Construction is underway on the new Ma Faamii Service Centre in Yorkton.
Melissa Pederson, the director of infrastructure with Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, said the contractor, Erickson Contracting and Management (ECM), has the foundations installed and walls are starting to go up on the 5,500-square foot building.
“We started with some site prep and worked with the City of Yorkton to get all of the utilities and all of the underground infrastructure ready, so that’s all in place,” said Pederson.
The Métis Nation-Saskatchewan hopes the facility can be open next February, she said.
Ma Faamii is the Michif phrase for “my family”. Pederson said there will be small meeting areas for Métis Nation citizens to speak with staff when they’re getting help navigating programs, or if they want to register themselves or their family members to become Métis citizens.
“There’s offices for them to receive those supports, and then there’s some office space for staff that are doing general day-to-day work, but there’s also a small community space in there,” said Pederson. “There’s a space inside that has a small kitchen, and so if we’re running say, a beading class or maybe some other cultural programs or language classes, we’ll have a space to do community gathering in that Ma Faamii Centre.”
If people need support accessing housing programs, if they have questions on eligibility and applications, or they want to know about environmental initiatives, Pederson said they can at Ma Faamii. They can also get support for homelessness and medical transportation.
“We also have after-hours service, so if you’re calling on the weekend, Ma Faamii is staffed to help those folks outside of regular business hours.”
The Métis Nation will have identical buildings in North Battleford and Beauval that Pederson said are strategically located to serve Métis citizens in the province. It has an existing centre in a Saskatoon building. The Ma Faamii services can be accessed online throughout the province, she said.
A new Ma Faamii in Price Albert will be attached to a 90-space child-care centre will open next winter, and another Ma Faamii in Regina will have a child-care service when it opens late next year or in early 2027.
“If you’re from Yorkton and you happen to be in North Battleford, you can stop in and say ‘hi’ to the Ma Faamii staff and access whatever programming and help you need. It’s not location specific” said Pederson. “If you’re a Métis citizen or wanting to look into how you become registered as a Métis citizen, you can stop in at one of our physical locations.”
Yorkton was selected for a Ma Faamii centre because the Métis Nation knows the area has a large population.
“It was a great opportunity to build something special for citizens down in the Yorkton area, and just to provide a Métis-distinct place for people to come and access services and gather in community.”
Whenever possible, Pederson said the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan is using Métis suppliers, contractors and vendors, she said, and in Yorkton, they are still looking for drywallers for the project.
Pederson expects the centre will employ two or three full-time staff members, and there will be some mobile staff who will come in and out of the office.
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