The building of the Winnipeg’s second urban reservation on Portage Avenue began. On August 8, an official ceremony took place, where the leaders of Peguis First Nation shared some of the details of a new project. Peguis First Nation is located 190 km north of Winnipeg and has about 10,000 people, descendants of Ojibway and Cree.
The urban reservation is a territory located in the municipality or nearby, which is set apart for the use of the First Nation. The decision to set apart the land is made by the federal government. There are 7 urban reservations nowadays in Manitoba and Peguis is planning to create some more. The first one was opened in Winnipeg by Long Plain First Nation in 2013 in the St. James area.
This urban reservation will have a 14,000-square-foot area. The retail component worth $6.5 million should be completed by December of this year and will begin its work as soon as the tenants move in next year.
Feast Cafe Bistro will also be in this urban reservation. Also, a clinic that threat pain with cannabis will work here, as well as a retail store selling cannabis. This clinic is a part of The Clinic Network located in Mississauga. Also, six-storey office building and two complexes of apartments for one hundred suits will be built in the reservation.
Mayor Brian Bowman said it was a very important day for Winnipeg. According to him, the Indigenous people will soon be 25% of the city's population, and the agreement with First Nation for 5 years is very beneficial for Winnipeg because of reducing the service fee. Also, the First Nation will pay 80 percent of municipal taxes with compensation from the province for the first five years of the agreement.
The mayor also said that cooperation with the Indigenous people is an integral part of the city's cultural and economic development.
Underlining this cooperation, the government has created new programs to attract the Indigenous population to work in the Police.
MORE NEWS: A special exhibition opens its doors for the indigenous population to work in the police