Have you ever wondered why and how the pitcher plant became a symbol of Newfoundland and Labrador, and of our collective identity?

“The pitcher plant is unique, creative and resilient. It is beautiful and tenacious, tough and adaptable. It has thrived throughout all regions of our province for centuries, just as our people have done," Premier Danny Williams said in 2006 at a launch for the province's new "brand" signature. “It is an important part of our history and a true symbol of who we are and what we’re made of. It is the symbol by which the world will know us.”

Sarracenia purpurea "really is resilient and creative," Sara Swain writes in her new essay for The Independent, Lessons from the Pitcher Plant. "But the source of its celebrated qualities is not its carnivory; it is its mutual hospitality, collaboration, and cooperation. This living reality makes it an auspicious symbol for Newfoundland and Labrador after all, just not for the reasons we’ve come to expect."

In Ep. 14, Swain reads her full essay for our listeners. And she tells host Justin Brake about how reflections on her own identity as a Newfoundlander, and a chance encounter with a pitcher plant near her favourite St. John's swimming hole, led her to writing the essay.

Lessons from the Pitcher Plant was originally published Jan. 24, 2024 at TheIndependent.ca. Click here to read the full essay.

Very special thanks to All The Wiles (Katie Baggs, Jared Klok, Ben Rigby, Billy Nicol and Jake Nicol) for their song "Handful of Sand".

If you like berrygrounds and would like to support the show, please consider becoming a monthly donor to The Independent. 

berrygrounds is a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network and Unrigged.ca. 

Did we learn anything from Muskrat Falls and the public inquiry that followed? Surely, a multi-billion dollar project with significant resistance from locals wouldn't be pushed through without a social license...again? 

That's exactly what residents of the West Coast say is happening with World Energy GH2's Project Nujio'qonik, a proposed wind-to-hydrogen megaproject that would see hundreds of windmills scattered across the Port au Port Peninsula and the Codroy Valley.

Residents are watching in horror as the company and the province appear to be rushing the project through the approvals process in order to be first to market.

In this episode, we speak with Port au Port resident Duran Felix, a retired analyst who spent his career reviewing documents for Canada's military and has reviewed World Energy GH2's 4,000-plus page environmental impact statement. We also speak with Camille Ouellette-Dallaire, an assistant professor of environmental science at Memorial University's Grenfell campus in Corner Brook who once worked for the federal government reviewing environmental impact statements.

For some backstory, listen to berrygrounds Episode 2: Port au Port and the Wind Industry Acid Test.

If you like our show and would like to support berrygrounds' coverage of the province's emerging wind-to-hydrogen industry, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. 

The songs "Depth of Focus" and "Fearful New World" are courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios. 

Innu children have been taken from their families, communities and culture for decades. But now, after a years-long fight for change, Innu are sharing their stories and truths through the Inquiry Respecting the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in the Child Protection System.

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we speak with Simeon Tshakapesh and Anastasia Qupee, two of the Innu leaders who fought for the inquiry.

For more information on the inquiry, visit www.inniuna.ca.

If you like our show and would like to support berrygrounds' coverage of the climate crisis and other important stories, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. 

The songs "Snowdrops" and "Spark of Inspiration" are courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios. "Oh Canada" was performed by Jully Black at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. 

In this episode of berrygrounds, we debut a short documentary from journalist Monica Kidd, who visited Channel-Port aux Basques on the eve of the one-year anniversary of post-tropical storm Fiona. In "Swept by the Sea," Monica speaks with residents and leaders from the community, as well as NTV Chief Meteorologist Eddie Sheerr, who made a phone call the night before Fiona hit that saved people's lives.

In the second half, host Justin Brake speaks with Canadian Hurricane Centre Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Bob Robichaud, who explains what storm surge is and tells berrygrounds that the federal government is developing a new program to better predict the impacts of extreme weather events.

If you like our show and would like to support berrygrounds' coverage of the climate crisis and other important stories, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. 

Music from "Swept by the Sea" is from the Creative Commons: Residuum by Silver Maple, Who’s there by Peter Sandberg, Twire by Christophe Gorman, and Sentient by Gavin Luke. And for berrygrounds, The Wonders of Science is courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.

With Bay du Nord on hold, Newfoundland & Labrador is at a critical juncture on energy policy and climate change. Despite the grim outlook for oil and gas, and amid climate breakdown, the Andrew Furey government continues to champion fossil fuel development. As an investigation by The Independent unearthed, the Liberals have also quietly adopted an energy transition policy developed by consulting firm that seeks to prolong the life of the fossil fuel industry. We speak with author and climate/energy policy researcher Angela Carter, Conor Curtis of the Sierra Club Canada, and listen to a speech from the Sept. 15 student-led climate march in St. John's organized by Fridays for Future.

If you like our show and would like to support us, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. 

Songs Corrupted, One With Everything, and Against Time courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are two things without which we probably wouldn’t be here: the sea, and the fish.

But how much do we really know about them? In an era of offshore oil, mega hydro dams, and now an impending wind energy industry — have we become indifferent to the fisheries? 

What we do hear about them seems so unrelatable: quotas and metric tons, prices per pound, licensing regulations. 

How did something so important to our economy, and our identity, become so hard to understand?

In Episode 9 of berrygrounds we speak with award-winning journalists Jenn Thornhill Verma and Leila Beaudoin, who have teamed up with The Independent to create something that we didn't have in Newfoundland and Labrador: an explainer series about the fisheries and the sea.

You can find the Seasplainer series on The Independent's website.

Click here to support The Independent with a monthly donation.

The song "Sunsetter" courtesy of Shane Ivers at Silverman Sound Studios.

On May 1, hundreds of workers marched in the streets of St. John’s and rallied at Harbourside Park. May Day hasn’t been a huge deal in Newfoundland and Labrador, or even in Canada, where we mark Labour Day in September. But the growing number of workers and allies joining the annual event in St. John’s tells us something important about this province’s labour movement, says journalist Rhea Rollmann.

In Episode 8 of berrygrounds, we speak with Rollmann about what changes are happening in Newfoundland and Labrador's labour movement. Rollmann, who also has a background in labour organizing and queer and trans activism, also shares some insight into her forthcoming book, "A Queer History of Newfoundland".

Read Rhea Rollmann's full article, "May Day Rally Shows New Face of Today’s Labour Movement".

The song Eyesplit is courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.

Women and gender diverse workers have been fighting for decades to be paid the same as men for equal work of equal value. In the face of mounting pressure, the Liberals finally brought in their version of pay equity legislation. But there's a problem. I\it doesn't apply to most workers in the province, and it's missing critical details.

In this episode, we speak with Telegram reporter Juanita Mercer, whose work around pay equity in Newfoundland and Labrador has landed her on the shortlists of two prestigious national journalism awards. We also hear from Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour President Jessica McCormick, who tells us exactly what's missing from the legislation and why government needs to scrap it altogether and start over.

If you dig our show, please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. You can do that by clicking the 'Support Us' button at TheIndependent.ca.

Songs Womp and Save Us Now courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.

Vianne Timmons may be gone, but the controversy around her claims of Indigeneity have brought two key issues at Memorial University to the fore. Race-shifting, as it's become known: the growing phenomenon of settlers seeking out Indigenous ancestry to claim an Indigenous identity today. And the crisis in governance at Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university.

In the first half of Episode 6, a conversation with Métis lawyer Jean Teillet, who wrote a report last year for the University of Saskatchewan on race-shifting and Indigenous identity fraud in Canadian universities. 

In the second half, we speak with two faculty leaders from MUNL, Robin Whitaker and Ash Hossain, about the years-long push for a more open and transparent hiring process for senior administrators. 

Then we go back to 2019 and uncover an alarming fact about how Vianne Timmons was hired.

Read Teillet's full report, "Indigenous Identity Fraud".

Listen to Episode 5 of berrygrounds: "Vianne Timmons and the Race-Shifting Conundrum".

Songs Xenon Sentry, Pop Rocks, and Reach the Top courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.

Memorial University President Vianne Timmons says she has always been clear that she has Mi'kmaw ancestry, or heritage, and that she's not Mi'kmaw. But in a settler colonial society like Canada's, claiming Indigenous ancestry in professional biographies or on resumes is anything but clear, says Cree journalist Michelle Cyca.

In a new article for The Walrus, Cyca argues that for settlers Indigenous ancestry is "an accessory" that "offers people like Timmons an advantage over both non-Indigenous and Indigenous people: the insinuation of having overcome an obstacle that was never in their way. The cumulative effect is an impression of Indigeneity as a marketable asset, divorced from its historical, political, and cultural significance. The essential power structure of whiteness remains intact, and the sprinkle of artificially flavoured Indigeneity covers up the bad taste of settler guilt."

In Episode 5, we speak with Cyca about the Vianne Timmons scandal, and about race-shifting more broadly.

Whose responsibility is it to keep race-shifters in check? And how should people respond when they are questioned about their identity?

That and more in "Vianne Timmons and the Race-Shifting Conundrum".

Read Michelle Cyca's full article "Why Are More People Claiming Indigenous Ancestry?" in The Walrus.

Listen to Episode 4 of berrygrounds: "Ktaqmkuk — a personal story of Mi’kmaw ancestry, identity & belonging"

Read Justin Brake's 2021 essay "KTAQMKUK" in Maisonneuve magazine.

Songs Synapse, Liturgy of the Street, and Diaphanous courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.