CEPI’s Journey to Collaboration

The Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI) is a one-of-a-kind organization in Unama’ki-Cape Breton. Fittingly, it was brought together through the vision and dedication of Charlie Dennis who was searching for a way to turn around the ecological health of the Bras d’Or Lakes or Pitupaq in Mi’kmaq, an inland estuary in the heart of Cape Breton. This essay will describe the events leading to the founding of CEPI and outline its first seven years of growth as it struggled with its identity. To begin the story, we must start with its founder, the late Charlie Dennis of Eskasoni (1949-2015). Charlie was an oyster farmer early in his career and later he became one of the founders of the Unama’ki Oyster Farm that operated within Pitupaq/Bras d’Or Lakes. In the early 1990s, his passion for shellfish farming led him to become the Executive Director of the Eskasoni Fish and Wildlife Commission (EFWC). At the time, EFWC managed the communal fishing licenses for the Eskasoni Community. It was also during that time that I had the opportunity to work with Charlie. I was working for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians (UNSI) now called the Union of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq (UNSM), which is a tribal council representing most of the First Nations of Nova Scotia. One of my responsibilities was to oversee litigation related to Mi’kmaw Aboriginal and treaty rights. In 1990, the UNSI was successful in defending three Mi’kmaw fishers before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Appeal Division. The court acquitted the fishers by finding that the fishers had an Aboriginal right to fish for food. Two of the fishers were harvesting in the Bras d’or Lakes. In 1996, Little Narrows Gypsum (LNG), a US owned gypsum company, applied for federal permits to dredge the Middle Shoal located near the mouth of Pitupaq/Bras d’Or Lakes in the Great Bras d’Or Channel. Charlie raised questions about the impact of the proposed dredging operation on the migration of fish entering and exiting the Lakes. Officials from the two permitting federal agencies, Environment Canada (EC) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), were unable to determine the project’s impact on fish migration, but nevertheless, they issued two federal permits to LNG on July 15, 1996. UNSI challenged the decision before the Federal Court of Canada and, on October 29, 1996, the Court set aside the two federal permits. The dredging project was halted, even though the dredging operation was 80% finished by the time of the decision. Because of the court case, Charlie recognized the need for the Mi’kmaq to develop their own marine science capabilities rather than rely upon others for the work. He began discussing ways of bringing together traditional and western ways of research. In time, he was successful in securing federal funding to construct the Crane Cove Seafoods Building, which is located near the eastern entrance of Eskasoni. The building featured a marine science lab on the bottom floor next to Crane Cove. Charlie also began articulating a vision of bringing together Mi’kmaw and non-Mi’kmaw partners to protect and preserve threatened marine species within Pitupaq/Bras d’Or Lakes. These discussions led to the formation of the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) in 1999. As its founding executive director, he worked diligently to bring together the five First Nations of Cape Breton with government and industry partners. The task was not an easy one given the aftermath of the Middle Shoal decision. The working relationship between the Mi’kmaq and the two federal departments involved was strained to say the least. Fortunately, Charlie was skilled in diplomacy and in creating and maintaining personal …