Environmental awareness

Grassroots Grandmothers to lead Shubenacadie River Water Walk

A group of Mi’kmaq grandmothers will be heading out today for its second annual Mi’kma’ki Water Walk.

e group, known as Grassroots Grandmothers, will be walking along the Shubenacadie River as a form of peaceful protest against industrial activities deemed environmentally harmful to the waterways.

“It’s really a non-violent way to bring attention to our stressed waterways,” said spokeswoman

Paul MacMillan, 60, who also participated in last year’s event.

“I don’t think people realize how much they do need water until they don’t have it,” she said.

The grandmothers, treaty rights holders and others who participate will use the event to pray and raise awareness about the sacredness of water and negative impacts they feel could result from the proposed Alton Natural Gas Storage project on the Shubenacadie River.

The company is planning to create large, underground storage units for natural gas from salt caverns located below the area. ose plans involve pumping the resulting brine in a controlled manner into the Shubenacadie River.

Over three days, the walkers plan to travel 24 kilometres, from the Indian Brook Community Centre to the site of the Treaty Truck House near the Alton Natural Gas worksite.

e walk is also being held in solidarity with Ontario grandmother Josephine Mandamin and her 2,200-km For the Earth Water Walk.

e walk is open to anyone who wishes to participate.

“It’s really a non-violent way to bring attention to our stressed waterways.” Spokeswoman Paul MacMillan

SUBMITTED PHOTO Pictured above are some of the participants from last year’s water walk by the Grassroots Grandmothers, which involved a 72-kilometre trek over nine days from Maitland to Fall River.