Indigenous Peoples gathering space coming to Victoria Park
Posted May 21, 2026 07:08:52 AM.
Last Updated May 26, 2026 04:30:12 AM.
After a six-year collaboration between the City of Kitchener and Indigenous consultants, a new fire space will soon bring sacred Indigenous ceremonies and traditions to Kitchener’s Victoria Park.
The project is officially known as the Indigenous Peoples Gathering Space, and its construction began earlier this spring. The design of the new space is inspired by the Indigenous Thirteen Moons and Turtle teachings, a circular seating space surrounding a central fire pit. Fire and outdoor ceremonies are a crucial component of many Indigenous traditions.
The project is an honorary follow-up to the 188-day-long ‘Land Back Camp‘ project that called Victoria Park home during most of 2020. That gathering of individuals from the Indigenous community sought to connect and educate Indigenous youth on the cultural ceremonies and environment-related teachings that are core to many Indigenous cultures.
Amy Smoke, co-director of the Willow River Centre and co-founder of the Land Back Camp, was one of the consultants on the new space and reiterated its importance to the region’s Indigenous community.
“We’d like to see it utilized by First Nations, Metis, and Inuit folks who are urban and don’t have access to a fire space. We don’t have a friendship centre, we don’t have a community centre, each of our individual organizations just are not big enough.”
Smoke said Waterloo Region is one of the largest regions without a friendship centre, though they added that the new gathering space in Victoria Park is inspired by a series of similar sites in other cities.
“There are a number of other fire spaces in other parks, too,” said Smoke. “The City of Guelph has one as well, so we’re sort of taking what they’ve learned and what they wouldn’t do again, and utilizing all of that.”
When asked about potential non-Indigenous use of the space, Smoke suggested that it is a possibility, but that they hope the site is still treated well nonetheless.
“There will be folks who might want to sit around the circle there and gather with their communities, gather with their friends. We do hope that it is respected; there will be some signage. But, we can’t stop people from utilizing a public space in a public park.”
The space is designed to withstand a variety of environmental conditions, while also expected to be graffiti-proof in its design.
Once its construction finishes sometime this summer, it will be available for booking by local Indigenous individuals and groups.
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