"This is about raising a voice," says Colin Prentice, Manager of Lands and Resources with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation
Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is hosting a concert in August to ban heap leach in the Yukon
Cyanide in the Water is presented by Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation in solidarity with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun following the heap leach failure at Eagle Gold mine in June. According to LSCFN Manager of Lands and Resources Colin Prentice, the goal of the concert is for Yukoners to make a statement.
“This is about raising a voice,” said Prentice. “This is about giving an opportunity for Yukoners to be heard by their government, loud and clear, that we are no longer willing to accept the risk of cyanide poison being released into our environment just for the private profit of companies that are not invested here.”
Prentice is also a local musician, and when it comes to concert headliners Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Love and a .38, his excitement is difficult to contain.
“You mentioned Snotty Nose Rez Kids, which, I was so thrilled to get them,” said Prentice. “I’ve been listening to them for a few years now, and they’re just… they’re top. They are the best Canadian hip-hop group I know of. I just love their flow, I love the stuff they write about. They’re incredible.”
“Love and a .38, I’ve gotten to see them perform, and I happen to know their drummer from another project. I am so thrilled to see them again. They are amazing!”
Joining the headliners are local acts Bria Rose ‘n Thorns, Kim Rogers and Gemini Fire, The Compassion Pills, Ryan McNally and Lina Halimi, and DJ She/They. Prentice said that he is thrilled to see the local lineup, as he has performed with most of them at one time or another.
Cyanide in the Water plays on August 24 from 4 to midnight at the Carmacks Recreation Centre in Carmacks. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $40. Prentice warned that there are only 700 tickets available, and that they could sell out very quickly.