'The possibilities are endless': YWCA asks city for $1M in funding for new healing lodge
YWCA Regina is asking the City of Regina to contribute $1.07 million dollars to go towards a healing lodge and ceremonial space in its new building.
Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO of YWCA Regina, said 80 per cent of the women who the YWCA works with are Indigenous, so this space will be another step towards healing and reconciliation.
“The lodge peace of this really connects the work that we do on crisis services, outreach and some of the preventative programming that we have with healing. It’s an opportunity for folks, as they navigate homelessness and violence, to have an opportunity to engage in culture and ceremony and connect with elders in the community,” Coomber-Bendtsen said.
The healing lodge would be part of the new building being constructed by YWCA. The new centre is estimated to cost $54 million and the healing lodge would cost about $4 million of that.
Coomber-Bendtsen said the hope is to have shovels in the ground for the new build by Spring 2022.
YWCA is asking for $4 million in Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funds. If approved, the city would cover $1.07 million of that with the rest coming from provincial and federal governments.
The city has $132 million remaining in its ICIP funding.
The YWCA said the lodge would be at the centre of new facility with everything else built around it. It would be open to the community and would be open year round.
The lodge is being stewarded by All Nations Hope Network.
“Specifically by a group of matriarch elders in our community,” Coomber-Bendtsen said. “So access to traditional medicines, medicine practitioners as well as ceremony. Those will be hosted by All Nations Hope Network and elders in the community.”
The gathering space will be designed from Indigenous ways of knowing. It will be available for celebrations, one-on-one counselling services, teachings and more.
“The possibilities are endless,” Coomber-Bendtsen said.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said this would be a benefit to the city as a whole in helping women fleeing domestic violence.
“Ensuring they have not just a safe space to go and not be turned away - we know they are turning folks away - but also to have that healing components,” Masters said. “That partnership with All Nations Hope to lead the cultural healing process as well is vitally important as we look forward to trying to address some of those underlying issues.”
On Wednesday, Executive Committee voted in favour of recommending City Council approve the funding for the new healing lodge.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.