Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation has committed $250,000 for an outdoor arbour for St. Frances Cree Bilingual School which is being constructed on the corner of Grosvenor Avenue and 7th Street East in Saskatoon. A news release from Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools says the outdoor gathering space will allow the school to host cultural ceremonies and events, such as mini powwows and round dances, and it will be a teaching space to learn and perform traditional cultural practices.

Chair of the Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation and Saskatoon Tribal Council Tribal Chief, Mark Arcand, says, “It’s to strengthen our traditions, celebrate our culture and encourage community members to learn, share, and pass along knowledge to future generations.”

St. Frances Cree Bilingual School is home to Canada’s largest Indigenous language program. It has outgrown its current spaces. The new school is expected to be done by next fall. Right now, the school has two sites – on McPherson Avenue and on Bateman Crescent.