Located on the shores of the picturesque Northumberland Strait, Pictou Landing First Nation is part of the Mi'kmaq First Nation and is called home by over 600 people.
Arriving in the community, you're greeted by a small park space bordered by trees to one side and backstopped by the Pictou Landing First Nation Health Centre, a unique building featuring construction inspired by traditional techniques used in longhouses and birch bark canoes.
At the front of the park space sits a granite memorial recognizing the former students of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School and their families. The monument provides an unmistakable opportunity to pause and reflect on the resilience of the students who attended the school.
Earlier this year, a community fire pit was added to the green space between the residential school monument and the health centre. Several wooden park benches surround the fire pit, marking it as a gathering spot. Campfire sticks, suitable for roasting marshmallows and hotdogs, lie waiting to play their role in the telling of stories.
The origins of the fire pit date back to 2020 when Cpl. Natasha Farrell and Cst. Kevin Murphy of the Pictou County District RCMP hosted an art contest to design a challenge coin; Cpl. Farrell had seen challenge coins used to raise funds successfully for other projects. Fourteen-year-old Jocelyn Francis submitted the winning design, which was then minted to a challenge coin. The coin was advertised nationally and raised over $3,000 to help fund the fire pit project.
"The district has long enjoyed a great relationship with the Pictou Landing First Nation and we wanted to do something for the people of the community to recognize this." explains Cp. Farrell. Employees from the district worked together on ideas and settled on the fire pit.
With help from Pictou Landing First Nation residents, Shaw Brick, Tupper's Landscaping, Pictou County District RCMP employees, and a retired RCMP member, the fire pit idea was turned into a gift for the community; the fire pit was formally dedicated to the community on June 22, 2023.
"The fire pit is a great symbol of friendship between residents and the RCMP," says Chief Andrea Paul, Pictou Landing First Nation.