A longstanding dream of the Indigenous community in Fredericton is finally a possibility. 

The Under One Sky friendship centre is betting on a federal grant program to build a new centre that would allow it to expand program offerings, have a space to practise traditional ceremonies and welcome non-Indigenous people for cultural education. 

The centre’s offerings include Wolastoqey language programs and an outdoor-based preschool class. It operates in a small building on the city’s north side. 

“It’s really important that we can have a space where we can actually be who we are, stand in our identity and not ever have to apologize,” Under One Sky executive director Patsy McKinney said. 

“The challenge has always been space. We just do not have enough space.”

When Infrastructure Canada announced the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings grant program in April,  McKinney said the centre saw it as a long-awaited opportunity. 

A team of 15, including Nova Scotia architecture firm Fathom Studio and communications advisers with the University of New Brunswick, scrambled to write a proposal and create a design for the project in just 75 days to meet the July 6 deadline. 

Called the Awitgati project, meaning a place to gather and be well, the design incorporates Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw culture and is inspired by a longhouse. 

“They were just incredibly sensitive, they really listened to what we were saying,” said McKinney about the architects.

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