The community of Southport broke ground on the creation of an Indigenous cultural centre this past week with hopes of unveiling the finished product to the community, in person, later this year.

The facility, dubbed the Four Winds Cultural Centre, will be located in the community's interpretive park and provide visitors an opportunity to learn about Indigenous culture and host cultural celebrations. It will feature a sweat lodge, a 30-foot community teepee, and a large community picnic shelter.

"We are hoping to have our grand opening of the actual facility in October of this year the. The teepee is already under construction up in Swan River and we are just working on the other parts and pieces of it," says Southport CEO, Peggy May. "We're thinking that it will be just a wonderful way to even get our staff and our board out and just a great way to celebrate the Four Winds Cultural Centre, but also to celebrate the fact that we can be together again."

May says the idea for such a facility came from a request from a tenant and that Cornell Pashe, Indigenous Coordinator with the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC), was instrumental in helping to bring this resource to the community.

"The facility will be open to anyone. We do believe that there will more Indigenous groups using it, but it will be open to anyone," says May. "We haven't figured out the process yet, and until we open later this year, we'll work on what the process is for booking the space and for utilizing the space."