Wolastoqey Nation Launches Anti-discrimination Program on GeoKeeper

Last November, Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick (WNNB) launched a GeoKeeper program developed as a tool for reporting harassment, racism and discrimination. Our Digital Services Manager, Sarah Boivin, travelled to Wolastoqey to lead two community launch sessions at Tobique and St. Mary’s First Nations. While there, Sarah had the opportunity to train community members and WNNB staff on the unique features of WNNB’s On-the-Land program.

A community-based monitoring app, GeoKeeper is used by Indigenous communities to collect a variety of land-based data. While some communities use the app for enforcement incident reporting (on illegal hunting, trespassing, etc.), Wolastoqey’s program marks the first time that GeoKeeper has been employed specifically as a tool for reporting on incidents of harassment and discrimination while out on the land.

WNNB’s GeoKeeper program provides a customised form that community members can fill in and send to WNNB if they experience harassment or discrimination by enforcement officials or the general public while exercising their rights. The form allows community members to record details of the incident in real time at the location, capturing spatial data where the form is completed. It also prompts users to fill in various details including whether any equipment was confiscated and the affiliation of the harasser if applicable (conservation officers, rangers, RCMP, etc.).

The GeoKeeper program also contains reference map layers so that land users can check the land designation and include this information in their report.

Crown Lands displayed in GeoKeeper. Users of the Wolastoqey Nation On-the-Land program can use this and other reference layers to determine what land designation they are on. Layers include industrial freeholds, parks and recreational trails, provincial leases and protected natural areas (PNAs).

We’re honoured to have worked with WNNB to build and launch this unique and empowering program and look forward to continuing our work together.