ONTARIO MÉTIS FACTS

The many layers of the Mica Bay incident reveal the pattern of resistance that Métis communities across the historic North-West carefully developed over generations. More than a moment of unity between the Anishinaabek and Métis of Sault Ste. Marie, at its core, Mica Bay reflected a long-standing Métis practice of organized, strategic, and largely peaceful resistance, clearly demonstrated by the leadership of Charles Boyer and Eustache Lesage. As tensions with colonial author

Preserving and celebrating their way of life strengthened Métis communities throughout the Upper Great Lakes, even as colonial pressures sought to displace and erase them. Métis resistance was not always confrontational. It lived in daily practices, kinship networks, and stories carefully carried across generations. Métis culture, anchored in memory, tradition, and an unwavering connection to home, proved impossible to seize, even as the land itself was taken. In Sault Ste. M

As early as 1838, Métis in Killarney raised concerns about protecting their fishing rights. As an economic activity and a cornerstone of daily life, fishing sustained families and anchored community wellbeing along Lake Huron’s north shore. Time and again, Métis at Killarney acted to defend their traditional way of life against external pressures and changing political realities. During his travels along Lake Huron, a Roman Catholic priest recorded these concerns in correspon