what many believe Canada is:
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A lovely getaway.
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00:00:44,502 --> 00:00:47,964
As a child, that was the
picture I had of the province.
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00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,177
Natural, warm-hearted...
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... and welcoming regardless of one's background.
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After all,
Canada takes care of its people
13
00:01:00,018 --> 00:01:01,603
-Are you a Canadian? -What is…?
14
00:01:02,896 --> 00:01:04,856
We have free healthcare.
15
00:01:07,233 --> 00:01:10,904
Marriage equality was
introduced 14 years ago.
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00:01:12,614 --> 00:01:16,284
And we were the second country
in the world to legalize cannabis
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Cannabis, cannabis...!
18
00:01:20,955 --> 00:01:22,457
But when you look under the surface...
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... the perfect image
begins to crack.
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No piping...!
21
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STOP ENVIRONMENTAL RASIS
SUPPORT AAMJIVNAANG
22
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Politicians promise one thing and do another.
23
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The history of colonialism
continues to this day
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WARNING: OIL PIPELINE
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Our chance to save the environment is
getting smaller every day that goes by.
26
00:02:00,662 --> 00:02:03,832
as corporate interests seem
more important to the government
27
00:02:03,915 --> 00:02:05,792
than the public's concern.
28
00:02:07,252 --> 00:02:10,964
The more I saw, the more I
couldn't help but use my platform.
29
00:02:11,047 --> 00:02:12,173
to say my meaning.
30
00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:16,636
Do you have any idea how we can
get the public and the media
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to care more about global warming?
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I just want to point out
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that those who are most marginalized and
who do not contribute to the problem at all
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are the ones suffering the most right now.
This also applies in Canada.
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There is environmental racism in Canada.
Even in the province I come from.
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This is something that is going on now.
37
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It affects the most marginalized
and we must talk about that.
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Hi. Ingrid here.
39
00:02:57,218 --> 00:03:00,471
- Hi, Ingrid! Hey!
I'll let you in.
40
00:03:00,555 --> 00:03:01,764
Thanks.
41
00:03:03,516 --> 00:03:06,728
I'll meet Professor Ingrid Waldron
42
00:03:06,811 --> 00:03:10,523
who wrote a very important book on
environmental racism in Nova Scotia:
43
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There's Something in the Water.
44
00:03:13,026 --> 00:03:14,068
Nice to meet you!
45
00:03:14,152 --> 00:03:16,654
-Thanks for everything!
-No problems.
46
00:03:16,738 --> 00:03:20,783
I woke up one morning in my
office and took to Twitter.
47
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There was a new person who
followed me called "Tiny Canadian".
48
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It didn't say "Ellen Page",
so I didn't think about it anymore.
49
00:03:30,084 --> 00:03:32,128
Then about a month later
50
00:03:32,212 --> 00:03:35,548
there was a lot of
comments on my Twitter.
51
00:03:36,007 --> 00:03:39,719
I had never seen anything like it.
"Whats happening here?" I thought.
52
00:03:39,802 --> 00:03:41,554
Then I realized it was you!
53
00:03:42,722 --> 00:03:46,559
And that is where
this journey began.
54
00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:56,319
Environmentalism is the disorder
and the problem that arises
55
00:03:56,444 --> 00:04:01,449
when communities with indigenous peoples, blacks and
other minorities are disproportionately exposed
56
00:04:01,532 --> 00:04:04,786
for environmental pressures,
pollution and poisons.
57
00:04:04,869 --> 00:04:08,414
But it is also about how
slowly the authorities act
58
00:04:08,498 --> 00:04:09,958
to address these issues.
59
00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:17,882
What we do know is that the place you
live in is related to your well-being.
60
00:04:18,341 --> 00:04:20,510
In Canada, your health is
governed by your zip code.
61
00:04:20,593 --> 00:04:26,766
We know that people in some communities are less
healthy because of their place of residence.
62
00:04:27,809 --> 00:04:31,562
Most blacks in Nova Scotia live in
their own traditional communities
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00:04:31,646 --> 00:04:36,317
located in the countryside
and often near buried waste.
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00:04:37,068 --> 00:04:41,364
Indigenous communities are also
disproportionately often located...
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00:04:41,739 --> 00:04:44,409
... near these harmful places.
66
00:04:46,536 --> 00:04:52,583
When living in remote,
invisible communities
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00:04:52,667 --> 00:04:56,963
who often lack a voice and who
are invisible to the government
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00:04:57,046 --> 00:05:00,091
one's voice is often not heard.
69
00:05:02,677 --> 00:05:04,554
One must look at environmental racism
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00:05:04,637 --> 00:05:09,309
in a context of Nova Scotia's history
71
00:05:09,392 --> 00:05:14,230
and in a context of colonialism
in Nova Scotia and Canada.
72
00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:19,610
There is a reluctance and fear
in Canada to talk about racism.
73
00:05:19,694 --> 00:05:23,364
Racism permeates all
our social structures.
74
00:05:23,448 --> 00:05:27,243
In Canada we tend not
to pretend like that.
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00:05:28,494 --> 00:05:32,749
Racism and environmental racism have
a real impact among ordinary people
76
00:05:32,832 --> 00:05:36,336
who live in these specific communities.
77
00:05:36,419 --> 00:05:40,048
It has affected black communities
and indigenous communities socially
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00:05:40,131 --> 00:05:42,550
economically and politically.
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00:05:42,633 --> 00:05:46,929
When you consider that some social
groups are not important...
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... and that they lack human value...
81
00:05:50,725 --> 00:05:53,144
... and doesn't mean anything...
82
00:05:53,227 --> 00:05:56,939
It usually is so we look
at non-white people.
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00:05:57,982 --> 00:06:02,570
Then in many ways it is logical
that you do not intend to act
84
00:06:02,653 --> 00:06:07,742
in the same way they would have
done if they were white, because...
85
00:06:10,161 --> 00:06:15,041
... these groups don't mean
anything to some people.
86
00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:17,752
I think there is an indifference.
87
00:06:17,835 --> 00:06:21,339
If you do not meet people and
know what they see as important
88
00:06:21,422 --> 00:06:25,927
their experiences and challenges will never
have an impact on environmental policy.
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00:06:26,010 --> 00:06:30,932
You need to listen to these
groups, and you usually don't.
90
00:06:44,737 --> 00:06:47,115
If you look at a map of Nova Scotia
91
00:06:47,198 --> 00:06:51,494
and marks places where there are communities
of blacks and indigenous people...
92
00:06:51,953 --> 00:06:55,748
... and then waste was buried
and toxic industries were located
93
00:06:56,082 --> 00:06:58,584
you soon discover an
unpleasant relationship.
94
00:06:59,794 --> 00:07:01,754
I'll visit some of the communities
95
00:07:01,838 --> 00:07:05,299
to hear how environmental
problems affect people's lives.
96
00:07:06,884 --> 00:07:09,804
The first place I go to
is the town of Shelburne
97
00:07:10,179 --> 00:07:13,808
Just twenty minutes from a place
where parts of my family are from
98
00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,481
It's a coastal town that many
people see as unconscionable.
99
00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:25,903
In Shelburne County once lived the
largest number of released blacks.
100
00:07:25,987 --> 00:07:27,196
throughout North America.
101
00:07:28,489 --> 00:07:32,285
Their descendants now live for the
most part in Shelburne's southern part.
102
00:07:33,536 --> 00:07:37,039
But from the moment they
settled here 250 years ago
103
00:07:37,123 --> 00:07:41,502
Black citizens were never treated
in the same way as whites.
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00:07:43,463 --> 00:07:46,424
A fact that they are allowed to live with today.
105
00:07:48,050 --> 00:07:51,345
A dump that was placed
in the city in the 1940s
106
00:07:51,429 --> 00:07:54,223
continues to plague
residents of South Shelburne
107
00:07:54,307 --> 00:07:56,350
several years after it was closed.
108
00:08:00,271 --> 00:08:05,067
I'll talk to local activist
Louise Delisle to find out more.
109
00:08:09,530 --> 00:08:11,073
You really like dogs.
110
00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:12,366
Hi sweetie!
111
00:08:12,450 --> 00:08:15,661
-How nice it is here.
-Yes, it's beautiful here.
112
00:08:15,745 --> 00:08:19,499
-My relatives are from Lockeport.
-Yes, I heard it!
113
00:08:19,582 --> 00:08:22,084
So I've spent a lot of time here.
114
00:08:22,168 --> 00:08:25,171
-Do you know Fred Page?
-Peace? No.
115
00:08:25,254 --> 00:08:29,300
-But my dad's name was Dennis Page.
- From Lockeport.
116
00:08:29,383 --> 00:08:31,177
Dennis Page and Lorie Page.
117
00:08:31,260 --> 00:08:33,054
-I know Lorie Page. -Yes.
118
00:08:33,137 --> 00:08:37,433
Crikey. Zach does this all the time.
"My cousin, my cousin, my cousin..."
119
00:08:37,517 --> 00:08:39,560
- Zach Page. -I know Lorie.
120
00:08:39,644 --> 00:08:41,979
-Oh really? -Yes! Fun.
121
00:08:47,026 --> 00:08:51,572
From the day the black
loyalists stepped ashore here
122
00:08:51,656 --> 00:08:54,283
we were contract servants.
123
00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:58,371
We came here with a promise
124
00:08:58,454 --> 00:09:03,543
that we would get something better,
because we were slaves after all.
125
00:09:03,626 --> 00:09:08,297
Many came via the underground
railway and by ship to the harbor.
126
00:09:08,381 --> 00:09:11,008
We are descendants of those people.
127
00:09:11,092 --> 00:09:13,761
I feel very, very honored
128
00:09:13,844 --> 00:09:19,225
that I belong to that strong family
129
00:09:19,308 --> 00:09:21,102
of black loyalists.
130
00:09:21,185 --> 00:09:25,273
In the early 1940s,
they began to gather in the same place.
131
00:09:25,356 --> 00:09:26,774
You know how people are.
132
00:09:26,857 --> 00:09:30,319
They gather around their family and stuff.
133
00:09:30,861 --> 00:09:34,031
People began to build their homes close to each other.
134
00:09:34,824 --> 00:09:36,993
In the late 40's...
135
00:09:38,744 --> 00:09:41,872
... they decided to place...
They called it a "dump".
136
00:09:42,999 --> 00:09:45,334
There everything was thrown away. Nothing was sorted.
137
00:09:45,418 --> 00:09:48,129
All garbage from the immediate area
138
00:09:48,212 --> 00:09:52,258
from Shelburne and Shelburne
municipality ended up there.
139
00:09:52,341 --> 00:09:55,845
These included garbage from the hospital.
140
00:09:55,928 --> 00:09:58,431
In other words,
it was probably some body parts.
141
00:09:59,265 --> 00:10:01,892
There were things from the fleet base.
142
00:10:01,976 --> 00:10:04,604
We don't know what they threw there.
143
00:10:05,062 --> 00:10:07,982
Things from the shipyards,
like paint and oil.
144
00:10:08,065 --> 00:10:11,193
They were old cars, food from the shops...
145
00:10:11,277 --> 00:10:14,363
They dumped dead animals there.
146
00:10:14,905 --> 00:10:17,158
Everything you can imagine...
147
00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:20,077
... was thrown at that tip.
148
00:10:20,828 --> 00:10:24,624
They had to get rid of it,
because it was like a mountain of garbage.
149
00:10:24,707 --> 00:10:26,626
So they kindled a fire on it.
150
00:10:27,752 --> 00:10:30,713
And it burned for several days.
151
00:10:31,422 --> 00:10:34,091
The smell was awful.
152
00:10:34,175 --> 00:10:37,887
And the smoke covered...
153
00:10:37,970 --> 00:10:40,139
You couldn't open the windows.
154
00:10:40,222 --> 00:10:42,016
I remember...
155
00:10:43,309 --> 00:10:45,895
... when someone said "garbage tip is burning"
156
00:10:45,978 --> 00:10:49,815
first you heard the gulls
screaming very loudly.
157
00:10:50,399 --> 00:10:52,735
Then they disappeared.
158
00:10:53,152 --> 00:10:55,780
Then the smoke was like a black cloud.
159
00:10:56,447 --> 00:10:57,782
And everything said...
160
00:10:57,865 --> 00:11:00,451
When the fire started to
go out or if there was rain
161
00:11:00,534 --> 00:11:04,747
everything was completely covered in soot.
162
00:11:05,122 --> 00:11:07,958
I remember when I went to
school in the morning...
163
00:11:08,959 --> 00:11:12,713
We were lucky if we
could get to school...
164
00:11:13,714 --> 00:11:20,471
... without smelling like we
had been with some kind of...
165
00:11:21,847 --> 00:11:23,808
... chemical warfare.
166
00:11:24,684 --> 00:11:29,730
When we arrived at the school,
the teachers used to say...
167
00:11:32,858 --> 00:11:34,902
"Did you wash this morning?"
168
00:11:37,113 --> 00:11:38,489
It was horrible.
169
00:11:41,659 --> 00:11:44,578
We've been drinking water
170
00:11:44,662 --> 00:11:49,959
from streams and wells
found in this community...
171
00:11:50,835 --> 00:11:53,129
... for several generations.
172
00:11:53,713 --> 00:11:58,134
Who knows what has trickled
into our wells from the dump?
173
00:11:58,217 --> 00:11:59,427
Who knows?
174
00:12:00,177 --> 00:12:02,054
When you talk about...
175
00:12:03,806 --> 00:12:08,394
... how environmental racism
has affected this society
176
00:12:08,477 --> 00:12:11,647
so it has... It kills us.
177
00:12:12,231 --> 00:12:14,024
We didn't place it there.
178
00:12:14,984 --> 00:12:18,279
Our families did not ask for it.
179
00:12:18,863 --> 00:12:22,408
Now we have to reap the consequences of that...
180
00:12:22,825 --> 00:12:26,328
... by losing those we love.
They are gone.
181
00:12:26,412 --> 00:12:29,749
There is so much cancer in our society.
182
00:12:29,832 --> 00:12:32,334
People say there is
cancer everywhere...
183
00:12:33,127 --> 00:12:38,549
... but in this area we have one of the
highest rates of bone marrow cancer.
184
00:12:38,632 --> 00:12:41,761
People die in this. Why?
185
00:12:43,763 --> 00:12:45,431
It depends on the dump.
186
00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,729
That's my mother.
She is the one sitting there.
187
00:12:51,812 --> 00:12:54,106
It is in our garden.
188
00:12:54,190 --> 00:12:56,567
I am with my braids.
189
00:12:56,650 --> 00:12:57,943
How cute!
190
00:12:58,694 --> 00:13:00,237
Where were you among the seven?
191
00:13:00,321 --> 00:13:02,156
-Were you...? -Ă„ldst.
192
00:13:03,407 --> 00:13:05,117
That's my brother Robert.
193
00:13:05,201 --> 00:13:08,454
There is Robert. It was he...
194
00:13:08,537 --> 00:13:11,332
... who passed away in cancer.
195
00:13:11,415 --> 00:13:14,668
There is my sister Babe
who has bone marrow cancer.
196
00:13:15,044 --> 00:13:17,171
There is my youngest brother Frank.
197
00:13:17,755 --> 00:13:18,881
There we are.
198
00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:24,845
There is my uncle who recently
passed away in cancer.
199
00:13:25,179 --> 00:13:28,224
Two years ago he passed away.
200
00:13:28,307 --> 00:13:31,227
After my dad passed away in cancer
201
00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:35,105
he stepped in and took on
the role of a father figure.
202
00:13:35,689 --> 00:13:37,525
But they are gone.
203
00:13:45,282 --> 00:13:47,117
I do not want to...
204
00:13:47,201 --> 00:13:51,997
... say things that hurt someone,
but I try to tell the truth.
205
00:13:52,081 --> 00:13:53,999
That's the point.
206
00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:58,587
It's hard sometimes,
especially when talking about racism.
207
00:13:58,671 --> 00:14:00,464
And discrimination.
208
00:14:03,676 --> 00:14:05,427
A couple of roosters.
209
00:14:06,929 --> 00:14:10,766
Here was the first black community.
210
00:14:12,059 --> 00:14:15,938
We have done samples in the wells here.
211
00:14:16,397 --> 00:14:18,732
And the people here had...
212
00:14:20,025 --> 00:14:22,778
... high levels of arsenic in the water.
213
00:14:23,362 --> 00:14:27,157
This is a small community.
214
00:14:27,241 --> 00:14:30,077
This family lost members...
215
00:14:31,161 --> 00:14:33,289
... in cancer.
216
00:14:33,372 --> 00:14:37,501
The man here has been diagnosed
and will not live long.
217
00:14:38,127 --> 00:14:41,547
He has lung cancer.
218
00:14:41,630 --> 00:14:43,465
The man who lives here.
219
00:14:44,341 --> 00:14:48,012
They are very nice people.
I should let you greet them
220
00:14:48,095 --> 00:14:52,099
but I have not said that we are coming,
so it is best that we do not stay.
221
00:14:59,148 --> 00:15:01,275
Their well is contaminated.
222
00:15:02,484 --> 00:15:04,403
They cannot drink the water.
223
00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:09,992
This lady's husband died of cancer.
She lives alone there.
224
00:15:10,534 --> 00:15:12,870
This lady's husband died of cancer.
225
00:15:13,454 --> 00:15:18,667
But she went on in life and met a
very nice man from Newfoundland.
226
00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:24,256
The whole family that lived
in this house died of cancer.
227
00:15:24,340 --> 00:15:27,134
It now belongs to someone else
228
00:15:27,217 --> 00:15:31,847
who moved here to the community to try
to renovate the house and live in it.
229
00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:34,600
But everyone who lived in it died of cancer.
230
00:15:37,811 --> 00:15:40,773
This lady's husband died of cancer.
231
00:15:40,856 --> 00:15:43,692
She herself is quite ill with cancer now.
232
00:15:44,568 --> 00:15:48,781
The man who built the house
and his wife died in cancer.
233
00:15:49,156 --> 00:15:52,284
Their daughter lives in Birchtown now.
234
00:15:52,368 --> 00:15:55,120
She had cancer but survived it.
235
00:15:56,330 --> 00:15:57,539
But...
236
00:15:58,749 --> 00:16:02,336
... the two sons died of cancer.
237
00:16:05,464 --> 00:16:06,548
Yes...
238
00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:09,760
Not good.
239
00:16:13,430 --> 00:16:17,893
This is the house that is closest...
240
00:16:19,061 --> 00:16:20,521
... dump.
241
00:16:20,604 --> 00:16:24,316
A young woman was forced
to move home again.
242
00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:26,485
And stay here.
243
00:16:27,653 --> 00:16:30,990
Both her mother and father died of cancer.
244
00:16:31,699 --> 00:16:35,786
Now she's back there.
She lives with five children in the house.
245
00:16:35,869 --> 00:16:40,082
She has nowhere else to live,
so she was forced to move back there.
246
00:16:44,253 --> 00:16:49,258
On the other side of those
trees was the foot of the dump.
247
00:16:50,342 --> 00:16:52,261
It's not very far away.
248
00:16:53,470 --> 00:16:55,931
We used to play in that forest.
249
00:16:58,142 --> 00:16:59,184
Yes...
250
00:17:00,769 --> 00:17:02,271
Not good.
251
00:17:03,647 --> 00:17:05,858
Do you want to step out and go there, Ellen?
252
00:17:05,941 --> 00:17:07,735
Can we go to the dump?
253
00:17:07,818 --> 00:17:11,447
There is a sign that
says "no unauthorized".
254
00:17:12,072 --> 00:17:14,283
But I know how to get in.
255
00:17:16,243 --> 00:17:18,287
There lives Mr. Clyke.
256
00:17:18,370 --> 00:17:20,581
Mr. Clyke is very eccentric.
257
00:17:21,540 --> 00:17:23,417
Mr. Clyke also has cancer now.
258
00:17:23,500 --> 00:17:28,172
He is probably the oldest
black man in society.
259
00:17:28,922 --> 00:17:30,924
I don't know if he's home or not.
260
00:17:35,471 --> 00:17:36,638
What?
261
00:17:38,974 --> 00:17:40,100
What are you doing?
262
00:17:40,601 --> 00:17:42,811
- This is Mr. Clyke.
-Yes, Ron Clyke.
263
00:17:42,895 --> 00:17:43,937
This is Ian.
264
00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:46,523
- What? -I do not know.
265
00:17:47,524 --> 00:17:48,734
Daniel.
266
00:17:48,817 --> 00:17:50,944
-Daniel. -Ian Daniel.
267
00:17:51,028 --> 00:17:53,363
Look at all cameras!
268
00:17:53,489 --> 00:17:56,366
-And see how I go dressed.
-You're truly beautiful.
269
00:17:56,450 --> 00:17:58,077
-My name is Ellen. What?
270
00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,496
-My name is Ellen. -All what?
271
00:18:00,579 --> 00:18:02,039
Page.
272
00:18:02,581 --> 00:18:05,125
Ellen is here to talk about the dump.
273
00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:10,255
We just talked about...
274
00:18:11,381 --> 00:18:15,719
... the smoke and the soot
and the ash and all that.
275
00:18:15,803 --> 00:18:17,596
And what we want.
276
00:18:18,388 --> 00:18:21,975
Everyone is gone.
You're the oldest one left now.
277
00:18:22,059 --> 00:18:23,685
-I think so. -Yes.
278
00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:29,024
-The oldest man, right?
-Yes, for Wally Davis is around 70.
279
00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:33,779
-Wallace, yes. Wallace is...
-He also gets cancer treatment.
280
00:18:33,862 --> 00:18:37,825
Wallace is once again being treated for lung cancer.
281
00:18:37,908 --> 00:18:40,119
I'm going there this week.
282
00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:42,871
-This week? -Next Friday.
283
00:18:42,955 --> 00:18:46,083
- Do they have to look
how you feel then? -Yes.
284
00:18:46,166 --> 00:18:49,628
-A return visit.
I'm at it every year. -Yes.
285
00:18:50,295 --> 00:18:53,298
Do you think the tip has
something to do with your cancer?
286
00:18:53,549 --> 00:18:56,176
-Who knows? -Who knows...
287
00:18:56,260 --> 00:18:57,302
With safety?
288
00:18:58,971 --> 00:19:02,307
- The whole neighborhood has cancer.
-Yes.
289
00:19:03,517 --> 00:19:05,435
All the men are gone, right?
290
00:19:05,519 --> 00:19:11,233
Frank and Seldon and Ed...
And your friend Ed. Everyone's gone.
291
00:19:11,316 --> 00:19:14,653
- And Bern Bruce and Shirley.
- And Bern and Shirley.
292
00:19:15,654 --> 00:19:20,367
So we were going to go away
and sneak along the fence.
293
00:19:20,450 --> 00:19:24,079
-There's a path there.
-Yes, we walk along the path.
294
00:19:25,789 --> 00:19:29,751
THE SOPTIPPEN CLOSED ON DECEMBER 3, 2016
295
00:19:41,889 --> 00:19:43,891
I hope that...
296
00:19:44,933 --> 00:19:49,021
... if anyone gets anything out of this...
297
00:19:50,522 --> 00:19:52,232
...I hope...
298
00:19:52,316 --> 00:19:58,322
... that it is that people learn to use things
in a more environmentally friendly way.
299
00:19:59,781 --> 00:20:02,075
Then no dumps are needed.
300
00:20:02,159 --> 00:20:05,537
Wouldn't it be nice
if we could find a way
301
00:20:05,621 --> 00:20:10,709
where everything we need can...
302
00:20:11,460 --> 00:20:14,463
... used again and again?
303
00:20:16,173 --> 00:20:17,799
Wouldn't that be good?
304
00:20:18,550 --> 00:20:20,594
Then we would never have had any problems
305
00:20:20,677 --> 00:20:25,140
with people dying from things
we have consumed and...
306
00:20:28,060 --> 00:20:29,436
... lit fire on.
307
00:20:33,732 --> 00:20:36,944
The dumps were permanently closed in 2016.
308
00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:42,532
If it wasn't for the scattered remains
you see when walking around here today...
309
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,452
... you might not have known about it.
310
00:20:46,453 --> 00:20:49,122
What you worry about
now is what is buried
311
00:20:49,206 --> 00:20:52,918
and what impact it might have on
the water and the nearby land.
312
00:21:01,093 --> 00:21:04,972
I imagine living
in constant fear.
313
00:21:05,055 --> 00:21:09,059
"Is there anything in my water?
Has it spread to the water?"
314
00:21:09,142 --> 00:21:13,689
Thankfully we have started
doing water tests now.
315
00:21:14,189 --> 00:21:19,903
We make home visits with
everyone and talk to them.
316
00:21:19,987 --> 00:21:24,032
"You have to test your well.
We have a team that can do it."
317
00:21:24,574 --> 00:21:28,578
And people are becoming more
aware of the problems now
318
00:21:28,662 --> 00:21:32,874
because when the water samples come back they
see that there is something in the water.
319
00:21:32,958 --> 00:21:38,213
Whether it depends on the dump or something
else we know that it is the water that....
320
00:21:38,297 --> 00:21:43,552
When you have coliform bacteria and E.
coli in the well
321
00:21:43,635 --> 00:21:49,349
that one uses in the home to cook
for the children and one's husband
322
00:21:49,433 --> 00:21:55,731
or to brush your teeth,
bathe or do anything else, you know.
323
00:21:56,523 --> 00:22:01,528
And when you find out that there is something
wrong with one's water, one's life...
324
00:22:01,987 --> 00:22:04,823
It affects one's life. Your whole life.
325
00:22:05,782 --> 00:22:09,911
Everyone should have the right to clean water.
326
00:22:10,495 --> 00:22:13,457
- You shouldn't have
to fight for it. -No.
327
00:22:13,540 --> 00:22:17,961
The people we vote for in this society
328
00:22:18,045 --> 00:22:21,048
should fight side by side with us
329
00:22:21,131 --> 00:22:24,509
for clean water. But... wake up!
330
00:22:24,593 --> 00:22:27,763
They don't see it as a problem.
331
00:22:28,388 --> 00:22:31,099
And that's because it
doesn't affect them.
332
00:22:31,183 --> 00:22:36,021
They have what they call
clean, drinkable water.
333
00:22:36,104 --> 00:22:39,024
They get water from the municipality.
334
00:22:39,858 --> 00:22:43,320
We don't have it.
We don't even have that option.
335
00:22:43,403 --> 00:22:47,949
We have no way of saying that we are
not going to use the wells anymore
336
00:22:48,033 --> 00:22:52,496
because they are contaminated,
and instead use municipal water
337
00:22:52,579 --> 00:22:54,581
We do not have that option.
338
00:22:54,664 --> 00:22:59,961
They do not see it as feasible to lay
pipes so that we can get clean water.
339
00:23:02,631 --> 00:23:08,011
Why are we in this
society less worthy...
340
00:23:09,638 --> 00:23:12,516
... than the people in that society?
341
00:23:13,225 --> 00:23:17,020
WELCOME TO SHELBURNE FOUNDED IN
1783 BY UNITED EMPIRE LOYALTIES
342
00:23:18,188 --> 00:23:21,441
In recent years,
Louise has begun to make her voice heard.
343
00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:25,028
She has pushed the government to
adopt new environmental legislation
344
00:23:25,112 --> 00:23:28,490
which guarantees all residents
a healthy living environment.
345
00:23:28,782 --> 00:23:31,493
Especially historically
marginalized people.
346
00:23:32,202 --> 00:23:36,081
But the response from local
politicians has been upsetting
347
00:23:37,833 --> 00:23:42,629
So racism lives on
and it's still here.
348
00:23:42,712 --> 00:23:46,216
If we don't talk about
it and identify it...
349
00:23:46,716 --> 00:23:49,094
... it will never go away.
350
00:23:49,177 --> 00:23:51,179
And since I speak openly about it
351
00:23:51,263 --> 00:23:55,267
it has intersected between me and
some other people in the community
352
00:23:55,350 --> 00:23:57,727
because they don't want to talk about it.
353
00:23:59,646 --> 00:24:01,273
You mentioned the mayor.
354
00:24:01,731 --> 00:24:03,692
Okay. There I got the answer.
355
00:24:04,985 --> 00:24:07,737
-The mayor... -I was just
wondering what she was doing.
356
00:24:08,530 --> 00:24:12,617
The mayor does not think
I have the right to speak.
357
00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:14,119
Why not?
358
00:24:14,744 --> 00:24:16,663
Because she...
359
00:24:16,746 --> 00:24:23,003
In fact, she has said that society
does not want me to talk about it.
360
00:24:23,670 --> 00:24:25,338
Society doesn't care.
361
00:24:26,423 --> 00:24:27,591
I'm sorry...
362
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,719
... but I'm going to say it.
363
00:24:32,679 --> 00:24:33,889
It is...
364
00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:37,809
It is my right to tell you
365
00:24:37,893 --> 00:24:42,981
that you are destroying my
family and my community.
366
00:24:43,064 --> 00:24:47,694
And that is because you have decided
to dump your junk in my garden.
367
00:24:49,237 --> 00:24:52,365
Sorry. But that's it.
368
00:24:52,449 --> 00:24:56,661
You either help us or are you against us.
One or the other.
369
00:25:00,707 --> 00:25:03,585
Each time a choice approaches
370
00:25:03,668 --> 00:25:07,839
they come to our society and
promise gold and green forests.
371
00:25:07,923 --> 00:25:11,718
"We'll do a lot of things for you."
372
00:25:11,801 --> 00:25:15,013
We believe in them. Here we trust people.
373
00:25:15,639 --> 00:25:18,934
Then they vote for them, but they just...
374
00:25:21,561 --> 00:25:24,648
And if you can't take
care of your neighbor...
375
00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:29,528
... or people in your
presence, or even your family
376
00:25:29,611 --> 00:25:32,739
then what do people benefit from?
377
00:25:33,198 --> 00:25:36,117
What do you do here?
378
00:25:36,618 --> 00:25:41,706
If you don't care about your
brothers and sisters or other people.
379
00:25:42,791 --> 00:25:47,462
Why do you bother yourself in that case?
Why even get up in the morning?
380
00:25:48,296 --> 00:25:53,134
For your own sake? It must be
terribly lonely to live that way.
381
00:25:53,718 --> 00:25:54,970
Right?
382
00:25:56,263 --> 00:26:00,809
The love of people must come first.
383
00:26:00,892 --> 00:26:04,604
We have to be there for each other.
384
00:26:04,980 --> 00:26:06,648
We are all heading in the same direction.
385
00:26:07,857 --> 00:26:12,445
If we do not do right the first time,
we will have no chance to try again.
386
00:26:13,446 --> 00:26:17,867
So if that means I can make sure
387
00:26:17,951 --> 00:26:22,330
that my neighbor is healthy
388
00:26:22,414 --> 00:26:26,251
and if I have the opportunity to
contribute to it in some small way
389
00:26:26,334 --> 00:26:28,336
I plan to do that.
390
00:26:33,216 --> 00:26:36,678
To install a well that can provide the
community with clean drinking water
391
00:26:36,761 --> 00:26:39,306
in a place suggested by Louise
392
00:26:39,389 --> 00:26:42,225
would cost about $ 10,000.
393
00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:47,105
This year alone, the city budgeted $ 35,000
394
00:26:47,188 --> 00:26:50,025
to the annual
"Founders' Day" festival
395
00:27:10,462 --> 00:27:14,841
Just three hours north are the indigenous
people of Pictou Landing First Nation
396
00:27:14,924 --> 00:27:18,887
who are also fighting against the
toxic legacy of state failure.
397
00:27:21,014 --> 00:27:23,433
Mi'kmaq people's current struggle
398
00:27:23,516 --> 00:27:28,355
reflects the long line of conflicts between
indigenous peoples and the authorities
399
00:27:28,438 --> 00:27:31,524
since the colonization of
what is now Canada began.
400
00:27:33,485 --> 00:27:37,906
Genocide, attacks by federal agents
and Catholic boarding schools
401
00:27:37,989 --> 00:27:41,660
has deprived Mi'kmaq of much of
the land and culture they once had
402
00:27:43,912 --> 00:27:46,873
Today, they are also suffering from an environmental disaster
403
00:27:46,956 --> 00:27:51,002
who have been tormenting their
community for over 50 years.
404
00:27:57,717 --> 00:27:59,302
Boat Harbor, Nova Scotia.
405
00:27:59,386 --> 00:28:02,430
Thousands of fish are
breathing and dying
406
00:28:03,306 --> 00:28:07,560
Most people who saw the pictures on
the news were disgusted and upset
407
00:28:07,644 --> 00:28:09,229
How could that happen?
408
00:28:09,979 --> 00:28:13,942
But the pictures are just the latest
after many years of pollution here.
409
00:28:18,905 --> 00:28:21,241
-Nice to meet you. -The same.
410
00:28:21,324 --> 00:28:24,369
-Come in. -I'm sorry.
GPS: the only...
411
00:28:24,452 --> 00:28:26,746
Just as it was, I was stuck in the mud.
412
00:28:26,830 --> 00:28:30,625
I understood you were taking a shortcut.
"The road is off. Hmm."
413
00:28:37,549 --> 00:28:42,262
What is now called Boat Harbor was
called before the pollution for A'Se'K.
414
00:28:42,345 --> 00:28:44,472
A'Se'K means "the other room".
415
00:28:44,556 --> 00:28:48,727
It was where our people flowed
416
00:28:48,810 --> 00:28:52,647
At that time, Indian agents
used to come to fetch children.
417
00:28:53,064 --> 00:28:55,525
They used to fly to A'Se'K.
418
00:28:55,608 --> 00:28:57,527
So A'Se'K...
419
00:28:57,986 --> 00:29:03,533
One of our elders puts it so nicely - at
one time it was like a parent to them.
420
00:29:05,118 --> 00:29:08,538
The place protected them.
It gave them food when they were hungry.
421
00:29:08,621 --> 00:29:11,624
They could seek protection there, and when...
422
00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:15,795
... the factory came here in 1965
423
00:29:15,879 --> 00:29:20,175
and embarked on their most
deliberate plan to...
424
00:29:20,717 --> 00:29:23,094
.... infiltrate our land...
425
00:29:23,762 --> 00:29:25,221
... and our A'Se'K...
426
00:29:28,641 --> 00:29:31,311
... all of it was taken away from us.
427
00:29:31,811 --> 00:29:36,816
In 1965, the Scott Paper Company wanted to
build a pulp and paper mill in Nova Scotia
428
00:29:37,525 --> 00:29:39,903
They knew exactly where they wanted it.
429
00:29:39,986 --> 00:29:41,863
In the town of Pictou.
430
00:29:41,946 --> 00:29:43,907
You have the corresponding...
431
00:29:44,032 --> 00:29:48,536
Their consultant, Doctor John Bates,
had chosen the site a few years earlier
432
00:29:48,620 --> 00:29:49,913
These were his suggestions:
433
00:29:50,622 --> 00:29:53,500
Scott Paper was going
to build a pulp mill.
434
00:29:54,375 --> 00:29:58,046
The waste from the factory would be
sealed in pipes under Pictou Harbor
435
00:29:58,463 --> 00:30:00,882
and dumped in Boat Harbor.
436
00:30:02,091 --> 00:30:06,262
Eventually, industrial waste
would come out into the sea.
437
00:30:07,555 --> 00:30:09,098
When the proposal was presented
438
00:30:09,182 --> 00:30:12,310
Dr. Bates no longer worked
as a consultant for Scott.
439
00:30:12,936 --> 00:30:16,356
He had become the head of the
Nova Scotia Water Authority.
440
00:30:16,856 --> 00:30:19,400
Everything was paved for
a very lucrative deal
441
00:30:19,484 --> 00:30:22,487
between Scott Paper and the
province of Nova Scotia.
442
00:30:23,988 --> 00:30:26,699
The government agreed to take
care of the factory waste
443
00:30:26,825 --> 00:30:29,327
and started buying land in the area.
444
00:30:30,245 --> 00:30:34,874
The only problem was the Indians,
who lived on the outskirts of Boat Harbor
445
00:30:35,625 --> 00:30:40,213
The water authority had contacted
my grandfather, who was then chief
446
00:30:40,296 --> 00:30:46,761
and the council,
saying they wanted to build a factory.
447
00:30:47,804 --> 00:30:51,391
They should not have to worry.
It would be a freshwater lake.
448
00:30:51,474 --> 00:30:54,018
The factory would have
no impact on anything.
449
00:30:54,102 --> 00:30:59,858
There were documented concerns about how it would
affect the environment and fishing waters.
450
00:30:59,941 --> 00:31:04,821
They talked about the turmoil our
leaders have been doing for decades.
451
00:31:05,238 --> 00:31:11,369
When they learned that we were worried,
they wanted to take us on a trip.
452
00:31:11,452 --> 00:31:17,876
They came and brought my grandfather and
another council member, Martin Sapier
453
00:31:17,959 --> 00:31:20,378
to a place in...
454
00:31:21,546 --> 00:31:22,714
... New Brunswick.
455
00:31:22,797 --> 00:31:27,760
It was not even the same type of
treatment plant that they were building.
456
00:31:28,261 --> 00:31:30,263
Mr. Wigglesworth came down
457
00:31:30,346 --> 00:31:35,768
and took us up to St.
John's or Lancaster, to a pulp mill.
458
00:31:36,686 --> 00:31:42,609
He showed us that there was no
discoloration in the water, no stench...
459
00:31:42,692 --> 00:31:45,695
-No discoloration in the water?
-Right.
460
00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:48,907
There was no stench or
anything from that pulp mill.
461
00:31:49,991 --> 00:31:52,577
The smoke here is from the
pulp mill in St. John.
462
00:31:53,369 --> 00:31:55,455
But the Indians were never brought there.
463
00:31:55,538 --> 00:32:01,294
All they saw was a water
treatment plant a few miles away
464
00:32:05,381 --> 00:32:08,468
It was just a facade.
465
00:32:09,510 --> 00:32:11,846
They made some lies to them
466
00:32:11,930 --> 00:32:16,643
and tried to make them understand
that it will not affect them.
467
00:32:16,726 --> 00:32:18,561
"It will be a lake.
468
00:32:18,645 --> 00:32:21,272
You will still enjoy the water
469
00:32:21,356 --> 00:32:26,069
and you will still be able
to do what you want to do. "
470
00:32:26,653 --> 00:32:30,323
There were terms in the agreement
that were completely ignored.
471
00:32:30,406 --> 00:32:33,952
They wanted to know...
472
00:32:35,745 --> 00:32:39,540
... with certainty how they would be
affected. It was never followed up.
473
00:32:39,624 --> 00:32:44,253
The only condition that
was met was $ 60,000.
474
00:32:44,337 --> 00:32:48,091
$ 60,000 at that time to
an oppressed community
475
00:32:48,174 --> 00:32:54,263
who had suffered through the
effects of boarding schools and...
476
00:32:54,347 --> 00:32:58,935
That was a lot! I can imagine
what went through Grandpa's head.
477
00:32:59,018 --> 00:33:02,814
"My God. The environment
will not be affected.
478
00:33:02,897 --> 00:33:06,985
I care about the county.
I feel like I'm helping.
479
00:33:07,318 --> 00:33:09,570
This does not lead to anything bad. "
480
00:33:10,154 --> 00:33:14,617
When my grandfather was there in
New Brunswick with Martin Sapier
481
00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:16,411
he wrote under one document.
482
00:33:17,745 --> 00:33:20,957
He signed, every now and then.
They had tricked him.
483
00:33:24,419 --> 00:33:27,422
The Indians had given up their
rights to Boat Harbor...
484
00:33:28,006 --> 00:33:30,466
... for about $ 65,000.
485
00:33:36,723 --> 00:33:39,434
Two years later, the plant was operational.
486
00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:45,565
And the waste began to
flow into Boat Harbor.
487
00:33:46,816 --> 00:33:51,362
They killed all fish along
the coast the following day.
488
00:33:51,446 --> 00:33:54,866
There were dead fish,
nests and seals everywhere out there.
489
00:33:56,284 --> 00:33:58,745
They killed them right away, in one night.
490
00:34:00,580 --> 00:34:03,082
And that happened within a
week of the factory opening?
491
00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:05,835
Three or four days
after it opened.
492
00:34:05,918 --> 00:34:08,087
Yes, they killed everything with it.
493
00:34:15,845 --> 00:34:19,766
You can imagine the
sadness he felt...
494
00:34:20,349 --> 00:34:24,312
... when he realized that Boat Harbor was dead.
495
00:34:25,855 --> 00:34:29,942
At his death he still
felt it was his fault.
496
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,241
Then he passed it on to...
497
00:34:37,325 --> 00:34:41,954
He passed on the feelings of guilt
to his children and to his family.
498
00:34:42,038 --> 00:34:46,292
How did they handle it? Then it was...
499
00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:50,546
It is a vicious circle that must be broken.
500
00:34:51,130 --> 00:34:53,758
What had life looked like for my family...
501
00:34:54,759 --> 00:34:56,803
... if Boat Harbor had never happened?
502
00:34:59,097 --> 00:35:02,266
My grandfather and grandmother had 13 children.
503
00:35:06,062 --> 00:35:10,399
Grandpa went to live when he was very
young, at the end of his forties.
504
00:35:11,984 --> 00:35:15,530
Today, only my mother
and my aunt are alive.
505
00:35:17,156 --> 00:35:19,742
Everyone else has good cancer.
506
00:35:20,535 --> 00:35:22,453
And suicide.
507
00:35:24,705 --> 00:35:28,209
Alcoholism and drugs took the driver's seat.
508
00:35:29,669 --> 00:35:32,255
So I often wonder...
509
00:35:32,338 --> 00:35:35,341
... if we had had a chance if
this had never happened...
510
00:35:38,636 --> 00:35:40,388
... to live in a way...
511
00:35:43,141 --> 00:35:45,685
... where we could have aged together?
512
00:35:53,776 --> 00:35:59,782
I'll take you and show you the
waste water treatment plant...
513
00:36:01,450 --> 00:36:05,788
... located on Simpson's Lane,
not far from our community.
514
00:36:06,998 --> 00:36:09,834
This is the entrance to the treatment plant
515
00:36:09,917 --> 00:36:13,337
who has been here since 1967.
516
00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:25,183
This is what comes
directly from the factory.
517
00:36:26,684 --> 00:36:29,145
Raw and untreated waste water.
518
00:36:30,146 --> 00:36:31,230
WARNING: DEEP WATER
519
00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:34,984
They used to dump it right on our land.
520
00:36:35,067 --> 00:36:39,447
There was no purification system.
They just dumped it through the pipe.
521
00:36:44,076 --> 00:36:46,537
I get so sad when I come here.
522
00:37:06,682 --> 00:37:08,434
This is how our society smells.
523
00:37:08,517 --> 00:37:12,730
Sometimes when you walk into buildings
where we live you feel that smell.
524
00:37:12,813 --> 00:37:14,982
It sits in the walls.
525
00:37:23,115 --> 00:37:28,955
This is aerator. They oxygenate the
water, which feels quite tragic.
526
00:37:29,038 --> 00:37:32,875
Once upon a time,
they said it would have no impact...
527
00:37:33,793 --> 00:37:35,378
... and now it looks like this.
528
00:37:39,924 --> 00:37:43,594
All this is spreading
to our society.
529
00:37:43,678 --> 00:37:48,349
We not only suffer with the knowledge
that this is affecting our water
530
00:37:48,432 --> 00:37:50,559
look at our air as well.
531
00:37:52,019 --> 00:37:56,482
And yes. It's... It's sad.
532
00:37:59,277 --> 00:38:01,404
Are you worried about your own health?
533
00:38:05,408 --> 00:38:08,494
It's funny that you mention it.
534
00:38:08,577 --> 00:38:13,374
Considering where I come from and
how many in my family have died
535
00:38:13,457 --> 00:38:17,795
I never expected to live long.
I turn 41 next week.
536
00:38:19,922 --> 00:38:21,132
And...
537
00:38:21,590 --> 00:38:24,885
... because I know everyone
has passed away so young...
538
00:38:26,887 --> 00:38:31,809
... I have always felt that I will
not have the chance to grow old.
539
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:34,270
Sometimes I think so.
540
00:38:37,398 --> 00:38:40,776
Sorrow. I often say that word.
541
00:38:40,860 --> 00:38:43,571
I don't know how to
describe it otherwise.
542
00:38:45,156 --> 00:38:48,826
It takes many expressions. It is...
543
00:38:48,909 --> 00:38:50,953
How to handle it?
544
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:55,207
How had you handled it?
545
00:38:59,879 --> 00:39:06,218
Were you worried that the lagoon
was so close to the Indian Reserve?
546
00:39:09,305 --> 00:39:12,266
It didn't hurt them, of course.
547
00:39:14,226 --> 00:39:18,397
They didn't live in the water.
548
00:39:19,607 --> 00:39:22,068
They only saw the water from where they lived.
549
00:39:23,611 --> 00:39:25,696
And... than ever?
550
00:39:28,699 --> 00:39:33,954
Here are some from our community that we
have lost since the factory was opened.
551
00:39:35,373 --> 00:39:36,624
Yes...
552
00:39:36,791 --> 00:39:39,001
You can clearly see that...
553
00:39:39,919 --> 00:39:44,173
That they die young. Yes it is true.
554
00:39:44,882 --> 00:39:47,885
I don't like to count the dead.
It is many.
555
00:39:47,968 --> 00:39:51,597
There are many who should be here.
They should be here.
556
00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:56,852
They should fight with
us and see the end of...
557
00:39:57,853 --> 00:40:01,273
... water pollution.
But they don't.
558
00:40:01,732 --> 00:40:04,568
We want to try to honor their memory.
559
00:40:04,652 --> 00:40:08,948
They see what happens and what we do.
They will be proud of us.
560
00:40:09,865 --> 00:40:15,287
This reminds me
why I do what I do.
561
00:40:19,458 --> 00:40:21,043
Now that's enough.
562
00:40:22,211 --> 00:40:26,882
In 2014, the tense situation reached
a crisis when the waste pipe broke.
563
00:40:26,966 --> 00:40:31,762
Forty-seven million gallons of toxic,
unclean water ran out into the area
564
00:40:32,346 --> 00:40:36,058
On land where there were
known Mi'kmaq cemeteries.
565
00:40:37,852 --> 00:40:41,230
The authorities had promised to
close Boat Harbor several times
566
00:40:41,313 --> 00:40:42,773
but never kept his word.
567
00:40:43,357 --> 00:40:47,862
This time Michelle and the community
acted by creating a blockade
568
00:40:48,195 --> 00:40:51,532
They promised not to disappear
until Boat Harbor was closed.
569
00:40:51,615 --> 00:40:55,411
It forced the provincial government
to finally address the matter.
570
00:40:56,579 --> 00:40:59,373
In June 2014
571
00:40:59,457 --> 00:41:03,919
our peaceful protest received
a lot of media attention
572
00:41:04,003 --> 00:41:07,506
in connection with the leakage
of waste water from the pipeline.
573
00:41:07,798 --> 00:41:10,634
We were on the front line. We had enough.
574
00:41:10,718 --> 00:41:13,762
We were tired of things like that going on.
575
00:41:13,846 --> 00:41:20,102
The waste water that had been a burden
for five decades continued to hurt us.
576
00:41:20,728 --> 00:41:26,525
Our leaders had meetings with
the authorities fairly regularly
577
00:41:26,609 --> 00:41:30,321
to try to find a solution
to what was going on.
578
00:41:30,404 --> 00:41:32,907
We met in the community gym.
579
00:41:32,990 --> 00:41:34,825
Our management came back
580
00:41:34,909 --> 00:41:38,913
and told what the government
had said during the discussions.
581
00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:41,165
But of course we did not trust them.
582
00:41:41,248 --> 00:41:45,961
It was rule number one - several
governments had failed us
583
00:41:46,045 --> 00:41:51,258
with several broken promises
through decade after decade.
584
00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:56,764
The most important thing for us
then was to try to figure out
585
00:41:56,847 --> 00:41:59,016
if what they said was the truth.
586
00:41:59,099 --> 00:42:02,645
We were lucky enough to reach an agreement.
587
00:42:02,728 --> 00:42:05,856
An agreement we were
not entirely happy with.
588
00:42:06,565 --> 00:42:09,944
They would finally acknowledge all the devastation
589
00:42:10,027 --> 00:42:14,865
and propose a closing date for the
water treatment plant in Boat Harbor.
590
00:42:15,908 --> 00:42:19,411
The date they suggested
was not the date we wanted.
591
00:42:21,789 --> 00:42:24,083
We were hoping for an earlier date.
592
00:42:24,166 --> 00:42:27,086
The date they gave us was January 31, 2020.
593
00:42:28,170 --> 00:42:30,965
We thought long and carefully.
594
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,511
But we compromised.
595
00:42:37,846 --> 00:42:41,892
So the compromise did not mean
that the factory would be closed
596
00:42:41,976 --> 00:42:46,772
without the purification plant alone in Boat
Harbor, which had damaged society for decades.
597
00:42:48,566 --> 00:42:51,986
The Government of Nova Scotia
adopted the Boat Harbor Act
598
00:42:52,069 --> 00:42:56,031
a law that mandates
that by January 31, 2020
599
00:42:56,115 --> 00:43:02,162
The use of Boat Harbor to receive
and clean waste water must cease
600
00:43:02,871 --> 00:43:04,957
Then you can do two things:
601
00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:10,296
To plan and build a new wastewater treatment
plant and to plan the remodeling of Boat Harbor.
602
00:43:11,255 --> 00:43:15,384
Northern Pulp was given five years
to develop an alternative plan
603
00:43:15,968 --> 00:43:17,303
But four years later
604
00:43:17,386 --> 00:43:20,431
was their best suggestion
to build a new pipeline.
605
00:43:20,514 --> 00:43:23,809
that would dump the wastewater
into the Northumberland Strait
606
00:43:23,892 --> 00:43:25,853
right next to Pictou Landing...
607
00:43:26,562 --> 00:43:30,232
... lucrative fishing waters for both indigenous
and non-indigenous people in the area.
608
00:43:31,108 --> 00:43:33,485
The plan caused a people storm.
609
00:43:38,198 --> 00:43:42,119
We want to be happy and celebrate
the closure of the plant.
610
00:43:42,202 --> 00:43:47,124
We want to start healing our wounds
and do all the things we know...
611
00:43:47,625 --> 00:43:49,251
... we should be able to do.
612
00:43:49,335 --> 00:43:56,175
But how do we celebrate when we know that
their proposal is a new water treatment plant
613
00:43:56,258 --> 00:43:59,053
who just moves the problem
from the backyard to the front?
614
00:43:59,845 --> 00:44:03,766
What bothers me is that they are constantly
talking about "purified waste water".
615
00:44:04,516 --> 00:44:09,271
We have been affected by "purified
waste water" for over 50 years!
616
00:44:11,065 --> 00:44:14,526
We should not have to keep fighting.
617
00:44:14,610 --> 00:44:17,655
We should not have to
continue to be out there
618
00:44:17,738 --> 00:44:20,616
and say, "What the hell is wrong with you?
619
00:44:21,158 --> 00:44:24,828
Why do you suggest that it be built there? "
620
00:44:24,912 --> 00:44:28,040
How can the government approve it?
621
00:44:28,123 --> 00:44:32,586
They are very aware of the
devastation we have endured
622
00:44:32,670 --> 00:44:33,962
and our history.
623
00:44:36,131 --> 00:44:39,468
We will never get rid of it.
624
00:44:41,220 --> 00:44:42,346
HEDRA BOAT HARBOR LAYER
625
00:44:42,429 --> 00:44:46,600
At the beginning of 2019,
the people of Pictou gathered
626
00:44:46,684 --> 00:44:50,896
to keep the public focused on
the planned closure by 2020.
627
00:44:51,230 --> 00:44:53,190
The room was full of optimism
628
00:44:53,273 --> 00:44:56,860
When the Pictou Landing urinals
began the one-year countdown
629
00:44:56,944 --> 00:44:59,405
to the closure of the Boat
Harbor treatment plant.
630
00:44:59,488 --> 00:45:02,241
Together we want a clean environment.
631
00:45:02,324 --> 00:45:07,037
Together we want to correct mistakes,
and that is what it is all about.
632
00:45:07,121 --> 00:45:12,000
This day does not just mean lots to
the Pictou Landing indigenous people
633
00:45:12,084 --> 00:45:13,919
it means a lot to everyone.
634
00:45:14,002 --> 00:45:17,965
"I want my kids to be able to
swim and fish in Boat Harbor
635
00:45:18,048 --> 00:45:21,844
at the age I am in now. Then they
can have the childhood I never had. "
636
00:45:22,428 --> 00:45:25,723
At the same time as society celebrated
637
00:45:25,806 --> 00:45:29,017
Northern Pulp decided
to hold its own meeting
638
00:45:29,309 --> 00:45:34,189
Without an alternative cleaning plan in place and
to avoid having to shut down the entire factory...
639
00:45:34,940 --> 00:45:39,069
They asked for an extension so
that Boat Harbor could remain open
640
00:45:39,528 --> 00:45:42,239
We all have the same goals.
641
00:45:42,489 --> 00:45:46,744
And that is, Boat Harbor should
return to its natural state.
642
00:45:47,286 --> 00:45:49,538
We just need a little more time
643
00:45:49,621 --> 00:45:54,585
to ensure that we are able to
conduct due diligence at each stage.
644
00:45:54,877 --> 00:45:58,338
From environmental assessment to construction
645
00:45:58,422 --> 00:46:01,675
and finally the commissioning
of the new facility.
646
00:46:03,093 --> 00:46:05,262
This would be a day of joy
647
00:46:05,345 --> 00:46:07,639
but just an hour before
the event started
648
00:46:07,723 --> 00:46:11,393
Northern Pulp Mill announced that
they intend to request more time
649
00:46:11,477 --> 00:46:14,062
to close the Boat Harbor facility.
650
00:46:14,146 --> 00:46:17,775
Chief Andrea Paul is disappointed
with how they timed the announcement
651
00:46:17,858 --> 00:46:20,360
and say that an extension
would be unacceptable.
652
00:46:20,444 --> 00:46:22,571
They knew it already in 2015.
653
00:46:23,071 --> 00:46:27,242
If they had used the
time and been proactive
654
00:46:27,326 --> 00:46:30,037
instead of reactive when the news came
655
00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:34,333
had they come further now with
what they want to achieve.
656
00:46:35,083 --> 00:46:39,004
But, Stephen McNeil,
Nova Scotia's prime minister
657
00:46:39,087 --> 00:46:42,466
and the first head of government
who had nailed a closing date
658
00:46:42,591 --> 00:46:45,135
now seemed to give way too.
659
00:46:45,219 --> 00:46:48,222
We gave them five years.
I have been very clear about that.
660
00:46:48,305 --> 00:46:51,350
Our deadline is January 31, 2020.
661
00:46:51,433 --> 00:46:54,311
I have also said,
to society and to the company
662
00:46:54,394 --> 00:46:56,438
that if they can agree on a way forward
663
00:46:56,522 --> 00:47:00,901
and agree on an extension,
I will take that into consideration.
664
00:47:01,485 --> 00:47:03,654
They should show some interest and say:
665
00:47:03,737 --> 00:47:09,284
"We in the government have legislated
that it will be closed on 31 January 2020
666
00:47:09,368 --> 00:47:11,203
and we are committed to that. "
667
00:47:11,286 --> 00:47:13,121
Instead, they chose...
668
00:47:14,206 --> 00:47:16,208
... to use us as a scapegoat.
669
00:47:16,291 --> 00:47:20,796
"Maybe Pictou
Landing will agree."
670
00:47:20,879 --> 00:47:24,758
It felt very unfair.
It was very unfair to us.
671
00:47:25,551 --> 00:47:28,679
If we had an honest relationship...
672
00:47:29,513 --> 00:47:32,391
... which they so often boast
about, they had said:
673
00:47:32,474 --> 00:47:37,563
"January 31, 2020 is the date we
have legislated on. End point."
674
00:47:37,813 --> 00:47:39,022
They did not.
675
00:47:39,731 --> 00:47:42,609
I just so desperately want to believe in something.
676
00:47:42,693 --> 00:47:43,986
And...
677
00:47:45,153 --> 00:47:48,240
... right now I believe on January 31, 2020.
678
00:47:49,867 --> 00:47:51,869
I just hope people understand
679
00:47:51,952 --> 00:47:55,330
that we are not doing
this to cause problems
680
00:47:55,414 --> 00:47:59,001
or to make people sad.
681
00:47:59,084 --> 00:48:02,045
We do it because we need a future.
682
00:48:02,588 --> 00:48:05,257
We need to have contact with our land.
683
00:48:05,340 --> 00:48:08,594
We must have a sustainable environment...
684
00:48:09,636 --> 00:48:12,222
... for our children and grandchildren.
685
00:48:12,306 --> 00:48:16,894
We do it because it's meant
for us to be here and do it.
686
00:48:17,477 --> 00:48:20,564
It's basically about
being tired of being sick.
687
00:48:22,274 --> 00:48:27,821
We hope that we will recover
from all this eventually.
688
00:48:27,905 --> 00:48:30,699
There is a quote that
I always return to:
689
00:48:30,782 --> 00:48:34,953
"You can't get healthy in the same
environment you became ill from."
690
00:48:35,829 --> 00:48:39,041
If we are to get healthy,
that water must stop flowing.
691
00:48:41,793 --> 00:48:47,299
If or when the waste water stops flowing, an
intensive remediation process is required.
692
00:48:47,883 --> 00:48:52,554
It is estimated to take up to five
years and cost over $ 200 million.
693
00:48:52,638 --> 00:48:56,183
to remove toxins such as
mercury from Boat Harbor
694
00:48:56,892 --> 00:48:59,603
The hope is that the area
will eventually return
695
00:48:59,686 --> 00:49:02,481
to something similar
to its original state.
696
00:49:03,315 --> 00:49:05,943
We have already started talking about…
697
00:49:08,320 --> 00:49:12,532
... what Boat Harbor should look like in the future.
698
00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:17,579
What we want to see when
we can return to A'Se'K.
699
00:49:17,663 --> 00:49:19,998
When we can return to that place again.
700
00:49:20,332 --> 00:49:22,793
We call it "Boat Harbor" now
701
00:49:22,876 --> 00:49:28,382
but that is the pollution name.
Previously it was called A'Se'K.
702
00:49:28,465 --> 00:49:30,300
So what do we want to see there?
703
00:49:32,302 --> 00:49:37,724
We talk about nature, and we talk
that we just want to be able to...
704
00:49:38,433 --> 00:49:41,937
... get back in touch with the place.
705
00:49:44,731 --> 00:49:49,236
That's all it takes for people
to be able to heal the wounds.
706
00:49:51,530 --> 00:49:55,534
I want my grandfather to
be able to rest in peace.
707
00:49:55,993 --> 00:50:01,248
I want all former Boat Harbor
warriors to rest in peace.
708
00:50:01,790 --> 00:50:07,254
I want them to be proud that we
fought our way into the last.
709
00:50:23,562 --> 00:50:28,233
While Michelle and the community are
fighting for Boat Harbor to close...
710
00:50:28,692 --> 00:50:32,154
The story may be repeated
just an hour away
711
00:50:32,237 --> 00:50:35,532
where authorities are influenced
by corporate interests
712
00:50:35,615 --> 00:50:38,827
again at the expense of a native.
713
00:50:39,286 --> 00:50:42,789
I have reached my last arrest.
We are in the town of Stewiacke
714
00:50:42,873 --> 00:50:45,292
where you fight for it not to happen.
715
00:50:46,001 --> 00:50:50,464
AltaGas Corporation wants to build
an underground storage facility
716
00:50:50,547 --> 00:50:53,008
on non-transferred Mi'kmaq territory.
717
00:50:54,676 --> 00:50:58,805
AltaGas discovered underground salt
caves near the Shubenacadie River
718
00:50:58,889 --> 00:51:01,224
where natural gases can be stored.
719
00:51:01,308 --> 00:51:02,726
To achieve it
720
00:51:02,809 --> 00:51:06,730
They plan to dissolve the cave's
salt deposits with river water
721
00:51:06,813 --> 00:51:10,275
and then dump the salt water
mixture into the river again
722
00:51:10,358 --> 00:51:12,819
Up to 3,000 tonnes per day.
723
00:51:13,445 --> 00:51:16,740
The mixture contains
salts six times higher
724
00:51:16,823 --> 00:51:19,826
than you think is safe
for fish to live in.
725
00:51:20,243 --> 00:51:24,539
Indigenous members and local
leaders are obviously not happy
726
00:51:25,415 --> 00:51:27,334
We are not happy.
727
00:51:27,417 --> 00:51:29,961
The Sipekne'katik band
here is against the project
728
00:51:30,045 --> 00:51:33,423
Chief Rufus Copage says the
latest environmental report
729
00:51:33,840 --> 00:51:36,593
was not explained well
enough to his band council.
730
00:51:36,676 --> 00:51:38,512
I was hoping to talk to them
731
00:51:38,595 --> 00:51:41,556
but the government does not seem
to want to give us a chance.
732
00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:43,433
So we must fight well.
733
00:51:44,518 --> 00:51:47,521
They have never done it
anywhere else in the world.
734
00:51:47,604 --> 00:51:50,273
Why do they want to do
this in little Nova Scotia?
735
00:51:50,357 --> 00:51:52,692
Why do they want to do it in our river?
736
00:51:52,776 --> 00:51:58,156
where our kids fish every year and
from which they get their food?
737
00:51:58,240 --> 00:52:02,577
Our people have been gathered to
it for many, many generations.
738
00:52:02,661 --> 00:52:06,164
The real danger to the
public is Alton Gas.
739
00:52:06,248 --> 00:52:08,250
RESPECT THE TREATY RIGHTS
740
00:52:09,042 --> 00:52:13,755
I'll meet the local water protectors
in the Sipekne'katik district
741
00:52:13,839 --> 00:52:16,466
who calls themselves Grassroots Grandmothers.
742
00:52:17,050 --> 00:52:20,929
They lead the resistance, not just
to prevent an environmental disaster
743
00:52:21,012 --> 00:52:23,682
but also a violation
of their treaty rights.
744
00:52:25,183 --> 00:52:28,937
Several of them were arrested
just days before our visit
745
00:52:29,020 --> 00:52:31,523
SUPPORT THE WATER PROTECTORS
746
00:52:31,982 --> 00:52:35,068
The Mi'kmaq women say they
protect the soil and the water
747
00:52:35,152 --> 00:52:37,654
and when they did not leave the place voluntarily
748
00:52:37,737 --> 00:52:41,158
They were arrested for
disobedience to a court decision
749
00:52:41,241 --> 00:52:43,952
They say their movement
is far from dead.
750
00:52:44,035 --> 00:52:46,454
We always intend to protect the Holy One.
751
00:52:47,581 --> 00:52:50,542
We are not going to give up.
Notice my murders, Alton Gas.
752
00:52:50,625 --> 00:52:52,127
You will not succeed.
753
00:52:52,252 --> 00:52:53,378
THE FLOW BELONGES TO THE SALMON
754
00:52:53,461 --> 00:52:56,840
STEWIACKE - THE FLOWS OF OPPORTUNITIES CIRCULATED
BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND THE NORTH POLE
755
00:52:57,716 --> 00:53:01,511
I'll meet Dorene and Michelle,
two of the water protectors.
756
00:53:03,054 --> 00:53:05,515
They'll take me to the
main gate outside Alton Gas
757
00:53:05,599 --> 00:53:08,185
where they have actively disturbed the project.
758
00:53:14,107 --> 00:53:17,068
We are on our way to...
759
00:53:18,195 --> 00:53:20,655
... the entrance to Alton Gas.
760
00:53:21,573 --> 00:53:24,034
This is where they arrested the women.
761
00:53:24,701 --> 00:53:26,286
They have removed the tobacco cords.
762
00:53:26,369 --> 00:53:28,163
-Yes, they have. -Oh no.
763
00:53:28,246 --> 00:53:29,831
I'll ask them about it.
764
00:53:29,915 --> 00:53:32,292
-Why is there a police car here?
-I do not know.
765
00:53:32,876 --> 00:53:36,504
For the last four years, this has
been the front line of resistance.
766
00:53:36,588 --> 00:53:39,341
It has resulted in
almost daily conflicts.
767
00:53:39,424 --> 00:53:43,220
I came here to look
at the tobacco cords.
768
00:53:43,303 --> 00:53:46,056
The prayer lines that sat on the gate.
769
00:53:46,681 --> 00:53:50,852
They were ceremonial.
We set up the cords during the ceremony.
770
00:53:50,936 --> 00:53:53,355
We did our best to respect them.
771
00:53:53,438 --> 00:53:56,942
We double-taped the other
side and let them sit.
772
00:53:57,525 --> 00:53:59,027
I can give them to you now.
773
00:53:59,110 --> 00:54:01,905
Can I get them?
I can do it myself.
774
00:54:01,988 --> 00:54:06,076
I can't let you in,
but I can get them for you.
775
00:54:07,535 --> 00:54:10,413
That's not right, it's disrespectful.
776
00:54:24,094 --> 00:54:28,431
AltaGas even created
a special protest area
777
00:54:28,515 --> 00:54:31,351
so they wouldn't be
in the way at the gate
778
00:54:31,434 --> 00:54:36,231
This is our cage.
This is the protest cage they built.
779
00:54:36,815 --> 00:54:39,150
I'm not going into that cage.
780
00:54:39,234 --> 00:54:41,361
My spirit does not want to go into it.
781
00:54:43,530 --> 00:54:48,159
"Peaceful protesters can use this
special area during the daytime
782
00:54:48,243 --> 00:54:51,121
so that the area remains
safe and clean for everyone.
783
00:54:51,204 --> 00:54:54,916
Pick up after you, park no vehicles,
do not camp and light any fires.
784
00:54:55,625 --> 00:54:59,713
Note that the use of alcohol and
drugs is strictly prohibited. Thanks."
785
00:55:01,006 --> 00:55:04,134
The ignorance and disrespect...
786
00:55:05,176 --> 00:55:07,762
... as the words convey...
787
00:55:11,891 --> 00:55:13,435
What are you doing here?
788
00:55:14,185 --> 00:55:19,274
We talked to them about the indigenous
people here. She knows we are worried.
789
00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:24,279
I just don't recognize you.
Your faces.
790
00:55:24,362 --> 00:55:28,199
I recognize this.
But not your faces.
791
00:55:28,950 --> 00:55:33,121
A lot of money is spent by the province...
792
00:55:35,165 --> 00:55:38,418
... to allow,
help and assist the real culprit.
793
00:55:39,753 --> 00:55:42,797
The criminalization of our own people...
794
00:55:43,923 --> 00:55:47,469
... you haven't really talked about it.
795
00:55:48,303 --> 00:55:53,350
The real villains are the company that wants
to come here and dump salt in the river.
796
00:55:53,433 --> 00:55:59,105
They are the real villains,
despite being protected by the police.
797
00:56:00,065 --> 00:56:02,525
It's really scary.
798
00:56:04,110 --> 00:56:05,612
Look, one more.
799
00:56:08,698 --> 00:56:13,119
Dorene takes us to other Grandmothers
at their other resistance site:
800
00:56:13,495 --> 00:56:14,996
Treaty Handelshuset
801
00:56:15,080 --> 00:56:20,460
where she accidentally stumbled upon the start
of the Alton Gas construction three years ago.
802
00:56:21,836 --> 00:56:23,380
By building the trading house
803
00:56:23,463 --> 00:56:26,508
the water protectors actively
asserted their treaty rights
804
00:56:26,591 --> 00:56:31,304
and occupied the area. That made it more
difficult for the company to move on
805
00:56:31,429 --> 00:56:34,724
and encroach on undisclosed
Mi'kmaq territory
806
00:56:37,352 --> 00:56:39,312
This is a general road.
807
00:56:40,271 --> 00:56:43,691
There was an excavator up here.
808
00:56:46,194 --> 00:56:50,907
It filled a ditch again.
I ran up and asked what they were doing.
809
00:56:50,990 --> 00:56:56,413
They said, "You must not be here.
This is a construction site.
810
00:56:56,496 --> 00:57:02,252
We have to refill the ditch. These are
orders from the Environment Minister. "
811
00:57:02,335 --> 00:57:05,755
I said, "Huh? Did she tell you to do that?
812
00:57:05,839 --> 00:57:09,467
When should she tell you to go home?
Go away."
813
00:57:10,427 --> 00:57:14,848
Then I went down to the river where
I sacrificed tobacco and prayed.
814
00:57:15,723 --> 00:57:21,938
Then two security guards showed up behind me.
They stood there while I sang for the water.
815
00:57:22,689 --> 00:57:26,151
Then they escorted
me back to my car.
816
00:57:27,485 --> 00:57:30,572
That's when I uploaded that video
817
00:57:30,655 --> 00:57:34,784
that showed the excavator
and that they were building.
818
00:57:34,868 --> 00:57:39,873
I said, "See what they do with the river.
It's best that you come here."
819
00:57:39,956 --> 00:57:46,212
That weekend we came here and built...
I'll drive you to the trading house.
820
00:57:49,174 --> 00:57:50,884
- Should I take it? -Yes.
821
00:57:50,967 --> 00:57:51,885
WATER WARRIOR
822
00:57:51,968 --> 00:57:56,055
This is where our occupation
of the area began.
823
00:57:56,139 --> 00:57:58,975
We who were here that day were women.
824
00:57:59,058 --> 00:58:04,439
We also had a copy of our
treaty that we had rolled up.
825
00:58:04,522 --> 00:58:06,774
We unfolded it and showed it to them.
826
00:58:06,858 --> 00:58:12,197
Then we read the fourth clause in
our Treaty of 1752 which states:
827
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:13,823
"If the Indians so wish
828
00:58:13,907 --> 00:58:17,535
will be a how to trade barter
on the Shubenacadie River.
829
00:58:17,619 --> 00:58:20,580
We looked at each other and said "we wish".
830
00:58:24,459 --> 00:58:27,212
As soon as you reach the top of the stairs...
831
00:58:27,295 --> 00:58:31,883
... it just takes a single
glance to realize...
832
00:58:33,468 --> 00:58:35,470
... why we are here.
833
00:58:36,638 --> 00:58:38,681
This river is sacred to us.
834
00:58:38,765 --> 00:58:43,311
This river is the most
important part of our people.
835
00:58:43,394 --> 00:58:46,689
It connects our entire
territory since ancient times.
836
00:58:47,524 --> 00:58:52,403
So it should stay. We are not going
to let the company destroy it.
837
00:58:54,572 --> 00:58:59,202
NO ALTON GAS WATER IS GAS
838
00:59:26,604 --> 00:59:29,148
One thing that I think is very important
839
00:59:29,232 --> 00:59:33,778
is to know that women are
the messengers of the water.
840
00:59:35,363 --> 00:59:39,284
The reason why women are
given that responsibility...
841
00:59:40,410 --> 00:59:44,038
... is because women are life-giving.
842
00:59:45,206 --> 00:59:50,378
There is something that the women
in our families can inherit.
843
00:59:51,296 --> 00:59:54,799
The water is sacred and we are responsible for it.
844
00:59:55,633 --> 00:59:59,846
We have received a gift, but we
have also received a responsibility.
845
01:00:01,764 --> 01:00:05,018
As the water is in danger,
treaty rights are violated
846
01:00:05,101 --> 01:00:07,854
and the country's environmental laws are ignored
847
01:00:07,937 --> 01:00:12,692
Grandmothers have begun to confront the same
politicians who swore in to protect them
848
01:00:13,776 --> 01:00:16,237
Honor our treaty, Mr McNeil!
849
01:00:16,654 --> 01:00:18,114
Talk to us!
850
01:00:18,197 --> 01:00:21,367
- Why don't you talk to us?
- Crank down the box.
851
01:00:21,451 --> 01:00:24,037
Crank down the box! Come on!
852
01:00:24,120 --> 01:00:27,624
Don't get in the way of the car!
Back away, otherwise you will be arrested.
853
01:00:27,707 --> 01:00:31,169
- Don't stand in the way.
-Learn to honor the treaty!
854
01:00:31,252 --> 01:00:32,086
Respect...
855
01:00:32,170 --> 01:00:34,881
- Talk to the people!
- Honor the Treaty!
856
01:00:34,964 --> 01:00:36,633
Stop AltaGas!
857
01:00:40,178 --> 01:00:42,055
You are the federal government.
858
01:00:42,138 --> 01:00:44,390
You are the one who approves these laws.
859
01:00:44,474 --> 01:00:46,059
You are poisoning our water.
860
01:00:46,142 --> 01:00:49,020
-You allow companies to come and...
-Thank you.
861
01:00:49,103 --> 01:00:50,813
No, don't say "thank you" yet.
862
01:00:50,897 --> 01:00:54,776
I thank you for saying that it is.
It's appreciated.
863
01:00:55,193 --> 01:00:57,320
Going forward, the regulations...
864
01:00:57,403 --> 01:01:00,740
No regulations!
We just want to release the gas!
865
01:01:00,823 --> 01:01:04,327
We will work with indigenous leaders,
we will work with the province...
866
01:01:04,410 --> 01:01:06,245
Why don't you work with Grandmothers?
867
01:01:06,329 --> 01:01:09,791
Send Alton Gas out of our province. Now.
868
01:01:11,542 --> 01:01:15,963
The legislation that Trudeau is
trying to adopt must be stopped.
869
01:01:16,047 --> 01:01:18,549
Because he changes the legislation
870
01:01:18,633 --> 01:01:21,886
so that Alton Gas can dump
saline into the river.
871
01:01:21,969 --> 01:01:24,847
At present they do not follow the regulations
872
01:01:24,931 --> 01:01:29,519
so the federal government proposes
to create and design new regulations
873
01:01:29,602 --> 01:01:33,690
that they can adhere to, I guess.
874
01:01:33,773 --> 01:01:34,816
They help them.
875
01:01:34,899 --> 01:01:39,153
Yes, that's just another
example of that contempt
876
01:01:39,237 --> 01:01:41,989
and the disinterest they have for our rights.
877
01:01:42,073 --> 01:01:44,325
They do, and they don't even fool us.
878
01:01:44,409 --> 01:01:47,245
They make it completely open now.
879
01:01:47,662 --> 01:01:54,127
And then we have the Ministry of Fisheries
that doesn't seem to think they can stop it
880
01:01:54,210 --> 01:01:58,548
until the water actually begins to contaminate.
881
01:01:58,631 --> 01:02:02,969
But we're not going to let that happen,
because the risk is far too great.
882
01:02:03,052 --> 01:02:05,722
Once a bell has
rang, it has rang.
883
01:02:06,264 --> 01:02:11,936
Right? Once the saline solution falls into
the river, the salinity will be upset.
884
01:02:12,019 --> 01:02:15,732
Then the fish dies.
And what happens after that?
885
01:02:17,567 --> 01:02:20,653
They give companies
access to our territory.
886
01:02:20,737 --> 01:02:23,239
Whether it's Alton Gas
or fracking companies
887
01:02:23,322 --> 01:02:27,493
or rare earth minerals
or gold mines...
888
01:02:27,577 --> 01:02:31,080
All such projects affect
our treaty rights.
889
01:02:31,164 --> 01:02:33,458
They openly ignore our rights
890
01:02:33,541 --> 01:02:38,546
but gives Alton Gas the right
to deviate from the rules.
891
01:02:38,921 --> 01:02:41,716
Canada is not a nation.
892
01:02:42,633 --> 01:02:45,678
We should have done that.
It's a business.
893
01:02:46,345 --> 01:02:50,141
Take the discovery doctrine. After
all, they haven't discovered anything.
894
01:02:50,767 --> 01:02:55,563
Every time we ask them to give us
proof, they have none.
895
01:02:55,646 --> 01:02:59,192
That is why we never get
justice in this system.
896
01:02:59,275 --> 01:03:01,694
Because we are a native population.
897
01:03:02,028 --> 01:03:03,821
It must be over now.
898
01:03:04,030 --> 01:03:09,452
It is about time that we as women
stand up for our Mi'kmaqis identity.
899
01:03:09,869 --> 01:03:13,039
Remember that our ancestors
fought for this land.
900
01:03:13,122 --> 01:03:15,041
We must wake up now.
901
01:03:15,416 --> 01:03:17,335
We must find courage again.
902
01:03:17,668 --> 01:03:21,214
We have to tell them to leave.
They are not welcome here.
903
01:03:22,548 --> 01:03:28,137
That's basically what we've done.
We told them to leave.
904
01:03:28,221 --> 01:03:29,764
We don't want them here.
905
01:03:30,264 --> 01:03:33,392
And you should know that it
is not only happening here.
906
01:03:33,476 --> 01:03:35,978
It happens in all parts of the world.
907
01:03:36,896 --> 01:03:40,942
In all parts of the world.
If you look at places...
908
01:03:41,025 --> 01:03:44,362
... where industries affect people's lives
909
01:03:44,445 --> 01:03:47,865
then it is the indigenous peoples
of the countries that are affected.
910
01:03:48,241 --> 01:03:52,203
And the majority of those
companies are Canadian.
911
01:03:52,829 --> 01:03:57,917
And they have the power
to let people be killed.
912
01:03:58,543 --> 01:04:02,588
They have the power to murder grandmothers...
913
01:04:02,880 --> 01:04:06,592
... and kill the people standing
in front of their gates.
914
01:04:06,884 --> 01:04:10,388
We do the same thing
they did in Guatemala.
915
01:04:10,471 --> 01:04:12,890
We stand in front of a company.
916
01:04:12,974 --> 01:04:14,809
And people have been killed there.
917
01:04:14,892 --> 01:04:17,937
If we were less visible they
would have killed us too.
918
01:04:18,020 --> 01:04:19,689
They have killed us.
919
01:04:19,772 --> 01:04:23,109
Just look at all the missing
and murdered indigenous women.
920
01:04:23,192 --> 01:04:25,528
They have killed our women.
921
01:04:26,112 --> 01:04:29,532
The truth is that we have no choice.
922
01:04:29,907 --> 01:04:34,287
We are who we are,
and we were always meant to be.
923
01:04:34,370 --> 01:04:36,664
It is in our DNA, in our blood.
924
01:04:37,331 --> 01:04:41,335
They can not stop us from being
an indigenous people anymore.
925
01:04:41,419 --> 01:04:42,628
That is our identity.
926
01:04:42,712 --> 01:04:46,883
They cannot prevent us from
learning how to care for the earth
927
01:04:46,966 --> 01:04:49,010
and have a relationship with it.
928
01:04:49,093 --> 01:04:52,805
And they can't stop us from
teaching, not just our children
929
01:04:52,889 --> 01:04:54,265
without everyone's children.
930
01:04:55,099 --> 01:04:57,643
The prophecy we learn
931
01:04:57,727 --> 01:05:03,900
is that if we do not start
taking care of mother earth...
932
01:05:04,442 --> 01:05:08,195
... our land and our water,
our food and our medicines...
933
01:05:08,863 --> 01:05:12,241
... and the animals and the flowers
and everything that feeds us...
934
01:05:12,825 --> 01:05:18,998
... one day an ounce of water will
cost more than an ounce of gold.
935
01:05:19,498 --> 01:05:22,710
And no matter how much money you have
936
01:05:22,793 --> 01:05:28,716
you will not be able to buy an ounce of
water because of how expensive it is.
937
01:05:29,884 --> 01:05:32,428
It doesn't matter if you have gold.
938
01:05:33,262 --> 01:05:35,848
You can't drink gold and money.
939
01:05:38,225 --> 01:05:41,103
So it was a lesson,
and not just for the indigenous people.
940
01:05:41,187 --> 01:05:43,022
We are just messengers.
941
01:05:43,481 --> 01:05:46,609
It is a lesson for all
people, all of humanity.
942
01:05:48,819 --> 01:05:53,866
Everyone who lives now must be able to say to their
grandchildren and those who are not yet born
943
01:05:53,950 --> 01:05:58,579
that we did everything in our power
to create change and make a difference
944
01:05:58,663 --> 01:06:02,124
and stop the destruction
and pollution
945
01:06:02,208 --> 01:06:04,752
and prevent it from lasting.
946
01:06:05,336 --> 01:06:07,505
We're just ordinary people.
947
01:06:07,588 --> 01:06:10,758
Everyone who sits here in
front of you has rights.
948
01:06:10,883 --> 01:06:15,638
And we have a connection with
you, because you were born here.
949
01:06:15,972 --> 01:06:17,682
You are also from here.
950
01:06:17,765 --> 01:06:20,309
You have a connection to the ground.
951
01:06:20,393 --> 01:06:23,854
When you enter other
territories, you are still away.
952
01:06:23,938 --> 01:06:26,357
Your soul is from Mi'kma'ki.
953
01:06:26,440 --> 01:06:31,362
I hope you will carry with you what
has happened here today in your soul.
954
01:06:31,445 --> 01:06:33,406
And it is powerful.
955
01:06:40,413 --> 01:06:43,332
DEMONSTRANTS THINK STILL
956
01:06:43,416 --> 01:06:45,334
STOP ALTON GAS
957
01:06:45,418 --> 01:06:49,839
NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS
958
01:07:08,566 --> 01:07:11,777
The idyllic picture I
had of my home growing up
959
01:07:11,861 --> 01:07:14,113
was crushed recently.
960
01:07:14,196 --> 01:07:18,492
But I realized I didn't
see all the pieces.
961
01:07:19,618 --> 01:07:21,829
Behind the shadow of the big companies
962
01:07:21,912 --> 01:07:26,292
and beyond governments that don't pretend
to be the most vulnerable citizens...
963
01:07:27,334 --> 01:07:30,504
... love of nature and fellow
human beings can prevail.
964
01:07:36,052 --> 01:07:40,806
I got a sense of strength & meaning
from Grassroots Grandmothers
965
01:07:40,890 --> 01:07:43,768
and all the women I
met during the journey.
966
01:07:44,560 --> 01:07:48,189
The truth is that even
with their sacrifice
967
01:07:48,272 --> 01:07:50,983
nobody knows what the future holds
968
01:07:51,067 --> 01:07:53,694
neither to them nor to our planet
969
01:07:53,778 --> 01:07:58,616
if we don't put each other
and those in power in charge.
970
01:07:58,699 --> 01:08:02,453
If we don't change our attitude
and look beyond ourselves...
971
01:08:03,496 --> 01:08:07,041
... and see that what affects
one of us affects us all
972
01:08:09,585 --> 01:08:11,962
You split the DNA with a fruit fly.
973
01:08:13,047 --> 01:08:15,549
You are connected to everything living on earth.
974
01:08:17,051 --> 01:08:19,261
You have the power of life.
975
01:08:20,387 --> 01:08:21,680
Use it.
976
01:08:34,235 --> 01:08:38,364
A PRIVATE OFFERED TO
Donate Money to a Well
977
01:08:38,447 --> 01:08:42,159
WHO COULD PROVIDE THE LIVES OF SOUTH
SHELBURNE WITH CLEAN DRINKING WATER
978
01:08:42,243 --> 01:08:46,872
LOUISE MADE A PROPOSAL FOR THE
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN SHELBURNE
979
01:08:46,956 --> 01:08:51,127
ABOUT ACCEPTING IT.
THEY ACCEPT THE OFFER.
980
01:08:51,210 --> 01:08:53,963
GRASSROOTS GRANDMOTHERS
AND OTHER WATER PROTECTORS
981
01:08:54,088 --> 01:08:56,841
CONTINUES TO PRESS NOVA
SCOTIA'S GOVERNMENT
982
01:08:56,924 --> 01:08:58,801
NOT TO ALLOW THE ALTON GAS PROJECT.
983
01:08:58,884 --> 01:09:03,013
FOLLOW THE EVENT DEVELOPMENT
ON THEIR TWITTER @STOPALTONGAS
984
01:09:03,097 --> 01:09:06,142
DECEMBER 17,
2019 NOVA SCOTIA'S GOVERNMENT NOTIFIED
985
01:09:06,225 --> 01:09:09,103
THAT THEY WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH
THE NORTHERN PULPS FOCUS REPORT
986
01:09:09,186 --> 01:09:12,439
AND COULD NOT GIVE GREEN
LIGHT FOR THE NEW WATER WASTE
987
01:09:12,523 --> 01:09:15,943
WOULD EMPTY THE WASTE WATER
IN NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT.
988
01:09:16,026 --> 01:09:19,989
NORTHERN PULP WAS PROPOSED TO PROVIDE
AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
989
01:09:20,072 --> 01:09:21,574
WHICH CAN TAKE TWO YEARS.
990
01:09:21,657 --> 01:09:24,326
THE DECISION CREATED NEW UNCERTAINTY
991
01:09:24,451 --> 01:09:29,623
IF BOAT HARBOR WASTE WILL BE
CLOSED ON JANUARY 31, 2020.
992
01:09:29,748 --> 01:09:31,625
BUT THEN, DECEMBER 20, 2019
993
01:09:31,709 --> 01:09:34,837
COME PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN
MCNEIL WITH A CONFERENCE:
994
01:09:35,921 --> 01:09:40,551
This is one of the most difficult decisions
we, as a government, have had to make.
995
01:09:41,302 --> 01:09:45,181
The commitment I made to
decontaminating Boat Harbor was serious
996
01:09:45,264 --> 01:09:48,017
and nothing our government made easy.
997
01:09:49,059 --> 01:09:52,563
Many governments before us said
they would clean up the place
998
01:09:52,646 --> 01:09:54,190
but did not.
999
01:09:55,441 --> 01:09:58,194
We will not repeat that pattern.
1000
01:09:58,944 --> 01:10:04,158
The Boat Harbor Act will come
into force on January 31, 2020.
1001
01:10:05,075 --> 01:10:09,121
Northern Pulp will be ordered to
stop pumping waste water there.
1002
01:10:10,206 --> 01:10:14,293
And let me be clear -
there will be no extension.
86118
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