By Micah Della Foresta – News Editor

In 2022 the Kwigw8mna project fell victim to a considerable postponement as initial estimates for construction costs were nearly $6 million off from the bid received by the May deadline of last year. Citing pent-up demand, supply chain bottlenecks and overall inflation of labour and materials, this delayed the new call for tenders until February of 2023 to provide time for internal reevaluations and the securement of the funding necessary to see the plans realized. 

Fast forward to June 19, 2023, in a public announcement held outside of the site of the building to be renovated and repurposed, the University announced that sufficient funding had been accumulated, and a satisfactory bid had been agreed to and approved.

The Quebec Infrastructure Plan is providing $12.7 million in capital funds, along with $1.9 million from Bishop’s University’s operating fund, paired with $1.9 million in donations and $700,000 from the Government of Canada. On Aug. 15 the construction could begin, marking the most recent milestone to date concerning the project. Returning students will notice the construction site has been fenced off and closed to traffic.

The project itself and its purpose 

The Abenaki word: Kwigw8mna (pronounced Kwig-wom-na) translates into English as “our (and everyone’s) house”. 

The University website describes its purpose as to “strengthen the relationship with the Abenaki nation in which lands we are fortunate to be gathering and learning on”. Its expected impact is to create a safe and comfortable space of community and belonging for Indigenous students at Bishop’s and Champlain, a “home away from home” the website states. Kwigw8mna may also be a location for non-Indigenous members of Bishop’s community to engage in learning and discussion, especially to grow in their understanding of Indigenous cultures.

Landen Delormier, a Bishop’s student who grew up in Kahnawake attended the announcement on June 19. He anticipates that “the project will offer an infrastructure that has great potential to increase confidence and freedom in expression, whilst simultaneously promoting the education of Indigenous culture, as well as being a chill spot to post up”. 

“[T]he project will offer an infrastructure that has great potential to increase confidence and freedom in expression, whilst simultaneously promoting the education of Indigenous culture, as well as being a chill spot to post up”

In a communications release from Bishop’s, Prof. Genner Llanes-Ortiz, Canada’s Research Chair in Digital Indigeneities and professor in Bishop’s sociology department, remarked that: “Kwigw8mna will provide a space for everyone to learn more about Indigenous perspectives and concerns, whether by visiting the house and interacting with Indigenous members of the Community, but also by being a resource where research on these topics lives and develops in real-time in our community”.

Although an estimated time frame for completion has yet to be released, you can take a virtual tour of Kwigw8mna’s conceptual designs or seek more information on the University’s website, at https://www.ubishops.ca/student-services/indigenous-student-services/kwigw8mna/