Lands Officer Sarah Jerome talks about reconnecting to culture through Land Management.
Gesgapegiag is a coastal community, with access to the mountain range known as Besge’ameneg, meaning, ‘a cut-off’ or ‘a short way’ in Mi'kmaq. This is where Le Relais de la Cache is located.
Sarah Jerome has worked in her home community of Gesgapegiag in various roles but has always had a calling back to forestry and land management.
“It's just something that draws me to it. Every day I go for a drive up there, just something that always calls me up. That stuff really gets me motivated when I get to be on the land, because sometimes with allotments it's just a lot of paperwork. You can get so lost up there, being in the roots and on the land again, just gives you the energy, like ‘Okay, I remember why I'm here now’.”
Throughout her work, she says she hopes to be able to reach even more community members to hear their vision for the future. “It’s a lot of consultations and work. You don’t always get positive feedback, but you want to set people up for success.” Her consultation pop-ups at schools, local events, and stores have helped her collect and share feedback from members of all ages, including young children, with other departments. This ensures projects reflect the needs of the entire community.
Sarah says she strives to integrate language and cultural connections into her day-to-day projects. This goes beyond her work, as it’s a hope to restrengthen the relationship for past generations and create a stronger cultural environment for the next.
At the beginning of 2024, Gesgapegiag completed a revamp of its community’s street names. This project included replacing street names with Mi’kmaq names such as ‘Amu’ (bee) and 'Gasgusi' (cedar). Sarah has involved children from the local elementary school to incorporate their drawings in the signage. Initially, the project aimed to replace only two street names, but the students’ work had such a positive impact on the community they expanded it to cover many more streets.
"We wanted the kids to find little bit more roots in the community, so when they grow up older, this street signs will still be there. And it'll be nice to even update them like 20 years down the road.”
Tourism is booming in the community, Sarah says that by early spring, cabins and teepees are already booked up for the summer months. Traditions like basket-making draw in tourists and students in the Fall to witness the process. Sled dog races and skidoo season bring tourists from across Canada and around the world.
The expansion of Le Relais de la Cache also known as “The Cache”, a parcel of land north of the community, has helped attract visitors into other parts of Gesgapegiag. The Cache boasts a gas station, gift shop, hotel rooms and soon-to-be-built chalets, a restaurant and conference centre. Sarah laughs, saying they even have good Wi-Fi for being in deep in the mountains and trees.
Sarah says keeping in mind traditions, culture, and protecting the lands has helped her prioritize these types of projects and how they can be implemented in a responsible and sustainable way.
The community’s economic development is attracting members living off-reserve who want to return to Gesgapegiag to work. Nine new housing lots and ten private homes were completed in 2024: three duplexes, five single-family homes, and one six-plex apartment building. Accessibility for residents, especially for elders, was a key consideration in the apartment design. Ten additional private lots are in the process of being completed for additional homes as the community continues to make room for young families and those returning to live in Gesgapegiag.
Recognizing the importance of a skilled workforce, Sarah conducted a survey in 2021 to understand the aspirations of community member who were studying off-reserve. She wanted to explore how having homes ready for when they graduate could encourage them to return home and contribute their skills towards the economic and sustainable development of Gesgapegiag.
These projects all kicked off over a short period of time, Sarah says this is thanks to their community master development plan.
“We started to think how can we enhance more. Instead of just making it one phase or one project, we tried to put a bunch of little projects into one. When we started the phase two on Gasgusi lane extension, where we opened all these lots is where we start thinking what does beautification look like, should we start doing parks? Should we have more? Can we incorporate other things?”
From this plan, they were able to see a larger picture of goals for the community in different stages, thinking as far ahead as into the next two decades. Sarah and other council departments worked on predicting plans and goals for community growth, infrastructure demands as well as wear and tear, and economic development to support these goals.
The community is currently in phase three out of eight. As they move forward through the stages and the years, Sarah says the overall goals of the community are growth and continuing traditions. To help make space for growth and returning members as well as economic development, Sarah has submitted two additions to reserve proposals to help with planning for the future of Gesgapegiag.
Wela’lin to Sarah Jerome. Photos by Mackenzie Casalino.
Credits:
FNLMAQL 2024