Construction of a future Indigenous gathering space at Lambton College is expected to ramp up over the next few months.
Student Success Associate Vice President Kurtis Gray said you'll see the site if you drive along the southeast part of the campus.
"The site has been somewhat idle over the course of the winter months," said Gray. "The foundation of the building is laid and most of the grounds [have been] cleared. As the weather starts to clear here shortly, work will continue on site. We still have the completion date scheduled for December, 2024."
Gray said for the most part, the design is the same as originally announced.
"There's been a few tweaks made to the renderings, just as far as the art, but it continues to be the same plans. The final space will be about 1,300 square feet," he said. "But, as we said before, it's a space that can be used for all four seasons. It's heated, it's cooled, it has access to washrooms and storage space."
Gray said the space will be tested before a grand opening next year.
"We want to do a soft opening of the space to ensure that our Indigenous staff and students have a chance to use the space, to conduct appropriate ceremonies on the space before it's used, and then later in the spring of 2025, there will be a grand opening celebration where the community is invited to see the space," Gray said.
Gray said about a decade was spent planning the project to ensure it's culturally relevant and meets the needs of Indigenous people.
"I've stressed before that this a long held vision, that really started with the Indigenous Education Council at Lambton and I always say that the Indigenous Outdoor Gathering Space steering committee were dedicated. They invested a huge amount of time and energy into this project."
Over 100 people gathered for the site preparation ceremony last June.
