So this was the big secret that couldn’t be pried out of the hands of the gatekeepers over at Town Hall?
For a year now, I’ve been asking about the status of the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, or BAFN, particularly as an entity that partnered with the town to snag an indigenous-specific cultural grant as part of the Ma-Te-Way expansion effort. That partnership led to the significant presence of BAFN as part of the new Ma-Te-Way at what is now known as the yourFM Centre.
The place was always closed, and always empty, despite BAFN taking control of the premises in September 2024 and remaining there to this day, paying a rent of a single Canadian dollar a month until December of this year, where the rent will jump substantially to $25,000/year, or approximately $2,083/month, less than most folks pay for apartments here in town. Both the Town and the BAFN agree that this rent is below market value, something indicated in the founding documents released as part of an agenda dump in preparation for tonight’s council meeting.
This information only saw the light of day because of a procedural requirement, and not in any way as a result of enquiries made by myself or any other concerned citizen. It came to light after Renfrew Councillor John McDonald used a notice of motion to request municipal staff to make a report to Council regarding the BAFN presence at Ma-Te-Way.
This is a year after I asked the Clerk for information related to the same thing exactly. I wanted to know why an $8 million cultural centre representing a significant chunk of the Ma-Te-Way expansion was perpetually closed, locked-up and dark despite the fact that all other parts of the expansion were up and running. As well, hearing something about the possibility of a sub-let arrangement, I wanted to know if I could see the terms of the lease signed between the town and the indigenous organization.
And now I have my answer. Now I know what the issue is, and now I can feel better about it because I know stuff now, where I could only speculate before.
It’s because of the Medicine Wheel.
Aspects of the Medicine Wheel are not yet in place, and are likely not to be until mid-November. And since the Medicine Wheel, and it’s supporting requirements, is an integral part of the BAFN presence there, it stands to reason that the place could not be used in a manner consistent with the operational plans or goals of either the Town or BAFN. Which makes the $1 placeholder rent make sense, since the timelines seem to mesh, in that BAFN can begin using the premises as originally envisioned, with the appropriate rents being applied once the calendar hits January 2026.
This was the big secret, to be guarded at all costs.
But rather than being open or transparent, they throw a cloak of secrecy over everything that invites significant pushback from those of us out here who have the time and capacity to point out inconsistencies or to have questions. Rather than answer simple questions and everyone going on their way, senior municipal staff are more intent on circling the wagons, perhaps an unfortunate metaphor in a story involving an aboriginal group.
I guess it’s because they view information, any information, as their sovereign ground, their sovereign territory, to be defended to the last effort. As if it’s theirs to decide what to do with. Like hiring a doorman only to have him lock the door on you.
So here’s the skinny.
The Medicine Wheel is a big deal, and as mentioned, the centre piece of the whole facility. Smudging ceremonies are a big part of Native culture, and where there’s smudging there’s smoke, and where there’s smoke there’s fire, and when there’s any of these things, especially indoors, then it’s entirely reasonable to expect that there might have to be additional safety supports in place to ensure a safe and rewarding cultural environment.
Nothing to get really upset about at all.
There will literally be a fire pit inside the premises at the base of the completed and installed Medicine Wheel. So all kinds of things, from ventilation to exhaust to sprinkling systems and fire hazard protocols need to be identified and employed.
Primarily, the hold-up is because of the acoustic panels that are to be part of the location. Apparently these panels are not the kind of thing you scoop up at Canadian Tire, and it’s taken many months for them to make a projected appearance and to be installed.
Also, a tender was put out for the installation of the said Medicine Wheel in late 2024, a tender that absolutely nobody responded to. So in March of this year, the town approached three companies to ask for a price, something likely to be more costly since we’re now coming to them rather than they coming to us, but what are you going to do? One company was given the job back in March.
As part of the overall agreement, the Town committed to having the facility fully operational prior to occupation by BAFN, something known as a turn-key build-out agreement. That is the aspect that’s held everything up, since the facility is not fully ready yet, so you can’t very well be charging full rent for a space that’s not yet suitable for the intended usage.
The Medicine Wheel is jointly owned by the Town and BAFN, which explains a lot of this, and from what I can read, both parties share costs associated with it. So I have no idea as to how any cost-sharing is accounted for, and that information will likely remain underground for as long as they can keep it there, because that’s just what they do. As the work is not yet complete, and the final costs not yet ascertained, that information can’t be included in this report.
The sub-lease potential is built right into the lease, and BAFN can sub-let part of the space, likely to an associated indigenous group, with the permission of the Town required.
At face value, it appears that everything is being handled reasonably, with some understandable barriers, but nothing seemingly unresolvable.
Perhaps a news release of some sort would be the kind of thing that would help in the future? Council does has a communications manager.
Use her. Communicate. Be proactive.
And save yourself a lot of angst at having to fight the battles of protecting “privileged” information and keeping it out of the hands of the citizenry.
Honestly, what torch-bearing mob was going to get all spooled-up over delayed acoustic panels?
NEWSMAGRENFREW 