Resort project to revitalize mission area

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A unique project under way in southeastern British Columbia has found a way to revitalize a piece of history while providing a big economic boost to the region.

The St. Eugene Mission Resort project is currently under construction and, according to project manager Helder Ponte, is one of the largest Aboriginal projects being undertaken in the country.

The St. Eugene Mission Resort is located six km north of Cranbrook, and takes up 327 acres of land on the St. Mary's Indian Reserve. The land is held in common by the Columbia Lake, Lower Kootenay, Shuswap, St. Mary's and Tobacco Plains bands, all members of the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council.

"The lands, actually, are an Indian reserve that is held in common by five bands. . . So each band has one-fifth, and is a common holder in interest of the site, so we always had the five bands involved. We have a board of directors from whom we receive direction for the development, and this board of directors has representation from each of the five member bands," Ponte said.

The resort is being built on the site of the historic St. Eugene Mission, which was founded by the Roman Catholic church in 1873. Construction of the Mission building itself, which forms the cornerstone of the new resort, was completed in 1912. At one time, the building served as a residential school, taking in Native children from the Okanagan and Kootenay regions. The mission was closed in 1970, and the building has remained unused since, except for a short period in the early 1980s when two rooms were used for administration offices by the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council.

It was the mission building itself that was the launching point for the resort project, Ponte explained.

"I would say the main idea was, looking at the building, and not using the building, and we were all afraid that one day we would lose the building. So we always thought that we needed to do something with the building and the site," he said. "We did a number of studies, and they all told us the same thing, that we should strive for a destination resort, and that's what we did.

"We would like to use the mission building, give it some use for the future. Otherwise, we will lose that building. It's really a heritage building, of great heritage value. It's the largest building in the southern interior of B.C. from the early 1900s, and if we had not done this, we probably would have lost the building already. So this way, in a sense, we're trying to bring the building back to life by restoring it to a use that will fit, really, the purpose the building was built for," Ponte said.

Although preserving the mission building and historic site was the inspiration for the resort project, the main goal of the resort is providing employment to Aboriginal people. A total of 420 jobs are expected to be created during construction of the project, and when finished Ponte estimates the resort will employ 300 people.

"We see these as key instruments for Aboriginal employment, especially for the younger people, because the Aboriginal population is growing at a much faster rate than the general population, and we are concerned about where are the jobs going to be for the people. And this is one way to address that problem," Ponte said.

When completed, the St. Eugene Mission Resort will boast a hotel, casino and golf course, as well as unique features highlighting the culture of the Ktunaxa people. The golf course opened in May, and the hotel and casino are scheduled to open in May 2001.

"The mission building will be the main icon of the resort," Ponte said. Plans call for the building to be transformed into a hotel complex with 25 upper-scale rooms, as well as a 130-seat dining room, 75-seat lounge, seven meeting rooms, an audio-visual/teleconferencing room, a business centre, and a gift shop. The resort offices will also operate out of the mission building.

The resort will also include two new buildings, which will house 100 additional rooms.

Th resort will be managed by Delta Hotels, and will likely be called the Delta Mission Resort.

The resort plans also call for development of a casino, to be located in a separate building just behind the mission building. The "Casino of the Rockies" will provide guests with a variety of wagering opportunities, including slot machines and gaming tables, and is expected to employ about 150 people.

The golf course portion of the development is the only part currently open for business. The golf course boasts an 18-hole championship course designed by Les Furber, and all golfing amenities. The golf course operates out of a refurbished two-story barn, built on the site in 1913. The clubhouse is located in the barn, as are the pro shop and the golf course's banquet facilities.

The barn will also be home to a recreation complex, slated to include an indoor water slide, pool, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms, fitness room, exercise gym and games room. A child care centre and snack room are also in the plans for the recreation complex, as are tennis courts, a skating rink and jogging and cross-country ski trails.

The new resort will also boast the Ktunaxa Tipi camp, with 24 tipis, powwow grounds, and a large central circle pit for storytelling and other cultural programs.

A Ktunaxa interpretive centre is also being planned, offering guided tours, cultural interpretation programs and language programs.

A Ktunaxa arts and crafts centre will also be part of the resort. Traditional and contemporary artwork will be on display and available for sale, and guests will have an opportunity for hands-on crafting experience.

The price tag for the entire St. Eugene Mission Resort project is $36 million.

"It was not easy for us to raise that money," Ponte said. The project became a reality thanks to co-operation from a number of federal government agencies, including Aboriginal Business Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs, Human Resources Development Canada and Western Economic Diversifiction.

'They were really key in assisting the project in the early days," Ponte said. Financing for the project has also come from the Royal Bank, the Columbia Basin Trust, and from a private investment group out of Utah in the U.S.

A lot of the credit for the success of the St. Eugene Mission Resort project, Ponte said, goes to Chief Sophie Pierre, Chief of the St. Mary's First Nation, who headed up the development team.

"This project, I would say, was only made possible with the leadership of Chief Sophie Pierre," Ponte said. "She really is an outstanding person. And it was her commitment and hard work that really made this project a reality."