'This land belongs to the Mi’kmaq people': Historic land transfer on Nova Scotia’s south shore
Jim and Margaret Drescher have owned Windhorse Farm in Wentzells Lake, N.S. for more than 30 years, and they know the land pretty well.
The pair has decided however to return it to a people who know it even better.
“We walked in the old growth forest and we walked in the gardens, down to the river into the lake and we thought this land belongs to the Mi’kmaq people,” says Margaret Drescher.
The farm sits on 200 acres, 180 acres is undeveloped forest first settled by the Wentzell family 150 years ago.
They eventually sold it to the Dreschers who operate it as a wilderness retreat.
Now, through a combination of purchase and gift, ownership is being transferred to the Ulnooweg Education Centre - an Indigenous-led charitable organization.
Asked how he knows this is the right decision, Drescher says, “I think the land, the land is the wisest and most persistent speaker here.”
Chris Googoo is the Ulnooweg Education Centre’s chief operating officer.
He says they will continue to use the land as a place to heal and educate.
“It’s more than just a piece of property to us,” Googoo says. “I just immediately had visions of our Indigenous children and non-Indigenous children, as well running through the forest, that ancient forest, and learning about the interconnectedness between us and Mother Nature.”
Googoo believes this is the first time a land transfer like this has ever happened with an Indigenous charity in Nova Scotia.
“I trust that it’s in the right hands now,” says Drescher.
The negotiations have been ongoing for more than three years, and now, Windhorse Farms could be back in the hands of the Mi’kmaq People as early as next week.
The Dreschers say people have always been welcome to come and walk the 23 kilometres of trails at the farm - a tradition that will continue after the land is returned to the Mi’kmaq People.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.