New development on Red Pheasant Cree Nation's urban reserve brings hope for 'brighter future': chief
CBC
In a sod-breaking ceremony Wednesday morning, Red Pheasant Cree Nation turned the soil on a new project that the community hopes will be part of a better future.
Their plan is to construct a 17-unit commercial retail project at the Red Pheasant Urban reserve in North Battleford, some 30 years after the Cree Nation assumed control of the land in the city.
"It's been a long time since we've been waiting for this day. It's a very special day for us," Lux Benson, the chief of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation, said at Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony.
"A lot of our people were a part of this. They have passed on their vision which we're trying to carry on."
Benson said the hope is that the retail development project will mean economic development for his community, whose main reserve territory is about 35 kilometres south of North Battleford.
It will include a strip mall, office spaces, storage and warehouse units, and eventually residential spaces at the intersection of Territorial Drive and 15th Avenue in North Battleford.
"We're kind of targeting our young people who are going to high school so they won't have to be travelling from the community to the city. They can have a place in a city where it's easier to access for them," Benson said.
"Developing this land is for our First Nations people, for our young people in the future, getting them ready and stable."
North Battleford Mayor David Gillan also thinks it will be an economic driver for the large urban reserve — a 357-acre (144-hectare) parcel purchased by Red Pheasant in 1995, according to a government of Canada document.
Since the strip mall will be on North Battleford's ring road, he expects it will see a lot of traffic.
While construction is expected to start within the month, there's no timeline yet for completion.
"It just takes time, but the long-term vision is what's important … for the community and our great relationship with our First Nations that are so close to the city," Gillian said.
"It only makes good common sense that we're all one and unified."
The new development will add to the existing infrastructure on the Red Pheasant urban reserve, which includes a casino and gas station, Gillan said.
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