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
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.