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.