BONNYVILLE — The Bonnyville Friendship Centre took centre stage this week, welcoming Friendship Centre leaders, Elders, staff and community members from across Alberta for the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association’s 56th Annual General Gathering.

Hosted by the Bonnyville Friendship Centre, the provincial gathering brought people from across Alberta to the Lakeland to reconnect, share ideas, celebrate Indigenous culture and recognize the generations of people who have built the Friendship Centre movement.

This year’s theme, “Honouring our Path in Balance and Renewal,” reflected both sides of that story: honouring the grassroots leaders who helped establish and strengthen Friendship Centres while looking ahead to the people who will carry that work forward.

For Bonnyville, hosting the gathering was also a chance to showcase the work happening locally and the role the Friendship Centre continues to play for individuals and families throughout the community.

Celebrating culture and the people behind the movement

Culture was front and centre during the gathering, with drumming and dancing bringing plenty of energy to the celebration.

The event also recognized individuals whose work has made a lasting impact within the Friendship Centre movement.

Among those honoured was Terry Lusty of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre, who received the 2026 ANFCA Legacy Award recognizing more than 60 years of contribution.

Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr attended the gathering and said the recognition was fitting during an event focused on the people who have helped Friendship Centres grow over the decades.

“Six decades of commitment is an extraordinary legacy,” Cyr said.

He said the history represented in the room was matched by a strong sense that the work continues.

“What stood out throughout the evening was the sense of history, culture and community in the room,” Cyr said. “It was an opportunity to recognize decades of contributions while celebrating the work that continues today.”

Bonnyville Friendship Centre brings Alberta gathering to the Lakeland

Bringing a provincial gathering of this size to Bonnyville required months of preparation from the local organization.

Cyr recognized Bonnyville Friendship Centre Chief Executive Director Janet Gobert, along with the Centre’s board and team, for taking on the job of hosting Friendship Centre representatives from around Alberta.

“A special thank you to Janet Gobert, Chief Executive Director of the Bonnyville Friendship Centre, the Friendship Centre Board, and the entire team for the tremendous work that went into hosting this provincial gathering,” Cyr said.

“Bringing so many people together takes a great deal of planning and work, and it showed throughout the evening.”

The Bonnyville Friendship Centre has become an established part of the local community through its support, programming and opportunities for cultural connection.

Cyr said his own work with the organization on local initiatives has given him an opportunity to see that impact firsthand.

“Having worked with the Centre on a number of local initiatives, I have seen firsthand the difference it makes for individuals and families through support, cultural connection and community,” he said.

Provincial gathering creates connections close to home

The event also brought Indigenous, municipal and provincial leaders together in Bonnyville.

Among those attending were Grand Chief Joey Pete of the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations, Bonnyville Mayor Elisa Brosseau and M.D. of Bonnyville Coun. Dan Amalia.

For the local Friendship Centre, however, the gathering was about more than hosting dignitaries.

It provided an opportunity for Friendship Centres from different parts of Alberta to spend time together, exchange experiences and bring new ideas back to the communities they serve.

“It was especially meaningful to have people from Friendship Centres throughout the province come together here in the Lakeland to reconnect, share experiences and ideas, and celebrate what is being accomplished in their communities,” Cyr said.

It also meant welcoming visitors from across Alberta to Bonnyville and giving the local Centre an opportunity to show what it has built at home.

Cyr thanked those who travelled to the Lakeland for the gathering and the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association, its board and staff for their continued work.

For the Bonnyville Friendship Centre, the 56th annual gathering was an opportunity to celebrate a much larger provincial movement while also shining a light on the people doing that work every day, right here in Bonnyville.