After a lengthy debate Oct. 24, Cochrane town council voted to table a decision to use municipal funds to support a future Indigenous Centre in Cochrane.
Executive Director of Protective and Community Services, Stacy Loe, presented to council a request for the Town of Cochrane to support the Cochrane Rotary Club’s Indigenous Place-making Initiative by providing subsidized space at the Cochrane Visitor Centre on 521 1st St. West, which is set to relocate to The Station.
The group behind the proposed Indigenous Centre – called Wazin Ichinabi Ti or “House of Oneness” – is requesting to partner with the municipality through a phased approach to become self-sustaining.
They requested to use the space for free until the end of 2023, contribute 75 per cent of the lease costs in 2024, and contribute 50 per cent in 2025. The Indigenous Placemaking Centre board of directors would then assume full lease costs from 2026 onward, or the lease would be terminated.
The centre will be managed and operated by indigenous representatives alongside active support from non-indigenous allies. In addition to fulfilling the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the centre will provide the community with educational programming, services to promote Truth and Reconciliation principles, and offer a range of products and services for Cochrane and area residents.
To date, Centre has secured $43,253 in funding and 12 letters of support from local businesses and community groups in town. Approximately 50 Cochrane residents have expressed interested in volunteering.
But council was hesitant to subsidize Town funds toward the lease costs. After the presentation, Coun. Alex Reed proposed that council provide administration with further direction in regards to the last-minute information that was presented.
“I wish to be absolutely clear, that I am very sympathetic to their historical plight,” Coun. Reed said. “My comments are in no way meant to harm, demean, or be disrespectful, but rather from a place of curiosity and learning.”
During his five-year tenure as a councillor, Reed mentioned other disenfranchised, marginalized, and persecuted groups of taxpayers in Cochrane have sought common gathering spaces as well.
“Again, not wishing to appear insensitive, or minimize the historical trauma that our neighbours have experienced,” Coun. Reed said. “But each of these groups has a legitimate claim to looking for a gathering place.”
Rather than creating “another cultural silo,” Reed said he would prefer a common gathering area for these groups.
Coun. Patrick Wilson similarly commented that he opposed the use of Cochrane taxpayer funds for the Centre due to the limited scope, but wished the Rotary Club success in their endeavours, and appreciated their work and the contributions of volunteers for raising private funds toward the initiative.
He also agreed with some of the comments made by Coun. Reed.
“I understand that everyone is welcome at the proposed place-making centre,” he said. “Its scope is just simply too narrow to justify municipal funds, in my opinion.
“That being said, I still lean in that direction, … when I see dollar-matching, I’m a big unabashed supporter of that. When I see our municipal funds leveraged by that, [it] is meaningful to me.”
Coun. Marni Fedeyko mentioned that she was informed other marginalized or ethnic groups would be allowed to use the space to host meetings and gatherings. She inquired again with Loe to see if that was still the case.
“I think that there is certainly a place available, and they are going to be programming in whatever way is needed to make the centre successful,” Loe said. “I would anticipate it would be subject to whichever programming needs that they would require first and foremost.
“Because the intention is that this is advancing reconciliation with indigenous people and advancing Cochrane’s progress towards taking action on the calls to action that were published in 2015.”
Coun. Fedeyko added she understands the comments made by fellow council members, but feels the project is the next step in moving social culture forward and turning down the Rotary Club’s request would be a mistake.
“My fear is that if we are not super into this initiative, where does that lead us to?” she asked. “And I think that broken bond is much bigger than the cost of money associated to it.”
Coun. Susan Flowers believes the centre can help educate public servants and other members of the Cochrane community. She also highlighted the work and effort accomplished to date by the Rotary Club for this initiative.
“… I do see that we need to support this, move it forward, and help the whole country that is trying to heal with these issues,” she said.
Coun. Morgan Nagel mentioned there is a risk that council would become too polarized on the issue, and that council should be able to have constructive conversations without offending anyone.
“I don’t think it should be viewed as if you are asking questions or pushing for more information on this particular proposal, then you are against indigenous reconciliation,” he said.
With supporters present at the hearing, but needing to remain mindful of spending taxpayer dollars, Coun. Nagel had difficulty reaching a conclusion.
“I want to support Truth and Reconciliation and I want to make sure we have the best opportunity to do that,” he said.
A general consensus seen by Mayor Genung was to pledge support for the project, albeit through varying options. He agrees the Indigenous Centre will benefit the community and also supports the idea of having a council member on the board, as it would be a valuable asset in terms of communication. Although he supported the project, Genung sought to clarify the municipality’s involvement, financial commitments, and risks.
Loe confirmed that at most, the town would pay the full annual lease during the second year, leading to the centre closing if it defaulted the year after that.
After additional comments and discussion, council moved to direct administration on a business case for financial, programming on a day-to-day basis, and involvement of indigenous community members.
The motion was carried 4-2 by Couns. Reed, Wilson, Nagel, and Mayor Genung. Couns. Fedeyko and Flowers voted against the motion.
The proposal is expected to be brought back to the budget meeting Dec. 12.
