First Contact (CA)

The six travelers begin their journey in heart of Canada; Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here they meet prominent Indigenous activist Michael Redhead Champagne who sheds some light on the road ahead. In Winnipeg their journey includes working alongside two community driven movements; the Bear Clan patrol which works to keep Winnipeg’s notorious North End streets safe, and Drag the Red which takes on the sobering task of helping to solve cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women by searching the river, and the riverbank, for remains or other evidence. From Winnipeg the group travels over 2,000 km north to the remote Inuit community of Kimmirut where they discover life on the land is more intense than they ever could have imagined.

The group arrives in Muskrat Dam, one of several fly-in reserves in Northern Ontario. Most Canadians don’t understand why people continue to live in remote places like this one. During their stay the group will learn why relocating isn’t an option for the people whose families have been here for generations. They will also learn tough lessons about educating youth in a remote fly-in community, the impact of the legacy of residential schools, and how it is possible that clean drinking water is an issue here and in 140 other reserves across the country. The next stop takes the travelers deep into the heart of Alberta. With a population of over 17,000, Maskwacis has a reputation for gangs, crime, and a high suicide rate, but by the time this leg of their journey is over, the six will have attended their first Pow Wow and sweat lodge ceremony, and some attitudes within the group begin a major shift.

So far on the journey the travelers have had their views confronted and their emotions pushed to the limit, but the travelers are about to face their biggest test yet. Heading south to Calgary, the group hits the front lines to experience life on the streets, and then go north, to an Edmonton prison to learn about life on the inside… here the divide in the group is at a breaking point. After this, the final stop on the 28-day journey is in Ahousaht First Nation, on the west side of Vancouver Island. Historically, Ahousaht has suffered many issues, but in recent years, with strong leadership from within, the reserve has made many changes and turned the community around. It is here that they take the final key steps in their journey, and process all they have learned during this once in a lifetime experience.