Major renovations in the works for Ska-Nah-Doht Museum

It is a place for education about the environment and the region's First Nations — and now the Ska-Nah-Doht Museum is getting a refresh.

"We need to revitalize. We need to look at a new vision for this area,” Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTCVA) CAO Mark Peacock told those gathered for a commencement ceremony.

There ceremony took place at the Ska-Nah-Doht grounds at 8348 Longwoods Rd., just south of Mount Brydges, Ont. on Wednesday.

The ceremony was part of the ongoing fundraising efforts for a new Indigenous learning centre and the revitalization of the museum, which is celebrating half a century of service.

"As anything that's had 50 years of service, it's in need of rejuvenation,” Don Pearson, director with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Foundation told CTV News London. “Not just to bring it up to standard but to provide opportunities for better learning experiences."

Traditional Indigenous dance and song were part of a commencement ceremony at Ska-Nah-Doht Museum on Nov. 22, 2023 near Mount Brydges, Ont. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) The foundation is raising $1.5 million of the $2.35 million needed for the project, with the rest of the funding coming through government grants. The focus will be on a large 2,000 sq. ft. addition for the learning centre.

The structural foundation for the new learning centre and hall has already been poured, but LTCVA staff said there are other important changes that are being made, including accessible washrooms and a new elevator that will also help with accessibility.

Peacock listed other upgrades that are being undertaken, including “A new roof, new windows, new siding. Those furnaces were getting very tired."

Generations of students have passed through the museum, said Ska-Nah-Doht Community Educator, Thomas Martel. He told those gathered, "It's important that our children, that indigenous children, get that knowledge but it's also important we share that knowledge with non-Indigenous people."

Martel looks forward to having the new space.

"We have this huge forest out here with lots of space to think and learn and then having that building as well, being able to nurture and cultivate that learning,” he said.