Grand-Pre coffee house garners national attention with Canada 150 sign
It’s another example of Nova Scotia keeping the nation’s heritage in perspective, and it’s already creating coffee conversation across the country.
This week, Just Us Coffee Roasters Co-op in Grand-Pré, N.S. is getting national attention after posting a photo of their signboard on Facebook Monday. It reads “CANADA 150” and then, below that, “MI KMAKI 13,000.” That prompted a range of Facebook responses.
“Really? Can’t just celebrate Canada day without virtue signalling?” posted Mike Adcock, along with Calvin Slade’s comment that the sign is “Undermining Canadians at a time of celebration.” But not all were negative.
“Love love love the thought provoking message. Will be sure to visit whenever in Mi’kma’ki,” posted Krista MacNeil. “I am now a customer simply because of this phenomenal sign. Amazing. You rock! Thank you for being one of us !!!!!!!! ” posted Patty Crow.
Just Us general manager Joey Pittoello told the Huffington Post that they didn’t mean it to be anti-Canadian in any way. “It was meant as, we need to recognize multiple communities in our country and some of them get underrepresented, I think,” he said.
The land where Just Us is located is on unceded Mi’kma’ki territory, claimed to have been settled 13,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age.
Pittoello told The Chronicle Herald in a followup interview that the intention is to keep the signboard up until Canada Day, July 1.
“Unless another interesting topic comes up,” he said.
“We’re happy that the feedback we’ve been getting, mostly online through social media, is dominantly positive,” he said, adding that regular patrons would not be surprised by it in the least because the purpose of their social-enterprise is to maximize social impact, not just profit.
“But we knew there was a risk when we put the sign up,” he said. ‘It challenges status quo. It challenges all of us,” said Pittoello.
“I hope people think about it even for five minutes as they’re driving down the road.”
Grand-Pré is also located among three Mi’kmaq First Nation communities — Glooscap, Annapolis Valley and Bear River — in the Annapolis Valley. Just Us consults with them for partnerships, and recently began accepting status cards.