“The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), in partnership with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), presented the Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth to Gregory Daniels and Christian Francis today in Ottawa….Christian Francis is a member of the Mi’kmaq from Pictou Landing First Nation in Nova Scotia.” Read more.
Congratulations, Christian.
Pictou Landing is the community whose lands lie around Boat Harbour, which since the 1960s has received millions of gallons of toxic effluent daily from the Pictou pulp mill.
In 2015, the Nova Scotia government made a commitment to close the treatment facility by January of 2020 followed by remediation which will take up to 10 years to complete.
In contrast to the destruction of landscapes and biodiversity that we have pursued in support of the pulp and paper industry, Pictou Landing First Nation subscribes to “Netukulimk, the Mi’kmawey concept of harvesting resources without jeopardizing the integrity, diversity nor the productivity of the environment.” A slide show describes their sensitive use of forested land. Their 1,025 acre woodlot was the first Aboriginal land in Canada to be FSC certified.