Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation Community Cultural Centre partners with Renfrew’s myFM Centre
Renfrew – The last big piece to complete Renfrew’s 96,000 square foot expansion at the former Ma-te-Way Activity Centre was finalized last week when the town entered into a partnership agreement and commercial lease with the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation (BAFN) to operate a Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation Community Cultural Centre.
It will occupy about 9,967 square feet of space at the myFM Centre.
The new cultural centre will be a showcase not only for the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, but the town will have a unique partnership with the organization in the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation. The new learning centre will include a Medicine Wheel space and all its traditional practices will be brought to life in the new building.
It has been a long time in the making since BAFN Chief Richard Zohr was a guest at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new centre on July 15, 2022. At the time, he was excited about not only being involved with helping to create one of the area’s only First Nations cultural centres, but thrilled that an indoor Medicine Wheel was included.
“The cultural centre itself is a unique building, and the medicine wheel that’s part of it — the round dome — is extremely unique because it’s probably the only indoor medicine wheel to be built in Canada,” he said at the time. “There are some that are outside, but they’re very hard to get to, they’re very ancient, some of them, and this one here, of course, the way it’s going to be designed, is multiple layers of teaching tools. It really is a massive teaching tool.”
At the time, Chief Zohr said he was hopeful up to 14 people would be employed at the centre, which will also serve as a hub for various projects throughout the county. He was hopeful the centre would benefit and teach not just First Nations people, but the entire community.
When the lease and partnership agreement was approved at the Committee of the Whole last Tuesday (June 18), Clerk Carolynn Errett said the partnership predates the construction of the myFM Centre.
“In 2019, the town of Renfrew, in partnership with the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, applied for a federal/provincial infrastructure grant under the Community, Culture and Recreation Stream as a multi-purpose project,” she told council members. “This partnership was instrumental in obtaining the grant, with the inclusion of an Indigenous cultural centre, including Medicine Wheel.”
The lease covers the office and meeting space (7,692 square feet) to be occupied by the First Nation. Annual lease payments in the amount of $25,000 will commence in 2026 with an opportunity for cost-of-living adjustments and renegotiation starting in 2031. The lease also provides the town the opportunity to sublease part of the space if BAFN is unable to occupy the entire space.
It is expected the BAFN will begin moving into the building sometime in July or August with the official commencement of the lease to begin on September 1, 2024.
Bruce McIntyre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eganville Leader
