The following is a press release from the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.
M’Chigeeng First Nation — Late afternoon on Saturday, January 25th, 2025, a pipe burst within the cultural facility. Primary damage/flooding was to the flooring of our studio, museum, gift shop, front office and Gimaa Radio office. All of which are easily replaced. Therefore, we are currently not open to the public until further notice and all activities scheduled within the facility will be postponed.
Ojibwe Cultural Foundation staff will continue to host the Elder’s Council gathering on February 15th, 2025, at the Manitoulin Hotel ands Conference Centre. Deadline to register is January 31st, please contact Naomi at 705-377-4902 or email naomi@ojibweculture.ca.
Although Executive Director Glen T. Hare is saddened by the setback, he is hopeful that the water damage will be repaired sooner than later. “Our programming was really ramping up with upcoming activities which we’ve had to postpone … we were also working on our ‘A Call to Action – Renovation Project’ fundraising campaign to make some necessary upgrades to the building.”
We are extremely grateful and excited for the kick start towards our fundraising goal. We have received a few very generous donations from very kind private donors in the past two months. Some of the renovations and upgrades include the roof, skylight, stage and lodge chimney repairs to name a few, estimated at 1.2 million dollars for the upgrades.
We will continue to fundraise to address our Renovation Project fundraising through various means. However, the water damage repairs will have an impact on when and how we deliver regular activities and events within the facility.
It will take time to restore, however for the safety of our visitors we are ensuring that the facility is safe for everyone. Our restorers have begun the proecess to remove all the wet and damaged flooring and any materials that can besaved ie. Inventory. Once that is completed, they will treat the areas to prevent mold growth, as well as assess the need to replace or repair damaged areas and finally order and install materials.
All of which will happen in good time. Therefore, G’chi miigwech to all for having patience with our temporary shutdown. We will continue to update our Facebook page and announce when we will be receiving visitors and hosting activities and events.
Glen T. Hare, Executive Director
glen@ojibweculture.ca
705-377-4902