Ejetdaik – Government of Canada Pension Centre

At a time when working from home became a new reality, the Government of Canada Pension Centre in Shediac, NB, was looking ahead to attracting staff back to the office once COVID restrictions eased, and thinking about how to make that experience as appealing as possible. This multi-phased landscape revitalization project was intended to improve the employee experience, connect the building’s outdoor spaces with the surrounding community, and create a refreshed public face for the building, which anchors the east end of Shediac’s core business district. The Mi’kmaw word for Shediac, Ejetdaik, translates to ‘running far in’, in reference to the tides that travel inland via rivers that puncture the coastline in this area.The meandering geometries of the new landscape evoke the forces and movement of water and the coastal context. Inspired by conversations with members of the Elsipogtog First Nation, water elements, traditional medicinal plants, and custom benches pay homage to the Indigenous communities that inhabited the area for time immemorial. Corten steel elements between the building and the Old Train Museum are a tribute to the railway, which was the foundation of the modern-day town of Shediac. The design creates a variety of outdoor places for meeting, working, gathering, or quiet contemplation.

Location
Shediac, NB

Client
Public Services and Procurement Canada

Team
Englobe
Bay Construction
Gaudet Landscaping

photography
Dimana Kolarova