Niagara Regional Native Center

About the Centre

The Niagara Regional Native Centre (NRNC) was incorporated on October 9, 1974 and became a member of the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres (OFIFC) in 1975.

It all began with a vision. It began in 1972 when a small group of volunteers wanted to start a Friendship Centre in the Niagara Region. The first establishment was in a small office in the St. Catherine's YMCA. Word spread quickly in the community as did the demand for programs and services. As these programs expanded, the need for Native services became more apparent. This prompted the organisation to search for a larger facility with more space. Relocation occurred several times. The organisation rented facilities first at Geneva Street and then moved to Niagara Street in the city. In 1975, the St. Catherine's Indian Center incorporated and acquired its own property at 219 Church Street in downtown St. Catherine's.

The Centre's services and programs expanded as the organisation attempted to accommodate more and more requests from Native people living in the Niagara Region. Out of this process came the realization that another Centre was needed to meet the demands for services from the Fort Erie region. In 1977 the decision was taken to initiate a Satellite Centre in Fort Erie and, in 1982, the Fort Erie Satellite Centre become an independent Native Centre.

As the Niagara Regional Native Center continued to develop, it became more evident that relocation was necessary because expansion on the Church Street premises was restricted by city by-laws. By 1980, the St. Catherine's Indian Center began assessing its mandate together with community needs to determine future facility requirements. Following this assessment, the St. Catherine's Indian Center initiated a name change. It became the Niagara Regional Native Center and began in earnest to search for a new home which would service the cities and areas of Niagara Falls, Thorold, St. Catherine's, Welland and areas east of Grimsby.

In 1983, the search concluded with the Center preparing to buy a new home in rural Niagara-on-the-Lake at Queenston and Taylor Roads. The final move from downtown St. Catherine's to its present location closed another chapter on this Centre's journey when in 1986 negotiations for the new property were completed. The Niagara Regional Native Centre was now able to promote its services and assist its community from a beautiful building. It has full administrative offices, and a large gymnasium provided the capacity for larger and more complex activities. Negotiations were concluded in 1986 to sell the Church Street property and acquire an additional 4.5 acres of land and a small house adjacent to this property.

In 1999, the Centre was able to acquire capital funds to expand this property that brought a state of the art children's room, Elders room, Boardroom and kitchen facility. The Centre is now able to promote its services and assist its community from this beautiful building. Today, the Niagara Regional Native Centre's commitment to the Native community recognizes that the times we live in change quickly and the needs of the urban aboriginal people reflect those changes. This requires the Centre to demonstrate its ability to provide programs and empowering relationships for its community.

The Centre offers programs and services to all age groups, both Native and non-Native, and provides transportation to and from the Center for groups and individuals upon request. The Centre currently employs 15-20 individuals in both part and full-time positions. They offer the following programs: Healing and Wellness Program, Health Outreach Program, Youth Program, Community Action Program for Children, Prenatal Nutrition Program, Employment Counsellor, Life Long Care Program, Three Fires Community Justice Program, Healthy Babies/Healthy Children Program and Literacy Program.

In 1999, The Niagara Regional Native Centre embarked upon a couple of key project(s) namely: TAKAPEEK Thrift Store Operation in Niagara Falls, ON and Exclusively Native Gift Shop located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. The TAKAPEEK project currently receives referrals from approximately 60+ social service agencies within the Niagara Region for start-up furniture and household items for those individuals/families facing a hardship. Basically, this initiative is self-sufficient and promotes goodwill for the NRNC throughout the Niagara Region.

The other initiative, Exclusively Native, is intended to provide an economic base for the NRNC. With one-million+ visitors to the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake on a yearly basis, the store is located in one of the most visited towns in Canada, which will play a major factor to the success of this project. There are currently "business spin-offs" underway to expand and solidify the success and development of the gift shop.

The philosophical base of our culture teaches us that all change occurs in cycles and the vision connected with that change must come from within. In keeping with the inherent intent of this philosophy the main priority for the Niagara Regional Native Center has been to work with the winds of change to determine its own destiny. Long-range expansion plans were formulated with a strong vision and a determination to achieve economic independence, sustainable growth and self-sufficiency in this millennium. The vision that began thirty-one years earlier has come full circle and the determination of everyone involved in bringing this Center to its maturity is complete.

In 2010-2011, the NRNC received the "Most Improved Friendship Centre Award" from the OFIFC in recognition of their significant progress toward achieving excellence.

Aims and Objectives

• Promote awareness of the culture of the Aboriginal peoples within the community in an effort to establish a relationship of mutual understanding and respect between the Aboriginal peoples and the other members of the community;
• To advance, foster, encourage and promote the cultural and social interests of Aboriginal peoples and the other members of the community;
• To organise projects and carry out programs to alleviate and minimize, wherever possible, adverse social and economic conditions encountered by Aboriginal peoples in order to effect a general improvement in their overall welfare and wellbeing; and
• To promote native leadership in the Native community.

Programs and Services

Akwe:go, Apatisiwin, Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program, Community Action Program for Children, Community Justice, Community Mental Health, Community Wellness, Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth, Health Outreach, Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Homelessness Partnering, Life Long Care, Urban Aboriginal Healthy Living, and Wasa-Nabin.