Marlene Hale, also known as Maluh, her childhood nickname in Wet’suwet’en, the northern Athabaskan language of her people, was born in Smithers, British Columbia, at the foot of the Hudson Bay Mountains. She learned to cook at a young age, and as it developed into a passion, she became a chef, and later, taught cooking of healthy food for First Nation organizations.

Then, as she reported to APTN in January 2019, “I was just innocently making bannock, and serving it,” said Hale of January 7 – the day 14 people were arrested at the Gidimt’en camp in British Columbia. “And all of a sudden the world just changes on a dime.”

Marlene felt compelled to contribute to the anti-pipeline struggle back home, and so left Montreal to chase after the upper echelons of the federal government. She will share her story with us.

• Service leader – Susan Czarnocki
• Musician – Hélène Cimon-Auer
• Hospitality – Sheila Laursen & Jane Edwards

Topics: Community, Environment, Human Rights