'People don't know where to go': Financial woes lead to loss of Indigenous community spaces in Winnipeg
'We're choosing to have optimism,' North End activist says as non-profit leaders meet to find solutions
The number of spaces serving Winnipeg's Indigenous community is dwindling, and leaders from non-profit groups in the city are hoping to come up with a grassroots solution.
Ongoing financial issues at Circle of Life Thunderbird House on Main Street, combined with the closures of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre and Neechi Commons last year, have meant fewer spaces and less programming for community members.
"Our people feel comfortable coming to us," said Larry Wucherer, program development manager at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata, an Indigenous family support organization.
"When we lose that, people don't know where to go. They wonder what to do and … it gets frustrating."
The shortage of Indigenous community space was evident Tuesday, as a funeral for elder Joseph Meconse took place at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place, a recreation centre on Sinclair Street, Wucherer said.
"Why are we at 90 Sinclair? Because we don't have space," he said. "We're using a city community centre to hold a service for one of our elders — veteran elders, no less."
He said that shouldn't happen, because there are spaces available — but they've been shut down.
"We're having to marshal our resources to go elsewhere, when we have enough already for us."
The community organization will host a "renewing our North End" community meeting, which will include a dozen leaders from non-profits, on Friday night to strategize and come up with a way to protect the hubs that are left.
The meeting will run 6-8 p.m. at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata's community meeting space at 445 King St.
Thunderbird House 'a beacon'
Thunderbird House, which runs three sweat lodge ceremonies a month for community members, has had to cut back other programming it offers due to financial problems.
The cultural hub, which has struggled with debt and a previous lien on the building, is running out of supplies as it tries to move forward with its bank accounts frozen by the Canada Revenue Agency and without its charitable status, which it lost in 2015.
The building on Main Street provides space for events and is meant to be a welcoming place for community members to come for ceremony. It's a safe place to come and learn about the culture for Indigenous people who may have lost their way due to residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, advocates say.
"This place is a beacon. It's like a light, so people are drawn to it for many different reasons, and we want to be able to keep our doors open so that can continue to happen," said Richelle North Star Scott, co-chair of Thunderbird House's board.
She said the organization, which is down to just two board members, is trying to operate normally. Things have slowly been getting better, but Thunderbird House is still grappling with debt owed to the CRA.
The closure last year of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, which vandals recently ransacked, has left North End community members like Laura Chartrand with one less place to go for fun.
She loved the centre's bingo, and was sad to see it shut down.
"That was one of my favourites," she said. She used to take her nieces to Christmas parties the centre would put on, as well as its safe Halloween parties.
"It meant a lot to them. It was good for them," she said.
The centre was also regularly used to hold funerals, fundraisers and powwows.
North End activist Kyle Mason, who is one of the people behind Friday's community meeting, said the goal is to come up with concrete steps to move forward.
"There seems to have been a bit of a trend that is not positive, so we're hoping this conversation can be a watershed moment to turn things around," said Mason, who was previously the executive director of the North End Family Centre. It closed down in 2018 due to funding issues.
"The trend of things closing down, or being close to closing down, has caused a strain on people. It has, in some ways, been demotivating, but we're not choosing to get stuck there," he said.
"We're choosing to have optimism. We're choosing to have this meeting so we can bring new life and new energy and new focus."
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