Retired Assembly of First Nation Regional Chief, a veteran of 45 years in First Nation politics and a survivor of the residential (institution) school system and Indian Day school, is the founder behind this project. Through his adult life, Roger has advanced his bold and compassionate drive to turn his journey into reality through the principles of Peace and Friendship and possesses a well-established track record of advancing wellness for First Nation, Metis, and Innuit, communities across Canada.

In the late 1970s, as a councillor on the Eel Ground Band Council, Roger recognized the need for alcohol and drug education programming in his community. His ground-breaking work laid the foundation for his community’s Rising Sun facility which became a model replicated by First Nations across the country.  Since that early foray into politics, Roger’s career included 16 years as Chief of Eel Ground, time spent as National Chief Phil Fontaine’s chief of staff, and for the past 16 years until his retirement in 2021, served as Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Throughout his career Chief Roger, promoted wellness within his community and heralded it as a priority with the 634 other First Nations communities. His fundamental belief is that individual and community wellness is the foundation for enhancing the quality of life and capacity building both individually and as a more enriched community.

Its overarching goal is to meaningfully engage with traditional and harm reduction and wellness programing to ensure that members of the community(s) who have been regularly excluded from the

decisions that affect their lives and those of their brothers and sisters can be supported in regaining their rightful places in the community leading active and contributing roles, including leadership in their communities.

A Mi’gmaq community of 1080 and under the leadership of Chief George Ginnish has been an ardent supporter of the work of Roger Augustine’s work in this field including the establishment and operation of the Rising Sun facility This facility serves four other Mi’gmaq First Nations communities within a 45-minute drive. A primary focus of its leadership and its Elders is the wellness and health of its community.

A certified organic medical cannabis fully licensed with Health Canada producer, Iocated on the unceded territory of the Mi’gmaq people. Eco Canadian Organic Inc. (‘E.C.O.’) forges collaborative relationships aimed at fostering health and wellness to support First Nation communities, by promoting wellness and harm reduction, and developing health and wellness services to serve their communities. Denise & Brent Hannay, founders of E.C.O., initiated a meeting with Chief Roger in 2020 to discuss their vision and pilot project of medically prescribed cannabinoid as a replacement therapy in First Nations to overcome addiction as it relates to opioid and methadone treatment.

Regarded as a trailblazer in the medical cannabis community specializing in cannabinoid-based therapy. She has spearheaded post-secondary Cannabis 101 curriculum at Red River College’s School of Indigenous Education in 2019, and most recently published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, “Rough-set based learning: Assessing patterns and predictability of anxiety, depression, and sleep scores associated with the use of cannabinoid-based medicine during COVID-19”.

With over 20,000 patient interactions and a growing patient database, she is a leading clinical participant in McMaster University’s Cannabinoid Consumption & Study (DATACANN).  She received both her MD and Rural Family Medicine Residency from McMaster University. Through a harm reduction lens, her Addiction Medicine focused practice serves vulnerable, rural, and remote underserved populations. She is committed to clinical research and is an Assistant Professor, Rady School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba.  Dr. Turner provides a differentiated science and heart-based approach to patient care.

More to come.