'Back to business as usual’ as funding restored for KNCLN — but not for all

After months of uncertainty — and days after warning that federal changes could threaten its programs — the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN) says funding has now been restored.

The update follows a Friday, Mar. 27, 2026, announcement from Indigenous Services Canada committing nearly $1.4 billion toward Indigenous health, wellness and community supports, including renewed funding for the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) program — a key funding stream for organizations like KNCLN.

According to a federal news release from Indigenous Services Canada, $168 million will be invested in UPIP over five years, with funding flowing through the National Association of Friendship Centres and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) to support local programming across the country.

The Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) is a federal program created in 2017 to fund services for Indigenous people living in or accessing urban centres. It supports more than 100 organizations across Canada, including Friendship Centres, which provide cultural programming, health supports and community services.

In the latest federal announcement, Ottawa committed $168 million over five years to UPIP, with funding flowing through national and provincial Friendship Centre organizations.

For Kingston’s Indigenous community, the announcement brings a measure of stability after months of behind-the-scenes concern.

“We heard about the cuts in November, and those cuts were serious,” said KNCLN executive director Brandon Maracle.

Maracle explained that the organization had spent months preparing contingency plans as it became clear funding could be significantly reduced — potentially dropping from roughly $300 million nationally to about $27 million.

“That’s just an insane number,” he said.

While KNCLN was able to ensure staff jobs would not be immediately affected, the uncertainty still weighed heavily on both employees and the community.

“It didn’t stop the worries for the team and for the community,” Maracle said, adding that programs would have had to scale back and “slow down” if cuts had gone ahead.

Earlier, concerns were that changes to the federal program could reduce or disrupt services delivered by KNCLN, which provides cultural programming, language revitalization and community supports to urban Indigenous residents in Kingston. That uncertainty appears to have been tied to a broader federal shift in how services are delivered — one that is now being clarified through the new funding commitment.

In its announcement, Indigenous Services Canada said the investment supports “the transfer of service delivery to Indigenous organizations,” positioning Friendship Centres as central to delivering culturally grounded services in urban communities.

Funding restored — but not evenly

While the announcement resolves immediate concerns for Friendship Centres like KNCLN, it does not fully restore the broader funding landscape, leaving some organizations without support under the new model.

The new commitment provides $168 million over five years — roughly $33.6 million annually — in addition to existing base funding of about $27.5 million per year.

For Friendship Centres, that translates into renewed stability and the ability to continue programming.

“It gives us the ability to prepare, to work, to have some stability,” Maracle said.

Programs at KNCLN are now expected to continue as planned.

“We’ll return to business as usual as if nothing ever happened,” he said.

But Maracle pointed out that the picture is more complicated at a system level. “My heart is with those organizations that have lost out,” he said.

Under the restructured model, funding is now more concentrated within the Friendship Centre network, flowing through national and provincial organizations rather than being distributed across a wider range of service providers.

That shift means some organizations that previously received funding may no longer be supported.

A transition with consequences

The federal government has framed the changes as part of a broader transition toward Indigenous-led service delivery — a goal widely supported across the sector.

But Maracle said the transition has also exposed how vulnerable frontline services can be when funding certainty is unclear.

“You always hear rumours… and you wonder what’s going on behind the curtain,” he said.

The timing of the announcement has also raised questions, with organizations sounding the alarm about potential cuts just days before the federal government confirmed a multi-year commitment.

For organizations like KNCLN, that uncertainty translated into months of contingency planning, internal restructuring, and difficult conversations about what services could be sustained.

“We did a lot of work… to ensure that our team would be taken care of,” Maracle said.

Still, he said, even careful planning could not fully offset the anxiety created by the prospect of major funding reductions.

Stability — for now

The five-year funding commitment is being welcomed by sector leaders as a step toward longer-term stability.

“Stability in funding means stability in people’s lives,” said Armand Jourdain Sr., president of the OFIFC, in a statement accompanying the announcement.

The funding will support Friendship Centres serving more than one million Indigenous people in urban areas each year, including youth, seniors, and those facing housing, health or social challenges.

For Maracle, the restored funding offers both relief and a renewed sense of responsibility.

Friendship Centres, he said, are uniquely positioned to support Indigenous people navigating urban environments, and may now also play a larger role in supporting organizations that have lost funding.

“How can Friendship Centres support those other organizations?” he said, describing it as a new question for the sector.

At the same time, the longer-term outlook remains uncertain. “As an organization rooted in Indigenous ways… we’re always thinking to the seventh generation,” Maracle said.

“This five-year commitment will certainly benefit the seventh generation — but what comes next?”

For now, however, the focus is on moving forward. 

With funding secured, KNCLN will continue delivering the programs and services that many in Kingston’s urban Indigenous community rely on every day — even as broader questions about funding equity and long-term sustainability remain unresolved.

More information on the Kingston Native Centre and Lan