WAQATASG ELDERS HOME – A HOME WITHIN THE COMMUNITY

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Health Director of nearly 20 years in the community, Donna Metallic has considerable expertise when it comes to health care in Listuguj.  In the past few years, this expertise shifted to elders, and what facilities and services are needed in the community to ensure they are given the best care possible. “How do First Nations experience aging when they have to navigate complex health systems, with medical conditions and complex social and historical conditions?” asked Donna Metallic.


The idea of an elder’s home has been on the radar in Listuguj for a long time – dating back to 2001. Throughout the years, many steps were taken, and work was done to get the green light for the elder’s home in the community. General Manager of Capital and Infrastructure, Bassem Abdrabou acknowledged community members’ hard work over the years: “Several governments, people, and teams have been involved in this project.”  In 2010 the name, “Waqatasg” was coined by a group of elders in the community – Waqatasg meaning, “Northern Light.” Once the land was set aside for the facility, the process began with funding and attaining engineers and construction crews to make this dream become a reality. Most of the funding was from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund – CMHC, the remaining portion of funding was directly from a Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government band contribution. With the help of Chief Darcy Gray, council members, and the Capital and Infrastructure team, the elder’s home project was set into motion in 2017. In 2020, the project design and funding agreement was finalized. Capital and Infrastructure Project Manager, Shereef Aboulazm says when he began working with the community just under two years ago, the design had already been confirmed, and now it was his time to handle executing the project. Despite some project challenges mostly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included project cost and material supply variations, construction began in July 2021.


The vision for Waqatasg is to be “a home within the community” said Metallic. The community of Listuguj holds elders in high regard and wants them to feel comfortable and at home, and that’s where the design concept came from. The facility is the first of its kind to steer away from the typical institutionalized atmosphere that most nursing home facilities embody and focus more on having a home that reflects on Mi’gmaq values that allow elders to stay connected to the community that they’ve been a part of their whole lives. In many cases, elders in the community resisted going to facilities outside of the community, for reasons such as language barriers, and the fact that they are being institutionalized outside of their community in a place where they do not feel culturally safe. Metallic ensures that Waqatasg will maintain the connection between elders and their culture and language. She says that the consulting crew that was selected was familiar with First Nations values, beliefs, and principles, and they are aiming for the staff to have that understanding as well.

While the building’s physical appearance and general atmosphere may seem very comfortable and relaxed, elders who will be in this facility can expect top-of-the-line medical staff and medical equipment that they may not have had access to. Aboulazm states, “For the doctor’s offices and nursing stations, we didn’t have expertise on specific medical equipment and furnishings, so we tendered for a consultant for procurement services. We worked with them for a number of months to get the right equipment ready for the building.”


While Listuguj does offer various services at the Health Centre, this type of long-term 24-hour care was not offered in the community. “We have programs in the community, for example, the home and community care program, but it’s very limited in the types of services we can offer to an individual when their health needs require more than what we can give them,” said Metallic.


Waqatasg Elders Home will be a 24-bed facility, with one bariatric room and one palliative care room.  There will be an area set up for elders who have Alzheimer’s and/or Dementia, and rooms set up to accommodate health conditions an elder may have. There will be a Traditional room, where elders can smudge and continue their spiritual journey, activity rooms, a hair salon, and a gift shop. The facility will be very family-friendly and will allow visits from children.

Not only is this facility needed in the community for elders requiring care, but it will also be a major source of employment opportunities for the area – with a various number of positions such as registered nurses, LPNs, administration staff, legal staff, custodians, kitchen staff, security staff, etc.


The impact that the Waqatasg Elders Home will have on the community will be monumental. “I don’t think people realize how big this will be for the community,” said Metallic. Both Abdrabou and Aboulazm feel very fortunate to have been part of this significant project. Abdrabou has worked on numerous projects throughout his life but says this facility will always have a place in his heart. He said, “It’s not like a shopping mall, or a high rise, or a commercial use building, it’s a building for Elders and First Nations – it’s meaningful.”  Aboulazm said, “We get caught up in the numbers and the construction, but when you actually think about it, this will likely be the last place many family members see their grandparents and parents and to be able to speak to them in their own language, it’s a special kind of thing.”

The work that has gone into the Waqatasg Elders Home was a group effort. From Donna Metallic and her team at the Health Centre, the Capital and Infrastructure team, past and present Chief and Council Members, and the community of Listuguj as a whole.  As of right now, there is no set date for a grand opening, but they are hoping for late Fall to early Winter.

By Ann Marie Jacques

STANLEY BARNABY – AN ADVOCATE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

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Originally from Listuguj, QC, Stanley Barnaby is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) located in Fredericton, NB. His extensive educational background, work experience, and passion for advocating for Indigenous people and communities led him to this highly regarded position.

Barnaby became interested in this field when he was in high school, and he joined the Job Readiness program at LMDC and discovered his love for accounting. He said, “One of my job placements was at the MMS [Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat] in the accounting department and this is where my career in accounting started. I worked at the MMS for a couple of Summers during my studies and will forever be grateful for my experience there.” From here, he attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, where he obtained his First Nations Business Administration.  He received a Bachelor’s in Business, Technological and Aboriginal Economic Development certifications, Management Development Program certificate, and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

According to JEDI’s website, “The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) is an Indigenous organization dedicated to supporting Indigenous participation in New Brunswick’s economy.” Barnaby first joined the team as a finance intern and eventually moved up to various other positions such as Finance and Operations Manager and Senior Project Manager, up until 2021, when he was the Acting CEO, eventually becoming appointed to the CEO. JEDI focuses its work on the support of Indigenous entrepreneurs and small businesses, community economic development, workforce development, and partnerships with the public and private sector. “The thing I like most about working for JEDI is that I get the opportunity to work with all the Indigenous Communities and people in New Brunswick to create and provide opportunities that better our communities and people,” said Barnaby. You can find more information about the programs JEDI offers at their website, jedinb.ca.

Barnaby also has devoted a lot of his time doing volunteer work in several programs and organizations.  One of the volunteer roles to highlight is that as of 2021 he was elected President of CANDO (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers) which is a national non-profit organization that strengthens Indigenous economies by offering various programs and services.

Although Barnaby now resides in Fredericton, New Brunswick, he misses his friends and family here in Listuguj, his dad’s camp, the woods, and the river. He says his future plans are to continue to create, provide and advocate for the Indigenous people and communities in New Brunswick, while raising a family with his fiancé, Megan in her home community of Sitansisk.

By Ann Marie Jacques

“YOU CAN NEVER FINISH A DICTIONARY.”

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In 1993, Diane Mitchell got the idea for the Mi’gmaq-Mi’kmaq Online Talking Dictionary when her daughter was only two years old. They were living in Southern Ontario at the time, and Mitchell realized that her daughter would not have access to their language. With the help of her tech-savvy husband, Sean Haberlin, website developer, Dave Ziegler, and database specialist, Watson Williams, she successfully recorded seven Mi’gmaq words.  Roughly five years later, Mitchell returned to Listuguj and got together with Eunice Metallic and Joe Wilmot to find out that the idea of a similar project had been brought up in the Education department prior, but no concrete work was done. In the beginning, the project was meant to be recorded on CDs, but as time went on, using the Internet for their platform seemed like the best route. To help kick off their project, they were given funding to purchase recording equipment. This is when the seven words that Mitchell had initially recorded, turned into something much more.

Mitchell said, “Initially I was just going to do it for domestic consumption – even though it was a large project, but I also recognized it would be really useful, simply because we have less and less speakers as the time goes on.” Mitchell, Metallic and Wilmot all grew up in a home where Mi’gmaq was their primary language. They felt as though their knowledge and other Mi’gmaq speakers’ knowledge of the language could be used to benefit the community to keep the language alive for future generations.

The team was determined to include more and more words, which meant doing work on evenings, and weekends. “This is what we wanted to do. Not because we were paid, not because somebody was telling us what to do. It was all just us doing the work,” said Metallic.

Eventually, the community recognized the project and temporarily employed the team to make the project even bigger. The team received various funding over the years as well. Even after the employment came to an end, and the funding was gone, they continued.

The dictionary received positive feedback and praise from the community. It is still being used frequently – whether it be by teachers, education staff, young generations of learners, or people wanting to become familiar with the language in general. The dictionary was also praised by the previous Chief and Council administration in the community. “Our Chiefs in the last 30 years have changed.  All the Chiefs have supported us. They support the language program because it’s for the community.” said Metallic.

As of today, the Mi’gmaq-Mi’kmaq Online Talking Dictionary has 6500 words. The words are in alphabetical order, defined, used in sentences, and are primarily voiced by Mitchell, Metallic, and Wilmot. The website also offers various traditional Mi’gmaq songs and stories that are voiced by people in the community, such as Roseann Martin, Simon Dedam, Roger Metallic, Theresa Mitchell, and even Mitchell’s eight-year-old daughter at the time. Mitchell has also created a Twitter account called “Pemaptoq” with over 1000 followers – where she tweets a Mi’gmaq Word of the Day. These words of the day can also be found on the billboard in front of the Listuguj Education Training and Employment office and can be heard on the radio station, CHRQ.

Mitchell has taken on a bit of a side project, that is still related to the dictionary. Over the years she has been collecting and studying work from Père Pacifique – a Priest from the late 1800s, who published numerous Mi’gmaq manuscripts and prayer books.  Included in his manuscripts is a handwritten Mi’gmaq dictionary that was never published. The primary entries are done in Mi’gmaq, but the explanations and definitions are mainly done in French. Mitchell has been working with various Mi’gmaq women in the community to extract words from these manuscripts. She is teaching them how to transliterate his work. The words that have been extracted from the dictionary, will be presented to some speakers in the community. Once these words have been approved and tested, eventually she would like to add some of these words to the dictionary. Wilmot said, “There are other projects that are going to be pulled into it. It will enhance the use of the dictionary, and hopefully, it results in people taking something from it, and learning from it.”

Even though the dictionary has come a long way, the team says you can never finish a dictionary. New words are often resurfacing and being discovered. Metallic said, “I hope somebody will be able to take over it when we’re gone.”

The Mi’gmaq-Mi’kmaq Online Talking Dictionary has gone on to be a staple in Listuguj.  The team could not stress enough that they are grateful for the help and support received from individuals who made the project possible and from the community in general. The time and effort that were put into this project are highly respected and recognized and will continue to be used as a major source for the language.

By Ann Marie Jacques

LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER SPOTLIGHT – COLE DUNKLEY

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In the beginning, Dunkley’s Landscaping consisted of owner and operator, Cole Dunkley. After he completed a Horticulture program, it was just himself with one truck and one trailer, getting lawn mowing jobs from people in the community. Fast forward roughly four years, and Dunkley’s Landscaping is a well-known and respected business in the community, with multiple employees, four trucks, a tractor, and several trailers. “It came a long way, and I did it organically,” said Dunkley.

Dunkley’s Landscaping is based in Listuguj but works in surrounding areas. They’ve taken part in a number of projects in the community such as the new Natural Resources building, residential yard projects, and most recently the new Glitaw (Mijwajij) Park. Dunkley and his crew have also done work in areas such as Charlo, Flatlands, and Maria.

The company offers a variety of landscaping services such as tree trimming and removal, sod installation, hydroseeding, and much more.

Dunkley is very passionate and humble when it comes to his experience as a business owner, and it’s clear that he put in the work. In the first two years of running the business, he put in approximately 120 hours per week. He said, “If someone has a dream, and they want to put in the dedication, you can make it work.”

For now, Dunkley’s goal is to work less – he said he’s gone from working hard to working smart. In the future, he plans on having more crews on the go and is aiming to have four separate work crews.

Dunkley encourages the public to contact the company via Facebook, or by phone for all landscaping needs, inquiries, and quotes.

By Ann Marie Jacques

Truth and Reconciliation in Listuguj

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For Truth and Reconciliation, the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government and the Listuguj Mi’gmaw Language and Culture Revitalization Program handed out vibrant orange shirts to the community, that were designed by Griffin Thomas Germain.

On September 30th, a ceremony was held at the Etlinpisulti’gw (Healing Grounds) with remarks from Roseann Martin, Chief Darcy Gray, and Councillor Chad Gedeon. Campbellton Mayor, Ian Comeau, and Pointe-à-la-Croix Mayor, Pascal Bujold were also in attendance.

It was an emotional day to reflect on and honour Residential School survivors and those who didn’t make it home.

By Ann Marie Jacques

HOUSTON BARNABY IS HELPING BUSINESSES CHANGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

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Houston Barnaby knew from a young age that he always wanted to be a lawyer. He was surrounded by family members with a strong entrepreneurial work ethic and knew that he would follow in their footsteps. Barnaby, born and raised in Listuguj, but now resides in Halifax, Novia Scotia was an Indigenous Lawyer representing the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’gmaq Chiefs. As of March 2021, he co-created his company, Indigenous Treaty Partners (ITP) with fellow Mi’gmaq associates, Rebeccah Slaunwhite and Corey Mattie.

The purpose of ITP is to help educate on the importance of reconciliation and provide cultural awareness to various businesses and individuals. As of right now, these training services are offered in person or can be done remotely online. Barnaby said, “The reason why we started ITP was simply as a cultural awareness training company, but now we’re slowly expanding into other consulting work.  Now we are kind of becoming an Indigenous consulting firm – owned and operated Indigenous and also serving Indigenous markets.” Barnaby also stated that no one else was offering this kind of cultural awareness training, so after working together with his business partners, they came up with the idea and put Indigenous Treaty Partners into motion.

The company offers several important training services such as the Indigenous Cultural Training Program, and a product called a Reconciliation Action Plan – which is to increase Indigenous exposure in the workplace. Barnaby said we have all been part of colonial and formal educational institutions and workplaces, and society has a lot of unlearning to do. One of the goals is to get people excited, engaged, and wanting to do more and bring them to a place of action to support Indigenous people. ITP delivers Indigenous history passionately to its participants in these training programs, in hopes this will assist society in understanding the truth and hardships that Indigenous people still face to this day. “We have to know the truth before reconciliation can happen,” said Barnaby.

To date, ITP has done over 50 training sessions. The company was created during the pandemic, and it continues to grow more successful each day. It has gained recognition and support from CIBC and other corporations. Barnaby said that in the future he hopes Indigenous Treaty Partners will become a full-term key consulting firm and will continue to offer this unique service to increase Indigenous allies throughout Canada.

INTRODUCING THE NEW LISTUGUJ COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES BUILDING

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The community of Listuguj now has a new Social Services building that is located at 2 GEF St. (across from the Gignu). It is the new home to the three Listuguj Community Social Services departments: Prevention Services – Families First Support Services, Child and Family Services, and Social Assistance.

In 2019, the Capital and Infrastructure team was approached by Social Services regarding having one building that can house all departments. Once funding was received from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and the tender was complete, the design was finalized, and construction began in 2021.

The building is 800 square meters and has enough space for 40 occupants. The design is very sleek and modern, but also has a warm feel which will be very welcoming to Social Services clientele.

General Manager of Capital and Infrastructure, Bassem Abdrabou said, “The project will house all employees of Social Services including room for growth in the next 15 years.” The design was created with the option of expansion in the future, including two additional wings and 25 additional offices if needed.

Listuguj Social Services Director, Tanya Barnaby said, “We are transitioning our services to better serve the needs for Listuguj community members now housed under one roof.”

The building’s construction was completed in September 2022. The paving of the parking lot and GEF Street has been completed as of October 2022.

For information on current or upcoming projects in the community, please contact Capital and Infrastructure at 418-788-3022.

By Ann Marie Jacques

“If we don’t exercise our rights, then they won’t be there for us.”

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When JD Wysote isn’t fishing snow crab for the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, he can often be found hunting, trapping, and tanning animal hides.

He started tanning hides around three years ago when he realized that he wanted to utilize everything when it came to hunting.   After hunting or trapping an animal, he would use the meat and the skull but realized the hide could also be utilized. Wysote would eventually like to use the hides to make clothing and said, “It is the next step from hunting. You know where your food comes from, and next is knowing where your clothes come from.”  One of the main reasons for picking up this hobby is to exercise his rights as a Mi’gmaq person.  He said, “If we don’t exercise our rights, then they won’t be there for us.” While there are not many people in the community who tan hides, Wysote said he has talked to the few who do for guidance and advice.

The process of tanning hides is very time-consuming and detailed. The process differs for the type of animal and depends on if you want to keep the fur on. It also depends on the time of year and the season. Typically, in the winter, animals will have thicker fur. Winter pelt on animals will also dry lighter in color than an animal with a summer coat. Wysote talked about the process of tanning a beaver hide, “If you want to keep the fur on for beavers you don’t have to worry about shaving all the hair down, half the work is already done. You do got to skin the animal, then you got to flush it all out, get all that fat and meat off of it, until it’s just the skin itself. Then you got to dry it out, pickle it, then the final process to make it waterproof and durable is to smoke it, multiple times.” Eventually, a preservative will be added to the hide when the process is done. Some of the animal hides that Wysote has in his possession that he has worked on include, moose, beavers, and bucks.

Tanning hide is a very long process.  It’s a hobby that requires a lot of time and patience, especially if it’s just one person doing the work.  Wysote said, “Traditionally what hide work was, it was a family chore. The family got together, the men went out to hunt it and the women got together and work on the hides. It was a family activity.” His family also partake in the process, with his oldest daughter helping him set and check traps. He hopes his growing family will continue to accompany him with his hobby and fully embrace their Mi’gmaq culture.

By Ann Marie Jacques

Decolonizing Our Education

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Jacob Gale is the Treaty Education Lead at the Listuguj Education Training and Employment Centre (LETE). Here he works and collaborates with a team featuring, Jeanette Henry, Paige Isaac, and Patrick Wilmot.

Often when people think of the term, “Treaty Education” they will associate it solely with learning about treaties, Gale explained it’s much more than that, “Treaties are fundamental and they’re an important part of the work that we do, but there’s also so many other pieces of work that we do under Treaty Education. It’s really about decolonizing our education here at LETE, at AGS, and at other branches of LETE. Treaty education includes our culture, our identity, our well-being, spirituality, all those pieces of who we are as being L’nu – in a way it could be called L’nu Education.”

The Treaty Education team work with teachers and educators in the community to help build a foundation that connects culture to the school curriculum through experimental learning. Gale said that it’s important to include Mi’gmaq culture in our school systems. An example that was given was the building of the sweat lodge, and how there are so many lessons embedded into that process, such as math, literacy, history, ceremony, and a connection to the community and to the elders. Another major program for our community in Treaty Education is Outdoor Education at Alaqsite’w Gitpu School.

The Treaty Education team also works with the youth in the community and helps them learn about who they are and embrace their culture.  Eventually, the youth will become leaders in our community, and it is important that they have a strong sense of belonging. Gale said, “We ask the question, ‘Whose story should we value in education?’ We’re in that business of we are a Mi’gmaq community, we are a Mi’gmaq school, and it’s important that we continue to find ways to embed our stories and our connections to our land, our elders, our ceremonies, in school – so that students understand that, “Hey I’m Mi’gmaq, I’m proud to be Mi’gmaq and I’m proud to be L’nu” They’re Learning so much about who we are in their education journey.”

There are many events and activities in the community that the Treaty Education team helps organize – a few recent events were the Cultural Night and Social Night held at Alaqsite’w Gitpu School in August. Gale mentioned that many students will be attending the Tim Hortons Children’s Camp in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, he also mentioned an upcoming Moose Hunt Camp in the community with the Outdoor Education program.

Gale stated that being part of the Treaty Education program is always fun and exciting and that he is proud to be part of many youths’ cultural and spiritual education journeys.

By Ann Marie Jacques

BRANDON MITCHELL – COMBINING CULTURE AND CREATIVITY  

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Many of you may know Brandon Mitchell from his time working at Alaqsite’w Gitpu School as the art and technology teacher, since then he has gone on to be a very successful creative writer and illustrator.

At a young age, Mitchell always had a passion for drawing and art.

Mitchell said, “I was into comic books, cartoons, movies, and video games but instead of re-drawing my favourite characters, I would try and make my own. It was only in grade 11 when I had an opportunity to flesh out my ideas in writing.  We had an open assignment to write on any topic we wanted, and I asked if I could write about these characters I created. From there, I was hooked on seeing where my characters took me.”

Mitchell then enrolled and obtained a diploma from an Animation and Design program at NBCC in Miramichi. “I learned not just HOW to draw, but HOW to tell a story with images,” Mitchell said. Mitchell went on to earn a Bachelor of Integrated Science and a Master of Adult Education from UNB.  Mitchell began working at AGS, and with inspiration from his students, he eventually founded Birch Bark Comics, and from here, a comic book story called Sacred Circles was created. This story was based on local legends with a contemporary twist.  

“One of the things I didn’t grow up with was Native characters being the main characters in the stories I read.  That’s what inspired me the most in creating these stories,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell also had the opportunity to write six Indigenous-themed stories focusing on health-related issues with Indigenous Story Studio, with stories such as River Run – which focuses on smoking prevention, and Tomorrow’s Hope about First Nation suicide prevention. He has been a part of numerous creative writing and art projects such as, the National Best-selling graphic novel anthology series This Place: 150 Years Retold, Migwite’tmeg: We Remember It – a story of the 1981 salmon raids in Listuguj, and the traditional Mi’gmaq story, Adventures of the Pugulatmu’j: Giju’s Gift.

Mitchell and his wife Natasha Martin now live in Fredericton, but there are a lot of things to miss about Listuguj.  “I miss my family, the river, and the beautiful mountains,” said Mitchell.

As of right now, Mitchell is currently working on the second adventure of the Pugulatmu’j, and he’s also illustrating a picture book for Ksalsuti Wellness Resources Inc. You can find his books and work on Amazon, Chapters, Portage and Main Press, and at a Pow Wow near you.

By Ann Marie Jacques