Plans for a new research station in Pender Harbour are one step closer to completion as the Federal Government announced a large boost of funding for the project.
MP Patrick Weiler made the announcement alongside the Loon Foundation and shíshálh Nation Chief Lenora Joe over the weekend.
Over $13 million in funding will go towards building a Net-Zero building to house the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS). It’ll be home to exhibits, laboratories, galleries and public programming to inspire visitors with the natural world.
The Loon Foundation has been working with the shíshálh Nation to ensure the station blends both traditional ways of knowing and Western science.
“PODS exemplifies Reconciliation in action, demonstrating how collaboration can pave the way for a brighter future for generations to come,” says lhe hiwus Lenora Joe.
The Loon Foundation has been working for over 20 years to preserve biodiversity on the Sunshine Coast and this will be part of that story, says Dr. Michael Jackson executive director of the Loon Foundation.
“PODS will offer a vibrant community hub where science, art, and Indigenous knowledge intersect to spark solutions for our planet’s most pressing challenges and open new horizons for generations to come.”
The funding is part of the Green Inclusive Community Buildings program that launched in 2021.
