People Stories

Young woman from Rigolet — stories of protecting land and water

Photo: Emily Wolfrey with some of the youth and elders who gathered to talk about their stories as land and water protectors.

Emily Wolfrey of Rigolet did what it took to get to New Brunswick last month to participate in a gathering of youth and elders. While there, they talked about their stories as land and water protectors.

“I travelled on skidoo from Rigolet to Goose Bay (about a six-hour ride) and then I caught my flight the following day to go to Halifax. When I got to Moncton (New Brunswick) we drove to Fredericton,” Wolfrey said during a phone interview.

A group called United for Mining Justice (www.unitedforminingjustice.com) organized the event which took place Feb. 15 to 18.

Wolfrey told the gathering about the mega hydroelectric project at Muskrat Falls and about how her role as a land protector led to her arrest in October 2016.

She told them about how high methylmercury levels are poisoning her people’s food. “We never, ever had to go and buy our meals from the store. We always lived off the land.

“But now people are a bit nervous to live off the land because of the methylmercury,” Wolfrey said. Wolfrey […]

Water Warriors and Other People Stories

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Young woman from Rigolet — stories of protecting land and water
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Wolfrey told about the mega hydroelectric project at Muskrat Falls and her arrest in 2016. She told how methylmercury levels are poisoning her people's food. "We never, ever had to ... buy our meals from the store. We always lived off the land. But now people are a bit nervous ... because of the methylmercury."
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Labradorian
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