Red Rock Indian Band continues to work on food sovereignty with opening of its own butcher shop
CBC
The pride is clear in Tim Ruth's voice as he walks through the newly opened butcher shop in Red Rock Indian Band, excitedly pointing out the new machinery.
Meat grinder, smoker, commercial grade dehydrator, bone saw, meat slicer — everything needed to process wild game.
But Ruth is adamant it's more than just a butcher shop.
Its name, Maamawitaawining, translates to "at the gathering place."
Some four years in the making, Ruth said the shop will improve food security in the First Nation, increase access to wild game, and create a place for the community to gather and share.
"To have wild game at your table is a big part to get back to our traditions and have healthier eating," Ruth said.
It will also allow the community to have more control over their own diets and food system.
The project is also having a ripple effect across the region, with other First Nations interested in building similar projects of their own.
"We were told that we are the trailblazers of having a facility like this," Ruth said.
The butcher shop had its grand opening on Sept. 30, Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Community members held a march, with the final stop at the butcher shop, where a large feast was prepared.
"It was overwhelming to see that many people here on the opening day," Ruth said. "The atmosphere was incredible, just so many smiling faces and everybody participating."
A group of younger people had a successful moose hunt and they were processing their meat on the day, with community members and elders helping them skin the moose and share traditional teachings.
Dozens of walleye were brought in, along with smokies and other treats.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
City staff are working on long-term plans to prevent toxic and smelly algae blooms at the Hamilton harbour – and short-term plans to mitigate blooms when they happen – but are cautioning residents that it's not the type of problem with a quick fix.
Another blockade of the Ambassador Bridge wouldn't play out like what happened in February 2022 — thanks to police being empowered to act faster and harder, according to a report that's going to Windsor city council next week.
On the first day of 2025, Alberta's default electricity rate is set to be replaced by the new "rate of last resort," in what the province says is a bid to protect consumers from a volatile electricity pricing landscape.
Canadians and Americans sit next to each other in the stands of a small Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hockey arena to watch the Soo Thunderbirds face off against their cross-border rivals, Michigan's Soo Eagles.
A number of school bus routes in northwestern Ontario have been cancelled Wednesday after a dump of snow overnight in the region. A number of weather advisories also remain in effect in the region, including snow squall warnings in the Greenstone area.
Waterloo regional councillors have voted down a motion that would have asked the Waterloo Regional Police Service to cut $4 million from its proposed 2025 budget.
Residents of a neighbourhood in the heart of downtown Charlottetown hope to have a community garden in place on some vacant land by the time spring arrives.
Planting trees is a popular way to mitigate climate change, but in northern and Arctic regions, it may not be an effective solution.
The RCMP says it's considering deploying Mounties-in-training to help police the Canada-U.S. border as political anxiety over border control mounts in the face of tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration.
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were honoured Tuesday night before the Calgary Flames played the Columbus Blue Jackets, on the same ice where Johnny etched his place as a cherished member of the city's hockey community.