Enoch Cree Nation breaks ground on hotel expansion of River Cree Resort and Casino: 'Be the catalyst'

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Members of Enoch Cree Nation, partners and supporters gathered outside the River Cree Resort and Casino as they announced their new hotel expansion on Friday.

Enoch Cree Nation broke ground on the new $200-million project, which will be fully funded by the nation, and there will be no debt servicing from any other funds. The hotel is expected to open in spring 2027.

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Confederacy of Treaty 6 Grand Chief Cody Thomas said Friday marked a historic day for the nation and said the expansion is about increasing the standard of living through creating job opportunities and building capacity.

“There’s an opportunity for us to build capacity in our next generations to come but provide sustainable resources for our nation as well,” Thomas said.

“We always want to be the catalyst and create a template for other First Nations … If we can do it as well as uplifting one another, that’s the goal. Our brothers and sisters shouldn’t be left behind. As a nation, we’re always prospering in the direction of finding tangible solutions for all of us to mutually benefit.”

River Cree Resort and Casino opened in 2006 and was later fully acquired by Enoch Cree Nation in 2014.

The new hotel will include an 18-storey tower, 240 hotel rooms, 38,000 square feet of event space (with a grand ballroom and outdoor space) and a family-friendly pool with two waterslides.

‘Showcase our culture’

Vik Mahajan, the CEO of River Cree Resort and Casino who has been with the organization since 2013, said as he continues to work with Enoch Cree Nation, Indigenous culture is “going to be shown in everything that we do.”

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“This expansion is going to mean a lot, not just for the community that will benefit from it as customers as well as economic benefits, but it will also be huge for the city Edmonton area as well as the whole province,” Mahajan said. 

“We want to be able to house everybody, bring them to Enoch, showcase our culture and show them luxury that they haven’t seen in the city.”

John Thomas, a councilman with Enoch Cree Nation, said past and current leadership have been planning for the new hotel expansion, and community was top of mind in their discussions.

Thomas said they spoke to youths about trying to find a balance between maintaining natural space and new buildings. A key area they’ve addressed is making the hotel more child-friendly so it can be a space not only for adults but also for families with young children.

“We’re proud. There have been engagements with our nation members (about) what they would like to see (and) also hearing from patrons on some of the things that they feel can complement this place,” Thomas said.

“We want people to come to our resort and stay here and it will be a destination place for families to come and visit for hundreds of years to come.”

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ctran@postmedia.com
@kccindytran

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