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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.