GEMS – Girls, Empowerment, Mentorship, Strengthening.

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GEMS is a program held within the Listuguj Community Social Service Directorate (LCSSD.) It is an after-school group for girls aged 9-13. This program is designated to offer mentorship and guidance for young girls in the community.

Carlene Isaac is a Home Support Worker at LCSSD and facilitates the group projects with GEMS. The girls who are registered for this program meet after school every Monday at LCSSD. They work on a variety of different projects such as arts and crafts and self-defense. The program also consists of information sessions on several important topics like bullying, sexual development, dangers of vaping and more.  

In the new year, Isaac would like to incorporate new teachings and cultural aspects to the program, such as beading, the Seven Sacred Teachings, medicines, and more.

In August, the GEMS program held a jingle dress workshop with Listuguj’s own, Cheyenne Isaac-Gloade. All nine girls enrolled in the program completed their dresses with pride.

At the end of the school year, the GEM and PALS (Protecting Ancient Leadership Skills) program at LCSSD went to tree-go in Rimouski.

When it comes to the importance of this program in Listuguj, Isaac said, “GEMS is important to the community because it’s a little group like family for the girls. They all get along when they’re here, and all have a great time. Most importantly, it also teaches them a lot of skills, and knowledge, and culture.”

As of right now, the GEMS program is full, with 10 girls enrolled. If you are interested in more information on GEMS, and upcoming registration opportunities, please contact Carlene Isaac at LCSSD at 418-788-3039 or via email at carlene.isaac@listuguj.ca.

By Ann Marie Jacques

Listuguj Police Department’s Grand Opening

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Earlier this month, the Listuguj Police Department held a soft grand opening for their brand-new police station located at 250 Riverside W.

The event was attended by the Minister of Public Security and Public Safety Canada. An opening prayer was done by Ella Vicaire and a smudging ceremony was done by Chad Gedeon. Rosslyn Vicaire said a few words on behalf of her late, father, Henry Vicaire.

Speeches were done by the Director of Public Security, Peter Arsenault, Chief of Police Sharon Barnaby, Deputy Chief Jacob Mitchell, Chief Scott Martin, and CEO Bassem Abdrabou.

Shout out to Abby Metallic who organized this wonderful event.

By Ann Marie Jacques

AGS Launches New Production Team

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Alaqsite’w Gitpu School (AGS) has recently rolled out a brand-new production team for students to take part in. Gitpu Productions was established roughly a month and a half ago and was created for students who wanted to be part of a team, but not necessarily interested in sports. Being part of a team or club shows commitment, independence and responsibility.  Gitpu Productions is led by gym teachers, Jennifer Morrison and Tyler Gideon, with assistance from teacher, Darryl Stevens, and as of right now, there are 11 members, ranging from grade 5 to grade 7.

Grade five French Immersion student, Mia Legace, who is a member of the production team, said, “Gitpu Productions is pretty much of us making videos of people working at our school, of the athletes, and everyone else, and we put them on our media groups online.”

Each student has their own jobs and duties that they are comfortable with performing. Some of the tasks include sports announcements, filming and live-streaming sports events, graphic design, photography, laundry, and more. Gideon said, “There’s so many things that we can do. We’re going to start small, and we’re going to build and build and make sure all these students experience different jobs and see all the little things behind the scenes that most people don’t see when it comes to events.” While some of the students on the production team are members of various sports teams at AGS, they work together to ensure all tasks are met, if one of the students is out to play sports.

The production team gets together at least once a week to brainstorm and come up with ideas for future projects and events. A few ideas for the future: interviewing athletes to create profiles and bios, becoming game officials and statisticians, and creating gear for the team, with a logo created by member, grade seven English student, Charlie Pictou.  The team will also be looking into rolling out their own TikTok channel and creating more social media content. Morrison said, “We’re also going to be having some video editing. They’re going to be in charge of creating TikToks, content for social media, and getting the word out to community members.”

As of right now, you can see what Gitpu Productions has been working on via the Facebook page, “AGS Sports and Recreation.” The students have been dedicated to showing AGS and the community what they have been working on. We look forward to seeing what they have in store for the future!

From left to right:
Jennifer Morrison, Emily Mitchell, Donna Isaac Brisk, Sheeana Martin, Aubrey Wysote, Kiana Anderson Isaac, Charlie Pictou, Mia Legace, Lori Brisk, Kiera Barnaby, Lilly Barnaby, Shyla Martin, and Tyler Gideon.

By Ann Marie Jacques

And the award for best tasting water goes to… Listuguj!

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On September 24th, Listuguj’s Public Works Department participated in a competition organized by the Circuit Rider Training Program (CRTP) and Indigenous Services Canada’s First Nation and Inuit Health Branch at an annual banquet in Montreal.

Listuguj competed against approximately 23 First Nations communities to see which community had the best tasting water. In the end, there was a “taste-off” between the Innu community of Unamen Shipu and Listuguj.

Listuguj won first place for the best tasting water and took home “The Stanley Drop/ La Goute Stanley.”

Congratulations to the team for winning this award and providing the community with fresh, clean, drinkable water!

Listuguj’s Public Works Department goes above and beyond all year round, to ensure the community has good quality drinking water.  There are several daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks that need to be performed to maintain the fresh water in the community.

Shout out to the team:
Marc LeMay – Trainer and Instructor
Joshua Isaac – Public Works Manager/Operator
Gunner Isaac – Fresh Water Treatment Operator
John Loren Wysote – Fresh Water Treatment Operator and Wastewater Plant Operator
Andrea Mitchell – In Training for Water and Wastewater Operator

By Ann Marie Jacques

Kicking off the Mi’gmaw Language Home Kit Engagement Sessions

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In early October, the Mi’gmaw Language and Culture Revitalization Team, in partnership with Metallic Publishing kicked off their very first Mi’gmaw Home Kit Engagement Session. In this session, a reading was done of the children’s book “U’j’ji’jg”, titled “Blackflies” in English, originally written by Robert Munsch. This book was published in Mi’gma’gi by Metallic Publishing, translated by Mary Ann Metallic, and edited by Victoria Metallic and Janice Vicaire. Metallic Publishing worked with Scholastic Canada Ltd. to make the Mi’gmaw version of this book possible, which included an agreement that Metallic Publishing had to duplicate the layout of the English version. The artwork in the book was done by Jay Odjick from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Algonquin community in Québec. The book took months to translate and edit, and number of drafts were done before the final project was completed.


Listuguj’s Victoria Metallic, creator of Metallic Publishing feels as though sharing Mi’gmaw stories and providing resources is important to those who are wanting to learn the language. This was one of the reasons she created Metallic Publishing. She said, “Creating a publishing company was very important, because when I was younger, I didn’t have any books in Mi’gmaw to read or browse through. I didn’t have any videos to listen to. The only time I heard Mi’gmaw was through my parents at home.”

Since “U’j’ji’jg” has been published, it has been distributed to schools in Listuguj, Gesgapegiag, and New Richmond. Various group readings and discussions have been done on the book as well. Metallic Publishing has several videos that can be used as a useful tool when it comes to learning the Mi’gmaw language. Metallic said, “We’ve made some videos on YouTube, where you can hear audio of different words, sounds of the letters, and different verbs too.” These videos can be found on Metallic Publishing’s page on Facebook, or on YouTube.

If you would like a copy of “U’j’ji’jg” please reach out to Mi’gmaw Language and Culture Coordinator, Mary-Beth Wysote for more information. She can be reached at mary-beth.wysote@listuguj.ca or at 418-788-2136.

By Ann Marie Jacques

Youth Connections Program – Assisting in Cultural Needs, Wellness and Life Lessons

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The Youth Connections Program is a program within the Restorative Justice Directorate. This program aims to provide youth aged 11-17 with safe and informative activities that are beneficial to their well-being and healing journey.

Nicholas Chad Duguay is the Youth Connections Coordinator and has been working with Restorative Justice since May of this year. He organizes the activities and works as a mentor for the youth.

Not only is this program designed to help the youth gain necessary life-skills, but it is also about giving back to the community. Some of the activities the youth engage in are gardening, hunting, and sweetgrass picking, to which they will give to Elders and community members.

If you’d like more details on program, you can contact Nicholas Chad Duguay via Facebook, or by phone at 418-788-0351. Be on the lookout for posters and flyers throughout Listuguj, or on social media for upcoming activities.

By Ann Marie Jacques

New Cancer Screening Initiative – Listuguj Community Health Services

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The Listuguj Community Health Services has partnered with the National Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) and the Quebec Integrated Health and Social Services (CISSS) to deliver a two (2) year in-community cancer screening pilot project.  The overall objective of Mawlugutinej – “Let’s Work Together” is to provide information, medical care and a path to resources on the prevalent cancers impacting Listuguj community members and their families.

The LCHS is proud to introduce Ms. Tanya Webster as the Mawlugutinej Project Manager.  With her medical background, she brings both a wealth of experience in the field, and a strong skill set with program management.  She will continue to foster the partnerships between Listuguj, the CISSS and Maria Hospital when it comes to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatments.

Through the continuum of care, the project will implement strategies that will positively impact wait times for medical appointments, referrals and results.  Mawlugutineg will bridge the existing gap in cancer services through the Province, and advocate for community members as they navigate the medical channels to receive the most appropriate care.

The LCHS hosted a ‘Lunch N’ Learn’ in early September to introduce the Mawlugutinej Project to our community members.  The focus on the discussion centered on Cervical Cancer Screening moderated by our own Nurse-In-Charge, Ms. Jennifer Caplin, R.N. and Tanya Webster.  The session was well attended by women of all ages from our community, and the feedback and interest on the information provided was very positive and encouraging.

With this Mawlugutineg Project, our Medical Team will be developing a free vaccination program for school age children (Grade 4) to 20 years of age.  A small fee will be required for female community members over the age of 20 who wish to get the vaccine.  The Team will also be looking into self-screening kits, and in the meantime, Listuguj Community Members can receive cervical cancer screenings here at our own Community Health Center.

To be eligible for in-community cervical cancer screenings, individuals must:

  • Be a Listuguj Community Member
  • Be between 25 to 65 years of age
  • Have a cervix
  • Have been sexually active
  • Have a valid Quebec Medicare Card

To obtain more information on this new resource, or to schedule your cervical cancer screening, contact the LCHS at 418-788-2155.

By Listuguj Community Health Services

Post Majority – Supporting Young Adults

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The Listuguj Community Social Services Directorate (LCSSD) offers a Post-Majority Program which was started to help youth who are aging out of Foster or Kindship care services. Lydia Barnaby is the Post-Majority Care Coordinator since May 2023, she said, “When I first heard of the program being implemented in Listuguj, I was excited and knew I wanted to be part of it.”

The Post-Majority Program is available to young adults from the time they turn 18, until their 26th Birthday. Barnaby said, “We recognized that there is a gap in support services and want to find ways that we can help individuals thrive on their journey into adulthood.” The services that are offered range from safe housing, educational support, financial support, physical, mental and social well-being support and cultural supports.

The program really takes into consideration the individual and works with them to create plans based on their needs, goals, and plans. It also recognizes that some of the individuals may face inter-generational trauma due to the hardships of being raised in care.

If you would like more information on the Post-Majority program, please contact Lydia Barnaby at 418-788-3039, or lydia.barnaby@listuguj.ca. You can also visit LCSSD at 2 Gef St.

By Ann Marie Jacques

HR Job Statistics for the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government

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The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) had several job opportunities this year, to work towards improving services to the community.

Here are the number of new hires for the LMG from January to September 2024.

Fulltime– 38

Fixed-term– 24

Casual– 18

Seasonal Staff (Capital and Infrastructure, Beautification and Horticulture) – 165

Rangers – 33

Fisheries – 44

Scientific Research – 10