Before the Peace

In this bonus episode, Chris is joined by Thomas Whitton, the IT Manager and Culture, Heritage & Language Manager at Doig River First Nation, to learn more about the 2nd Annual Reawakening Our Language event that took place from April 24-25, 2025. Thomas shares about efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages and how everyone can help.Before the Peace is made possible thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Chris is joined by Indian Residential School Survivors Society's Resolution Health Supporter Worker/MMIWG Coordinator Connie Greyeyes to learn more about Red Dress Day. Red Dress Day is observed on May 5 and is also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People. Connie shares the meaning behind the day, how people can participate, and how everyone can do more.This show is made possible thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Cedar Wechlin. He is a teacher, a coach, and the Athletic Director of the Treaty 8 Sport Association. They chat about his personal experience in sports, putting together the Treaty 8 BC Bison team, and his experiences, both beautiful and painful, in coaching First Nations youth.Thanks to our sponsors Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Before the Peace, Chris is joined by Tse'k'wa National Historic Site's Executive Director Alyssa Currie to get an update on how 2024 went for them and things to look forward to in 2025. Learn more about Tse'k'wa at tsekwa.caThanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Chris is joined by local author Helen Knott who wrote the books In My Own Moccasins and Becoming a Matriarch. They discuss Helen's history of growing up in Fort St John, her inspirations for her books, the awards she has been nominated for, and more. You can follow Helen Knott on Instagram @helenknott05 and on X @helen_knottWarning: this episode includes coarse language and discussions of sexual assault, drugs, and alcohol consumption Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, Chris, Greg, and Energeticcity.ca Indigenous Voices Reporter Ed Hitchins sit down and discuss how the podcast did in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Chris sat down with Fort Nelson First Nation member Ryan Dickie. They discuss Ryan's history with filmmaking, his love of the region, his documentaries, and more. Find out more about Ryan at winterhawkstudios.comBefore the Peace is made possible thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our bonus episode for National Day of Truth & Reconciliation 2024. This day was created in 2021 to honour the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.The Before the Peace podcast was created to try and help reconciliation efforts in our region. The hope is that by sharing local stories, we can help build the connection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. In most of our podcasts, we ask our guests what reconciliation means to them. Over the years, we have learned that it means different things to different people, including negative feelings. In this bonus episode, we have compiled some of those answers in honour of today.Thanks to our sponsors Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris was joined by Paulette Flamond who was recently re-elected as Métis Nation British Columbia's Region 7 Director. In this episode, they discuss what made Paulette originally run for office, what she accomplished in her first term, and her goals for the next four years.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for sponsoring this show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we introduce our interim host Chris Walker from 100.1 Moose FM. Chris was joined by Lisa Wolf and Treylen Knott from Prophet River First Nation to learn about their Youth Arts Camp, Trutch Hunting Camp, Treaty Days, and Youth Committee.Before the Peace is made possible thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Greg takes over for Tre and sits down with Catherine Ruddell. Catherine runs Creatively Sustained in Fort St John and is a Certified Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitator. They discuss Catherine's history in the Peace region, growing up Métis, what a safe space is, how they benefit everyone and more.Thank you to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for making this show possible.You can find out more about Catherine here:https://www.instagram.com/catherineruddell/https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineruddell/https://www.catherineruddell.com/Photo credit: Maria Vartanova Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Tre welcomed back Doig River First Nation Chief Trevor Makadahay to the Before The Peace — four days after the band's evacuation order was rescinded due to a wildfire in the area.Many members spent a whole week in Fort St. John during this time while the First Nation's departments and its Emergency Operations Centre worked to ensure people were informed of the situation. They also helped out with protecting properties, infrastructure, and more. Industry partners also assisted the nation and/or by providing equipment for the band to battle the blaze.We also talked about Doig Days and shovels hitting the ground for the Urban Reserve in Fort St. John, Naache Commons, and a proposed Urban Reserve for Dawson Creek.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On March 14th and 15th, Tre attended a conference at Northern Lights College titled “Reawakening our Language: A Gathering to Honour First Peoples Language Revitalization." Doig River First Nation partnered with the college to host the event to celebrate First Peoples' languages and the work gone in to revive them.During the event, Tre had a chance to speak with seven people, from organizers to First Nations members to those who just attended as guests.Since he was able to talk to multiple people, the episode on the event was divided into two parts. The first part was released in March.In this episode, Tre chats with Gary Oker and Amy Acko with Doig River First Nation, as well as author Helen Knott.Before the Peace is made possible thanks to Troyer Ventures and the Fort St John Co-op Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently, Tre attended a conference at Northern Lights College titled “Reawakening our Language: A Gathering to Honour First Peoples Language Revitalization." Doig River First Nation partnered with the college to host the event on March 14th and 15th to celebrate First Peoples' languages and the work gone in to revive them.During the event, Tre had a chance to speak with seven people about the event, from organizers to First Nations members to those who just attended as guests.Since he was able to talk to multiple people, the episode on the event will be divided into two parts. The next part will be put out in April.In this episode, Tre chats with Misty Waldorf from MNBC, Rosaline Smith, whose parents helped Doig River FN take the beaver language to the written word, Stanley Fraser with the Nawican Friendship Centre, and Michael Calvert, Director of Indigenous Education for Northern Lights College.Thanks to Troyer Ventures for making this show possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Before the Peace, Tre sits down with Madeline Oker, the language specialist at Doig River First Nation.They talk about the work Madeline has conducted at Doig for many years, organizing the upcoming language revitalization event taking place at Northern Lights College in Fort St. John on March 14th and 15th, 2024, and her traditional craft work.Before the Peace is brought to you by Troyer Ventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first Before The Peace episode of 2024, Tre chats with Vince van Wieringen about when he discovered he was Métis, learning about his heritage, his work with Métis organizations and more.Since moving to Fort St. John a couple of years ago, Vince has delved head-first into helping the community with different board positions. He is a part of the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the North East Métis Association.Before the Peace is brought to you by Troyer Ventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for a year-in-review! In this episode, BTP co-producer Greg interviews Tre on how he had improved with podcasting over the last two years, Jenna leaving, goals for 2024, and more.From everyone at Energeticcity, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break! See you in the new year!Thanks to Troyer Ventures for sponsoring the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Tre is chatting with Stewart Cameron, a former Chief of Saulteau First Nation and Tribal Chief of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association. We talk about the work he put in during his terms as Chief, as well as his work in the oil and gas sector and as an electrician.The main discussion during this episode focuses on Stewart's current work as the owner of Makwa Consulting, focusing on promoting cultural safety in the industry.The goal of his work is to understand the current state of Indigenous partnerships in the industry. Once that is established, they weave a path to add value to any current and future relationships with Indigenous communities using cultural safety.Cultural safety is a concept arising out of the New Zealand Māori Culture — Makwa has developed a method to move this into action. Through the concept, organizations can transform existing internal and external relationships. Transforming these interactions supports power-balanced, respectful relationships that ensure mutually beneficial partnerships, according to Makwa Consulting.We also touch on Stewart's upbringing, the influence of his granny, and his thoughts on the state of the oil and gas industry in the region.Thanks to Troyer Ventures for sponsoring the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Tre chats with Paulette Flamond, a Peace Region business owner, about her advocacy work, her upbringing, and more.Flamond has a lengthy resume that includes being the current northeast director for Metis Nation BC and serving 20 years as the executive director of the Northeast Aboriginal Business Centre.Some of her accolades include being named the Aboriginal Woman of the Year from Community Futures and receiving the BC Achievement Foundation Award of Distinction for her endeavours to elevate Indigenous business in BC.Thanks to Troyer Ventures for sponsoring the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, Tre caught up with Alyssa Currie, the executive director of the Tse'K'Wa Heritage Society, to get an update on the historic site, formerly known as the Charlie Lake cave.The last time we talked to Alyssa on the podcast was August 2022, so since then, a lot of work has been done at the site, including an archaeology dome, an amphitheatre and an interpretive trail.We also chatted with Alyssa, who has been with the society since 2021, about the weight of being responsible for a very important piece of history in the region and balancing work with building relationships.Thanks to Troyer Ventures for sponsoring the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BTP is back for the second part of Tre's interview with Gary Oker.Last episode, we mainly delved into Gary's past, this episode is more about what he and Doig nation currently have going on with projects and initiatives such as the Kema Experience, the urban reserve being set up in Fort ST. John. A little about Tse'K'wa and so much more.His resume is way too large to fully list, but currently, he is in his second term as councillor of Doig River First Nation. He previously served as DRFN Program Director from 1999 to 2001 and Chief from 2001-2005. He is also a Doig River drummer and a lot of what he has focused on with Doig pertains to culture - from events to initiatives.Thanks to Troyer Ventures for sponsoring the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before The Peace's first-ever guest, Gary Oker is back to chat with Tre about his journey in the first of a two-part episode.A few months ago, Tre and former host Jenna were chatting about how to bring back and realized on the first BTP episode that they never really asked Gary about him and his life and was more about the history of the Beaver people and the Peace region.His resume is way too large to fully list, but currently, he is the in his second term as councillor of Doig River First Nation. He previously served as DRFN Program Director from 1999 to 2001 and Chief from 2001-2005. He is also a Doig River drummer and a lot of what he has focused on with Doig pertains to culture - from events to initiatives.In this episode, Gary talks about leaving Doig River when he was younger and what he did before returning in his late twenties, which includes going to school and working as a fashion designer. The next part of the interview with Gary will be released in August. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's episode, Tre chats with Shona Nelson, who has been the band manager of Doig River First Nation for just under ten years. We talk about the growth of the first nation, her mentors growing up, which includes the late Liza Wolfe, the goals the nation has for the future, her duties as a band manager and more. Email us at beforethepeace@energeticcity.ca for any comments or story ideas you have. Or, hit us up on social media @Beforethepeace on Instagram and @Beforethepeace_ on Twitter.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for sponsoring the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Jenna's final episode with Before The Peace, she and Tre talk to Martiall Pitts and Brittany Puttick about their identities, such as their Indigenous heritage, their gender, their sexuality and if there is any connection. We also delve into their respective journeys and talk about terms amongst the LGBTQ+ community. We talk about the resources and Fort St. John and were we stand as a diverse, inclusive city.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for sponsoring the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month's guest is Trail Acko, a drum apprentice and the culture and heritage liaison at Doig River First Nation. We chat with Trail about his family, his experience growing up in Fort St. John, what he is doing to continue keeping his culture's traditions alive and more.Thank you to Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for sponsoring the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of BTP, Tre talks with Sandra Apsassin, Elders Coordinator at Blueberry River First Nations, about trapping, beading, and what she and Blueberry are doing to keep Indigenous traditions alive. Sandra also delved into her upbringing, her family, and some history of working in the oil and gas industry.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for sponsoring the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jenna and Tre chat with Gerry Attachie, a former chief and councillor of Doig River First Nation for a total of 45 years. We discuss his hard work with the Montney claim case, where veterans were given a stake in mines on Doig's land. We touch on his upbringing, being from a line of leaders, how traditions and culture have been lost and how communities are working to keep them alive. We also have Trail Acko on the mic to ask Gerry a couple of questions.Thanks to Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy holidays to all our listeners! We love you so much that we decided to give you some more content. While filming our year-in-review episode released last week, we had drum apprentice and culture and heritage liaison Trail Acko from Doig River pop in. Unfortunately, Tre talked so much about himself during the episode that we had to cut Trail's interview out. We couldn't just sit on the audio, so here it is! Just a note, there are some things we talked about with Trail that was talked about in the year-in-review episode. This is a rough cut of the podcast that we thought our listeners would love. SEE YOU IN 2023!!Thanks to our sponsors Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before The Peace is ending the year on a high note, with Jenna and Tre getting a little more personal. In this episode, the duo talks about past episodes and interviews each other about their upbringing and how the heck they ended up in media. Enjoy, and see you in the new year.Thanks to our sponsors for making this show possible: Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jenna and Tre chatted with Waylon Fenton, the son of Fatty Legs authors Christy Jordan-Fenton and Olemaun, his grandmother. Waylon chatted with us briefly about being an Indigenous athlete as a rugby player and powerlifter, as well as growing up around his mother, who is an Indigenous advocate and his grandmother, who was a residential school survivor.You can find out more about the show and check out past episodes at energeticcity.ca/beforethepeaceThank you to our sponsors Troyer Ventures, Epscan Industries, and CLIC for making this show possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jenna and Tre chat with Doig River First Nation Chief Trevor Makadahay about the first nation's growth, the new Urban Reserve being set up in FSJ, a little about Trevor's past leading up to being chief, Treaty land entitlement, infrastructure improvements and future plans the nation has.Doig has done a lot in order to make the nation self-sufficient. The nation is one part of the original Fort St. John Beaver Band with Blueberry River First Nation.Thanks to our sponsors Troyer Ventures, Epscan Industries, and CLIC for making this podcast possible Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hope everyone has time today to reflect on what truth and reconciliation mean to you. In this bonus episode, Jenna and Tre were able to sit down and discuss what it means to them and asked people in our community as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tre and Jenna are speaking with George Desjarlais on this month's episode of Before the Peace. He is a former West Moberly First Nations chief and is recognized by the elders as a keeper of traditional knowledge and history, including genealogy for West Moberly. In this episode, George gives listeners a sliver of information about Sun Dance, a sacred ceremony of First Nations. He also talks about being traditionally paired with his wife, and how he was a part of the creation of the BC Oil and Gas Commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Before The Peace, Jenna and Tre chat with Alyssa Currie, Executive Director of the Tse'k'wa Heritage Society, about the University of Northern BC-led dig that took place in May. The episode also includes chats with Dr. Jon Driver and Dick Gilbert during the six-week project.Dr. Driver was one of the first archaeologists to work on the site in the 80s after being invited by Dr. Knut Fladmark, who first documented the site in 1974. He later returned to the site with Fladmark in 1990 and 1991 for additional excavations.Gilbert helped Driver and Fladmark and was one of the first archeologists to survey the cave in the 70s.Follow us on Instagram @beforethepeace and on Twitter @beforethepeace_ Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is the last of a two-part series on the Healing The Hoop conference that took place in Fort St. John in May. The conference was a three-day event focusing on resiliency, personal growth and healing communities and there were several people we spoke to including all the keynote speakers. You will be hearing from knowledge keeper David Daniels, Ojibwe-American musician Keith Secola, and Northwestern Polytechnic's Elders in Residence, Loretta Parenteau-English.

This episode is the first of two parts on the Healing The Hoop conference that took place in Fort St. john last month.The conference was a three-day event focusing on resiliency, personal growth and healing communities and there were several people we spoke to including all the keynote speakers.Today you will be hearing from Art Napoleon, a former chief of the Saulteau First Nation and the co-host of the popular cooking show, "Moosemeat & Marmalade"; We also chatted with Penny Jones, a Team Leader, specializing in Mental Wellness & Substance Use at Northern Health based in Prince George, and Jocelyn Eisert, a healing the Hoop organizer and CEO of Bizzybody Enterprises.Personal, powerful conversations that deserve to be listened to.  Before the Peace will take you on a journey with an Indigenous lens on the history of the Peace Region. We touch on the triumphs and trials of some well-known leaders of Treaty 8 Territory, we chat about Indigenous influencers on TikTok, identity, the first settlers of the Peace and so much more. Thank you to our sponsors, Troyer Ventures and Epscan Industries for funding such an important project and CLIC for their support & partnership.

In this episode,Tre and Jenna had a wonderful conversation with Clarence Apsassin, a blueberry first nations member and a former headman of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association, which he helped form. Apsassin has worn many hats. He is active in the energy sector, is a hockey coach of the Weekend Warriors, who recently competed in the Senior Native Provincial Championships, and was also a bull rider, competing across North America. Thank you to Troyer Ventures for making this podcast possible.

Christy Jordan-Fenton is an author, business owner, and Indigenous advocate who grew up on a farm in Alberta.In this episode, we delve into Christy's journey growing up with a Cree-Metis stepfather who went to a residential school and her partnership with her mother-in-law, OleMaun, or Margaret. She was the inspiration behind the books they co-authored together and was also a residential school survivor.Tre and Jenna also talk with Christy about their struggles with identity, Indigenous content creators on Tik Tok, and what reconciliation means to her.Christy and Margaret's books Not My Girl, When I Was Eight, A Stranger At Home, and Fatty Legs, can be found at your local book store or online.Thank you to Troyer Ventures for making this podcast possible.

In this episode, we interviewed the Tse'K'wa Heritage Society's Executive director Alyssa Currie. She was born and raised in Dawson Creek and has spent the last four years as the executive director for the South Peace Regional Archives in Grande Prairie before taking the position with the Society in June of last year.We talked to Alyssa about her duties as Executive director of the Society and the upcoming community-based field study led by the University of Northern British Columbia taking place in May.The Before the Peace podcast would not be possible without the financial support of Troyer Ventures in Fort St. John.  Thank you.

In this episode, we interviewed the Chief of the West Moberly First Nations Roland Willson. He has been the Chief of West Moberly for 22 years, he is one of the leading advocates for Caribou Recovery, sits on several boards and councils, and has been actively involved in court cases pertaining to Indigenous and Treaty 8 rights.The Before the Peace podcast would not be possible without the financial support of Troyer Ventures in Fort St. John.  Thank you.

In this episode, Before the Peace touches on intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools. Our guest wished to remain anonymous as he details his upbringing and stories of those around him affected by the residential school system.He asked us if he could remain anonymous due to the sensitive content. We are so grateful that he was willing to share not only his story but stories from others as well. The Before the Peace podcast would not be possible without the financial support of Troyer Ventures in Fort St. John.  Thank you.

This month, Before the Peace, focuses on advocacy, and we thought who better to speak with than fairly well-known indigenous advocate in Fort St. john and the Peace, Connie Greyeyes.Greyeyes details growing up in Fort St. John while facing racism, her parents' influence on her, her battle with addiction, and meeting Whoopi Goldberg.Greyeyes is the Northern Case Manager for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls through the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. She has also worked with the Fort St. John Women's Resource Society and Amnesty International.The Before the Peace podcast would not be possible without the financial support of Troyer Ventures in Fort St. John.  Thank you.

Welcome to the Before the Peace Podcast.  Each month, host and local author Jenna Morland and producer Tre Lopushinsky will sit down with a member of the Indigenous community in our region and listen to the stories of their history, culture and more.  Our first guest, Garry Oker has a long resume.  He has travelled throughout North America and Europe to study and work as a film director and visual artist, he speaks the Dane-zaa language, he has a Master's Degree from Royal Roads University, and he is a driving force behind Tse'k'wa which is one of the oldest archaeological sites discovered in British Columbia, which is the main focus of this episode.The history of the Peace and the Dane-zaa is more than can be fit into an hour which is how long our episodes will be. So, we touched on Oker's family lineage, spoke about the original Beaver people, and Tse'K'wa, also known as the Charlie Lake cave.

We preview the Before the Peace podcast.  The first episode will be released on October 28, 2021.  This podcast wouldn't be possible without the financial support of Troyer Ventures.