Kahnawake cultural community gets $1 million for new building
It has been a decade in the planning and breaking ground at the new culture and language centre in Kahnawake just got a $1 million step closer this week.
The Magic Palace poker house donated the money which will go to construct a new home for the Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KORLCC), Turtle Island Theater, the community tourism office, and other organizations in the Mohawk community on across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal.
"We felt a responsibility to be good business community members and were lucky enough to be given the opportunity when we were asked to contribute to such an important project for our community," said Magic Palace CEO Louis John Diabo.
The donation comes after Playground Poker Club donated $1 million in the summer, and Mohawk Online donated $5 million in July. The capital campaign in the community needs to raise $16 million to construct the new facility.
The building's new museum will attract visitors from across the region while the cultural centre continues its work revitalizing and growing the language and other aspects of culture.
"A lot more people are coming here; they want to find out about the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk)," said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Kahsennahawe Sky-Deer. "It will be an opportunity to educate people from the outside. We're so close to Montreal, a major metropolitan city, people come from all over Europe and the world pretty much, so if we have a cultural centre like this showing our perspective, I think it's going to go a long way in building relationships. There is still a lot of racism and lack of understanding when it comes to Indigenous people."
The plans include a 4,800-square-metre building on three acres of land bordering Highway 132.
The architecture of the structure is designed to be in harmony with the greenery around it.
The hope is to break ground on the $35 million centre next year.
The cultural centre runs a two-year Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk language) immersion program, which will finally have a permanent home.
"We've been in operation for 45 years," said KOR executive director Kawennanoron Lisa Phillips. "Our mandate is for language and culture, and we run the adult immersion program, which is in its 20th year."
The hope is to break grown in the spring and do a final ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.