Where the Indigenous Gathering Place Stands Today

At our recent Annual General Meeting and Community Gathering on December 8, 2025, we had the privilege of coming together with Elders, members, partners, and community to reflect on a journey that has been long, complex, and deeply meaningful. It was a moment to honour the work that has brought us here, to acknowledge the many starts and stops along the way, and to speak honestly about where the Indigenous Gathering Place stands today.

This article builds on what was shared at the AGM, offering a snapshot of our current position and the path ahead.

Acknowledging the Journey

The vision for an Indigenous Gathering Place in Moh’kinsstis has existed for many years. That vision has carried hope, urgency, and at times frustration. It has also required patience, resilience, and a commitment to doing this work in the right way.

We recognize openly that this project has taken too long. The delays have been felt by community, particularly by those who have long known the need for a permanent, welcoming, Indigenous-led place for ceremony, connection, service, and belonging. Naming this truth is part of our responsibility.

At the same time, the past several years have been a period of important groundwork. The focus has been on rebuilding trust, strengthening governance, and ensuring that when the Gathering Place moves forward, it does so with clarity, accountability, and community leadership at its core.

Governance and Leadership Today

One of the most significant milestones shared at the AGM was the election of a new Board of Directors. The current board reflects strong Indigenous leadership, with approximately 75 per cent Indigenous representation. This composition matters. It ensures that decision-making is grounded in lived experience, cultural knowledge, and accountability to community.

The board is entering this next phase focused on stability, stewardship, and readiness. Work is underway to onboard new directors, advance strategic planning, and clarify roles and responsibilities so the organization is well positioned to move from vision to delivery.

Strengthening the Foundation Through Relationship

Over the past year, the Indigenous Gathering Place Society made the deliberate decision to pause our public momentum in order to focus on something essential: rebuilding our relationship with the City. This was not a step back, but a necessary step toward moving forward in a good way.

That pause created space for honest dialogue, trust-building, and a reset grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, relationship, and accountability. Through this process, we worked collaboratively with the City to address past challenges, align expectations, and establish a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, and long-term vision.

In July 2025, this work resulted in an updated partnership agreement, grounded in Indigenous leadership and relationship-based engagement. This agreement marked an important turning point, creating a stronger, more respectful foundation for advancing the Indigenous Gathering Place together.

While this work was largely behind the scenes, it was critical. Large, complex projects cannot move forward without strong, trust-based partnerships. This intentional pause has positioned the Gathering Place to steward land, funding, partnerships, and community trust with greater clarity, integrity, and readiness for the work ahead.

Land, Partnerships, and Advocacy

Land remains central to the realization of the Indigenous Gathering Place. Over the past year, this work has continued quietly and deliberately, requiring persistence, collaboration, and advocacy across multiple systems.

We are now preparing to assess a parcel of land in the vicinity of the Confluence to determine site feasibility and potential scale. This work includes careful consideration of location, suitability, long-term viability, and alignment with the vision and needs of community.

This approach allows us to move forward with greater speed, while still holding a long-term goal of having a purpose-built Indigenous Gathering Place directly on the Fort Calgary site. Rather than viewing these goals as competing, we see them as complementary.

Our long-term vision includes a hub-and-spoke model — with multiple gathering spaces across Moh’kinsstis connected to a central home for culture, ceremony, teaching, and healing. This model reflects Indigenous ways of gathering that are relational, flexible, and rooted in community, while also allowing the Gathering Place to grow and respond over time.

At this stage, the focus is on readiness. That means ensuring the organization is prepared to move forward with confidence as land opportunities emerge, including engaging funders, governments, and partners in ways that reflect Indigenous leadership and community priorities, while navigating regulatory, political, and financial realities.

While much of this work happens out of public view, it is foundational to advancing the Gathering Place in a way that is sustainable, respectful, and grounded in relationship.

Looking Ahead With Urgency and Care

Where the Indigenous Gathering Place stands today is a place of readiness, intention, and renewed focus.

We are moving forward with urgency, recognizing that this project is long overdue. At the same time, we remain committed to moving forward with care — ensuring that decisions are made in relationship, grounded in ceremony, and aligned with community leadership.

The hub-and-spoke approach reflects this balance. It allows for progress now, while holding a long-term vision that honours the cultural, historical, and spiritual significance of the Confluence.

The work ahead is significant. It will require continued advocacy, partnership, and support from community, governments, and allies. It will also require patience as we balance speed with responsibility.

A Collective Responsibility

The Indigenous Gathering Place is not just a building. It is a commitment to visibility, belonging, cultural continuity, and Indigenous presence in the heart of Moh’kinsstis.

As shared at the AGM, this next phase is about translating years of vision and groundwork into tangible progress. We invite community to stay connected, to lend their voices, and to walk alongside us as this long-awaited place continues to move closer to reality.

Together, we carry this work forward.