ManitobaBrokenhead Ojibway Nation broke ground on a mixed-income housing development along the banks of the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg Friday afternoon, alongside officials from the city, provincial and federal governments.The Ellswood at 269 River Ave. will feature 147 energy-efficient units, including 60 ‘deeply affordable’ homesLauren Scott · CBC News · Posted: Oct 24, 2025 7:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesBrokenhead Ojibway Nation officially broke ground on the Ellswood housing project at 269 River Ave. in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village on Friday. (Gary Solilak/CBC)Brokenhead Ojibway Nation broke ground on a mixed-income housing development along the banks of the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg on Friday afternoon, alongside officials from the city, provincial and federal governments.When complete, the Ellswood, located at 269 River Ave. in Osborne Village, will have 147 energy-efficient units, 60 of which will be considered “deeply affordable,” said Brokenhead Chief Gordon BlueSky. “This is our first step in bringing safe, affordable homes to the Brokenhead members living in the city and to families across Winnipeg,” he said.”Our people used to gather here for thousands and thousands of years, so it’s just symbolic that we have our first build being here — where we belong.”The project will cost about $50 million, BlueSky said, with funds coming from the City of Winnipeg and the federal housing accelerator fund — a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation program that gives municipalities funding for housing development.It is solely owned by the First Nation, located about 70 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The Ellswood housing project at 269 River Ave. is expected to be complete within 18 months to two years, Brokenhead Chief Gordon BlueSky said Friday. (Gary Solilak/CBC)The Ellswood is expected to be complete in 18 months to two years, BlueSky said. “This is reconciliation that you can live in,” he said.The project included partners from the city, provincial, federal and Indigenous governments, with support from private-sector developer Freedhome Developments Ltd. Freedhome president Jonathon Freed said the Ellswood will “lay the foundation for generational prosperity” for the First Nation. Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand, who is the MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski in northern Manitoba, said the scope of partners working to build the Ellswood is an example of “reconciliation in action.””The Ellswood project is more than groundbreaking, it’s a ground reclaiming. It’s a declaration of Indigenous strength, sovereignty and economic ambition,” Chartrand said. “This is economic development rooted in culture.”ABOUT THE AUTHORLauren Scott is a Winnipeg-based reporter with CBC Manitoba. They hold a master’s degree in computational and data journalism, and have previously worked for the Hamilton Spectator and The Canadian Press.With files from Gary Solilak
Brokenhead housing development in Winnipeg will be ‘reconciliation that you can live in’: chief
