Original subtitles

What kind of country is Canada?

It depends on how you look at the matter.

Nova Scotia, Canada's marine playground.

I grew up in the capital Halifax.

Less than an hour's drive away, regardless of direction.

You are met by a beautiful and carefree coastline

In some ways, Nova Scotia embodies what many believe Canada is:

A lovely getaway.

As a child, that was the picture I had of the province.

Natural, warm-hearted...

... and welcoming regardless of one's background.

After all, Canada takes care of its people

-Are you a Canadian? -What is…?

We have free healthcare.

Marriage equality was introduced 14 years ago.

And we were the second country in the world to legalize cannabis

Cannabis, cannabis...!

But when you look under the surface...

... the perfect image begins to crack.

No piping...!

STOP ENVIRONMENTAL RASIS SUPPORT AAMJIVNAANG

Politicians promise one thing and do another.

The history of colonialism continues to this day

WARNING: OIL PIPELINE

Our chance to save the environment is getting smaller every day that goes by.

as corporate interests seem more important to the government

than the public's concern.

The more I saw, the more I couldn't help but use my platform.

to say my meaning.

Do you have any idea how we can get the public and the media

to care more about global warming?

I just want to point out

that those who are most marginalized and who do not contribute to the problem at all

are the ones suffering the most right now. This also applies in Canada.

There is environmental racism in Canada. Even in the province I come from.

This is something that is going on now.

It affects the most marginalized and we must talk about that.

Hi. Ingrid here.

- Hi, Ingrid! Hey! I'll let you in.

Thanks.

I'll meet Professor Ingrid Waldron

who wrote a very important book on environmental racism in Nova Scotia:

There's Something in the Water.

Nice to meet you!

-Thanks for everything! -No problems.

I woke up one morning in my office and took to Twitter.

There was a new person who followed me called "Tiny Canadian".

It didn't say "Ellen Page", so I didn't think about it anymore.

Then about a month later

there was a lot of comments on my Twitter.

I had never seen anything like it. "Whats happening here?" I thought.

Then I realized it was you!

And that is where this journey began.

Environmentalism is the disorder and the problem that arises

when communities with indigenous peoples, blacks and other minorities are disproportionately exposed

for environmental pressures, pollution and poisons.

But it is also about how slowly the authorities act

to address these issues.

What we do know is that the place you live in is related to your well-being.

In Canada, your health is governed by your zip code.

We know that people in some communities are less healthy because of their place of residence.

Most blacks in Nova Scotia live in their own traditional communities

located in the countryside and often near buried waste.

Indigenous communities are also disproportionately often located...

... near these harmful places.

When living in remote, invisible communities

who often lack a voice and who are invisible to the government

one's voice is often not heard.

One must look at environmental racism

in a context of Nova Scotia's history

and in a context of colonialism in Nova Scotia and Canada.

There is a reluctance and fear in Canada to talk about racism.

Racism permeates all our social structures.

In Canada we tend not to pretend like that.

Racism and environmental racism have a real impact among ordinary people

who live in these specific communities.

It has affected black communities and indigenous communities socially

economically and politically.

When you consider that some social groups are not important...

... and that they lack human value...

... and doesn't mean anything...

It usually is so we look at non-white people.

Then in many ways it is logical that you do not intend to act

in the same way they would have done if they were white, because...

... these groups don't mean anything to some people.

I think there is an indifference.

If you do not meet people and know what they see as important

their experiences and challenges will never have an impact on environmental policy.

You need to listen to these groups, and you usually don't.

If you look at a map of Nova Scotia

and marks places where there are communities of blacks and indigenous people...

... and then waste was buried and toxic industries were located

you soon discover an unpleasant relationship.

I'll visit some of the communities

to hear how environmental problems affect people's lives.

The first place I go to is the town of Shelburne

Just twenty minutes from a place where parts of my family are from

It's a coastal town that many people see as unconscionable.

In Shelburne County once lived the largest number of released blacks.

throughout North America.

Their descendants now live for the most part in Shelburne's southern part.

But from the moment they settled here 250 years ago

Black citizens were never treated in the same way as whites.

A fact that they are allowed to live with today.

A dump that was placed in the city in the 1940s

continues to plague residents of South Shelburne

several years after it was closed.

I'll talk to local activist Louise Delisle to find out more.

You really like dogs.

Hi sweetie!

-How nice it is here. -Yes, it's beautiful here.

-My relatives are from Lockeport. -Yes, I heard it!

So I've spent a lot of time here.

-Do you know Fred Page? -Peace? No.

-But my dad's name was Dennis Page. - From Lockeport.

Dennis Page and Lorie Page.

-I know Lorie Page. -Yes.

Crikey. Zach does this all the time. "My cousin, my cousin, my cousin..."

- Zach Page. -I know Lorie.

-Oh really? -Yes! Fun.

From the day the black loyalists stepped ashore here

we were contract servants.

We came here with a promise

that we would get something better, because we were slaves after all.

Many came via the underground railway and by ship to the harbor.

We are descendants of those people.

I feel very, very honored

that I belong to that strong family

of black loyalists.

In the early 1940s, they began to gather in the same place.

You know how people are.

They gather around their family and stuff.

People began to build their homes close to each other.

In the late 40's...

... they decided to place... They called it a "dump".

There everything was thrown away. Nothing was sorted.

All garbage from the immediate area

from Shelburne and Shelburne municipality ended up there.

These included garbage from the hospital.

In other words, it was probably some body parts.

There were things from the fleet base.

We don't know what they threw there.

Things from the shipyards, like paint and oil.

They were old cars, food from the shops...

They dumped dead animals there.

Everything you can imagine...

... was thrown at that tip.

They had to get rid of it, because it was like a mountain of garbage.

So they kindled a fire on it.

And it burned for several days.

The smell was awful.

And the smoke covered...

You couldn't open the windows.

I remember...

... when someone said "garbage tip is burning"

first you heard the gulls screaming very loudly.

Then they disappeared.

Then the smoke was like a black cloud.

And everything said...

When the fire started to go out or if there was rain

everything was completely covered in soot.

I remember when I went to school in the morning...

We were lucky if we could get to school...

... without smelling like we had been with some kind of...

... chemical warfare.

When we arrived at the school, the teachers used to say...

"Did you wash this morning?"

It was horrible.

We've been drinking water

from streams and wells found in this community...

... for several generations.

Who knows what has trickled into our wells from the dump?

Who knows?

When you talk about...

... how environmental racism has affected this society

so it has... It kills us.

We didn't place it there.

Our families did not ask for it.

Now we have to reap the consequences of that...

... by losing those we love. They are gone.

There is so much cancer in our society.

People say there is cancer everywhere...

... but in this area we have one of the highest rates of bone marrow cancer.

People die in this. Why?

It depends on the dump.

That's my mother. She is the one sitting there.

It is in our garden.

I am with my braids.

How cute!

Where were you among the seven?

-Were you...? -Äldst.

That's my brother Robert.

There is Robert. It was he...

... who passed away in cancer.

There is my sister Babe who has bone marrow cancer.

There is my youngest brother Frank.

There we are.

There is my uncle who recently passed away in cancer.

Two years ago he passed away.

After my dad passed away in cancer

he stepped in and took on the role of a father figure.

But they are gone.

I do not want to...

... say things that hurt someone, but I try to tell the truth.

That's the point.

It's hard sometimes, especially when talking about racism.

And discrimination.

A couple of roosters.

Here was the first black community.

We have done samples in the wells here.

And the people here had...

... high levels of arsenic in the water.

This is a small community.

This family lost members...

... in cancer.

The man here has been diagnosed and will not live long.

He has lung cancer.

The man who lives here.

They are very nice people. I should let you greet them

but I have not said that we are coming, so it is best that we do not stay.

Their well is contaminated.

They cannot drink the water.

This lady's husband died of cancer. She lives alone there.

This lady's husband died of cancer.

But she went on in life and met a very nice man from Newfoundland.

The whole family that lived in this house died of cancer.

It now belongs to someone else

who moved here to the community to try to renovate the house and live in it.

But everyone who lived in it died of cancer.

This lady's husband died of cancer.

She herself is quite ill with cancer now.

The man who built the house and his wife died in cancer.

Their daughter lives in Birchtown now.

She had cancer but survived it.

But...

... the two sons died of cancer.

Yes...

Not good.

This is the house that is closest...

... dump.

A young woman was forced to move home again.

And stay here.

Both her mother and father died of cancer.

Now she's back there. She lives with five children in the house.

She has nowhere else to live, so she was forced to move back there.

On the other side of those trees was the foot of the dump.

It's not very far away.

We used to play in that forest.

Yes...

Not good.

Do you want to step out and go there, Ellen?

Can we go to the dump?

There is a sign that says "no unauthorized".

But I know how to get in.

There lives Mr. Clyke.

Mr. Clyke is very eccentric.

Mr. Clyke also has cancer now.

He is probably the oldest black man in society.

I don't know if he's home or not.

What?

What are you doing?

- This is Mr. Clyke. -Yes, Ron Clyke.

This is Ian.

- What? -I do not know.

Daniel.

-Daniel. -Ian Daniel.

Look at all cameras!

-And see how I go dressed. -You're truly beautiful.

-My name is Ellen. What?

-My name is Ellen. -All what?

Page.

Ellen is here to talk about the dump.

We just talked about...

... the smoke and the soot and the ash and all that.

And what we want.

Everyone is gone. You're the oldest one left now.

-I think so. -Yes.

-The oldest man, right? -Yes, for Wally Davis is around 70.

-Wallace, yes. Wallace is... -He also gets cancer treatment.

Wallace is once again being treated for lung cancer.

I'm going there this week.

-This week? -Next Friday.

- Do they have to look how you feel then? -Yes.

-A return visit. I'm at it every year. -Yes.

Do you think the tip has something to do with your cancer?

-Who knows? -Who knows...

With safety?

- The whole neighborhood has cancer. -Yes.

All the men are gone, right?

Frank and Seldon and Ed... And your friend Ed. Everyone's gone.

- And Bern Bruce and Shirley. - And Bern and Shirley.

So we were going to go away and sneak along the fence.

-There's a path there. -Yes, we walk along the path.

THE SOPTIPPEN CLOSED ON DECEMBER 3, 2016

I hope that...

... if anyone gets anything out of this...

...I hope...

... that it is that people learn to use things in a more environmentally friendly way.

Then no dumps are needed.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could find a way

where everything we need can...

... used again and again?

Wouldn't that be good?

Then we would never have had any problems

with people dying from things we have consumed and...

... lit fire on.

The dumps were permanently closed in 2016.

If it wasn't for the scattered remains you see when walking around here today...

... you might not have known about it.

What you worry about now is what is buried

and what impact it might have on the water and the nearby land.

I imagine living in constant fear.

"Is there anything in my water? Has it spread to the water?"

Thankfully we have started doing water tests now.

We make home visits with everyone and talk to them.

"You have to test your well. We have a team that can do it."

And people are becoming more aware of the problems now

because when the water samples come back they see that there is something in the water.

Whether it depends on the dump or something else we know that it is the water that....

When you have coliform bacteria and E. coli in the well

that one uses in the home to cook for the children and one's husband

or to brush your teeth, bathe or do anything else, you know.

And when you find out that there is something wrong with one's water, one's life...

It affects one's life. Your whole life.

Everyone should have the right to clean water.

- You shouldn't have to fight for it. -No.

The people we vote for in this society

should fight side by side with us

for clean water. But... wake up!

They don't see it as a problem.

And that's because it doesn't affect them.

They have what they call clean, drinkable water.

They get water from the municipality.

We don't have it. We don't even have that option.

We have no way of saying that we are not going to use the wells anymore

because they are contaminated, and instead use municipal water

We do not have that option.

They do not see it as feasible to lay pipes so that we can get clean water.

Why are we in this society less worthy...

... than the people in that society?

WELCOME TO SHELBURNE FOUNDED IN 1783 BY UNITED EMPIRE LOYALTIES

In recent years, Louise has begun to make her voice heard.

She has pushed the government to adopt new environmental legislation

which guarantees all residents a healthy living environment.

Especially historically marginalized people.

But the response from local politicians has been upsetting

So racism lives on and it's still here.

If we don't talk about it and identify it...

... it will never go away.

And since I speak openly about it

it has intersected between me and some other people in the community

because they don't want to talk about it.

You mentioned the mayor.

Okay. There I got the answer.

-The mayor... -I was just wondering what she was doing.

The mayor does not think I have the right to speak.

Why not?

Because she...

In fact, she has said that society does not want me to talk about it.

Society doesn't care.

I'm sorry...

... but I'm going to say it.

It is...

It is my right to tell you

that you are destroying my family and my community.

And that is because you have decided to dump your junk in my garden.

Sorry. But that's it.

You either help us or are you against us. One or the other.

Each time a choice approaches

they come to our society and promise gold and green forests.

"We'll do a lot of things for you."

We believe in them. Here we trust people.

Then they vote for them, but they just...

And if you can't take care of your neighbor...

... or people in your presence, or even your family

then what do people benefit from?

What do you do here?

If you don't care about your brothers and sisters or other people.

Why do you bother yourself in that case? Why even get up in the morning?

For your own sake? It must be terribly lonely to live that way.

Right?

The love of people must come first.

We have to be there for each other.

We are all heading in the same direction.

If we do not do right the first time, we will have no chance to try again.

So if that means I can make sure

that my neighbor is healthy

and if I have the opportunity to contribute to it in some small way

I plan to do that.

To install a well that can provide the community with clean drinking water

in a place suggested by Louise

would cost about $ 10,000.

This year alone, the city budgeted $ 35,000

to the annual "Founders' Day" festival

Just three hours north are the indigenous people of Pictou Landing First Nation

who are also fighting against the toxic legacy of state failure.

Mi'kmaq people's current struggle

reflects the long line of conflicts between indigenous peoples and the authorities

since the colonization of what is now Canada began.

Genocide, attacks by federal agents and Catholic boarding schools

has deprived Mi'kmaq of much of the land and culture they once had

Today, they are also suffering from an environmental disaster

who have been tormenting their community for over 50 years.

Boat Harbor, Nova Scotia.

Thousands of fish are breathing and dying

Most people who saw the pictures on the news were disgusted and upset

How could that happen?

But the pictures are just the latest after many years of pollution here.

-Nice to meet you. -The same.

-Come in. -I'm sorry. GPS: the only...

Just as it was, I was stuck in the mud.

I understood you were taking a shortcut. "The road is off. Hmm."

What is now called Boat Harbor was called before the pollution for A'Se'K.

A'Se'K means "the other room".

It was where our people flowed

At that time, Indian agents used to come to fetch children.

They used to fly to A'Se'K.

So A'Se'K...

One of our elders puts it so nicely - at one time it was like a parent to them.

The place protected them. It gave them food when they were hungry.

They could seek protection there, and when...

... the factory came here in 1965

and embarked on their most deliberate plan to...

.... infiltrate our land...

... and our A'Se'K...

... all of it was taken away from us.

In 1965, the Scott Paper Company wanted to build a pulp and paper mill in Nova Scotia

They knew exactly where they wanted it.

In the town of Pictou.

You have the corresponding...

Their consultant, Doctor John Bates, had chosen the site a few years earlier

These were his suggestions:

Scott Paper was going to build a pulp mill.

The waste from the factory would be sealed in pipes under Pictou Harbor

and dumped in Boat Harbor.

Eventually, industrial waste would come out into the sea.

When the proposal was presented

Dr. Bates no longer worked as a consultant for Scott.

He had become the head of the Nova Scotia Water Authority.

Everything was paved for a very lucrative deal

between Scott Paper and the province of Nova Scotia.

The government agreed to take care of the factory waste

and started buying land in the area.

The only problem was the Indians, who lived on the outskirts of Boat Harbor

The water authority had contacted my grandfather, who was then chief

and the council, saying they wanted to build a factory.

They should not have to worry. It would be a freshwater lake.

The factory would have no impact on anything.

There were documented concerns about how it would affect the environment and fishing waters.

They talked about the turmoil our leaders have been doing for decades.

When they learned that we were worried, they wanted to take us on a trip.

They came and brought my grandfather and another council member, Martin Sapier

to a place in...

... New Brunswick.

It was not even the same type of treatment plant that they were building.

Mr. Wigglesworth came down

and took us up to St. John's or Lancaster, to a pulp mill.

He showed us that there was no discoloration in the water, no stench...

-No discoloration in the water? -Right.

There was no stench or anything from that pulp mill.

The smoke here is from the pulp mill in St. John.

But the Indians were never brought there.

All they saw was a water treatment plant a few miles away

It was just a facade.

They made some lies to them

and tried to make them understand that it will not affect them.

"It will be a lake.

You will still enjoy the water

and you will still be able to do what you want to do. "

There were terms in the agreement that were completely ignored.

They wanted to know...

... with certainty how they would be affected. It was never followed up.

The only condition that was met was $ 60,000.

$ 60,000 at that time to an oppressed community

who had suffered through the effects of boarding schools and...

That was a lot! I can imagine what went through Grandpa's head.

"My God. The environment will not be affected.

I care about the county. I feel like I'm helping.

This does not lead to anything bad. "

When my grandfather was there in New Brunswick with Martin Sapier

he wrote under one document.

He signed, every now and then. They had tricked him.

The Indians had given up their rights to Boat Harbor...

... for about $ 65,000.

Two years later, the plant was operational.

And the waste began to flow into Boat Harbor.

They killed all fish along the coast the following day.

There were dead fish, nests and seals everywhere out there.

They killed them right away, in one night.

And that happened within a week of the factory opening?

Three or four days after it opened.

Yes, they killed everything with it.

You can imagine the sadness he felt...

... when he realized that Boat Harbor was dead.

At his death he still felt it was his fault.

Then he passed it on to...

He passed on the feelings of guilt to his children and to his family.

How did they handle it? Then it was...

It is a vicious circle that must be broken.

What had life looked like for my family...

... if Boat Harbor had never happened?

My grandfather and grandmother had 13 children.

Grandpa went to live when he was very young, at the end of his forties.

Today, only my mother and my aunt are alive.

Everyone else has good cancer.

And suicide.

Alcoholism and drugs took the driver's seat.

So I often wonder...

... if we had had a chance if this had never happened...

... to live in a way...

... where we could have aged together?

I'll take you and show you the waste water treatment plant...

... located on Simpson's Lane, not far from our community.

This is the entrance to the treatment plant

who has been here since 1967.

This is what comes directly from the factory.

Raw and untreated waste water.

WARNING: DEEP WATER

They used to dump it right on our land.

There was no purification system. They just dumped it through the pipe.

I get so sad when I come here.

This is how our society smells.

Sometimes when you walk into buildings where we live you feel that smell.

It sits in the walls.

This is aerator. They oxygenate the water, which feels quite tragic.

Once upon a time, they said it would have no impact...

... and now it looks like this.

All this is spreading to our society.

We not only suffer with the knowledge that this is affecting our water

look at our air as well.

And yes. It's... It's sad.

Are you worried about your own health?

It's funny that you mention it.

Considering where I come from and how many in my family have died

I never expected to live long. I turn 41 next week.

And...

... because I know everyone has passed away so young...

... I have always felt that I will not have the chance to grow old.

Sometimes I think so.

Sorrow. I often say that word.

I don't know how to describe it otherwise.

It takes many expressions. It is...

How to handle it?

How had you handled it?

Were you worried that the lagoon was so close to the Indian Reserve?

It didn't hurt them, of course.

They didn't live in the water.

They only saw the water from where they lived.

And... than ever?

Here are some from our community that we have lost since the factory was opened.

Yes...

You can clearly see that...

That they die young. Yes it is true.

I don't like to count the dead. It is many.

There are many who should be here. They should be here.

They should fight with us and see the end of...

... water pollution. But they don't.

We want to try to honor their memory.

They see what happens and what we do. They will be proud of us.

This reminds me why I do what I do.

Now that's enough.

In 2014, the tense situation reached a crisis when the waste pipe broke.

Forty-seven million gallons of toxic, unclean water ran out into the area

On land where there were known Mi'kmaq cemeteries.

The authorities had promised to close Boat Harbor several times

but never kept his word.

This time Michelle and the community acted by creating a blockade

They promised not to disappear until Boat Harbor was closed.

It forced the provincial government to finally address the matter.

In June 2014

our peaceful protest received a lot of media attention

in connection with the leakage of waste water from the pipeline.

We were on the front line. We had enough.

We were tired of things like that going on.

The waste water that had been a burden for five decades continued to hurt us.

Our leaders had meetings with the authorities fairly regularly

to try to find a solution to what was going on.

We met in the community gym.

Our management came back

and told what the government had said during the discussions.

But of course we did not trust them.

It was rule number one - several governments had failed us

with several broken promises through decade after decade.

The most important thing for us then was to try to figure out

if what they said was the truth.

We were lucky enough to reach an agreement.

An agreement we were not entirely happy with.

They would finally acknowledge all the devastation

and propose a closing date for the water treatment plant in Boat Harbor.

The date they suggested was not the date we wanted.

We were hoping for an earlier date.

The date they gave us was January 31, 2020.

We thought long and carefully.

But we compromised.

So the compromise did not mean that the factory would be closed

without the purification plant alone in Boat Harbor, which had damaged society for decades.

The Government of Nova Scotia adopted the Boat Harbor Act

a law that mandates that by January 31, 2020

The use of Boat Harbor to receive and clean waste water must cease

Then you can do two things:

To plan and build a new wastewater treatment plant and to plan the remodeling of Boat Harbor.

Northern Pulp was given five years to develop an alternative plan

But four years later

was their best suggestion to build a new pipeline.

that would dump the wastewater into the Northumberland Strait

right next to Pictou Landing...

... lucrative fishing waters for both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the area.

The plan caused a people storm.

We want to be happy and celebrate the closure of the plant.

We want to start healing our wounds and do all the things we know...

... we should be able to do.

But how do we celebrate when we know that their proposal is a new water treatment plant

who just moves the problem from the backyard to the front?

What bothers me is that they are constantly talking about "purified waste water".

We have been affected by "purified waste water" for over 50 years!

We should not have to keep fighting.

We should not have to continue to be out there

and say, "What the hell is wrong with you?

Why do you suggest that it be built there? "

How can the government approve it?

They are very aware of the devastation we have endured

and our history.

We will never get rid of it.

HEDRA BOAT HARBOR LAYER

At the beginning of 2019, the people of Pictou gathered

to keep the public focused on the planned closure by 2020.

The room was full of optimism

When the Pictou Landing urinals began the one-year countdown

to the closure of the Boat Harbor treatment plant.

Together we want a clean environment.

Together we want to correct mistakes, and that is what it is all about.

This day does not just mean lots to the Pictou Landing indigenous people

it means a lot to everyone.

"I want my kids to be able to swim and fish in Boat Harbor

at the age I am in now. Then they can have the childhood I never had. "

At the same time as society celebrated

Northern Pulp decided to hold its own meeting

Without an alternative cleaning plan in place and to avoid having to shut down the entire factory...

They asked for an extension so that Boat Harbor could remain open

We all have the same goals.

And that is, Boat Harbor should return to its natural state.

We just need a little more time

to ensure that we are able to conduct due diligence at each stage.

From environmental assessment to construction

and finally the commissioning of the new facility.

This would be a day of joy

but just an hour before the event started

Northern Pulp Mill announced that they intend to request more time

to close the Boat Harbor facility.

Chief Andrea Paul is disappointed with how they timed the announcement

and say that an extension would be unacceptable.

They knew it already in 2015.

If they had used the time and been proactive

instead of reactive when the news came

had they come further now with what they want to achieve.

But, Stephen McNeil, Nova Scotia's prime minister

and the first head of government who had nailed a closing date

now seemed to give way too.

We gave them five years. I have been very clear about that.

Our deadline is January 31, 2020.

I have also said, to society and to the company

that if they can agree on a way forward

and agree on an extension, I will take that into consideration.

They should show some interest and say:

"We in the government have legislated that it will be closed on 31 January 2020

and we are committed to that. "

Instead, they chose...

... to use us as a scapegoat.

"Maybe Pictou Landing will agree."

It felt very unfair. It was very unfair to us.

If we had an honest relationship...

... which they so often boast about, they had said:

"January 31, 2020 is the date we have legislated on. End point."

They did not.

I just so desperately want to believe in something.

And...

... right now I believe on January 31, 2020.

I just hope people understand

that we are not doing this to cause problems

or to make people sad.

We do it because we need a future.

We need to have contact with our land.

We must have a sustainable environment...

... for our children and grandchildren.

We do it because it's meant for us to be here and do it.

It's basically about being tired of being sick.

We hope that we will recover from all this eventually.

There is a quote that I always return to:

"You can't get healthy in the same environment you became ill from."

If we are to get healthy, that water must stop flowing.

If or when the waste water stops flowing, an intensive remediation process is required.

It is estimated to take up to five years and cost over $ 200 million.

to remove toxins such as mercury from Boat Harbor

The hope is that the area will eventually return

to something similar to its original state.

We have already started talking about…

... what Boat Harbor should look like in the future.

What we want to see when we can return to A'Se'K.

When we can return to that place again.

We call it "Boat Harbor" now

but that is the pollution name. Previously it was called A'Se'K.

So what do we want to see there?

We talk about nature, and we talk that we just want to be able to...

... get back in touch with the place.

That's all it takes for people to be able to heal the wounds.

I want my grandfather to be able to rest in peace.

I want all former Boat Harbor warriors to rest in peace.

I want them to be proud that we fought our way into the last.

While Michelle and the community are fighting for Boat Harbor to close...

The story may be repeated just an hour away

where authorities are influenced by corporate interests

again at the expense of a native.

I have reached my last arrest. We are in the town of Stewiacke

where you fight for it not to happen.

AltaGas Corporation wants to build an underground storage facility

on non-transferred Mi'kmaq territory.

AltaGas discovered underground salt caves near the Shubenacadie River

where natural gases can be stored.

To achieve it

They plan to dissolve the cave's salt deposits with river water

and then dump the salt water mixture into the river again

Up to 3,000 tonnes per day.

The mixture contains salts six times higher

than you think is safe for fish to live in.

Indigenous members and local leaders are obviously not happy

We are not happy.

The Sipekne'katik band here is against the project

Chief Rufus Copage says the latest environmental report

was not explained well enough to his band council.

I was hoping to talk to them

but the government does not seem to want to give us a chance.

So we must fight well.

They have never done it anywhere else in the world.

Why do they want to do this in little Nova Scotia?

Why do they want to do it in our river?

where our kids fish every year and from which they get their food?

Our people have been gathered to it for many, many generations.

The real danger to the public is Alton Gas.

RESPECT THE TREATY RIGHTS

I'll meet the local water protectors in the Sipekne'katik district

who calls themselves Grassroots Grandmothers.

They lead the resistance, not just to prevent an environmental disaster

but also a violation of their treaty rights.

Several of them were arrested just days before our visit

SUPPORT THE WATER PROTECTORS

The Mi'kmaq women say they protect the soil and the water

and when they did not leave the place voluntarily

They were arrested for disobedience to a court decision

They say their movement is far from dead.

We always intend to protect the Holy One.

We are not going to give up. Notice my murders, Alton Gas.

You will not succeed.

THE FLOW BELONGES TO THE SALMON

STEWIACKE - THE FLOWS OF OPPORTUNITIES CIRCULATED BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND THE NORTH POLE

I'll meet Dorene and Michelle, two of the water protectors.

They'll take me to the main gate outside Alton Gas

where they have actively disturbed the project.

We are on our way to...

... the entrance to Alton Gas.

This is where they arrested the women.

They have removed the tobacco cords.

-Yes, they have. -Oh no.

I'll ask them about it.

-Why is there a police car here? -I do not know.

For the last four years, this has been the front line of resistance.

It has resulted in almost daily conflicts.

I came here to look at the tobacco cords.

The prayer lines that sat on the gate.

They were ceremonial. We set up the cords during the ceremony.

We did our best to respect them.

We double-taped the other side and let them sit.

I can give them to you now.

Can I get them? I can do it myself.

I can't let you in, but I can get them for you.

That's not right, it's disrespectful.

AltaGas even created a special protest area

so they wouldn't be in the way at the gate

This is our cage. This is the protest cage they built.

I'm not going into that cage.

My spirit does not want to go into it.

"Peaceful protesters can use this special area during the daytime

so that the area remains safe and clean for everyone.

Pick up after you, park no vehicles, do not camp and light any fires.

Note that the use of alcohol and drugs is strictly prohibited. Thanks."

The ignorance and disrespect...

... as the words convey...

What are you doing here?

We talked to them about the indigenous people here. She knows we are worried.

I just don't recognize you. Your faces.

I recognize this. But not your faces.

A lot of money is spent by the province...

... to allow, help and assist the real culprit.

The criminalization of our own people...

... you haven't really talked about it.

The real villains are the company that wants to come here and dump salt in the river.

They are the real villains, despite being protected by the police.

It's really scary.

Look, one more.

Dorene takes us to other Grandmothers at their other resistance site:

Treaty Handelshuset

where she accidentally stumbled upon the start of the Alton Gas construction three years ago.

By building the trading house

the water protectors actively asserted their treaty rights

and occupied the area. That made it more difficult for the company to move on

and encroach on undisclosed Mi'kmaq territory

This is a general road.

There was an excavator up here.

It filled a ditch again. I ran up and asked what they were doing.

They said, "You must not be here. This is a construction site.

We have to refill the ditch. These are orders from the Environment Minister. "

I said, "Huh? Did she tell you to do that?

When should she tell you to go home? Go away."

Then I went down to the river where I sacrificed tobacco and prayed.

Then two security guards showed up behind me. They stood there while I sang for the water.

Then they escorted me back to my car.

That's when I uploaded that video

that showed the excavator and that they were building.

I said, "See what they do with the river. It's best that you come here."

That weekend we came here and built... I'll drive you to the trading house.

- Should I take it? -Yes.

WATER WARRIOR

This is where our occupation of the area began.

We who were here that day were women.

We also had a copy of our treaty that we had rolled up.

We unfolded it and showed it to them.

Then we read the fourth clause in our Treaty of 1752 which states:

"If the Indians so wish

will be a how to trade barter on the Shubenacadie River.

We looked at each other and said "we wish".

As soon as you reach the top of the stairs...

... it just takes a single glance to realize...

... why we are here.

This river is sacred to us.

This river is the most important part of our people.

It connects our entire territory since ancient times.

So it should stay. We are not going to let the company destroy it.

NO ALTON GAS WATER IS GAS

One thing that I think is very important

is to know that women are the messengers of the water.

The reason why women are given that responsibility...

... is because women are life-giving.

There is something that the women in our families can inherit.

The water is sacred and we are responsible for it.

We have received a gift, but we have also received a responsibility.

As the water is in danger, treaty rights are violated

and the country's environmental laws are ignored

Grandmothers have begun to confront the same politicians who swore in to protect them

Honor our treaty, Mr McNeil!

Talk to us!

- Why don't you talk to us? - Crank down the box.

Crank down the box! Come on!

Don't get in the way of the car! Back away, otherwise you will be arrested.

- Don't stand in the way. -Learn to honor the treaty!

Respect...

- Talk to the people! - Honor the Treaty!

Stop AltaGas!

You are the federal government.

You are the one who approves these laws.

You are poisoning our water.

-You allow companies to come and... -Thank you.

No, don't say "thank you" yet.

I thank you for saying that it is. It's appreciated.

Going forward, the regulations...

No regulations! We just want to release the gas!

We will work with indigenous leaders, we will work with the province...

Why don't you work with Grandmothers?

Send Alton Gas out of our province. Now.

The legislation that Trudeau is trying to adopt must be stopped.

Because he changes the legislation

so that Alton Gas can dump saline into the river.

At present they do not follow the regulations

so the federal government proposes to create and design new regulations

that they can adhere to, I guess.

They help them.

Yes, that's just another example of that contempt

and the disinterest they have for our rights.

They do, and they don't even fool us.

They make it completely open now.

And then we have the Ministry of Fisheries that doesn't seem to think they can stop it

until the water actually begins to contaminate.

But we're not going to let that happen, because the risk is far too great.

Once a bell has rang, it has rang.

Right? Once the saline solution falls into the river, the salinity will be upset.

Then the fish dies. And what happens after that?

They give companies access to our territory.

Whether it's Alton Gas or fracking companies

or rare earth minerals or gold mines...

All such projects affect our treaty rights.

They openly ignore our rights

but gives Alton Gas the right to deviate from the rules.

Canada is not a nation.

We should have done that. It's a business.

Take the discovery doctrine. After all, they haven't discovered anything.

Every time we ask them to give us proof, they have none.

That is why we never get justice in this system.

Because we are a native population.

It must be over now.

It is about time that we as women stand up for our Mi'kmaqis identity.

Remember that our ancestors fought for this land.

We must wake up now.

We must find courage again.

We have to tell them to leave. They are not welcome here.

That's basically what we've done. We told them to leave.

We don't want them here.

And you should know that it is not only happening here.

It happens in all parts of the world.

In all parts of the world. If you look at places...

... where industries affect people's lives

then it is the indigenous peoples of the countries that are affected.

And the majority of those companies are Canadian.

And they have the power to let people be killed.

They have the power to murder grandmothers...

... and kill the people standing in front of their gates.

We do the same thing they did in Guatemala.

We stand in front of a company.

And people have been killed there.

If we were less visible they would have killed us too.

They have killed us.

Just look at all the missing and murdered indigenous women.

They have killed our women.

The truth is that we have no choice.

We are who we are, and we were always meant to be.

It is in our DNA, in our blood.

They can not stop us from being an indigenous people anymore.

That is our identity.

They cannot prevent us from learning how to care for the earth

and have a relationship with it.

And they can't stop us from teaching, not just our children

without everyone's children.

The prophecy we learn

is that if we do not start taking care of mother earth...

... our land and our water, our food and our medicines...

... and the animals and the flowers and everything that feeds us...

... one day an ounce of water will cost more than an ounce of gold.

And no matter how much money you have

you will not be able to buy an ounce of water because of how expensive it is.

It doesn't matter if you have gold.

You can't drink gold and money.

So it was a lesson, and not just for the indigenous people.

We are just messengers.

It is a lesson for all people, all of humanity.

Everyone who lives now must be able to say to their grandchildren and those who are not yet born

that we did everything in our power to create change and make a difference

and stop the destruction and pollution

and prevent it from lasting.

We're just ordinary people.

Everyone who sits here in front of you has rights.

And we have a connection with you, because you were born here.

You are also from here.

You have a connection to the ground.

When you enter other territories, you are still away.

Your soul is from Mi'kma'ki.

I hope you will carry with you what has happened here today in your soul.

And it is powerful.

DEMONSTRANTS THINK STILL

STOP ALTON GAS

NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS

The idyllic picture I had of my home growing up

was crushed recently.

But I realized I didn't see all the pieces.

Behind the shadow of the big companies

and beyond governments that don't pretend to be the most vulnerable citizens...

... love of nature and fellow human beings can prevail.

I got a sense of strength & meaning from Grassroots Grandmothers

and all the women I met during the journey.

The truth is that even with their sacrifice

nobody knows what the future holds

neither to them nor to our planet

if we don't put each other and those in power in charge.

If we don't change our attitude and look beyond ourselves...

... and see that what affects one of us affects us all

You split the DNA with a fruit fly.

You are connected to everything living on earth.

You have the power of life.

Use it.

A PRIVATE OFFERED TO Donate Money to a Well

WHO COULD PROVIDE THE LIVES OF SOUTH SHELBURNE WITH CLEAN DRINKING WATER

LOUISE MADE A PROPOSAL FOR THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN SHELBURNE

ABOUT ACCEPTING IT. THEY ACCEPT THE OFFER.

GRASSROOTS GRANDMOTHERS AND OTHER WATER PROTECTORS

CONTINUES TO PRESS NOVA SCOTIA'S GOVERNMENT

NOT TO ALLOW THE ALTON GAS PROJECT.

FOLLOW THE EVENT DEVELOPMENT ON THEIR TWITTER @STOPALTONGAS

DECEMBER 17, 2019 NOVA SCOTIA'S GOVERNMENT NOTIFIED

THAT THEY WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE NORTHERN PULPS FOCUS REPORT

AND COULD NOT GIVE GREEN LIGHT FOR THE NEW WATER WASTE

WOULD EMPTY THE WASTE WATER IN NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT.

NORTHERN PULP WAS PROPOSED TO PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT

WHICH CAN TAKE TWO YEARS.

THE DECISION CREATED NEW UNCERTAINTY

IF BOAT HARBOR WASTE WILL BE CLOSED ON JANUARY 31, 2020.

BUT THEN, DECEMBER 20, 2019

COME PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN MCNEIL WITH A CONFERENCE:

This is one of the most difficult decisions we, as a government, have had to make.

The commitment I made to decontaminating Boat Harbor was serious

and nothing our government made easy.

Many governments before us said they would clean up the place

but did not.

We will not repeat that pattern.

The Boat Harbor Act will come into force on January 31, 2020.

Northern Pulp will be ordered to stop pumping waste water there.

And let me be clear - there will be no extension.