Zhiibaahaasing First Nation opens new satellite office

By Carley Lambert

SUDBURY — More than 60 people gathered in Sudbury, Ont., on October 14 to celebrate the grand opening of Zhiibaahaasing First Nation’s new satellite office, a space intended to bring staff together, strengthen governance, and expand services for citizens.

Attendees arrived and toured the new space before gathering for a Pipe Ceremony led by Nookimis Martina Osawamick, who offered prayer and opening remarks. Thunder Earth drum group opened the ceremony in a good way, followed by remarks from Zhiibaahaasing First Nation Gimaa Irene Kells, Band Manager Bobbisue Kells-Riberdy, and Councillor Kevin Mossip.

“Thank you to everyone for coming out and sharing the joy,” says Gimaa Kells. “I am shaking right now. My heart is fluttering. The gratitude that’s inside me is almost overpowering. Today is a good day; a lot of work has gone into this. All of the workers that are in this office, they bring a lot of knowledge and help to our community members.”

Kells-Riberdy said the Nation’s main office in her community is small and about a three-hour drive from Sudbury. With the existing space already at capacity, Zhiibaahaasing First Nation began hiring remote staff, many of whom live in the Sudbury area, to work on policies, agreements, and laws.

After frequently working from hotel rooms, Kells-Riberdy approached Chief and Council about finding a permanent space in Sudbury where employees could work together.

“We found this building, and we brought all of the remote staff in,” Kells-Riberdy says.

The office currently has five staff members, including a membership clerk who supports Zhiibaahaasing First Nation citizens. Four additional cubicles are available for future staff.

Kells-Riberdy said the Nation hopes to bring more prevention services and social programming to the office to expand support for members living in the Sudbury area.

“Right now, it is just the governance team in the building and membership, but the hope is to fully equip it with all kinds of different services for all of our members,” Kells-Riberdy says.

The office also features artwork created by Zhiibaahaasing First Nation citizens following a call for submissions, which fills the office walls. An original crane artwork greets visitors at the entrance.

“We put it at the beginning of the building because the Crane Clan represents external government. So that represents this building as our external governance of our main building,” Kells-Riberdy says.

Councillor Mossip reflected on Zhiibaahaasing First Nation’s progress over the past 35 years, recalling how its first office operated out of a basement bedroom.

“We worked out of a bedroom in a basement of a house. Not even an industrial building. That’s where the office started,” Councillor Mossip says. “We’ve gone from a basement bedroom to the office in Zhiibaahaasing, and now we have this [satellite office]. That’s only 35 years ago; that’s not that long ago. So, that’s quite the accomplishment.”

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation has approximately 220 members, about 80 of whom live in the community, while others are spread across Ontario and Canada. The new satellite office provides additional space for staff working on governance while creating an opportunity to expand services for members in the area.

For Gimaa Kells, the new office also represents the Nation’s continued push towards self-governance.

“We don’t want to be under the government. We want to govern ourselves. We want to be able to decide what and how we’re going to do something,” Gimaa Kells says.

Following the ribbon-cutting, attendees returned inside to share a meal and celebrate the opening.

“It’s beautiful that we’re all together and we’re able to gather together and work together. I feel like we’re getting a lot accomplished together,” Kells-Riberdy says.