The 100-year-old Hudson Bay Building in downtown Winnipeg began its rebirth on Friday as the company, rooted in indigenous fur trade, transferred the property to a group of first nations.
“This place is a place of honor and support for the people of the first nations, our rich history, and we invite everyone who wants to come and study together,” said Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs Organization.
The powerful symbolism of the colonial shop in the hands of the indigenous people will stand as a “beacon of hope,” Daniels said.
In honor of the story, the SCO presented two beaver skins and two moose skins to Richard Baker, governor and CEO of Hudson’s Bay Co., as a token payment for the building.
According to the Royal Charter of the HBC from 1670, the rent of two beavers and two moose had to be paid by the company every time a British monarch visited Canada, said SCO Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Ratray.
“The payment ceremony has taken place only four times in the history of HBC,” she said.
Supported by members of the SCO chiefs’ executive committee on Friday, Daniels and Baker held it for the fifth time.
Daniels received a replica of the type of gold coin used as the original currency for exchange between the HBC and the First Nations. (Jeff Stapleton / CBC)
With this, SCO “returns the rental ceremony and together with Hudson’s Bay Co., we lead change and reconciliation,” Daniels said.
“This marks the beginning of a new future for the peoples of the first nations and for all Canadians.”
Baker also received a traditional beaver hat.
For his part, he gave Daniels a replica of a gold coin used as the original currency for the exchange of trade between HBC and First Nations, and a print of a map from 1819 by HBC surveyor Peter Fiedler of southern Manitoba.
Sofia Smoke, a youth delegate to the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, who was chosen as the event’s oral historian, said the new chapter on the building would give indigenous youth hope for the future.
“This is no longer impossible. We are slowly breaking glass ceilings, this is our job now and we can get excited and we don’t need to dream anymore,” she said.
“One day I will tell these stories and that’s why it’s so important to be here.”
14-year-old Sofia Smoke was named an oral historian of the event. (CBC)
The 14-year-old said housing was a problem for the indigenous people, but the building would do more than just put a roof over their heads.
“A place where we can gather, where we know we will be accepted, and a place where we can come and know that we are indigenous and can be that together, will do wonders for trust and mental health and even housing. “, she said.
Closed in 2020, the 655,000-square-foot landmark building at the corner of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard was valued at $ 0 in 2019, as it has tax liabilities in excess of $ 300,000 and would cost approximately $ 111 million to bring in. with the code, while preserving its hereditary elements.
Daniels called the donation of the SCO building a “historic and monumental” step toward reconciliation in Canada.
“Reconciliation is not just a word, it aims to have action, and this is an example of that action,” he said. “Today he sets the standard for what reconciliation can look like in our country.
The Hudson’s Bay building already shows the Southern Chiefs’ Organization brand. (Jeff Stapleton / CBC)
Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn – meaning “visible” in Anishinaabemowin or Ojibway – is the name of the project, which promises 289 affordable housing for members of the first nations of southern Manitoba, two restaurants, a public atrium, a roof garden, a museum and an art gallery.
Housing units will cope with the crisis and the terrible shortage of housing from the first nations, Daniels said. “Up to 500 people will find shelter and opportunity to succeed here.”
With plans for a health center that encompasses both Western and traditional medical practices, it will also be a place where elders are “supported and continue to share their worldly wisdom,” Daniels said.
It will also become a governing home for the leaders of the southern first nations of Manitoba, he added.
The SCO represents 34 Anishinaabe and Dakota nations in southern Manitoba and more than 81,000 people.
“The vision is really to create as many opportunities as possible,” Daniels said, adding that investing in the project will benefit the entire city.
The artist’s performance at the transformed Hudson’s Bay store in Winnipeg is shown in the distribution. One of the remarkable stores previously operated by Hudson’s Bay Co. is about to undergo a major transformation. (Presented by the Organization of Southern Chiefs)
Baker, an American investor who bought HBC in 2008, failed to pronounce “Anishinaabe” in his recognition of the land and came across the word “reconciliation”, but did not shy away from the Gulf’s turbulent history with the First Nations.
This story involves a fur trade that drastically changed the way the first nations lived, opening up indigenous lands to European settlements and eventually selling Rupert’s Land, a vast area of the northern desert that was its trade monopoly. of Canada without consulting indigenous peoples or considering their sovereignty.
“HBC has played a crucial role in the colonization of Canada. The impact of our country’s history has not been lost on me at all and is part of the reason we are all here today,” Baker said.
Another image from an artistic presentation of the transformed HBC store shows the atrium and cafe. (Presented by the Organization of Southern Chiefs)
“That is why I know that this commitment to this building is right. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization has a revolutionary vision of this iconic space and what it can bring to Winnipeg and Manitoba.
“Where we are now, it will become a center for governance and culture, heritage and healing, trade and care. There is no better group to take over the management of this space and really make it their own.”
The Manitoba government is providing $ 35 million to help redevelop the space (a $ 25 million trust fund announced last year and $ 10 million just announced for the housing component).
Another $ 65 million comes from the federal government (a $ 55 million forgiveness loan and a $ 10 million cheap loan).
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said the city had been asked to improve street landscaping and help fund tax increases that would include waiving future property tax revenues stemming from the site.
Manitoba Prime Minister Heather Stephenson believes the renovated building, which has been empty for two years, “will bring this vitality back to the city center and will once again be a gathering place.”
Manitoba Prime Minister Heather Stephenson receives a canoe paddle from Baker. (Jeff Stapleton / CBC)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Winnipeg on Friday’s property transfer, said the news was more than a building.
“It’s really about rebuilding – rebuilding trust, rebuilding landmarks and rebuilding relationships,” he said.
“Winnipeg has the largest indigenous population of any city in Canada, and I know that today’s project will inspire people from coast to coast.
Phil Fontaine, a former national leader of the Assembly of First Nations, said the transfer of ownership of the city center landmark was “without a doubt” an act of reconciliation.
“This restoration of relations will be based on the restoration of this building and its transformation into a place that will reflect the very deep interests of the indigenous people in the city and the countryside,” Fontaine said.
“Reconciliation is going in many directions. Every time is a challenge and no matter how special this moment has been, there is still an incredible journey we have to take together.”
The Hudson’s Bay building in Winnipeg has been handed over to the First Nations Group
The 100-year-old Hudson Bay Building in downtown Winnipeg began its rebirth on Friday as the company, rooted in indigenous fur trade, transferred the property to a group of first nations. 2:33
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