The township of Newland was dying just a few decades ago, a small township located in the lumber settlement of Saint Agnes was at risk of going bankrupt as recently as 2005. Schools had closed, the local hospital owned by the Newland Township Authority was at risk of closing. Yet starting in 2003, a group began moving to the town by the thousands. Due to President Sean Khan’s Skilled Immigrant Resettlement Program (SIRP), citizens of the Nuqisut Confederation began working in the lumber industry, as they had in their homeland. An earthquake in 2006, only led to more Nuqisutian’s applying for the SIRP program. Although Newland wasn’t the only destination, once the first families began to move in, more and more arrived according to local resident, Gina Gundapaya.
“Our township was dying, the schools were emptying out, the SIRP program really changed our fortune’s”
Now, more than 20 years since the first immigrants from the Southern Nerian nation arrived in Saint Agnes, the majority of the town is classified as “Other” in the 2025 Census. Take a walk down, through the historic downtown and one can see signs in English, Slokasian and Oquapik, grocery stores now sell preserved fish and traditional Nuqisutian fruit jams. As Gina walks down Market Street, she tells us about her experience as a schoolteacher.
“There were initially concerns from local parents that our time as teachers would be concerned with teaching Nuquistan kids how to read and write English. Unknown to some of these parent’s, these kids grew up speaking the language as it is one of the official languages of Nuqisut” Gina says as we walk into Mikel’s Restaurant.
“Hello, Gina” Mikel says as soon as we walk in, he’s a large older gentleman with a long beard and a large white apron. Around the restaurant, there’s several dozen customers eating a variety of dishes at small plastic tables. We take a seat at one, which features a photo of a cabin in snowy woods.
“This was my hometown, Ulvanquik” Mikel says as he brings out a bottle of water and a bottle of pine-needle soda, a traditional Nuqiust drink being now made locally right in the town of Saint Agnes. Gina is a regular and orders almost a dozen small dishes along with a big plate of thick lamb noodles, known as Kilkam-Ne. As Mikel leaves us to talk, we begin going around the restaurant asking about the upcoming election. In 2022, the Conservative’s won Newland Township, with 54% of the vote although today, few support Brooke Weasley.
“I would never give her the time of day, never” says an older named Edith. She’s lived in the nearby village of Milton since 2006 and has voted in every election since receiving her citizenship in 2008.
“I’m a god-fearing woman, but Brooke Weasley is a travesty to the land” Edith says later suggesting she may support New Right candidate Bosok if he is the party’s nominee. When she says this her grandson born in 2006 interrupt’s
“He’s a sell-out, aaka (grandmother), I’m still with the Green Party, that’s the reason we are here in Slokais today” he says, although former President Sean Khan announced he would not seek the party’s nomination.
“Maybe, but that’s it but you’re just a irqiuq (inexperienced boy), the Green Party are a bunch of tree huggers who will not know what it’s like to live on with just your paycheck” Edith responds.
“I’ve read their policy, they consider forestry a vital industry and they support the forestry union” her grandson responds
“And so does the forestry union support the Green’s?” Mikel said as he placed an array of dishes on our table.
A spread of side dishes were arranged around the Kilkam-Ne, including picked radish, a small grilled fish, lamb mixed with tofu and others. As we ate, Gina discussed educational policy, and how her secondary school always struggled for funding, especially with the Ministry of Education’s new guidelines set up by the Weasley administration which link funding programs to high-achieving schools. Newland Township Secondary School is not one of them. Gina, who teaches Slokasian History, says she has to spend more than 2 months at the end of every school year dedicated to just test prep for the NSST (National Secondary Standardized Test) with limited materials and books. Gina says most students are hard working, they simply lack the kinds of support and attention outside the classroom, especially Nuquestian children whose parents work in the lumber industry.
“There is a great absence of male role models in the community, especially during peak working periods” Gina says as we finish our conversation.
In the evening, we attended a gathering at the invitation of Mikel, who is a member of the Newland Township Branch of the National Alliance. The meeting occurs in the Nuquestian Catholic Church of Saint Agnes, which is part of the local diocese, yet has mass in both English and Oqapuik. On-stage, the party is taking candidates for various local positions such as Township Head and Township Head of Public Safety. There is a decent turnout, Joseph Chavez actually won the province of North Acadia as a whole in the second round of 2022 Election and the National Alliance had a slight plurality of MSL’s elected from the province. Mikel talks with several of the candidates after their speeches, thanking each one for being part of the democratic process.
“Good, to hear you speak about your concerns with trash pick-up” Mikel says to an older woman. Issues here at this level are mundane and simplistic, quality of life issues are at the core of local politics both here in Newland Township and across Slokais. Eventually, conversations turn to national issues. A young man is loudly complaining about being fired from his job as a gamekeeper for the Department of Wildlife and Land Management, which has taken massive cuts as the Weasley Administration looks to expand military and local security budgets without raising tax. Before, we leave Mikel turns to me and introduces me as a reporter for the New Liverpool Daily. The whole room applauds, which is a reaction that my reporting hasn’t given me everywhere.
-Dylan Gomez, New Liverpool Daily.
