Investments in Mi’kmaw Centre for Healing and Resilience

The governments of Nova Scotia and Canada are investing more than $8 million to support the construction of the new Resilience Centre in Millbrook First Nation.

A first of its kind in Canada, the Resilience Centre will be run by the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association and will be dedicated to healing and resilience for Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA people and their families.

“This Centre will help write a new chapter – one of healing, strength and resilience, led by Indigenous women,” said Karla MacFarlane, Minister responsible for the Office of the Status of Women and Office of L’nu Affairs. “The Province of Nova Scotia is proud to invest in this transformative project, which will provide trauma-informed and culturally appropriate healing and wellness programs that will help people to live happier, healthier lives.”

The Government of Nova Scotia is contributing $1.4 million to the project. The Government of Canada is investing more than $6.5 million through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program, and $232,000 is coming from Indigenous Services Canada.

Quotes:

“Millbrook First Nation’s new Resilience Centre will provide much-needed services to Mi’kmaw women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA individuals across Nova Scotia seeking refuge and respite. Through culturally appropriate programming, users will be able to heal, build resiliency and reconnect with the customs and traditions that have defined our people for millennia.”

– Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria, on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

“This is an historical moment for the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association and a huge step forward. The NSNWA has come such a long way over the years, even from five to six years ago, so this Resilience Centre, which will be located in the hub of Nova Scotia, is an amazing achievement for our association. It is going to help so many women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in our communities throughout Nova Scotia and help provide some much-needed healing for so many, as well. We want to eventually see a Resilience Centre in every Indigenous community in our province. This Resilience Centre has been a dream of mine for years and now the dream is becoming reality – it’s very exciting.”

– Bernadette Marshall, President, Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association

“We are thrilled and proud to be able to provide the land for the new Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association Resilience Centre. When I was first approached by Karen Pictou, the Executive Director for the NSNWA, we didn’t hesitate to come up with a land-use solution for this important project. Millbrook and the NSNWA, along with the federal and provincial governments, are on a continuous path, making headway and joining forces to give back to the Mi’kmaw and Indigenous people in our community. I am privileged to be part of this historical moment.”

– Chief Robert Gloade, Millbrook First Nation

Quick Facts:

• over the past three years, the Province of Nova Scotia has provided more than $250,000 to support several phases of planning and the development work for the Resilience Centre; the Province also provides annual operational funding to the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association through the Office of the Status of Women
• the Province is committed to responding to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice and continues to work collaboratively with Mi’kmaw, provincial, territorial and federal partners on actions