Boyle Street’s King Thunderbird Centre finally opens to Edmonton’s most vulnerable

It’s taken more than three years with many hurdles, including delays and a lawsuit. But the $49.5 million ‘okimaw peyesew kamik’ or the King Thunderbird Centre is opened by Boyle Street Community Services.

An opening ceremony was held on Monday, but the public was able to take guided tours inside on Tuesday afternoon. It’s a major upgrade from Boyle Street’s last building near Rogers Place, which was an old banana ripening warehouse that was demolished.

Inside the new building near 101 Street and 107A Avenue, there is no overnight shelter space or supervised consumption site. Instead, access to supports like temporary housing, mental health and addictions, and harm reduction.

There is also an Indigenous twist. Many of the rooms are named in Cree, like nipîy or Askîy, and many cultural ceremonies are performed in specific rooms, plus a sweat lodge outside.

“Our elders have told us the most important thing is that we come from that indigenous lens and perspective. Everything we’ve done in this building has been from our community members, elders, and taking that guidance,” said Jordan Reiniger, Boyle Street’s executive director.

After first being announced in 2022, challenges arose. Members of the public opposed it because it was close to Victoria School of the Arts, a public high school.

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A lawsuit was filed by Katz Real Estate Group over a conditional $5 million donation linked to the construction. It eventually settled in June 2025, with both parties only saying it reached a “positive resolution”.

But the legal issues and pushback appear to be gone, and the centre has already served 1,000 people since mid-November.

“The folks that we serve at Boyle Street have said they want, like all of us, a good life. That means access to health services, good relationships, purpose and meaning,” said Reiniger.