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Kinistin Saulteaux Nation Chief, Council and community members at the Tikinagan Centre ground breaking ceremony Thursday. (Submitted photo/Kinistin Saulteaux Nation)
Tikinagan Centre

Construction begins on Kinistin reserve family resource centre

Jul 1, 2022 | 12:15 PM

The Tikinagan Centre will be at the heart of the Kinistin reserve, located roughly 40 kilometres southeast of Melfort.

Tikinagan means ‘cradleboard’ in Cree. The 8,571 square foot building will house the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation’s family services administrative offices and staff and provide dedicated spaces for their programs like parenting classes, along with a large boardroom and private counselling rooms.

Members of Kinistin Saulteaux Nation, a signatory of Treaty 4 and a member of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, gathered Thursday to mark construction of the building. The centre will also feature a kitchen space, a large cultural room to allow for programming of cooking classes, elders’ gatherings and community events.

“Like its namesake, the Tikinagan Centre will be a place where we can nurture children and youth by providing a space they can be a part of the community and the activities happening around them and with them. It will be a safe space for young people to learn and for community members of all ages to come together,” said Chief Felix Thomas in a press release.

Exterior rendering of the Tikinagan Centre. (Submitted photo/Kinistin Saulteaux Nation)

3twenty Modular, a Saskatoon company with a history of partnering with the Saskatoon Tribal Council designed the centre and will build it. The modular process allows for faster onsite construction and delivery, so the new facility should be available for use in September.

“One of the most interesting features of this building is that this project pairs a high-performance building envelop with a 50kw solar system that will generate a large portion of the building’s energy requirements,” said Bryan McCrea, CoFounder of 3twenty Modular. “We’re proud of the fact that this building will be energy efficient, solar powered, and offer electric vehicle power outlets.”

Interior rendering of Tikinagan Centre. (Submitted photo/Kinistin Saulteaux Nation)

Chief Thomas added, “As a First Nation and protectors of our environment, we have to lead by example. This is one of the ways we can do that. We are excited to see the final building in early fall and celebrate its grand opening in a few short months. This building will finally give us the space we need to ensure we can grow our family services and deliver the programming our people need.”

The Kinistin Saulteaux Nation has 1.052 registered members.

panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @northeastNOW_SK

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