A man going by the name John Q. L’nu stands at a blockade at Hunters Mountain on Sunday. Photo by Aaron Beswick /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentA Mi’kmaq blockade designed to keep industry from accessing the Cape Breton Highlands via Hunters Mountain Road continued Sunday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe heavy RCMP and provincial conservation officer presence that had been in area since the protest began Sept. 4 was not visible.Article contentArticle contentA man going by the name John Q. L’nu at the entrance to the growing encampment said Mi’kmaq from around the province have converged on Hunters Mountain for an educational Mawiomi (gathering), and that only treaty people are being allowed access to the mountain.Article contentArticle content“This is not just about one or two things; this is not just about the Mi’kmaq wanting to hunt moose,” the man said.Article content“This is about the accumulated disrespect and damage done to the rights of the Mi’kmaq people.”Article contentTreaty people refers to members of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet and Pasamaquoddy tribes. The treaties he referred to are the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed between various Mi’kmaq leaders and a series of English governors in 1726, 1752 and 1761.Article contentPort Hawkesbury Paper, which with 325 people working full time at the mill in Point Tupper is Cape Breton’s largest private employer, stopped harvesting in the highlands in response to the Mi’kmaq protest shortly after it began.Article contentAlso located in the area is Nova Scotia Power’s largest hydroelectric plant – the Wreck Cove hydroelectric facility.Article contentThe 40-year-old hydro facility is in the midst of a $110-million life extension and modernization project that was approved by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board in 2020.Article contentArticle contentThe Mi’kmaq have been visited by Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish MP Jaime Battiste. The Liberal parliamentary secretary to the minister of Crown and Indigenous relations was on site a week ago.Article contentAccording to the Micmac Rights Association, after several of its members visited the Wreck Cove site, RCMP officers attempted to detain them.Article contentIn a video of the interaction, an RCMP officer can he heard telling the group, “everyone’s detained for a mischief investigation for whatever was happening at Nova Scotia Power.”Article contentBattiste then arrives and the RCMP officers can be seen leaving.Article content“The team was detained, but shortly after, a Mi’kmaq delegation led by MP Jaime Battiste arrived and (the officer) suddenly dropped her ‘mischief investigation’ and turned tail and ran without so much as introducing herself,” reads a news release from the association.
Hunters Mountain Mi’kmaq blockade continues into third week, visited by Liberal MP
