WIIKWEMKOONG—The excitement in the air was palpable as a group of dignitaries gathered on the stage at the ground cleared for a new 96-bed long-term care facility, a new Elders’ Home to replace the aging Wiikwemkoong Nursing Home.
Following a prayer and opening remarks by Elder Richard Assinewai, master of ceremonies Kerry Assiniwe introduced the Honourable Greg Rickford, minister of Indigenous affairs and First Nations economic reconciliation, the Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, minister of long-term care, Grand Council Chief for the Anishinabek Nation Linda Debassige, Bill Rosenberg, MPP for Algoma Manitoulin and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The dignitaries had come to announce the start of the new and long-awaited Elders’ Home and the audience included a large contingent of residents of the current nursing home seated in the front row.
“They provided me with some speaking notes,” said Ogimaa Tim Ominika. “I usually just don’t have speaking notes,” he noted, preferring to speak from the heart. “I was like a little binoji last night,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep. It was like I was waiting for Christmas Day! I didn’t sleep getting up all hours of the night. So excited to be here and we started off in a good way. I want to say chi-miigwetch to Richard for starting us off in a great way with a sunrise ceremony this morning, we all gathered here at 6 am. We always start off in a good way—we started off with the Morning Star and we were gifted with some wonderful teachings this morning about that.”
Ogimaa Ominika went on to thank the band staff, community members “and all of the partners who have helped us reach this day today.”
“We fought so hard to get where we are today to ensure that youth are going to have a better life living here at home in our community,” he said. “For generations our elders have carried our language, our stories and teachings. They are the heart of our community. The ones who remind us who we are as Anishinaabe. This new home will ensure they continue to live surrounded by the land, our language and the people who give them strength. It is about bringing our elders home where they belong and caring for them in a way that reflects who we are as Anishinaabe.”
Ogimaa Ominika pointed out that the existing nursing home was built in 1972, more than 50 years ago. “That served our people well,” he said, “but we have long outgrown it. This new 96-bed facility, which we have fought hard for over the years, means that our elders will no longer have to leave our community to receive the care they need. It means the families can stay together. Our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren can visit and learn from their elders right here in Wiikwemkoong. It also means new opportunities for more than 50 jobs for local people, support for small businesses and training for our youth who want to work in health care and community service.”
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Long-term Care, for its contribution in getting and making this dream a reality for our community,” said Ogimaa Ominika. “We also have some other investing partners who helped this project come to fruition. CMHC, Indigenous Service Canada and the many committee members and organizations who contributed to our capital campaign. We are also continuing to work with our federal partners to secure support for additional community infrastructure projects that will help us move forward together. This announcement today is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about what kind of future we want to build, a future where our elders are respected and cared for. Where our youth see how we are, we honor those who came before them and where our community continues to grow strong, self-reliant and proud. This has been a long journey. Years of planning, advocacy and hard work and I want to thank everybody who helped make this possible: our staff, our partners and, most importantly, our elders. For their patience, their strength and your teachings. Today, we can finally say our elders are coming home.”
Grand Council Chief Debassige then spoke of the $10,000 contribution her home community of M’Chigeeng made to the capital fund three years ago when she was Ogimaa there. She thanked Elder Assinewai for the sunrise ceremony and the opening prayer and the elders who offered welcoming song with their hand drums. She recalled the three former Wiikwemkoong leaders that she worked with on this project, including Duke Peltier, Rachel Manitowabi and now, Ogimaa Ominika.
“I can say, without a doubt, every single one of those leaders were always advocating for this nursing home,” she said. “They are always advocating for the care of our elders. I think at this point in time the stars really have aligned in the relationship that we’ve developed with this government, the relationship we’ve developed collectively with our premier and Minister Rickford that led to this moment.”
Grand Council Chief Debassige shared a story of visiting her great grandfather and grandparents in the current nursing home and being able to establish a relationship with them. She also called for greater kindness and understanding of the work that leadership engages in, and for greater kindness to be expressed on social media.
“Over my short time we have become friends and, as we move forward, it’s going to get stronger,” said MPP Rosenberg. “Thank you to Premier Ford and all the ministers joining us today. It’s a glorious day, the sun’s shining. It’s a nice fall cool day. It’s great to see all you guys out here today and you’re the guys who made it happen. I want to congratulate all the people that have contributed to make this day happen. Not only is this a great day for Wiikwemkoong, it’s for all the communities on the Island.”
“On this glorious day here on the Island it’s a great honour to be joined by the elders here with the drum, the Premier of Ontario, his incredible leadership and, more importantly, his commitment to First Nations communities, more squarely, the journey that we call reconciliation,” said Minister Rickford. “Today, I’m proudly wearing the Robertson Huron Treaty shirt, which Duke Peltier literally took off his back and gave to me because I said I liked it. He could have just got one made for me, and I would have paid for it, but he gave it to me, and I appreciate it. It just speaks to the kind of leadership that comes from this community. Isn’t that something?”
Minister Kusendova-Bashta shared the story of her recent visit to her 94-year-old maternal grandmother in Poland and introduce her to the minister’s nine-month-old son.
“I know members of this community are very deeply connected to your elders and that is why this home rightfully will be called an Elders’ Home,” said the minister. “To all the incredible elders with us here today that live in the current elders’ home, I want you to know that my team and I wake up every single morning with purpose and you are top of mind. You are top of mind when we make our decisions. You are top of mind when we put forward policies because, as has been mentioned, you have worked your entire lives, taking care of us, and it is now our turn to take care of you. This government has a very ambitious plan, the largest capital program for long-term care in the history of not only this province, but also this country. This means we are building 58,000 new and redeveloped beds across the Province of Ontario. But even here in this beautiful community, I want you to know that there are many other Indigenous projects that are coming through this ministry, and we will continue that partnership and that hard work of reconciliation, repatriation and bringing elders home.”
“I’m speaking from the heart,” began Premier Ford in his address, also eschewing his notes. “When I pulled up I felt so welcome,” he said. “When you’re a premier, you’re at these events non-stop. It’s a thousand here, a thousand downtown, traffic congestion and then when you come here, it’s like God’s country and it’s just so beautiful. I just I can’t wait to get the Elders’ Home built—and it was the community that made it happen.”
The premier recalled meeting with the community leaders and having photos taken at his desk (which he said he never sits at). “I love that we’re going to have a brand-new place, 96 beds that changes people’s lives. I shouldn’t even use (the word) beds, he continued recalling the time “a beautiful older lady came up and said ‘that’s not a bed, that’s my home.’ I’ll never forget that, so I’m always going to use the word home, and we’re going to try to move this along as quickly as possible. I hear it’s going to be done 2028, but if we have to put more resources in to make it happen sooner. Well, we’ll make sure that happens.”
The premier pointed out that, unlike any other politician, his phone number is public.
“If you ever need help, feel free to call me on my cell phone,” he said. “Just go on the internet, I have a special 1 800 number.” In a real emergency, he advised calling Grand Chief Debassige. “She will be on to me in about three seconds,” he laughed.
Following the speeches, the premier and assembled dignitaries gathered behind the stage with shovels for a ground-breaking photo op.
