Reconnecting to Mi’kmaq Culture Using the Power of the Sun
In the midst of a climate crisis, Nova Scotia endured one the driest summers in recent years in summer 2025. The last time the province experienced severe drought conditions was in 2023, not that long ago according to Environment Canada. And summer 2025 echoes much of the same, with conditions that are so significant. Currently, if you take a walk into the woods, you could land yourself a fine of over $25,000. These strict measures were implemented in response to the increased risk of wildfires. As drought conditions and restrictions continue to remain in place for most of the province, a small but mighty Mi’kmaw community works towards solutions that reduce their carbon footprint. With the climate rapidly changing, Glooscap First Nation has turned to alternative energy sources and has been actively working on removing its dependency on fossil fuels while learning to harness the power of the sun. This pursuit doesn’t go without embedding ancestral wisdom into their clean energy efforts.
“We’ve been talking about energy for a while. We actually incorporated Glooscap Energy in 2017,” said Michael Peters, CEO of Glooscap Ventures, the economic development group owned by the Mi’kmaw First Nation. “From there, we started getting into small-scale solar projects. We did our first solar project at the Glooscap gas station.” Peters is talking about the Glooscap Landing Solar Array project located in the Hantsport area of Nova Scotia. It’s a 25kw system that was installed in 2018, after conducting large engagements to identify the community’s economic development priorities. Peters said the people requested the economic development venture to prioritize renewable energy, and he says they’re committed to doing just that. “We also did another engagement in 2022, and the same question came up, and renewable energy investment scored number one.” In earlier engagement sessions, highway development and investing in the seafood industry came up first. But ever since the community has witnessed the power of utilizing the sun, their priorities shifted to renewable energy as being most important. “So that’s kind of where we started investing into renewable energy was because it came from the grassroots level and from the ground up. It came from our people,” he proudly stated.
Glooscap First Nation is a small Mi’kmaw community nestled between the towns of Wolfville and Windsor, Nova Scotia. The community has just over 400 band members with approximately 100 living on-reserve in about 41 homes. The small Mi’kmaw community was named after the legendary character in the nation’s creation story whose name was Kluskap, the first person made by our Creator. This seems like a fitting name for a community committed to including cultural teachings in their economic development projects. “It comes down to looking forward to our next seven generations,” said Montana Labradore, Energy Coordinator at Glooscap Ventures. Labradore is also a proud member of the Glooscap First Nation. Like many Indigenous nations, the people of Glooscap also honour the teaching of protecting the next seven generations. It means what you do today should benefit and protect the next seven generations to come, think of your children, grandchildren and so forth. One of the reasons Montana said she gravitated towards the position was that it focused on sustainability and community. “So, I’ve gone door-to-door in the community and chatted about energy and adding solar power to their homes. So far, the feedback from community members has been very positive.” Montana reiterates that the people of Glooscap understand the importance of shifting their dependency from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems. They say it’s because having energy sovereignty from the grid is a return to their traditional ways of being. It means we are living in a respectful relationship with the earth, as she says solar energy is a lot less harmful than fossil fuels.
Labradore and Peters are both long-standing members of Glooscap First Nation and have experienced first-hand the impacts of climate change. Over the last few years, hurricanes have become more frequent and have caused days-long power outages in their hometown. They want to prevent that from happening again. They say the major reliance on fossil fuels is catching up to us and harming our Mother Earth. It’s no wonder that with deadly wildfires blazing across the country and people being barred from access to the natural world, the Mi’kmaq and the people of Glooscap have a concept that we could really use guidance from right about now. According to the Mi’kmaq understanding of natural law, they believe everything has purpose and deserves respect. It is with the concept of Netukulimk (ned-doo-gahlimk) that we must only take what we need while respecting the bionomic integrity of our direct environment. It’s hard to summarize this belief system because its entirety also encompasses our relational responsibilities to all lifeforms, such as the plants, the animals and even the spiritual impacts of engaging and taking from our Mother Earth. To put it vaguely, it focuses on two major virtues: respect and responsibility. This philosophy directly informs projects in regard to renewable ventures by Glooscap First Nation. Actually, it’s more than a philosophy, it’s paramount that it becomes a guiding framework as the climate crisis continues to intensify. “Well, we’ve always been environmental stewards of our land, and I think every project should have this sustainable value of the environment in mind,” said Montana. In fact, Two-Eyed Seeing is also a priority for her community members. She said someone reminded her of this perspective during one of her engagements, and since then, she’s been more mindful of directly applying it to both her work and life.
The Two-Eyed Seeing is an approach also known as Etuaptmumk (Ed-do-wap-domumk). A term coined by the late Murdena Marshall and her husband, Dr. Albert Marshall, both of whom are Mi’kmaw educators. It essentially means looking at everything from two perspectives. In practice, it honours and includes the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing and Western ways of knowing. Prior to colonization, the Mi’kmaq were resourceful and sustainable people who depended on Mother Earth to provide food, shelter, warmth and everything else under the sun. In Mi’kmaq culture, the sun is considered a powerful being that gives life to everything it shines upon. In the Mi’kmaq language, it is called Nakuset (Nah-goo-set), the one who travels around the earth or the one who travels in a circle. Glooscap First Nation is reentering that sacred relationship with Nakuset. The sun is considered a lifegiver, and learning how to access and use it in a way that is culturally relevant has helped advance their renewable projects with the community’s approval. Glooscap Ventures aligns itself with the wisdom of Two-Eyed Seeing and attributes it to the successful solar array projects it runs. “So, we try to use Two-Eyed Seeing in everything we do here in economic development,” said Michael Peters, “So we’re trying to do our best to protect the environment and Mother Earth. As an example, we have an upcoming venture called the Meadowview Solar Project.” Peter explains his economic development company is partnering with nearby communities to create a seven-megawatt (MW) community solar project in Meadowview, Nova Scotia, that will transform a capped landfill site into a renewable energy site harnessed by the power of the sun.”
Instead of clear-cutting trees and ruining valuable ecosystems already in place, Peters said building on a former landfill site is an innovative and culturally grounded pursuit. “We’re trying to reuse land and give it purpose while trying to protect the nature we already have.” This project is currently in the planning stages still, but, once completed, it will have the power to generate electricity for more than 1000 homes per year.
Aside from larger aspirations, Michael Peters speaks to the well-received solar projects currently operational in his home community of Glooscap First Nation. The first of these is the Glooscap Landing Solar Array at the gas station that currently runs a 25kw system and has the power to energize three average homes. The gas station ground-mount landing currently covers 90 percent of the electricity in the community’s gas station. Saving money on power bills helps the community pour more funding into community programming and assistance, and that’s part of the reason Peters said his leadership has invested in becoming their own energy providers.
The next project is the Glooscap Landing Micro-grid that was built behind the gas station where the first array is. The Glooscap Landing Micro-grid adds an extra 330kw to the area. In the Yarmouth Area of Nova Scotia, the Glooscap community-owned lobster pound currently has a 75kw rooftop system, while the Yarmouth Bar has a 409kw ground mount system. “So, we have quite a few different projects, about six or seven projects we developed over the last few years.” Peters reiterates that these projects were only possible with the support of the community and that it has already begun to pay off. The seafood plant’s electricity bill is offset by about 70 percent. Cutting costs and reducing environmental impacts is smart business, according to the sun-powered CEO. The ongoing success of their current projects has the community owned power venture looking to do more. “We’re hoping that our seven-megawatt community project will be built in the next few years so that people both on and off-reserve, and as long as they’re on the Nova Scotia Power Grid System can actually buy their energy from us at a discount,” said Michael Peters.
“Glooscap’s main goal for solar and energy is making sure we provide affordable energy to our community members,” says Montana Labradore. For Montana, it’s more than just discounted electricity bills; it’s about reducing our carbon footprints. “When I talk to the community about energy, I try to add climate in there as well. Not only do these projects benefit us, but it also helps the earth.” Montana is truly a perfect fit for her role as the community’s energy coordinator. She weaves her passion for protecting the earth both at the desk and sewing machine. During her off-time, the young aspiring fashion designer creates items made from upcycled fabric. She’s been running her zero-waste fashion company, Dora May Designs, since before her time as the energy coordinator. “I’ve always been really into sustainability in everything I do,” says Montana. For Dora May Designs, she creates zero-waste bags by sourcing used products. “I source my products from thrift stores or deadstock. Every design is made with intention, sustainability, and respect for the land we walk on.” Montana’s day job and side job are aligned with one another. “I think that’s why I initially came for this job too, because I wanted to do more, and this was the perfect opportunity because it was in my community.”
With the multiple ongoing projects in both the planning stages and operational stages, Michael has even bigger dreams for his community. “Of course, we are buying energy from ourselves and producing it ourselves, but I think we can go beyond that.” He wants to see his community become an energy provider for other communities as well. “We can become a net exporter of energy and export that to other communities in the area. That’s the long-term vision and goal for sure.”
It’s no secret that Nova Scotia Power currently holds the monopoly on energy in the province, but that’s exactly why Glooscap wants to move towards becoming an energy provider. “It’s hard to move away from them (Nova Scotia Power). We need to see if being our own independent energy providers is possible,” said Montana. She said the community has advocated for that as well because “it would be really nice to rely on ourselves, our own nation,” said Montana. “We all know successful nations out there that own their own energy and produce affordable energy.” Michael Peters says he’s confident in his community and recognizes their leadership and ambition have gotten them this far, and he says they can and will go further. According to Peters, other Nations are already looking to team up with Glooscap First Nation, and he believes this is a good start towards solidifying Mi’kmaw energy sovereignty within Nova Scotia. “We’d love to see and help other communities move towards solar-powered energy.”
