The new Whitecap Dakota First Nation Primary Health Care Centre was unveiled today.
It cost $3.3 million to build and covers 5,400 square feet.
The federal and provincial governments and the Saskatoon Health Region partnered up to create it.
Whitecap Dakota Chief Darcy Bear says it’s deliberately built larger than necessary so it can grow with the population and serve other First Nations and non-Aboriginal people.
“It’s no longer just Whitecap members. We also have members from other First Nations that reside on our land. We have a few Metis people and some non-First Nations people so we need to make sure that if we’re going to be providing services, the whole segregation model has got to be taken down and we got to start saying we’re here to offer services.”
Bear says they’re now working with the Health Region to figure out who gets billed for services.
In other developments around the province five new living units have been created for single-families in Birch Hills.
The community is just a few minutes’ drive from the Muskoday First Nation.
This morning the band and provincial government unveiled the bungaloes.
Total project cost is over a million dollars with Muskoday contributing $318,000.
In a release Chief Austin Bear says the band is always looking to improve living conditions for its members.
Meantime the Big River First Nation has taken the wraps off a new centre of excellence.
The $2 million facility will focus on education and business development.
It features a computer laboratory and two large classrooms with long-distance education capacity and onsite programming.
Programs will be delivered by the University of Saskatchewan.