YORKTON – Yorkton Tribal Council announced on Jan. 25 during a press conference a $100,000 to the Yorkton Brick Mill Heritage Society over the next five years.
"For the last year and a half or so we've been pounding pavement trying to raise funds for a combination interpretive and events centre at the site of the mill. We've been able to come together a few times to make some large fundraising announcements and we're so pleased to be able to do that again here today," said Terry Tyson, Chair of the Capital Committee for the Yorkton Brick Mill Heritiage Society.
The donation will go towards the outside grounds at the site of the brick mill and comes with naming rights.
"You're writing a big cheque today, but you've been at the table with us working on the grounds, planting grass, working on wheat varieties for the crop display – you've partnered with us to hold events at the mill site — Indigenous Teaching Tuesdays, some culture days — it's a partnership that we have valued so much and continue to value and today's announcement just bolsters that even further – we can't thank you enough," said Tyson in his address to the YTC.
"Yorkton is our community – we work here, we live here," said Tribal Chief, Isabel O'Soup.
O'Soup said that YTC's involvement with the YBMHS came about one day when she drove by the site of the mill.
"I drove by one day, saw a whole bunch of elderly people raking the grass, raking the ground — it was dirt — I stopped and I said, 'what are you guys doing?'," said O'Soup, adding,"before that I never knew what the brick mill was – I just saw an old building that nobody used and I thought 'you know, we've got to do something with this'."
"As time went on I could see movement there and Larry (YBMHS Director) and his comittee were there — and I knew nothing about it — that's kind of how we got started," said O'Soup.
"We were there a couple of weeks later and we were helping Larry and his crew to seed the grass and we were there raking with them and it's been a pleasure ever since to be really involved and see the development that's coming along," said O'Soup.
"The history of the brick mill is very important to the community, very important to the province of Sask and even Canada – we need to preserve the history that's there," added O'Soup, noting, "First Nation's people have a history with agriculture and farming and we want to learn that history — we want to be part of it to learn — to know that First Nation's people have a big part in agriculture when we were farmers."
"There's still a lot to learn and that's why we get involved," said O'Soup, adding, "history is important."
"A lot of the members of Yorkton Tribal Council have spent a lot of sweat equity along with rehabilitating those grounds and making it look pretty," said Tyson addressing members of the media, adding, "it is such an important thing to continue to receive these generous donations – this in particular – frankly we've been a bit quiet lately and it's been a while since we've been able to come to the table with a big announcement," noting the $100,000 donation pushes the YBMHS to around $1.3M raised of their $2M goal.
"The project is getting very close to within reach here," said Tyson.
Mayor Mitch Hippsley was in attendance for the announcement on behalf of City Council.
"The visions of both the Yorkton Brick Mill and YTC is truly remarkable and we're very lucky to have them here," said Mayor Hippsley, later adding that the YTC makes things happen and gets things done, "it's not smoke and mirrors and we're so lucky to have that."
"We love to support our local organizations and we just love to support the Brick Mill Society and what you guys do in making sure that we retain and capture our history and make sure that it continues to go forward," said Trevor Acoose Director of Operations with Yorkton Tribal Council, noting the YTC employs over 70 people and continues to expand their programs.
"We want to create partnerships with the city that we work in," said O'Soup, "I just think we would be a better community if we all worked together for our community. It doesn't matter what ethinic background you are – I think we're all better when we work together."
"We get to incorporate our First Nation history into it as well — and that's probably the ultimate goal — for the city of Yorkton to learn First Nation history as well," said O'Soup, "whatever we can contribute and get our history involved – that's the ultimate goal."
