PIKANGIKUM – The federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is investing $17 million to build an accessible multi-use facility for a northern Anishinaabe community of more 3,000.
Features of Pikangikum First Nation’s Cultural Learning and Community Centre will include a daycare, an adult learning centre and a community centre to host a range of recreational opportunities and events.
A project official said Friday an early 2025 start for construction is being targeted, with completion hoped for by the end of 2026.
The facility will be built to net-zero carbon design standards and include geothermal heating and solar power, according to a news release from the federal housing and infrastructure department.
The release quotes Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu as saying the facility will “provide families with childcare, education and social programs that will enrich the lives of not just the children but everyone in the community.”
Pikangikum Chief Shirley Keeper said the facility “will fill some crucial gaps for our community, especially our families. The childcare, adult education, food bank and gathering space all contribute to a better future for our members and our vision of a thriving community.”
At least 10 per cent of Green and Inclusive Community Buildings money is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres, according to the federal government.
