Métis musician Amanda Rheaume's new single brings attention to dark chapter of northern Ontario history
'One of These Days' is about Métis people in Agawa Bay who were forcefully removed from their homes
Métis singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume hopes her latest single will bring more attention to a little-known chapter of northern Ontario history.
Rheaume says during a recent visit to the Algoma region, her friend Mitch Case told her about a Métis community in Agawa Bay, outside Sault Ste. Marie, where people were forced to vacate their homes to allow expanded access at Lake Superior Provincial Park.
"In some cases, the Ontario government basically came in and forced them to leave," Rheaume said.
"And then bulldozed and burned their homes to the ground."
When she looked up the incident on Google she said there was not much information available online.
"If there was a non-Métis community, let's say, or a non-Indigenous community that had their homes burned down by the government, I feel like we could probably find that on the internet," Rheaume said.
Learning about what happened to that community inspired her single, One of These Days.
A line in the chorus says: "No one's going to tell ya that they burned down Agawa Bay."
The single will also be featured in Rheaume's upcoming album, The Truth we Hold, which comes out on April 11.
Rheaume, originally from Ottawa, said she's collected stories from her travels across Canada and put them to music for the album.
On Saturday, she is performing at the Capitol Centre, in North Bay, and will play some new songs from the album, including One of These Days.
With files from Bridget Yard