To Laurie Bouvier, friendship centres are a place of safety. You are likely to smell food, hear laughter and see people being themselves.

“The people accessing friendship centres feel safe so they’re more open and in tune to what their needs are, rather than walking into another establishment, building or institution and not knowing how to navigate it,” said Bouvier, the executive director of the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan.

“It’s a safe place and any time you bring food and smiles, you are more open to getting what you need from that.”

Bouvier is originally from Treaty One Territory and moved to Saskatchewan in 2003. She began working with AFCS, an Indigenous-owned and led organization with 150 friendship centres across the country, in 2016.

The AFCS provides advocac

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