Indian and Metis Friendship Centre to reopen, and Bear Clan wants in

The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre was recently ruined by vandals, but the North End fixture will likely reopen again  — just maybe not at its current location, and preferably with input from the Bear Clan, patrol co-founder James Favel says.

"I hope to be part of the solution," Favel said Tuesday. "I hope to be part of the group that sees this come back to life." 

Members of the Bear Clan Patrol discovered the inside of the Indigenous cultural hub in shambles Friday night.

The back door was wide open, and frost and water damage from burst pipes was extensive. Copper wire was stripped throughout; toilets were heaved off walls; ceiling tiles were torn down; and there are holes in all the walls.

"It's really hard to fathom how so few people could do so much damage to something that benefited so many people, you know, that just unthinking, uncaring, callous behavior," said Favel. 

"We're trying to rebuild our community here and get things going in a more positive way, and we've making headway here, we're making ground, and this is a tremendous setback."

'Moving as quickly as we can'

He hopes the centre will reopen, but he has serious doubts it will be at its current North End location on Robinson Street.

Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres president David Gray confirmed the centre will rise again, but due to the widespread damage he too isn't entirely sure whether the board will need to scout out a new location.

"That's an open question,'" said Gray.

"We're in the process of looking at finding whether there's another Indigenous organization that is prepared to become a friendship center, or we may create a new friendship center."

Officials are currently looking for a new board of directors to take over this spring, but it's unclear whether the loss of the space will impact those plans.

Gray hopes funding from the Manitoba and federal governments, along with teaming up with a local Indigenous group to help take over, will get the centre up and running in the next few months. 

"The reality is that we are moving as quickly as we can to find alternatives," he said, noting the community will be without an important gathering place until then. "The services won't be available, too. That's really the tragedy."

Financial challenges

The destruction adds to a series of recent blows to the 61-year-old fixture in the North End. 

The building has hosted Winnipeg Harvest food banks and a variety of prosocial activities, including bingo and groups for youths and elders, said Favel.

But it's also been closed for months due to financial irregularities. 

The Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres suspended funding to the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre in early 2017. At the time, MAFC cited issues including a failure to apply for funding on time, as well as complaints from the community, staff and board members.

About a dozen staff filed a complaint over unpaid wages last month, but Gray said MAFC won't be paying them because it's not clear they did any work.

Me-Dian Credit Union holds the $425,000 mortgage, and the centre owes the city about $35,000 in taxes.

The centre was also a big bingo hot spot, but Gray said its lottery licence was recently cancelled.

Gray said those involved with the centre previously refused advice and guidance from MAFC over its current challenges.

Favel is concerned over how things have been managed in the past, which is why he wants to play a role in providing oversight in the rebooted version of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre.

"I'm desperately looking forward to speaking directly with David Gray so we can try to strategize how we get thing back on track."

Favel said police investigated the ransacked building on Sunday. Members of the Bear Clan plan to patrol the area on an ongoing basis to ensure the centre isn't further damaged, he said.