The Circle of Turtle Lodge will be opening a new public space in the Pembroke Mall.
Property Manager Jayne Brophy says the mall reached out to partner with the Circle of Turtle Lodge to provide community space as part of an initiative Strathallen Capital Corporation is doing across the country for community organizations.
Joanne Haskin, the President of the Circle of Turtle Lodge, says a community needs analysis that was completed in 2021 in partnership with the Robbie Dean Centre showed an overwhelming need to find safe space to gather to celebrate Indigenous cultures and traditions.
Haskin says the Circle of Turtle Lodge is a non-profit charitable organization who are committed to promoting and revitalizing Indigenous culture through tradition, language and ceremony.
The new location for the Circle of Turtle Lodge will be located next to the west entrance of the Pembroke Mall, by Planet Fitness.
Haskin says they are planning a grand opening for the Circle of Turtle Lodge at the Pembroke Mall in mid-July.
You can learn more about the Circle of Turtle Lodge on their website.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)