Yorkton Tribal Council makes major donation to Brick Mill site, adds naming rights to grounds
Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC) wants to ensure that the City of Yorkton continues to work together, promising $100,000 over five years to the Yorkton Brick Mill Heritage Society.
Speaking at its new offices on Myrtle Avenue Wednesday, Tribal Chief Isobel O’Soup unveiled the donation, which will help create a new space outside of the Mill.
The funding also includes naming rights for the space, according to the Heritage Society’s Capitol Commission Chair, Terry Tyson.
“(It) comes with naming rights for the gardens, or the outside grounds, which is really fitting,” he said.
Throughout the recent months, Members of YTC have been helping out volunteers clean up and beautify the space.
The goal, ultimately, is to create an addition on the outside of the Mill, with the Heritage Society looking for an interpretive centre, along with meeting and event spaces, community archives and offices in the near future.
The fundraising goal is set at $2.2 million, with Wednesday’s donation raising the society past the halfway point.
Tribal Chief O’Soup said it all began with just simply driving past, and seeing elderly volunteers cleaning up the space.
“In all honesty, we got started there because I didn’t like seeing elderly people there working when Yorkton is full of a whole bunch of young people,” she said with a laugh.
YTC has grown rapidly, with numerous partnerships spanning everything from youth hockey teams, to events and local organizations. It is now the second-largest employer in Yorkton, aside from the City of Yorkton itself.
The budget has increased to roughly $15 million to $16 million, and YTC employs over 70 people.
Tribal Chief O’Soup said it is important to get involved in the city.
“We want to create partnerships … too long, we’ve all segregated ourselves,” she said.
“I just think we’d be a better community if we all worked together for our community … we’re all better when we work together.”
She said the impacts are being felt by the entirety of the community, in many different ways.
“We do a lot … we’re all over within the city, and hopefully we can expand a little further,” O’Soup said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.