Funding cuts threaten Kingston Indigenous organization as federal 'program shifts' leave services at risk

Federal funding changes set to take effect Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2026, could significantly limit the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest’s ability to support the city’s urban Indigenous population — unless the decision is reconsidered. According to a release, the impact won’t be abstract for those who rely on the Centre.

The Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN), which opened in 2023, is part of a network of Indigenous-run Friendship Centres that provide cultural programming and frontline social supports in communities across Ontario — reflecting the reality that over 50 per cent of Indigenous people in Canada now live in urban areas.

The funding being reduced is not tied to a single program. It forms the operational backbone that enables Friendship Centres to function — supporting everything from cultural programming in schools and weekly programming rooted in traditional craft and cuisine, to mental health navigation and housing support for people experiencing homelessness.

Without it, organizations like KNCLN say they will be forced to scale back.

“These cuts undermine trust that has taken time to build,” said KNCLN Executive Director Brandon Maracle. “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.”

A cut — or the end of a temporary fix?

At the core of the issue is the federal Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) fund, administered by Indigenous Services Canada. The program’s budget is being reduced by $240 million — from $267.5 million to $27.5 million, an almost 90 per cent reduction — leaving Ontario’s 31 Friendship Centres to share just $5.8 million this year.

But federal documents frame the change differently.

In materials describing the program, the government emphasizes its ongoing commitment to supporting urban Indigenous communities, describing UPIP as a program that helps fund services and partnerships across the country. At the same time, internal briefing notes confirm that the recent increase in funding was temporary — a two-year enhancement introduced in the 2024 federal budget.

That enhancement allowed Friendship Centres to operate with what many described as "adequate funding" for the first time in decades.

KNCLN staff noted, however, that because the Centre opened in 2023 during that funding window, it has never operated under the lower, long-term funding model now being reinstated. Under the new scenario, not only is the temporary enhancement disappearing, the Centre’s remaining core funding is being cut by more than half.

“The uncertainty alone has caused me a great amount of stress,” Maracle said. “Without stable funding, we can’t plan responsibly or guarantee that the services people rely on every day will continue.”

A system built on temporary solutions

Advocates say the situation reflects a deeper issue: funding for urban Indigenous services has long been structured as short-term or project-based, rather than stable and needs-based.

In Kingston, where City Council has formally committed to advancing reconciliation through its 2023–2026 strategic plan, the Centre plays a key role in bridging systems that often fall short for Indigenous residents. Staff deliver in-school cultural programming, they support clients navigating mental health systems, and they provide culturally safe assistance for those facing homelessness and housing instability.

The Centre has also been expanding its reach, including partnerships like a recent collaboration with Queen’s Law to improve access to Indigenous legal services.

When that capacity shrinks, the effects don’t stay within the organization, according to Maracle — they ripple outward.

He expects that cuts to the Centre will place additional strain on already stretched local systems, from housing to health care.

Recent funding decisions affecting other community services in Kingston have raised similar concerns, with local organizations warning that uncertainty can quickly ripple through frontline supports — including impacts outlined in Kingstonist’s recent coverage of provincial cuts to consumption and treatment services that potentially impact local services.

Federal messaging emphasizes support. But it does not directly address the scale of reductions facing Friendship Centres. Instead, the changes are described as the end of temporary funding and a transition to a revised program model.

For organizations on the ground, that distinction offers little reassurance.

“Being left in limbo creates chaos,” Maracle said.

The Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres has called on the federal government to work collaboratively with Friendship Centres to develop a stable, long-term funding model — one that reflects actual operating costs and preserves the gains made during the recent funding increase.

What’s at stake

For KNCLN, the issue isn’t just what is lost immediately; it’s what cannot be built. Maracle explained that decisions at the Centre are guided by seven-generation stewardship — a long-term approach rooted in care, continuity, and responsibility to future generations.

Relationship-building takes time. Stability matters. Sudden funding changes, he said, can undo that work quickly — shifting the consequences onto future leaders and generations.

“These aren’t short-term impacts,” Maracle said. “They shape what our children inherit.”

For the people who depend on those services, the distinction between a “cut” and a “program shift” may matter less than the result.

“We are asking the federal government to reconsider,” Maracle said.

More information on the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest can be found on the KNCLN website.