By Trevor Greyeyes
EAST ST. PAUL – A brand-new daycare building is sitting empty and cold just off Highway 59. While many Peguis families need childcare, this $4 million project is stuck in a big argument between the Manitoba government and the Peguis First Nation Real Estate Trust (PFNRET).
The provincial government says they aren’t opening the doors because they are worried about who actually owns the land. But new documents found through an information request tell a different story.
What the Documents Say
The province and the Trust signed a legal paper called a “Financial Assistance Agreement.” In this paper, the Trust is clearly named as the landowner. Even though the government gave 5.5 millions of dollars to help build the daycare, the contract does not say the government can take the land back if things go wrong.
The agreement says the daycare was for the “development of a ready-to-move or hybrid construction building for use as a child care centre.” It also says the Trust must keep the building running as a daycare for at least six years.
The “Ownership” Argument
Recently, a government spokesperson, Minister Schmidt, said there are “serious issues with how this project was handled, including the trust no longer holding ownership of the land.” The Minister said the government is trying to protect “taxpayer-funded” projects.
However, the legal documents don’t show any proof that the government has the right to step in and take over the property.
Former Trust Chair Greg Stevenson has said the land “was always Peguis’ property but held in trust.” But the legal papers are confusing. They don’t say the land belongs to the Peguis Chief and Council. Instead, they say the Trust is its own separate group that makes its own rules.
From Plenty to Pennies
One of the biggest mysteries for Peguis citizens is where the money went. In March 2023, the Trust posted papers saying they had enough money to pay their bills. But by November 2024, everything changed.
The Trust reportedly couldn’t even pay the “hydro and heat” bills, and the power was cut off. This is a big problem because the cold Manitoba winter can freeze the pipes and ruin the $4 million building. The Trust did make an appeal to council but the $15, 000 hydro bill was too steep to cover, according to a trustee who wished to remain anonymous.
A Building with No Children
Right now, the daycare is just an empty shell. There is a long waiting list of parents who want to send their kids there, but they can’t.
The government says they will move quickly “once the land issue is resolved,” but no one knows how long that will take. For now, the building that was bought with $10 million of Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) funds—money meant for the people of Peguis—sits empty and dark.
The big questions remain:
How did the Trust go from having money to being broke in just one year?
Why hasn’t the government shown the legal proof that the Trust doesn’t own the land anymore?
Who is going to turn the heat back on before the building is ruined?
Terra Indigena will continue to look for answers for the citizens of Peguis.
