by Mancini Ho
A small group of students gathered on Oct. 4, 2016 at Carleton University for a panel discussion on “Fighting Colonialism in Canada’s Capital,” organized by Stop Windmill activist group, Student and Labour Allies for Akikodjiwan.
The panel discussion, sponsored by the Carleton Graduate Students Association (GSA), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4600 and the OPIRG working group Stop Windmill, discussed the impetus behind the Stop Windmill Campaign Against the “Zibi” Condominium Project on Sacred Algonquin Land.
Windmill and Dream Corporation’s Zibi project, as it stands, is set to be finished over the next 10-15 years at the blatant disregard of countless Indigenous peoples who have an incontrovertible attachment and right to the Chaudière Islands and surrounding areas. The Stop Windmill Campaign is gaining momentum, giving rise to one of the largest protests surrounding Indigenous rights in the region.
William Felepchuk, Vice President-Academic of the Carleton GSA and PhD student in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, chaired the discussion alongside Brian McDougall, adjunct professor of the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies and Anishinabekwe Digital Media Educator, Monique Manatch.
A few notable moments were led by Mariah Miigwans Smith Chabot, second-year undergraduate studying human rights with a minor in Indigenous Studies who is from the Algonquin First Nation of Kitigan Zibi, who voiced her opinions on the Zibi project on several occasions.
In an email to the Leveller, Chabot said: “When I initially found out about the ‘Zibi’ project, I can honestly say I was beyond baffled and very disappointed, not only in those who ‘approved’ the idea but for the Algonquin leaders who agreed to this project… Our culture should not be exploited like this and our culture is so much more than just smudging, opening prayers and honour songs.”
Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, whose riding includes the Chaudière Islands is one of the direct targets of the Stop Windmill Campaign. Activists are adamantly refusing to vote and urging others not to vote for McKenna or any Liberal party candidate who supports the Zibi condo developments in the 2019 election.
A similar panel discussion took place on Oct. 13, 2016 at the University of Ottawa.
The group is urging Ottawa residents to visit stopwindmill.ca and sign a pledge form to tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau you will not vote for Catherine McKenna or other Liberal MPs if his government consents to allow Windmill and Dream Corporation’s Zibi condo project to proceed.
This article first appeared in the Leveller Vol. 9, No. 2 (Oct/Nov 2016).
