Award-Winning Kainai Peacemaking Program Opens New Makoyopisstooki Peacemaking Centre on the Blood Reserve

Award-Winning Kainai Peacemaking Program Opens New Makoyopisstooki Peacemaking Centre on the Blood Reserve

October 7, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Blood Tribe (Kainai) hosted the Grand Opening of the Makoyopisstooki (Chief Crop Eared Wolf) Peacemaking Centre for Harmony, Justice and Equity on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Standoff, AB.

The Kainai Peacemaking Program has been in operation since 2009 with a steady commitment in fostering a Judicial/Restorative justice system in its community. The Program is based on traditional Kainai peacemaking traditions and protocols and reported a success rate of 80 per cent. The program has since received clients referred mostly from Cardston and from Lethbridge, and Fort Macleod Provincial Courts. In 2016, it received the ‘Alberta Community Award’.

Construction of the Makoyopisstooki Peacemaking Centre for Harmony, Justice and Equity began in the Fall of 2023 and was completed in September 2025. The building is 23,850 square feet and was funded primarily by the Blood Tribe, with a 10% contribution from FNDF.

The Peacemaking Program has the confidence and support of the Alberta Court of Justice, the Chief Justice, Lethbridge Justices, Chief Crown of Alberta and the Chief Crown of Lethbridge.

One of the objectives of the Peacemaking Program is to reduce incarceration and recidivism rates. The reality remains with high numbers of incarceration rates and the overrepresentation of First Nation members in the corrections system. Approximately 85 per cent of Cardston court dockets consist of Blood Tribe members.

1. Federal Corrections:

The following statistics concerning federal correction services are relevant:

• In 2022/23, Indigenous adults represented 33% of admissions to federal custody.
  • Indigenous women represented 49% of female admissions.
    • Indigenous men represented 32% of male admissions.
    • Between 2018/2019 and 2022/2023, the number of Indigenous adults in the federal offender population increased 4.5%.
    • In 2022-2023, Indigenous peoples represented 29% of offenders under federal jurisdiction (of the Indigenous offenders, 69% identified as First Nations, 28% identified as Metis and 3% identified as Inuit).
    • The proportion of Indigenous women in federal custody has continued to rise over the years. For the first time ever, as of April 2022, Indigenous women accounted for 50% of the federally incarcerated female population (298 of 596 incarcerated females).

     

    1. Provincial/Territorial Corrections

    The following statistics concerning provincial/territorial correctional services are relevant:

    • In 2022-2023, Indigenous adults represented 30% of admissions to provincial/territorial correctional services despite accounting for 4% of the adult population in Canada in 2021.
    • This overrepresentation was somewhat more evident in custody admission (30%) compared to community supervision admissions.
    • Although all Indigenous groups are overrepresented in provincial and territorial corrections, the disparity is especially pronounced among Indigenous women:
      • In 2020-2021, Indigenous adult females represented 42% of female custody admissions. Indigenous adult males represented 30% of male custody admissions.
      • In 2022-2023, Indigenous women represented 45% of sentenced custody while Indigenous males represented 31% of sentenced

     

    Indigenous adult females vs males in sentenced custody in provincial/territorial facilities

    	Year
    Sentenced custody	2018/2019	2019/2020		2020/2021	2021/2022	2022/2023
    Indigenous males	28%		28%	33%	32%	31%
    Indigenous females	39%		42%	45%	45%	45%

     

    With the success of the Peacemaking Program, the Blood Tribe is still envisioning the operation of a fully functional court on the Blood Reserve. In 2008, Kainai and Alberta entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) to work cooperatively in establishing a Court of Justice on the Blood Reserve. While talks have continued over time they have moved at a slow pace. The Blood Tribe proceeded on the construction of the Peacemaking Centre in 2023 with hopes to add a circuit court in the new facility. The offer to Alberta remains open.

    Blood Tribe Chief and Council, Administration Directors, Justice Officials and Kainai Peacemaking Program staff and Peacemakers were in attendance for the event.

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    Media Contact: Pam Blood, Blood Tribe Communications

    Cell. (403) 448-0490                                     

    Email: [email protected]