News
RAVEN 2021 Calendars now on sale!
RAVEN’s beautiful new calendars are now ready for gifting – to yourself, or someone you care about! Lush photos by Karissa Chandrakate, Gary McNutt, Paul David Shea and Ali Eisner are windows into RAVEN’s world. From defending the smallest – silvery herring smolts – the fighting the biggest – the largest industrial project on Earth…
Secwepemc Nation: Reclaiming Land, Sustaining Culture
RAVEN envisions a day when Secwepemc Nation’s title to the land is reflected in land use practices that incorporate the caretaker values that have kept this land and waters healthy since time immemorial. RAVEN is excited to be working with Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation to secure Aboriginal title to unceded traditional territory in interior B.C.…
Uprooting environmental racism
RAVEN’s vision for a just and sustainable future calls for us to push back against environmental racism. But what does ‘environmental racism’ really mean, and how can folks committed to anti-racist, decolonizing work participate in dismantling it? Coined by Benjamin Chavis, a Black civil rights leader, the term ‘environmental racism’ refers to a set of…
A Key Strategy to Stop the Tar Sands: International Alliance
In northern Alberta, Beaver Lake Cree Nation has stewarded the lands since time immemorial. But now, their traditional territory has become ground zero for dirty fossil fuel expansion. The tar sands involve both open-pit mining of bitumen, and ‘in-situ’ steam extraction to pull bitumen from deep within the Earth. Both methods cause devastating water pollution…
Musicians dedicate fundraiser to Indigenous legal challenges.
We are so grateful to the band VSUVIUS for fundraising for RAVEN with their new song Water, which was written for water and climate justice. “Water is inspired by returning to roots and nature’s strength and resiliency. This isn’t about what’s wrong or right— only human rights. Water is the basic fundamental nature of life.…
North Carolina Scholarship Students pitch into RAVEN
We RAVENs were delighted to receive this lovely letter from a group of passionate students in the U.S. Read on to find out why this group of young scholars chose RAVEN as the recipient of their civic engagement fund. “We are a group of students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and…
Indigenous Stewardship is true Conservation: We Need to Move Beyond Eco-Colonialism
Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have stewarded the lands and waters in this place now known as Canada. Through advanced practices, grounded in Indigenous law, these ways of knowing and being have supported abundant, thriving ecosystems. Historically Canada’s approach to conservation was grounded in a romanticized idea of an empty, untouched, pristine wilderness devoid of…
COVID 19: No excuse to delay reconciliation
While pipeline construction, man camps and resource extraction continued unencumbered throughout the pandemic, long standing commitments to Indigenous rights and reconciliation are taking a back seat. The pandemic has jeopardized delivery of the Canadian government’s reconciliation commitments, including a promise to end all long-term boil-water advisories on First Nation’s reserves by next March. The September…
Q&A with Wet’suwet’en legal counsel D.J. Larkin
We sat down with lawyer D.J. Larkin, together with matriarchs from Wet’suwet’en Nation, for an engaging, powerful and emotional webinar last October 20th. You can view the video of that conversation here. Many people had questions for Larkin which we didn’t have time to unpack during that presentation. Here are some deeper dives into the…
Lawyer. Academic. Mother. Changemaker: Meet Kekinusuqs Dr. Judith Sayers
| Story by Rachel Ivey | Dr. Judith Sayers has so many accomplishments to her name, it would take a documentary film series to cover them all. This dynamic, generous leader is constantly in motion, constantly in service, and yet always seems to have time to work on issues that arise in her community, and…
RAVEN calls on the Federal and Nova Scotia Governments to uphold the honour and integrity of the Crown in their dealings with the Mi’kmaq people.
RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) calls on the Federal and Nova Scotia Governments to uphold the honour and integrity of the Crown in their dealings with the Mi’kmaq people and secure peace and friendship consistent with treaty promises. RAVEN is disheartened at the violence being perpetrated against Mi’kmaq people in an attempt to…
Lummi Leads Cross-Border Action and Solidarity to stop TMX
Amid a climate crisis, the assertion of Indigenous rights in the courts is a powerful tool that supersedes electoral politics. Parties may come and go, but legal precedents leave an enduring legacy for future generations. We’ve seen four years of politics that touted a ‘reconciliation agenda’ — while steamrolling Indigenous nation’s concerns about expanding pipelines. In…
In solidarity with Mi’kmaw: the Marshall Decision, explained
What is the Marshall Decision? Do Treaties guarantee commercial fishing rights for the Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous Peoples of the Atlantic Coast? That question is at the heart of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Marshall case. In Marshall the Supreme Court was grappling with the interpretation of historic Peace and Friendship Treaties…
Weaving Solidarity, Honouring Stolen Sisters
Weaving SOliDARITY: No More Stolen Sisters TUESDAY October 20th, 2020 5:00pm Pacific | 8:00pm Eastern save my spot D.J. Larkin An associate at Woodward and Company, DJ’s primary areas of practice are constitutional law and rights and title litigation. Throughout all facets of her work, she is determined to act as an advocate in providing…
Earnest Ice Cream offers RAVEN a cool $6K!
Here at RAVEN, we’re so grateful to all the businesses that continuously step up to show support for Indigenous rights. Earnest Ice Cream recently raised $6000 for Indigenous legal challenges. During a time where small businesses are experiencing deep uncertainty, it’s humbling to see them continue to take a stand for justice. Earnest Ice Cream…
What inspires a RAVEN champion?
We were SO delighted to receive this message from one of our online fundraisers, who writes: Team RAVEN, I have worked in renewable energy development in the United States for 14 years, developing wind, solar and battery energy projects across the country with the goal of decarbonizing the grid. I have deep environmental convictions that led me…
Linking MMIWG2S Report to Wet’suwet’en legal challenges
The Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirits produced a Final Report in 2019 which specifically linked “man camps” (worker camps for resource projects in remote areas) to increased risk of violence against Indigenous women and girls. This finding was based on the testimony of expert witnesses as well as community…
From Calder to Tsilhqot’in: The Past, Present and Future of Aboriginal Title
In Tsilhqot’in Nation v British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a declaration of Aboriginal title for the first time in its history. To better understand the evolution of Aboriginal title, from Calder to Tsilhqot’inand beyond, McGill Law Journal interviews David Rosenberg, whose extensive experience includes acting as lead counsel for the Tsilhqot’in Nation at trial and on…
VIDEO: Hereditary chiefs, matriarchs and legal counsel for Wet’suwet’en speak
Last night over 700 people registered for a webinar to hear hereditary chiefs, elders, legal counsel and RAVEN for a webinar to unpack the court challenges underway NOW in B.C. Supreme Court. Watch the video of the online rally: Ana Simeon of RAVEN outlined the purpose of the call, explaining the basis of the legal…
WEBINAR: Rare chance to hear from Hereditary Chiefs & legal experts on Wet’suwet’en challenges
Individually, we’re one drop. Together? We’re a mighty river. We’ve been waiting a long time for Wet’suwet’en’s case to be heard by the BC Supreme Court. On October 2, hereditary chiefs who aim to stop Coastal GasLink from encroaching on their territory will be in court for the second – and final – day of their…