Actions and Commitments

Call to Action # 21 : Health (18-24)

New lodge in Gagetown to offer land-based healing for Indigenous women

June 19, 2023

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Wabanaki Resilency Lodge expected to open by August, will have 10 beds 

A concept design of a large room with arched ceilings, a mossy wall at the back of the room, and a large painting of a tree on the left wall.
This is what the gathering room at the lodge will look like when it’s ready for visitors. (Issa Boutros Designer/Submitted by Native Women’s Association of Canada)

CBC News: A new lodge “for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women,” plans to offer traditional, land-based healing in Gagetown, around 60 kilometres southeast of Fredericton.

Lynne Groulx, executive director of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, the group behind the lodge, said the concept was developed by elders specifically with Indigenous women in mind.  “The elders tell me that about 95 per cent of the population needs some form of healing — mental health healing, just reconnecting to culture, being with community,” said Groulx. “We’re going to see frontline workers come in, we’re going to see moms, we’re going to see all kinds of people coming into the lodge.”

A woman with long black hair wearing a collection of blue necklaces poses in front of a dark background
Lynne Groulx, executive director of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, said the concept of a resiliency lodge was developed by elders with Indigenous women in mind.  (Submitted by Spark Advocacy)

She said healing spaces are needed for survivors of residential schools and intergenerational trauma.

The Wabanaki Resilency Lodge will have 10 beds and people can stay for up to 30 days, but there will also be other activities and workshops that will accommodate more people, said Groulx. The program is going to work on a referral system, she said, so by working with various First Nations and organizations, the lodge will be able to offer spots to people who need one.

Two people walking towards a large house on the top of a green grassy hill
Groulx said the women who come to experience the lodge will be the ones who prove whether this model is successful. (Submitted by Native Women’s Association of Canada)

Located on an old farm, the interior of the main building had to be redone, including the electrical and plumbing, but it’s almost ready.

Groulx said agriculture will be an important part of the lodge and there will be two greenhouses on the property.  “It’s Mother Earth, it’s the land. It’s about food sovereignty. It’s about feeding ourselves and relearning all of that, as well.”

Two teepees in the background with a wooden structure in the foreground.
Pictured is a wooden arbour that will be used for sacred fire, full-moon ceremonies and traditional teachings. (Submitted by Native Women’s Association of Canada)

The federal government funded the majority of the project, with the Native Women’s Association of Canada paying for the rest, along with a contribution from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, said Groulx. She said they are trying to make a self-sustaining model that will have sources of revenue and not have to depend on government funding in future.

A photo of one person handing a potted plant to another. There are plants, dirt and gardening supplies scattered around.
Groulx said agriculture will be an important part of the lodge experience.  (Submitted by Native Women’s Association of Canada)

Groulx said the women who come to experience the lodge will be the ones who prove whether this model is successful. “The women will tell us,” she said. “So if they’re experiencing a healing experience and they are moving forward in a positive way in their life — that will be our response.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Rudderham. Journalist

Hannah Rudderham is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick. She grew up in Cape Breton, N.S., and moved to Fredericton in 2018. You can send story tips to hannah.rudderham@cbc.ca.