Cultural Divide Separates Farmers, Indigenous Workers
Sage Shade rides his horse through the feedlot pens at VRP Farms, checking for cattle that need treatment. It’s spring and the pens are muddy from melting snow and ice, so the job of pen rider isn’t at its most pleasant. Still, Shade says he likes the job and the variety it offers. He is one of 180 employees at VRP and one of only four who are First Nations. Shade grew up on the Kainai (Blood) Reserve in Alberta’s southwest, a part of the Blackfoot Nation. It is the largest native reserve in the province, spanning 351,960 acres, and it is...Read more