Wemindji Community Voices on the Future of the Marine Region
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WEMINDJI COMMUNITY VOICES ON THE FUTURE OF THE MARINE REGION A conversation with Wemindji community members on what they value, the issues they face, and their vision for the future of the Eeyou Marine Region Compiled by the Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission February 2019 EEYOU MARINE REGION The Crees of Eeyou Istchee have occupied and cared for the coastal regions identified in the Eeyou Marine Region Land Claim Agreement (EMRLCA) for millennia. The EMRLCA is a result of several decades of on and off negotiations between the Crees and Canada which began in the 1970s. These negotiations resulted in the EMRLCA (a modern treaty) which came into effect on February 15, 2012. The EMRLCA covers approximately 61 270 square kilometers of James Bay and south eastern Hudson Bay off the coast of Quebec. LAND USE PLANNING Land use planning in the Eeyou Marine Region aims to protect and promote the existing and future well-being of the people of Eeyou Istchee. For this, we needed sit down with people of the coastal Cree communities including representatives of local government, youth, elders, women, tallymen and land users to hear from them: • what is important to them about the marine area, • what issues they are facing, and • what is their vision of the future of the marine region? These conversations will help define the goals for land use planning in the Eeyou Marine Region and are described in this report. The Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission will continue this conversation with Wemindji through several activities in the community in the coming months and years, before a plan is tabled for consideration and approval. 82°0'0"W 80°0'0"W 78°0'0"W 76°0'0"W N 58°0'0"N Cotter Is. È EeyouMarineRegion Kidney Is. McTavish RÉGION MARINE D'EEYOU Is. EEYOU MARINE REGION - CREE/I NUIT OVERL AP: INUIT ZONE Driftwood Broughton Is. Is. Nicholson 57°0'0"N Is. Nastapoka Islands Davieau Is. The Throat Christie Is. Mowat Is. 57°0'0"N Gordon Is. Johnson Is. Hudson Taylor Is. Bay Gillies Is. Nastapoka Islands Ontario Clarke Belcher Is. Moore TU RSUJUQ Is. kâ NATIONAL PARK Quebec Kugong mishinikâch Is. Anderson Islands Tukarak Is. Is. 56°0'0"N Flaherty Ross w yâtiwi-wînipâkw iyâs kw Is. Is. Lac hâkimîs hti kwâkushichiwinu- Tasiujaq wiyâsichiwinishtikw minitûnikw michisinikw Bélanger Île Cairn Is. mâtisinikush kûkimâu Flint Is. Innetalling sâkihikin Is. w â pimâ k GW24 56°0'0"N ush tus hish tikw mishishipânikushih Snape Duck GW21 Is. Is. kâ yîchisâ sîpîshish kâu GW22 Castle Is. nd ou S uk EEYOU MARINE REGION Merry un Is. nito - C R E E / I N U I T O V E R L A P : Ma J O I N T Z O N E akumunânish â piyipâch minitûnikw Little and Great Bill of Portland Is. n de GW01 r a r iv GW11 G B a i è l a le r Whale River e i n e Whapmagoostui wâp d e ¬P im âk ushtu Watershed y 55°0'0"N wâpiskunikw Bear GW02 Islands GW10 POLAR BEAR GW03 GW08 PROVINCIAL GW04 GW18 kw PAR K chinuni 55°0'0"N mâ Long Is. hch ichi-sîpî GW05 GW19 Lac GW06 Burton FG07 EEYOU MARINE REGION GW09 - C R E E / I N U I T O V E R L A P : GW07 C R EE Z O N E TERRITORY RESERVED FOR â nâshkutâch THE PROTECTED AREA OF LAKE BURTON, RIVIÈRE ROGGAN, AND LA-POINTE-LOUIS-XIV Bare Bear Is. Is. FG12 pî FG15 s hip FG06 uwîs ht ik w FG08 Rivière Roggan FG17 â chipuhkishich FG05 nischinikw FG11 FG16 54°0'0"N FG04 FG13 r e â nîshunikâshichih R iv iè u i P ia g c h i o Paul Bay o FG03 Grey Goose Is. FG18 FG09 Goose Bay FG10 54°0'0"N chîmâni-minishtikw Stromness Is. uchimâu-minishtikw Île Goat FG01 Chisasibi James â mishinikâch ¬P chishâ-sîpî FG19 Big Is. FG02 Réservoir Bay Tees Bay Réservoir FG14 La Grande 1 La Grande 3 VC01 Akwatuk Bay Réservoir Robert-Bourassa â kwîhkwâch VC03 VC08 EE Y O U M A R I N E R E G I O N Earthquake Is. Dead Duck Bay Spencer VC04 VC24 Is. amiskunikihp VC02 nischinikwih nîshûchâsh amiskunikihpi-sîpî VC05 atimâ-pîsimw Walter mishtâpimâku-minishtikw Lac Rivière du Castor R VC25 Is. Black Whale Is. i North Sakami v Twin i è r e m Is. â nâshkutâch k a i Comb Islands S a shîkihunânish VC06 VC20 nîshûchâshish nîshûchâsh VC21 Akimiski pîsimwâtâhch VC16 ikw South VC09 âsht 53°0'0"N Is. Twin utw AKIMISKI Is. âk w La Grande m ISLAND. VC10 MIGRATORY BIRD VC11 nischinikw River SANCTUA RY VC12 VC27 ¬P Wemindji Albert VC17 Watershed Shoal VC13 îpî 53°0'0"N -s âu sk kâ piskutânikâchih su PAAKUMSHUMWAAU tu VC22 lier mâ Solomons up VC18 Pe MAATUSKAAU VC28 Temple du Islands ivière Lac Boyd R PROPOSED BIODIVERSITY Pebble Is. RESERVE R i v i è r e O p i n aca VC14 yâkâu-minishtikw Weston Is. Old Factory VC19 Réservoir Opinaca VC29 Bay Lac Ell VC15 VC23 pâkumushimuwâshtiku- minishtikwih VC34 Gasket Is. wîpichînakw Cape VC30 Hope w k Islands ti VC36 ew h nam âka mîs wâpaskunakw Gull VC31 Trodely VC33 Is. Is. VC35 Eastmain VC32 ¬P îsimenîu-sîpî RE02 VC37 mahkateshipinakw RE03A 52°0'0"N Strutton Islands R iv i è re à o l 'E a u F r i d e Ken RE01 uminishtikum Réservoir de akâmaschî Carey Is. l'Eastmain 1 Charlton RE04 P Is. RE03 Community Reservoir upichiwan M18 akâmaschîshish Danby Is. R08 Lisbon Boatswain 52°0'0"N Trapline boundary Category I land Rocks Bay RE05 uchipweu chi R10 Boatsw a in Proposed nu Tent Is. s he c o e u r Bay u-sîp o li uchimâu î viè r e J R19 Community trapline boundary Category II land Biodiversity R i uminishtikum R02 Jacob Reserve R01A ontax R01 R ivière P Is. R02A Watershed boundary Protected area R16 R20 M25 Inenew Passage R09 ière kâ chinepikuskâch Riv ch uwa R06 Enist Nemaska R03 Rupert ¬P SCALE 1:700,000 MINISTIKAWATIN mey Cabbage â R07 p PENINSULA Willows is River 0 20 40 60 80 100 Km Bay kâu 0 20 40 60 80 100 Km Rupert R04 -s PROPOSED î R14 R21 Bay pî R17 Waskaganish Watershed BIODIVERSITY ¬P R05 w âsk WASKAGANISH PROPOSED RESERVE âh ik a BIODIVERSITY RESERVE R18 n i R12 R13 N09 s R11 scau h mi Nottaway îu-s Ne N11A îpî Lac N11 nûskânish upert Trapline boundaries: Cree Trappers Association Riv re R Topographic data: BDGA, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs N16 pâc iè River hipiskuneu-sî Elevation data: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, pî Centre for Topographic Information Île Lavoie Cree place names provided by the Cree Nation Government’s Cree Place Watershed R iv iè r e B r o M33 n a d b N24A Names Program. Some names have yet to be validated, and the names should R â a c k i not be considered complete. Should you suspect an error or omission, please Harricana N15 v t i u è get in touch with John Bishop, CNG Toponymist: [email protected] . r w EeyouMarineRegion e N01 e N02 N u River o N23 N25 Projection: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 18N t s N24 RÉGION MARINE D'EEYOU ta îp Broadback River w î N14 N04 a Map produced by Strata360 on May 23rd, 2018 Watershed y 51°0'0"N Watershed N21 N12 N06 N18 M38 82°0'0"W 80°0'0"W 78°0'0"W 76°0'0"W N22 THE EEYOU MARINE REGION PLANNING COMMISSION (EMRPC) The Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission (EMRPC) The EMRPC is an independent body created out of the EMRLCA. The EMRPC is responsible for developing a land use plan to guide development and conservation in the Eeyou Marine Region. The EMRPC is made up of two commissioners nominated by the Grand Council of the Crees, one nominated by the government of Canada, and one nominated by the government of Nunavut. The commission also includes a chairperson selected by the other commissioners. At the time of the consultations, the EMRPC included: • Chairperson: Tina Petawabano • Cree Nominee: Chantal Otter Tetreault • Cree Nominee: Chris Beck • Canada Nominee: Lorne McNeice • Nunavut Nominee: David Alagalak The EMRPC works closely with the Eeyou Planning Commission formed out of the 2012 Cree-Quebec Governance Agreement. The EPC includes Commissioners from each of the Cree communities and is chaired by the Cree Nation Government. The EPC commissioner for Wemindji is: • Elmer Georgekish • Johnny Mark (alternate) WHAT DO WEMINDJI CREES VALUE MOST ABOUT THE MARINE REGION? VALUES EVERYTHING IS VALUABLE “I love everything about the marine area. The scenery, hunting, fishing, camping, picnics, boating, setting fish nets, sailing, kayaking” FREEDOM “I love the fish and the freedom, it’s so quiet and so peaceful. The waters can be unforgiving but I feel so free when I go out there.” LIVING OFF THE LAND “I mostly lived off the land learning the traditional way of life. I had limited education because I’d rather learn the traditional way of life.” HUNTING “I also like to sit out on the islands for long neck. I hop on with friends who have boats. Sometimes it’s tiring, you have to run over to where they fly but the joy of it keeps me going out.” FISHING “Setting up nets and making smoked fish is one of the things I loved the most.