Peepeekisis First Nation plans to open funeral home that meets cultural needs

Peepeekisis First Nation is building a funeral home that will aim to offer a culturally sensitive space for people in and around the Qu'Appelle Valley region of Saskatchewan. 

Construction on the new facility in Lorlie, Sask., about 100 kilometres east of Regina, will start in the spring of 2025 and the funeral home is expected to open in 2026.

Blain Pinay, a headman of Peepeekisis First Nation, said the funeral home is an investment for all future generations from the Treaty 4/File Hills area. 

Using other funeral service providers over the years has been hard on their members, he said. Oftentimes places don't allow certain traditional protocols in their facilities. 

"We're tired of getting monopolized by other companies that we have to do it their way and their costs," he said. 

Pinay said funeral companies may charge by the hour or an overnight fee for wakes, which makes it harder for people to mourn when they are being rushed.

With a First Nations-owned funeral home, they are hoping to diminish some of those challenges that people have had in the past, he said.

When the band first proposed the idea, they consulted with upper management, elders, and youth from Peepeekisis.

Allan Bird, another headman of Peepeekisis First Nation, said they were looking at buying a funeral home at first, but then decided to build their own. He said after securing funding, building partnerships through Steel River Group, and finding the land for the funeral home, they are closer to breaking ground. 

The facility's hall will have a 350-400 person capacity.

"At the end of the day, we don't have to use our school gym anymore," he said.

"We don't have to see our neighbouring relatives use school gyms."

10-15 new jobs

Keegan Montgrand, the project manager with Peepeekisis Development Limited, said every Indigenous group is different when it comes to celebrating a life, and the traditions they do at each service is unique.

But he added the funeral home will not be just for Indigenous people.

"We're really open to all cultures and religions and denominations to come and use our facility as they come and say goodbye to their loved ones," he said.

Montgrand said the construction will create close to 100 jobs and once that is completed, there will be 10-15 jobs in the funeral home. 

"We're hoping to employ people not only from our community, but the surrounding communities," he said. 

"We're hoping that people will see this and they'll decide that this may be a future for them and a career in the funeral home industry."