In a story for the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Tracy Glynn spoke with rural residents living in Taymouth. Like many rural communities, Taymouth faces many challenges but newcomers choosing to make their home in its rolling hills are part of a different, more hopeful story about rural New Brunswick. Read Tracy’s story here.
Category: Alternative media on rural and environmental issues
Video: Nashwaak residents see a future in farming, not fracking
In a video produced by the NB Media Co-op, the RAVEN team spoke with Nashwaak residents Jim Emberger and Amy Floyd. They talked about the need to create clean rural economies in New Brunswick. Emberger is the spokesperson for the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance and Floyd is a volunteer with the Hayes Urban Teaching Farm. Watch the video here.
A call for second-language training in rural communities
In an opinion article for the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Susan O’Donnell and friend of RAVEN Gerry McAlister called on anglophones to act in solidarity with Acadians and francophones in New Brunswick and respect their rights to services in their own language. We suggested that second-language training should be moved out of urban institutions and into rural communities, supporting local language schools and immersion opportunities run by grassroots groups and local entrepreneurs and designed as projects for rural community development such as small farms, local renewable energy, food security, community forestry, and climate change adaptation activities along our waterways and coastlines. You can read it here.
Pay equity and fracking debated
After the recent provincial election resulted in a historic four-party minority government, the NB Media Co-op stated it would write stories about decisions made in the new Legislature that impact those ignored or misrepresented in the corporate media. For the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Susan O’Donnell covered the recent debate about fracking and pay equity, both issues of interest to many rural residents in the province. Read the story here.
Carbon pricing – Making changes today, taking responsibility and acting
Friend of RAVEN Brian Beaton wrote a story for us about a Carbon Pricing event held in Fredericton in December 2018. Carbon pricing is currently a hot topic across New Brunswick and particularly in rural communities. The panel at the Fredericton event and the lively discussion afterward was an opportunity to share some facts and demystify this useful tool to mitigate climate change impacts. Read Brian’s story here.
Mobilizing to improve the environment in New Brunswick
Jennifer Adam, a law student at the University of New Brunswick and RAVEN volunteer, wrote an article for the NB Media Co-op about the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN) and their “Eco-confluence” event on November 17 that brought together more than 35 groups concerned with the well-being of the province, its citizens, and its environment. Read Jennifer’s story here.
Video: “A small change can make a big difference”
In a video produced by the NB Media Co-op, the RAVEN team spoke with Annika Chiasson, a program coordinator with the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN). She shares her thoughts on a sustainable future for rural New Brunswick. You can watch the video here.
Opposition to shale gas returns
For the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Tracy Glynn wrote about the opposition to fracking after the provincial government threatened to lift the moratorium. Two dozen people rallied against shale gas in New Brunswick outside a natural gas conference in Moncton on a frigid November 15th. Read Tracy’s story here.
Video: Mobilizing against spraying the forest
In a video produced by the NB Media Co-op, the Shanthi Bell and the RAVEN team spoke with Charles Thériault, the Kedgwick-based filmmaker about why he opposes spraying the forest with glyphosate-based herbicides. The video was published here.
Video: “We need to take back control of our forest”
In a video produced by the NB Media Co-op, the RAVEN team spoke with Charles Thériault, Kedgwick-based filmmaker and author. You can watch it here. In the video Thériault speaks about the need to take control away from the corporations over New Brunswick’s forest.
Video: “We never surrendered”
In a video produced by the NB Media Co-op, the RAVEN team spoke with Wolastoq Grand Council Chief Ron Tremblay. He describes the importance of honouring the treaties. He also relates how the 2013 struggle in Elsipogtog and Kent County over exploration for shale gas resulted in the Peace and Friendship Alliance and relationships with allies. You can watch it here.
Spraying glyphosate on forests clashes with Indigenous rights
RAVEN’s Susan O’Donnell attended a public event on Nov. 3 in a community hall in Tobique First Nation. At the meeting, 50 people gathered to discuss how to stop the spraying of glyphosate on the New Brunswick forest. She spoke briefly about RAVEN at the gathering and, for the NB Media Co-op, interviewed several people for a news story. You can read it here.
Filmmaker exposes corporate capture in forestry in New Brunswick
For the NB Media C0-op, RAVEN’s Tracy Glynn spoke with NB filmmaker Charles Thériault for a news story. In the story, Charles spoke about how his troubling encounter with a young man in the northern rural New Brunswick community of Kedgwick made him turn his camera on the forest. Read the story here.
“We never surrendered:” Wolastoq Grand Council Chief
For the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Tracy Glynn interviewed Ron Tremblay, Wolastoq Grand Council Chief for a news story. In the story, Ron is reminding people that the Indigenous Wolastoq people of what is known as the “Saint John River Valley” today “never surrendered one inch of land, one drop of water.” Read the story here.
Meeting on glyphosate ban
Spraying poison on public (Crown) forests in New Brunswick is an issue that has mobilized thousands of rural residents in the province. RAVEN’s Susan O’Donnell wrote a story for the NB Media Co-op about a political meeting organized by Stop Spraying in New Brunswick (SSNB) on October 17 in Fredericton. Read the story here.
Open Farm Day showcases family operations behind food production in NB
Friend of RAVEN Brian Beaton wrote a story for us about Open Farm Day. Every year, people have an opportunity to visit the farms where their food comes from. This year, farms across New Brunswick opened their gates for visitors on Sunday, Sept. 16, to learn and experience the important work being done to provide safe, local food for families and their communities. Read the story here.
Big pay equity win for rural postal workers
For the NB Media Co-op, RAVEN’s Susan O’Donnell wrote a story that will affect more than 350 rural postal workers in New Brunswick. The rural workers and their union are celebrating a legal decision in September that will give them a big pay raise and better benefits. Read the story here
RAVEN: Alternative digital media in New Brunswick
After the RAVEN launch, members of the RAVEN team presented a paper at the first UNB Rural Issues Workshop of the academic year. Our paper, “Rural Action and Voices for the Environment: Alternative Digital Media in New Brunswick” can be accessed here. The co-authors are Susan O’Donnell, Tracy Glynn and David Perley. We intend to develop this paper into a longer publication in future.
The RAVEN team received many thoughtful comments about and critiques of our paper, as well as feedback by email after the workshop. The team will be discussing the feedback at their September meeting with a view to refining and improving their project plans. Thanks to everyone who participated in the launch and provided feedback at the workshop!