Mi'kmaw society unveils its plan for the first lacrosse facility in Atlantic Canada

A Halifax-based Indigenous group is hoping to build a new community hub that would be Atlantic Canada's first dedicated lacrosse facility.

The Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Society has teamed up with the Wolves Lacrosse club on the project. They're a non-profit serving Sackville, Bedford, Fall River and East Hants. 

The project would see a multi-level 75,000-square-foot recreational facility built on an empty lot in Lower Sackville that was once home to an elementary school, and is currently owned by Halifax Regional Municipality.

The facility would include Indigenous cultural spaces, offices, a daycare, primary health clinic, and two dry-floor surfaces for lacrosse. If the project moves ahead, there would be community consultation on what else residents would like to see.

Pam Glode-Desrochers, executive director of the Friendship Society, made the team's first pitch for the 1.5-hectare lot to the city's community planning and economic development standing committee on Thursday.

She said there's a need for the society to have a satellite office in the Sackville area to better serve Mi'kmaw people outside the urban core, and the facility is a true example of truth and reconciliation in action.

"We'll all be under one roof and a really unique opportunity for us to support each other. And actually, you know, lacrosse is an Indigenous game. So it fits really well with us as well," Glode-Desrochers said after the meeting.

The Halifax Thunderbirds professional lacrosse team supports the project, and would also use the space for training and programs. They would also have offices and a shop for merchandise in the building.

Steve Brown, president of the Wolves Lacrosse club, said the Thunderbirds currently practise outside the province at an arena on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario.

Brown said he's seen lacrosse through highs and lows in his 50 years of the sport, but the demand is growing "bigger and bigger," with lacrosse athletes competing in Canada Games, getting scholarships to universities, and excitement around the Thunderbirds.

"You've got to have a place where you can expose the game and play regularly. Every other sport in … Nova Scotia has a place to play — ball fields are everywhere. Football fields, soccer fields," Brown said after the meeting.

Right now, Brown said lacrosse teams have to "beg and borrow" time from ice rinks that are already busy with other sports and activities. He said this would be the first dedicated lacrosse space east of Montreal.

The Wolves would manage the sports facility side of the building, which would be open to lacrosse athletes from across the Maritimes and beyond, he said.

The Indigenous cultural importance of the game is what has always been his favourite part of the sport, Brown said, and he's learned so much from elders around Nova Scotia and Canada.

"To have Pam involved and the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre involved is just an honour, and I think it's a win-win for everybody," Brown said.

Glode-Desrochers said work on detailed designs and plans for the project will begin now so it's unclear what the final price tag could be, but it would likely cost $30 million to $40 million.

Nova Scotia Health is also a partner but it hasn't been determined how much the province would chip in for the clinic. There's also a tight time frame for the project, because Glode-Desrochers said Nova Scotia Health wants to open the clinic in about two years.

The community planning committee agreed to ask for a staff report on the potential land sale to the Friendship Society, which will come to regional council at a later date.