Daily Herald Staff
The community of James Smith held a sod-turning ceremony on Jan. 20 for what will become the Miyo-Pimatisiwin Wellness Centre and Akameyimok Lodge.
Dubbed the Nicawicikanisihk Wellness Project, the facilities will house appropriate Mental Wellness Programs and Services and the expansion and renovation of the Akemeyimok Lodge, which will provide social detox, residential treatment and ongoing outpatient services.
“As the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Nicawicikanisihk Wellness Project, I can readily see all the long and hard work by elected leadership, staff, community members and consultants that has occurred in planning this project,” Nicawicikanisihk Wellness Project CEO Barbara Michel said in a press release.
The Nicawicikanisihk Wellness Project is the community’s response to the tragic mass stabbing on Sept. 4, 2022, when 11 individuals were murdered, and 17 others were injured.
On Nov. 28, 2022, the then Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, visited the James Smith Community to meet with the elected leadership, families of victims, survivors and community members. During the visit, Trudeau outlined the support the community would receive.
Trudeau said federal funding would support healing, mental health and community safety initiatives. In the announcement made in the Bernard Constant Community School’s gymnasium, the funding included $42.5 million over six years to build a new wellness centre, repurpose the existing lodge and cover five years of operating expenses.
“Since the signing of the Treaty, our three First Nations have suffered through broken promises,” Chief Kirby Constant of the James Smith Cree Nation said. “Through the sod-turning ceremony, we open a new chapter for wellness in our community so that our people can heal. The objective is to help individuals, families and our youth.”
The costs to create the two capital projects were estimated in Oct., 2025 to be $16 million for the Miyo-Pimatisiwin Wellness Centre and $8 million for the expansion and renovation of the Akameyimok Lodge.
“The community was very much involved in deciding on the design of the new centre. A focus will be put on a connection to the outdoors, with earthy tones and natural elements,” said Chief Calvin Sanderson of the Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree Nation. “The facilities will be welcoming for members wanting mental health and addictions services and their families.”
The Wellness Centre will be 1,600 metres in size and will include large and small gathering areas, meeting rooms, dining and staff areas, a kitchen, multipurpose rooms, a cultural room, child-care areas, and a land-based learning room. Outside will be an amphitheatre, a fire pit and a playground.
The Akameyimok Lodge’s expansion and renovations will increase the size to 1,700 metres, providing addiction detox, holistic treatment, and ongoing outpatient services.
“The designs that will be used in the new facility and in the expanded and renovated lodge will follow the Cree culture, customs and traditions of the community,” Chief Robert Head of the Peter Chapman Band said. “Our people are connected to the land, and it will be reflected in the new Wellness Centre.”
Tyler Kabatoff of Lobstick Enterprises of Saskatoon will work as the construction and renovation manager for the NWP. Kabotoff has worked at the community since 2019, serving as the project manager for various projects, including the lagoon, school renovations, modular classroom installations, subdivision construction and several road improvements on the reserve.
Tenders were called in November and closed in December of 2025.
Quorex Construction Services of Saskatoon was awarded the contract. The construction of the Wellness Centre is estimated to take 515 days, and the expansion and renovation to the lodge is expected to take 292 days, according to Quorex. Construction will begin at the end of March.
“The new facilities will help members deal with addictions and result in healthy families that will encourage our young to attend our reserve school and enroll in professions that will help our community grow and prosper,” said Randy Constant, Chairperson of the Nicawicikanisihk Wellness Project Board of Directors.
The NWP continues to evolve to support the three First Nations at James Smith: the Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree Nation, the James Smith Cree Nation, and the Peter Chapman Band, and their agencies and stakeholders through concerted activities to build manageable, effective, and sustainable capacity.
