Former Manitoba Catholic youth camp to be transformed into healing village
A former Manitoba Catholic youth camp is being repurposed as a healing village for Indigenous women.
Clan Mothers, a group of Indigenous women who work with those dealing with intergenerational trauma, held a ceremony Saturday on the grounds of the former camp in Belair, near Lake Winnipeg, to mark the beginning of a new kind of care.
Co-founder May Louise Campbell said the healing village will be a place that offers mid-term and long-term support for Indigenous women.
“We have to take those buildings down, we have to change this whole area and do it our way,” said Campbell.
The demolition of the existing building will begin next spring.
The Réseau Compassion Network, formally known as the Catholic Health Authority, donated the land to the Clan Mothers so they could build their healing village.
Campbell said the village will help the women living there discover who they are as Indigenous people.
“To reclaim so that we can continue to share our knowledge and our wisdom with all those who are open to wanting to learn,” said Campbell.
Elder Mary Brian, a Sixties Scoop survivor, said the healing village will also help the women who attend deal with their trauma.
“I think they will learn a lot about their culture, and how to use their cultural ceremonies and dance ceremonies. That will help them heal,” said Brian.
CEO of Réseau Compassion Network Daniel Lussier said he’s been working alongside the Clan Mothers on this project for close to five years.
He said returning the land to Indigenous people was the right thing to do, and a step towards reconciliation.
“We have a history we own with our organization, which is affiliated with the Catholic Church and its role in residential schools. Not that this is solving that, but it is part of the long journey ahead of us,” said Lussier.
Prairie Architects has been working with the Clan Mothers on a voluntary basis to realize the vision for the new space.
Principal Architect Melissa McAlister said the first phase of the project is expected to start in the spring of 2022.
“It’ll be five cabins to start. An elder’s cabin and a staff cabin, as well as a long house that will have kitchen facilities and multi-purpose space,” said McAlister.
Campbell said the demolition of the old buildings is part of the change that is needed for people to begin healing.
“Change has to happen and we need to be responsible for that change. Not you, not the government, not anybody else, we.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.