The Chief of Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc says work to build a new Healing Centre is moving ahead now that a location has been identified.
Speaking on NL Newsday, Rosanne Casimir says the 10.5 hectare riverfront property at Miner Creek Road and Shuswap Road was chosen by the community following a series of engagement sessions.
“We wanted a location that was going to support the intent of what the Healing Lodge was going to be, and our people basically voted for that one,” Casimir said. “Since then, the department has been working on looking at some of the encumbrances and looking at what we can do to make that happen.”
While Tk’emlúps owns the property, the proposal is going before the Agricultural Land Commission as the land is currently located off-Reserve. Casimir says the band has also been working with Indigenous Services Canada to add the property to its Reserve.
“So that is still in process but we don’t want that to hinder or slow down what we want to do and that is the importance of healing and being able to establish a location and a site,” Casimir said, telling RadioNL she is hoping for a quick resolution, as that Addition to Reserve [ATR] process has been going on for about 20 years.
“Different things are changing with the ATR process that is supposed to expedite things. We’re very advanced in the stages, so I’m sure that we’ll be seeing something happen soon.”
Asked what the plan is if the ALC were to deny the application, Casimir said, “our people have decided that it is band land, and although it is not in Reserve status, we’re still going to be proceeding and moving full speed ahead.”
While the Federal Government announced $12.5 million towards the construction of this new healing centre in March, it is not clear when construction could begin, or what the total project would cost.
“It is going to be in a safe place, that has been identified that its going to be away from the residential school,” Casimir said at the time.
“It is going to be in a place that is going to be welcoming. It is going to be safe. It is going to be nurturing. It’s going to be respectful, and its going to be honouring our true culture and our history. And it will be non-colonialistic.”
Tk’emlúps also proposing to add housing to riverfront property
Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc is also planning to build a number of four-plexes on that riverfront property to add some much needed affordable housing units, that will be geared towards income.
Casimir says the band is currently engaging with its members to see what those needs are, with “at least a couple hundred people” waiting for housing. That includes one bedroom and larger family-style units.
“They’re going to be serving a lot of variety and needs. There are also going to be accessibility options and opportunities as well,” she said. “Our housing programs are usually going through priority being on the reserve, looking at meeting the needs of our housing requests that we have like within membership. It will be taking that first priority before evaluating or taking into consideration any others.”
“We know that its almost impossible to find any kind of housing and rentals within the city. We have so many that are couch surfing and needing some housing, so we want to meet those needs, and of course, making it affordable as well.”
It is also not clear though what the elders lodge or housing projects projects will cost, or when construction will begin as well, as the healing centre was identified as the top priority.
An tentative site map showed Tk’emlúps also plans to build an elders lodge for aging band members on this property, but not the museum.
A feasibility study into the future of Kamloops Residential School building is also underway.
Casimir told RadioNL in March that she hoped to see the residential school building – which has been used as the band’s administration offices, a community space, and a day care – restored, but did not say if the museum will be moved there.
