Two of George Gordon First Nation’s oldest members cut the ribbon on its first urban reserve at the southeast edge of Regina on Friday.
Nancy Bitternose, 98, and Henry Bird, 96, a former chief of the First Nation in the 1960s, helped the community take official ownership of the 233 hectare (577 acre) piece of land at the south end of Wascana Parkway.
“We are open for business,” said Byron Bitternose, Chief of the George Gordon First Nation.
The Cree First Nation’s main reserve is located about 100 km north of Regina. Bitternose said purchasing the urban land means jobs down the road and financial gain for all its members, both on reserve and urban.
“We are finally in the game, we got our urban land,” said Bitternose.
The plan to purchase the land began in 2016, when the federal government’s Public Works department announced it was selling the property.
The deal is part of George Gordon’s 1992 Treaty Land Entitlement that allowed the First Nation the ability to reclaim or buy about 35,600 hectares (88,000 acres) of treaty land it was owed but didn’t receive after the signing of the Initial treaty agreement in 1874.
George Gordon First Nation’s urban reserve is now one of five in the Regina area. The others include the Cowessess, Ochapowace, Sakimay and Piapot First Nations.
According to the department of Crown-Indigenous Relations, most urban reserves have been created through specific claim and Treaty Land Entitlement settlements. The same sales tax exemptions that apply to purchasing goods and services on reserves in rural areas also apply to urban reserves, though only status Indians are eligible for the sales tax exemptions.
Future developments
The land was most recently used for farm research, and still has several structures such as an old greenhouse, storage facilities and living quarters.
“We have to get them checked out to see if they’re safe,” said Bitternose.
“We will hire a company to go through the land here to see what we can or can’t build.”
Glen Pratt, CEO of George Gordon Developments and a member of the Treaty Land Entitlement Board said they would be looking at some type of commercial development because of the “extensive” size of the property.
Pratt did not want to disclose the amount paid for the property but said they got a good deal near market value.
The land neighbours the Wascana Country Club and Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Regina campus. Pratt said with the polytechnic’s buildings being multiple storeys, he hopes they too can one day build something similar in size.
“This is going to be something that is a long-term strategy, that we will hand over to our children and our grandchildren, who will eventually inherit this land and be able to continue to develop,” said Pratt.
About 100 people attended the ribbon cutting, including dignitaries from the First Nation, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, federal government and the City of Regina.
A traditional honour song was sung for veterans and community members lost over the years, followed by a flag-raising song.
“We need our seniors to be looked after and our youth will be looked after,” said Bitternose.
“It’s very important that we do business deals that will benefit our kids and grandkids.”
This is the first urban land purchase for the George Gordon First Nation, although they do have other agricultural land around the province.
