Affordable housing lodge for Metis elders opens in Saskatoon
Marlene Conron, 72, has been living with her daughter for years and is one of the first residents to live in the Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge in Pleasant Hill.
“When you live with somebody, it’s not independence. They have their own rules and whatever… so this is gonna be great,” Conron told CTV News at the grand opening.
The three-story multi-unit modular building aims to solve the need for affordable housing. The building will have on-site social and cultural support, raised gardens for traditional medicines and picnic tables so people can gather.
Cultural elements, such as wooden ceilings, have also been incorporated into the design of the apartments.
The lodge cost nearly $6.9 million and was constructed in under eight months.
The plans for the 26 suite project have been more than two decades in the making.
Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) president Shirley Isbister says the need from the community is enough for multiple lodges. One of the reasons she says the lodge had to be built in Pleasant Hill.
“This is going to be the heart of the community. We can make change. If we’re building new buildings, you know, a $7 million project in the core area, that’s great for the community,” Isbister said.
“That’s great for the community and that’s what we want. We want to be good community members and we want to look after our people.”
Conron says she knows several elders who will be soon moving into the lodge, including her own brother.
“He got hurt, one of his eyes. He’s blind in his one eye. He already bought loads of stuff and he’s going to be living right next door to me.”
Funding for the project was provided by the Indigenous Homes Innovation Initiative, Metis-Nation Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, the City of Saskatoon and two loans.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.