Indigenous peoples

Muskoka Road 38 winds through the District of Muskoka’s backcountry, connecting Highway 169 to Highway 400. Weaving through maple trees and granite outcroppings, the road cuts straight through the heart of the Wahta Mohawks First Nation.

Displaced from their homes in Kanesatake, Oka, Que. by the federal government, the Wahta Mohawks were relocated to Muskoka in 1881. Yet, despite the peoples’ long history with the area, they’ve had little opportunity to establish an identity. But that’s beginning to change.

On March 20, the Muskoka District Council passed a unanimous resolution to change the name of Muskoka Road 38 to Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie, meaning Mohawk People Road. The name change is part of the district’s attempt to strengthen Indigenous relations and honour its side of the truth and reconciliation process.

In June 2022, a multi-jurisdictional working group started meeting to figure out the details associated with changing a road’s name. The group included district staff from roads and transportation, geographic information systems, communications, and the continuous improvement unit, as well as staff and elected officials from the Township of Muskoka Lakes and Wahta Mohawks First Nation. The group discussed what impact a name change would have on databases, such as Google Maps, how it might affect emergency services, and what kind of budget would be required to replace road signs.

To select a name, Wahta Mohawks First Nation staff began an engagement campaign, reaching out to community members through newsletters, emails, direct mail, in-person outreach, and various social media platforms. Community members were asked to submit names in Kanien’Kéha, the Mohawk language, along with the English meaning of the name and the rationale for selecting it.

Forty-five names were submitted. Wahta Mohawks First Nation staff created a naming committee to narrow the submissions. The committee included Wahta Mohawks chief and council members, Wahta community elders, Wahta community youth, and two fluent Kanien’Kéha speakers. Three possible names were selected: Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie (Mohawk People Road), Wahta Iohatátie (Wahta Road), and À:kweks Iohatátie (Eagle Road).

In February, a tri-council was assembled, which included Wahta Mohawks Chief Philip Franks, Wahta Mohawks Councillor Lorie Fenton-Strength, Township of Muskoka Lakes Councillor Ruth Nishikawa, and District Chair, Jeff Lehman. Georgian Bay Mayor, Peter Koetsier, chaired the meeting as an unbiased facilitator. The tri-council had the opportunity to ask questions about the Wahta Mohawks’ history and the name selection process. In the end, the council adopted Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie as the new name for Muskoka Road 38.

“The new name, Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie, recognizes the Wahta Mohawks as a people and the territory where we live,” said Chief Franks in a statement. “Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie is no longer a number on a map; it now indicates an active community of people who have a unique language, culture, and history in Muskoka.”

The name still needs to be ratified by the Township of Muskoka Lakes’ council, which will likely happen in April. And Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation needs to sign off. The road’s grand renaming is scheduled for September 2023 in conjunction with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

As this name change will impact more than just the peoples of Wahta Mohawks First Nation, district staff are working to educate and support locals affected in the area—there are approximately 200 residential and commercial properties along Muskoka Road 38. To ease the transition, the district is offering a goodwill payment of $100 to each household or business along Muskoka Road 38. The payment is intended to cover the time and cost associated with updating identification, contact information, signage, and business materials.

Any residents or business owners with questions about the name change can contact Tina Kilbourne, project manager, at 705-645-1200 x 4308 or tina.kilbourne@muskoka.on.ca.

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In May of 2021, a gruesome scene struck North Shuswap, B.C. Passersby stumbled upon dozens of skinned and severed bear paws scattered across Forest Road 695 in the Little Shuswap Lake Band territory, a local Indigenous Nation.

Initially, B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service suspected poaching, but after a year-long investigation, the service has finally uncovered who was responsible for the discarded animal parts: a taxidermist.

The bear paws fell out of the back of a taxidermist’s truck while driving along Forest Road 695 last spring. In a statement released at the time of the incident, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) estimated that there were between 80 to 100 bear paws scattered along the road.

Conservation officers confirmed that the taxidermist was in legal possession of the bear paws and that the wildlife parts have no connection with poaching or any black market trafficking.

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The taxidermist is cooperating with authorities, the Conservation Officer Service said in a statement. Typically, the incorrect disposal of wildlife parts would land the taxidermist a $115 littering fine under the Environmental Management Act. But in lieu of the fine, the taxidermist has offered a substantial donation to the Little Shuswap Lake Band’s Watershed Stewardship Guardian Program. The program is designed to train community members in bear awareness, public safety, and attractant management.

“The [Conservation Officer Service] and the [Little Shuswap Lake Band] are pleased this donation will have a more meaningful impact to the community and wildlife,” the Conservation Officer Service said.

The service did not release the size of the donation, but did say that it far exceeded the amount of the littering fine.

Any wildlife carcasses or parts, regardless of whether they’re the result of hunting, taxidermy, or other activities, must be disposed of in a lawful and ethical manner, the service stressed. Kamloops, the closest major city to where the incident took place, states that small wildlife can be double bagged and placed in a garbage bin, while larger wildlife needs to be brought to landfill sites.

“This is to avoid alarming passersby, as well as attracting dangerous wildlife to an area frequented by people, which can create a public safety risk,” the service said.

Individuals who witness wildlife carcasses or parts being disposed of improperly in B.C. can report the violation to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277. If the incident occurs outside of B.C., look up the local Ministry of Natural Resources or conservation authority. Every province in Canada has a hotline for reporting poaching.

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