Shuttered school to become home for Aboriginal Health Centre

De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre is a step closer to a new facility after the City of Hamilton agreed to secure the grounds of a shuttered east Hamilton school.

The former St. Helen Catholic Elementary School at 785 Britannia Ave. will act as a community hub — to be called the Biindigen Community Hub — that will bring together the centre’s Indigenous health services, Indigenous early years programs at Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg, along with existing McQuesten neighbourhood programs that have been operating out of the old school.

“This was the first big step in moving forward because now we can talk more specifically,” said Pat Mandy, De dwa da dehs nye>s board chair, calling the move “a big deal” and “very exciting.”

They’re working with the Ministry of Health and other government agencies to secure funding but estimate the entire project, including constructing a new building on the nearly 1.2-hectare site, will cost about $12 million, she said.

De dwa da dehs nye>s, which offers traditional and western health care and service for the local Indigenous community, has outgrown its dated 678 Main St. E. property, west of Sherman Avenue. They plan to eventually sell this property to help finance the new building.

The Aboriginal Health Centre has also had interest from other community agencies potentially interested in using space, Mandy said.

The city’s bridge financing promises to secure the property from the province so that De dwa da dehs nye>s can purchase it for fair market value.

It is intended to be revenue neutral for the city.

Mandy said this move allows them to have more serious talks with community partners and the government, securing funding and plans for moving forward.

Since the school closed in 2009, it has been operating as the McQuesten neighbourhood hub, which has included a food bank and other programs, said Ward 4’s Coun. Sam Merulla.

The Catholic school board had been maintaining the property.

Merulla called the new agreement “unique and unprecedented.”