Sault Ste. MPP Marie Ross Romano announced Thursday that the Métis Cultural Center will receive local funding of $278,000 to help support a major renovation phase.
Here’s a full release on the funding:
Ontario supports Sault Ste. Marie’s Metis Community by investing more than $278,000 in funding to support the major renovation phase of the Metis Cultural Center in Sault Ste. Marie – the only permanent Métis cultural center in Ontario.
The Métis Cultural Center will be a tourist attraction showcasing Métis culture, language, dance, teachings and other historical practices and will house a professionally curated collection of Métis historical artifacts.
As part of Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy, the Province Doubled Base Funding to $3 Million for the Indigenous Community Capital Grant Program (ICCGP) . The ICCGP is providing $6 million in funding this fiscal year to support community economic and social infrastructure development and job creation.
Supporting Indigenous economic development projects like the Métis Cultural Center represents reconciliation in action and helps create opportunities to strengthen relationships with Indigenous partners.
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“The investment made in the new Sault Metis Center will have a powerful impact on the lives of the Metis community. The Center will become a thriving and vibrant home for the protection of our culture and way of life and for the provision of much needed services to the Métis citizens of the community. The new Sault Metis Center will become a focal point for this amazing little Metis community and provide the community with a home we haven’t had in over 150 years. -Kim Powley
President, Historic Sault Ste. Council of Marie Métis
“The provision of a permanent, renovated home for the Métis Cultural Center is an exceptional example of the type of community-focused projects supported by the Aboriginal Capital Grants Program. Working together on projects like this is part of Ontario’s commitment to address long-term infrastructure needs and help create lasting economic prosperity and well-being in Indigenous communities. – The Honorable Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs
“I am very proud of our government’s investment in the Métis Nation of Ontario in the Huron-Superior region. Protecting Indigenous culture is extremely important and this space will meet the needs and wishes of the Métis community in our area. I look forward to the great work that will happen in this space and congratulate the Métis Nation of Ontario in the spirit of reconciliation. – Ross Romano, MLA, Sault Ste. Married
