Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre

05/28/2026

Along with so many others, the MDCC team was shocked and heartbroken to hear of the sudden passing of Patsy Paul-Martin. Long before she joined the MDCC Elders’ Advisory Council, she walked alongside us, supporting and encouraging us as we went. Her special relationship with our Executive Director, Tim Bernard, wove her teachings, language, and love into our project from its earliest days. She always brought her fierce commitment to Mi’kmaw culture and language together with both empathy and enthusiasm to our efforts.

When the MDCC Elders’ Advisory Council gathered this week, the stories, prayers and love overflowed as we sought to support Patsy on her journey to the spirit world. The stories of her warmth, kindness, and genuine affection were shared again and again. Some Elders remarked at her extraordinary capacity to honour—truly and deeply—Mi’kmaw traditional practices and teachings with those of the Roman Catholic church. For others, Patsy was lifted up as an example of what they strive to be in their own lives. At this meeting, we just happened to be working on a future gallery space about a woman from an old Mi’kmaw story. In this story we honour the woman for how she loves, how she manifests through prayer, and how she takes care of her loved ones.

melkaluet ta'n teliksaluej (she is spiritually strong in how she loves)

melkaluet ta'n telnujo'tekej (she is spiritually strong in how she is caretaking)

melkaluet ta'n telnujo'tekej (she is spiritually strong in how she manifests through prayer)

We see Patsy in all of these ways. She gained great admiration across Mi'kma'kik and beyond for how she loved, how she protected, and how she created the world around her.

Many years ago, Patsy advised us that “you can’t eat a moose in a day.” As our project has evolved intentionally, but more slowly than we hoped, we have been steadied by her teaching. And as we get close to breaking ground and opening the MDCC, that moose is shrinking each day. It is inconceivable that she won’t be here with us in person to celebrate the finishing of that feast. Each day we will work to honour her guidance and her love for our project, knowing she is with us loving, caretaking and manifesting.

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

Tomorrow (May 28), we will gather to officially open Nora Bernard Commemoration Park and unveil Wejkwa’lukwet: Dancing Toward Us, a new public artwork by Mi’kmaw artist Ursula Johnson.

Located at 289 Highway 215 in Shubenacadie, the park was shaped through years of guidance from Survivors, Descendants, Elders, artists, cultural advisors, and the Survivors Advisory Circle. Together, they helped create a space grounded in remembrance, reflection, healing, and connection to the land.

At the centre of the park is Wejkwa’lukwet: Dancing Toward Us. Developed through conversations with Survivors and community members, the work speaks to resilience, movement, presence, and the ways people continue to carry one another forward.

The park honours the legacy of Nora Bernard, whose advocacy helped lead to justice and compensation for thousands of Residential School Survivors across the country. Her work changed lives and continues to shape the path toward truth and reconciliation today.

The gathering begins at 11:00 a.m. and will include the unveiling ceremony, remarks, and a light lunch. Parking at the site will be limited.

We hope you will join us for this important day of remembrance, community, and reflection.

04/23/2026

We welcome community to join us on May 28 at Nora Bernard Commemoration Park.

Beginning at 11:00am, the commemoration will include the unveiling of Wejkwa’lukwet: Dancing Toward Us, a sculpture created in honour of Survivors and the generations connected to this place.

289 Highway 215, Shubenacadie NS

Parking is limited at the site. Guests are asked to plan ahead.

04/02/2026

MDCC is seeking a Project Coordinator.
Details below.

💡 If you’re the person who keeps everything organized, on track, and moving forward… this is the opportunity for you!

JMC has partnered with the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre to recruit a Project Coordinator for a major build in Nova Scotia.

This is a multi-year project with real impact, and this role sits right in the middle of it all. Coordinating across teams, tracking timelines and budgets, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. This positions is a term position from 2026 to 2029.

If you’re looking for a role where you can actually see the impact of your work, this is a great one to explore.

03/24/2026

Honouring our relationship with Membertou First Nation means honouring a deep sense of trust, community, and shared purpose.
From the very beginning, Membertou has offered steady support and strong leadership: helping bring Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre closer to reality. This is more than generosity. It’s a powerful expression of care for Mi’kmaw children, families, and future generations.

Building something this meaningful takes heart and Membertou has shown us what that looks like.

Wela’liek, Membertou. Your support helps , making space for our voices, our stories, and our future.

02/03/2026

An important message for Survivors.

The Independent Assessment Process (IAP) was a confidential court-supervised residential school compensation process. Under a 2017 Supreme Court of Canada decision, IAP records, including hearing testimony, will be destroyed on September 19, 2027 unless a Survivor chooses preservation.

Survivors have the right to decide what happens to their own IAP records.

If a Survivor chooses to preserve their testimony with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, those records will be protected and will not be destroyed.

The NCTR is here to help Survivors and families understand their options and support this process.
To learn more
• Phone: 1-877-635-2648
• Web: MyRecordsMyChoice.ca
• Full Statement: https://nctr.ca/statements-and-news-releases/statement-on-survivor-testimony-and-independent-assessment-process-iap-records/

01/27/2026

We’re proud and grateful to celebrate our relationship with Millbrook First Nation: partners, family, and friends who have been with us since the beginning.

This relationship means so much. It’s built on trust, care, and a shared belief in the strength of Mi’kmaw language, culture, and community. Millbrook’s steady support has helped guide and ground the journey toward Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre.

More than a partnership, this is a bond rooted in generations of connection and a deep love for Mi’kma’kik.

Wela’liek, Millbrook First Nation. You help ,making sure Mi’kmaw knowledge continues to grow strong, close to home.

01/15/2026

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs has purchased land near the Bedford Barrens petroglyphs to ensure the site is protected for future generations.

“For us, it’s been about the protection of the site. We have been caring for this land for over 13,000 years and will continue to do that,” says Tim Bernard, executive director of Mi’kmawey Debert. Click to read the article.

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs has purchased several privately owned parcels of land near the Bedford Barrens petroglyphs to protect the site from future development and to ensure long term Mi’kmaw care and access. The petroglyphs, which are … Continue reading →

12/18/2025

As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on a season of steady progress at Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre—advancing building plans, exhibit development, land stewardship, and education, all guided by Mi’kmaw ways of knowing and being.

This season of sharing feels like the right moment to offer a glimpse of Maliko'mijk, one of the galleries now taking shape. Reflecting Maliko'mijk Harbour along the Northumberland Strait, the gallery is rooted in a Mi’kmaw teaching: that sharing is inherent—sharing joy, stories, movement, and resources.

Visitors will be immersed in landscape, sound, and story, and will get a chance to dance oyster shells into a whale—activating light and sound through movement and shared presence.

As we look ahead to the coming year, we’re grateful to everyone who helps carry this work forward. Your support makes spaces like Maliko'mijk possible. Please consider giving a year-end gift to help us continue to build the vision!

Donate today: https://www.mikmaweydebert.ca/donations/

Wela’liek!

Our offices will be closed from Friday, December 19 to Tuesday, January 6.