Economic development plans get federal funds

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The federal government will be providing Whitecap Dakota First Nation with $2.1 million in funding to allow the First Nation to make the infrastructure improvements needed before it can go ahead with its planned commercial ventures.

Those ventures include a casino, a hotel and spa, an RV park and campground, an ice arena and a light industrial park as well as retail and resort residential development. Also in the works is an expansion of the award-winning Dakota Dunes Golf Course.

"New infrastructure improves the quality of life in First Nation communities," Jim Prentice, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, said when the funding was announced on Aug. 21.

"Our plan will create employment, business development and tourism opportunities for Whitecap and for the entire region," said Whitecap Dakota Chief Darcy Bear. "We will be able to participate and contribute in the regional economy and improve the quality of life for our members."