Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre opens unique community space in north end Halifax

The Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in north end Halifax hosted people from across the city this weekend in the spirit of reconciliation.

On Friday, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage took part in a panel discussion at the site of the Everyone Every Day Neighbourhood Shop on Gottingen Street.

“This neighbourhood shop offer us tangible examples of what’s possible when we celebrate and share our best with the community,” he said.

The shop will feature hands-on cultural workshops and talks, with events starting Tuesday.

The centre’s executive director, Pam Glode-Desrochers, says the idea is to collaborate at the neighbourhood scale to build better relationships and social infrastructure.

“There may be a day where an elder is sitting here. You can come in and sit down and have a tea with an elder, and you can chat with them and you will be able to ask questions that you may never were able to ask before about our community,” she says. “You’re also going to be able to share your own experience with our elders as well.”

Gottingen Street was also closed to traffic Saturday afternoon for the “Festival of Everyone” celebration, full of fun and hands-on activities, held near the centre’s temporary location on Brunswick Street.

A new home for the centre, which runs dozens of community programs, has been in the planning stage for a decade.

The eventual goal is to build a new facility at 1940 Gottingen St., the site of the former Red Cross Building.