News

An update to some news we shared last week: the federal government has restored cut funding to the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples program, which is a key support to our Centre. This restoration of funding is for a five-year period.

This funding will support the Friendship Centre movement as part of Indigenous Services Canada’s shift toward the transfer of service delivery to Indigenous organizations. This five-year commitment represents stability and recognizes the hard work of the Friendship Centre movement, including Centres like ours.

Funding cuts taking effect April 1, 2026, will drastically reduce the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest’s (KNCLN) ability to serve the urban Indigenous community unless the federal government reverses its decision.

“These cuts undermine trust that has taken time to build,” said Brandon Maracle, Executive Director of KNCLN. “When funding disappears, community members don’t experience it as a line item. They experience it as the Centre no longer being able to help their grandmother, their child, or their family.”

Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN) is pleased to be introducing the Apatisiwin Program beginning in January of 2026. Apatisiwin will directly serve urban Indigenous individuals and communities, supporting people of Indigenous ancestry within the Kingston region.

Apatisiwin is a Swampy Cree word meaning “employment, training, and jobs” and the vision of the Apatisiwin Program is to ensure Indigenous people gain education, experience, and skills to achieve and maintain meaningful employment and improve their employability.

We were honoured to attend the official funding announcement for the HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) Program. In collaboration with Kingston Community Health Centers and Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest, KEYS received funding through the Sisters of Providence ACEs fund to support families in the Kingston community. Specifically, this funding will be put towards implementing the HIPPY program in three key target populations: newcomers and refugee families, general low-income families, and Indigenous families.

We have Orange Shirt Day shirts available for purchase, including youth S to XL sizes and adult small to 5XL sizes.

Payments can be made by cash or e-transfer to services@kncln.ca. Shirts can be picked up at 218 Concession St. 

The design was created by students Marshall from Cataraqui Woods Elementary and Olivia from Centennial Public School. 

Thank you for your support.

On Saturday, June 21, join us and the City of Kingston for celebrations from 1 to 6 p.m. at Confederation Park, located in downtown Kingston across from City Hall. This Day presents a meaningful occasion to come together, reflect on, and celebrate the unique heritage, traditions, culture and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. 

KNCLN is now the proud owner of a brand new eight-seater minivan which we will be using to transport clients to appointments and provide transportation to youth to our off-site programming.

We're grateful for the support of Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres - OFIFC for their support of this purchase.

The Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest, in partnership with Queen's Faculty of Law and the Queen’s Law Clinics, receives funding from

Want to know more about why we are building Indigenous legal services, and what that will look like? Listen to this short interview with Constance on CFRC Radio!