When Pat Calihou was asked to build a children’s playground in Saanich for a Métis child-care centre, he thought back to his own childhood.
“What things did I not have growing up? What things didn’t I see?” said Calihou, a Maple Ridge-based Métis artist.
So he built a child-sized trapper’s cabin, a teepee, a Red River cart, and voyageur boat that all had Métis-specific imagery such as the infinity symbols, snowshoes and the fiddle embedded throughout.
It’s a fun, organic way for children to learn about their history, he said.
Patrick Harriott of Métis Nation B.C. said demand is high for the Island Métis Childcare Centre, a no-fee facility that opened two years ago at 1581 Church Ave. in Saanich.
“We have an incredibly long wait list because there are so many Métis families that are looking for this kind of culturally appropriate, culturally inclusive childcare,” he said.
The centre is filled with culturally appropriate toys, storybooks, and iconography, he said.
The Michif language — one of the languages of Métis people— can be heard and elders come in to connect with children, he said.
The childcare centre, which was set up in partnership with Island Métis Family and Community Services Society, and the Ministry of Education, was Métis Nation B.C.’s first foray into childcare programs. But more are coming.
Another Métis Nation child-care centre with 34 spaces is expected to open next spring in Port Alberni, with additional centres in Kelowna, Mission, Terrace and Vernon expected to open in the next 12 months.
The five child-care centres were funded with $13.9 million from the federal government though B.C.’s Ministry of Education and Childcare.
This April, Métis Nation B.C. purchased the properties at 11, 23, 35 and 47 Dogwood Street from the City of Campbell River to build 40 affordable housing units and a daycare facility.
Harriott said Métis communities across B.C. have long been asking for these kinds of child-care spaces.
“It’s all about revitalization and it’s all about ensuring that our kids feel connected to culture and to their community,” he said.
Harriott said the nation has plans to open a second child-care centre in Greater Victoria as part of the upcoming Métis Cultural Centre that it is hoping to build at 3656 Raymond St. South, near the intersection of Tillicum Road and the Trans-Canada Highway.
That land was purchased by Métis Nation B.C. in 2021 for $2.2 million to build below-market-rate rental housing for Métis families, Métis early education, child-care programs and office space for the organization.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has committed to funding 55 homes at the site as part of a $1.7-billion provincial initiative to deliver 3,500 new homes for Indigenous people.
