Ottawa's 'Indigicity': Vanier's rise as an urban home for Indigenous people

Thanks to a strong network of Indigenous support and cultural centres, and the efforts of community workers over the years, Ottawa's Vanier neighbourhood has become an urban hub for First Nations, Mtis and Inuit people.

CBC/Radio-Canada met up recently with a range ofcommunity members in the neighbourhood east of the city's downtown to capture the reasons why the area has, according to many, become a welcoming and safe urban space for Indigenous people.

Jaime Morse: 'It's a little 'Indigicity''

When she arrivedin Ottawa20 years ago,Jaime Morse says she immediately felt a sense of familiarity in Vanier, even though shewas thousands of kilometres from her homein Lac La Biche, Alta.

"I liked the feeling of safety here," said Morse. "I felt supported, especially around my health."

The Michifwoman soon learned shewould be having twins and turned tothe Wabano Centre for Indigenous Health.But beyond that support, the diversity among First Nation, Mtis and Inuit people in Vanieralso provided opportunitiesfor her and her children to experience other Indigenous cultures.

"It became a place where I learned about other nations from all over across Turtle Island (North America)that I never had contact with before," she said. "I'm meeting Mi'kmaq,I'm meeting Inuit,it was a blast."

Morse has since gone on to become an accomplished visual artist, and theownerof Indigenous Walks, an educational tourcompany that required Morse to dig even deeper into the area's Indigenous culture.

"We'd often come across this term called 'Vanier First Nation,'and without anybody having to explain it to me, coming from my own small community, I got it," said Morse.

"It was this term that created automatic cohesion with people from all over the place, whether you're First Nations,Mtis or Inuit. It's an affectionate term that describes the community here."

With Vanier and neighbouring Overbrook now home to theOdawaNative Friendship Centre, the Minwaashin Lodge, the Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families, and the Wabano Centre, Morse feels the area offers an ideal urban home for Indigenous people.

"It's alittle Indigicity," she said. "You can just walk around and you know people and you can get your food and your hair done by people from other Indigenous communities. I think that's what I love seeing after having lived here in Ottawa for over 20 years, and it's looking more and feeling more like a place I belong."

Lucie Gaspe: 'I felt like I was home'

While the colloquialand informalterm 'Vanier First Nation' may appeal to some, it's important toclarify the federal government does not recognize a nation in Vanier, and thearea also has a significant population of residents who identify as Mtis and Inuit.

While the origins of the term are uncertain, it might have been born by Vanier resident Lucie Gaspe, who moved there from the Mohawk community of Kanesatakewest of Montreal.

"I was living alone for the first time andI was a little bit scared ... a little bit nervous. So my second day here I tried to go to the corner store,which is only two blocks away, and I ran into three different Indigenous people, and I knew two of them. So all of a sudden Ifelt very comfortable. It felt like my community. I felt like I was home on the rez, as we say. SoI said 'I'm going to start calling this 'Vanier First Nation.'"

Gaspe laughs when she recalls how she later shared the term on a whim during acommunity meeting when everyone was asked to introduce themselves.

"When theyfinally got to me, I said, 'I'm going to try and liven up this room a bit,' and I said, 'LucieGaspe, chief of Vanier First Nation.' And everybody just laughed and the name stuck."

Verna McGregor: 'It becomes a hub'

From her previous work as a real estate agent and financial analyst in Ottawa during the 1990s, Verna McGregor witnessed first hand the influx of Indigenous people to Vanier. This wasprompted mostly, she says,bythe relatively low cost of living, especiallyhousing.

Today, as an elderwith the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg near Maniwaki, Que., and as theemployment counsellor atMinwaashin Lodge, McGregorcredits the area's Indigenous agencieswith helping the community prosper.

"We have a big population[of Indigenous people] and we're becoming more visible, so it becomes a hub," said McGregor. "And with that hub you see the culture comingand seeping back in."

McGregor adds the area's Indigenous community also has a lot to offer non-Indigenous people in the city.

"There's more of an understanding and awareness of our history," she said. "As the city's growingwe're also grappling withnot just gentrification, but also the issue of climate change,and I notice that there's been a real seeking of knowledge [from Indigenous people] in that area, too."

As for the future of Vanier, McGregorhopesIndigenous people will make up a larger portion of the area's landlords and entrepreneurs.

"Where I'd like to see more growth, and the potential now is maybe in the business side of things, too, where we have more Indigenous people as business owners as well."

Irene Compton: 'Everything we need is in our culture'

In 1993, Irene Compton co-founded Minwaashin Lodgeto assist Indigenous women andchildren whoare survivors of domestic and other forms of violence.

"We had to establish our own organizations so that we could adequately serve our own people," said Compton, who still works at the lodge as the manager of culture programs.

"It's important that we haveculturally appropriate services for the people we serve. Otherwise there is a big disconnect ... because everything we need is in our culture."

The SaulteauxFirst Nation woman fromthe Keeseekoose band in Saskatchewan points to a collaborative spirit in Vanier and Overbrook that has evolved over the years.

"We all work together on different issues to make sure that our organizations are thriving," said Compton. "We're not duplicating services and we're taking the lead in getting important initiatives put in place for Indigenous people in Ottawa."

Delores Peltier-Corkey: 'We are being seen'

Delores Peltier-Corkey fondly recalls her decision24 years ago to move to Ottawa.

"I was living in the Arctic and I would have to pass throughOttawa,and being here I just felt like, 'Wow, I love this city,'" said Peltier-Corkey, a member of the WiikwemkoongFirst Nation onManitoulin Island inOntario.

However, her initial feeling of excitement was quickly tempered by feelings of doubt and insecurity, as well as discriminationfrom a prospective landlord, she added.

"When you're coming from a small town, a small community, a small reserve, you're in a culture shock," she said. "You don't know what to expect when you come to the city. It sounds so nice when you see it on TV ... but when you first get here, it's scary. It's a very scary situation."

Peltier-Corkeynow helps others navigate housing difficultiesas a tenant relations officer withGignul, an Ottawa-based not-for-profit housing corporation serving Indigenous clients.

"When I arrived here the housing needs were really difficult," said Peltier-Corkey.

"We were not visiblein the city of Ottawa as Indigenous people. So that's where I see the big change now, compared to what itwas 20 years ago.Our communities are becoming resilient, they're becoming vibrant, they're becoming stronger. We arebeingseen.I do hope that when my grandson becomes older that he will not have to face that same challenge that I did growing up."