'Historic and monumental' step taken as Winnipeg's Bay building handed to First Nations group

Winnipeg's downtown Hudson's Bay building, which turns 100 years old in four years, began a rebirth on Friday as the company rooted in a fur trading past with Indigenous people transferred the property to a First Nations group.

"This place is a place to be honoured and supportive of First Nations people, our rich history, and invite all who wish to come and learn together," said Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs' Organization.

The powerful symbolism of having a colonial store in the hands of Indigenous Peoples will stand as a "beacon of hope," Daniels said.

In a nod to history, the SCO handed two beaver pelts and two elk hides to Richard Baker, the governor and executive chairman of the Hudson's Bay Co., as a symbolic payment for the building.

According to the HBC royal charter of 1670, the rent of two beaver and two elk was to be paid by the company whenever a British monarch visited Canada, said SCO chief operating officer Jennifer Rattray.

"The ceremony surrounding the payment was only performed four times in HBC history," she said.

Flanked by members of the SCO chiefs' executive committee on Friday, Daniels and Baker conducted it for the fifth time.

With that SCO "is reclaiming the rent ceremony and together with the Hudson's Bay Co., we are leading change and reconciliation," Daniels said.

"This marks the beginning of a new future for First Nations peoples and for all Canadians."

Baker was also presented with a traditional beaver pelt hat.

In turn, he gave Daniels a replica of a gold coin used as the original trade exchange currency between HBC and First Nations, and a print of an 1819 map by HBC surveyor Peter Fidler of part of southern Manitoba.

Closed in 2020, the six-storey, 655,000-square-foot landmark building at the corner of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard was appraised at $0 in 2019 because it has a tax liability in excess of $300,000 and would cost an estimated $111 million to bring up to code while maintaining its heritage elements.

Daniels called the donation of the building to the SCO a "historic and monumental" step toward reconciliation in Canada.

"Reconciliation is not just a word, it is meant to have action, and this is an example of that action," he said. "Today sets the standard of what reconciliation in our country can look like."