MI’KMAWEY DEBERT CULTURAL CENTRE MASTER PLAN

The Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre is an ambitious initiative undertaken on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs by the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq to protect significant archaeological sites and establish a cultural campus of tourism facilities projected to draw between 50,000 to 80,000 visitors annually.

The 486 ha (1,200 acre) sire is a designated National Historic Site as one of the oldest and most significant archaeological sites in North America dating back 11,000 – 13,000 years with Mi’kmaw ancestors thriving during an ice-aged landscape along with mastodons, caribou and giant beavers. A Site Master Plan was prepared in 2009 to guide development of buildings, infrastructure, and interpretive features for this complex site. After more than 15 years of investigations, planning and fundraising, the project will start construction in 2021 to be completed in 2025. Glenn Group, in association with Lundholm Associates Architects, undertook the master plan and have been assisting with planning ever since. From December 2020 – August 2024, Glenn Group and Englobe have been preparing the infrastructure tender documents as Phase I of this multi-million dollar project. Phase II will begin in March 2025 with the building(s). Glenn Group and Englobe will remain on the design team for all site design and infrastructure, including construction management.

The site planning issues present some of the most challenging imaginable including; archaeological artifacts requiring extensive test pits to clear each square metre of land prior to disturbance, presence of wetlands, a provincial tree nursery with species which need to be protected, water courses, contaminants and debris from the decommissioned Camp Debert a major staging base during WWII, surrounding impacts such as establishment of buffers for odour and traffic from the industrial park, and preservation of wildlife habitat.

The Master Plan identifies options for:

• Water management
• Alternative energy sources (renewable)
• Forest management strategy
• Servicing options
• Environmental Assessment
• Ecological profile
• Transportation analysis
• Traffic volumes and projections
• Security analysis
• Locating buildings on the site
• Circulation and parking configurations
• Visitor experience
• Interpretive components
• Artistic and cultural expression
• Events and gatherings
• Trails network
• Educational and demonstration opportunities

Glenn Group ensured through the strategic planning taken with the Elders, and numerous government departments and agencies, that the development of the cultural campus protects this most significant archaeological cultural treasure while implementing sustainable and economical solutions for site development. This is truly one of the most remarkable projects ever undertaken in Atlantic Canada.

Glenn Group also is responsible for 3 trails to augment this project. We shared our interpretive trail planning knowledge with the Indigenous archaeological team and botanists, and invited them to a trail planning workshop as we flagged the trail and made minor adjustments from our GIS coordinates. The trails include – A Healing trail with medicinal plants and sweat lodge, A Six-Worlds interpretive trail with teaching stations and an Ancestral trail.