by Kateri Stevens, Community Outreach Coordinator, KMKNO

Harvesting moose has given the Mi’kmaw of Nova Scotia the opportunity to help their people and communities; by allowing them to connect with their culture and traditions of respect that have been passed down through generations. The Mi’kmaw of Nova Scotia have fought long and hard to have their right to the moose harvest recognized by the courts. The 1985 James Simon case is only one example, but since then Canada and Nova Scotia have recognized that the Mi’kmaq have the Constitutional right to harvest moose, and also to be involved in any harvesting efforts by the province.

In 2014, Parks Canada started a four-year project with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs (Assembly) and other partners, to begin to restore the boreal forest in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Restoring the forest is not an easy task; the over population of moose (tiam) in the Park have created an imbalanc ...