The Circle of Life Thunderbird House — long a hub for Indigenous ceremony and healing — is now at the centre of a standoff between occupants demanding changes and the governing board claiming it has been locked out.

Occupied since March by a group of protesters, those living inside the distinctive round building on the southeast corner of Main Street and Higgins Avenue say they’re not leaving until their demands are met.

The building’s roof has deteriorated and needs to be replaced.

Protest leader Meagan Salwan, a community member and part of the Southern Thunderbird Medicine Drum group formed in 2015, said their stipulations to allow the board access and relinquish their occupation include the creation of a new elder council elected by the community, specifically the local Indigenous c

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