Eagle Landing celebrated its grand opening on Friday and is a collaboration between the Red Pheasant Cree Nation and the City of North Battleford. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

EAGLE LANDING

Eagle Landing opening marks new era of growth in North Battleford

Oct 19, 2024 | 12:53 PM

A new era in North Battleford began on Friday night.

The leadership of the Red Pheasant Cree First Nation joined representatives from the City of North Battleford to celebrate the grand opening of Eagle Landing. Cheers and applause filled the air, marking a significant milestone for the city and a step toward reconciliation.

The mall is not just a new retail space, but also symbolizes a shared vision for prosperity benefiting North Battleford and the surrounding Nations.

“There are great opportunities in the future for First Nations and all First Nations people; there’s a great opportunity, as we shared, in working together, working on behalf of our kids.,” said Sheldon Wuttunee, former Chief of Red Pheasant Cree Nation.

Wuttunee explained that they were able to acquire the land for this project because the leadership of Red Pheasant recognized years ago that the existing lands were not benefiting the community. To address this, they negotiated a Treaty Entitlement Agreement with several First Nations across the province, which allowed them to purchase additional land adjacent to their reserves.

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Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) called the moment historic.

“Because why do we say that, 100 years from now, many of us in this room are going to the spirit world.”

Cameron pointed out that AJ Ahenakew, the director of economic development for Red Pheasant, played a key role in naming the mall ‘Eagle Landing.’ In Indigenous culture, the eagle is considered the most sacred animal, which adds depth to the meaning.

“That’s the highest animal; that’s forces of heavens and who we pray to God, we pray and pray with the good things. We pray to God that our children have better lives than us and better opportunities,” Cameron said.

Eagle Landing is a 17-bay strip mall located at the intersection of 15th Avenue and Territorial Drive, an area that sees 12,000 vehicles passing by each day. Each bay offers 1,200 square feet of space with 16-foot ceilings and notably, it is home to the city’s first Starbucks.

Tanya LaRose, real estate director of Eagle Landing, emphasized that Starbucks chose to open in Engle Landing because it values truth and reconciliation. By doing so, she said Starbucks aimed to make a statement in support of building a positive relationship with the Indigenous community, promoting equitable growth for a demographic that has faced generations of poverty.

The mall’s significance to the community is evident, as it was awarded The Economic Development Project of the Year by the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA). LaRose believes that its presence will increase the value of leasehold properties in the city within the first 12 months.

She further explained that Eagle Landing is modelled after Stonebridge in Saskatoon as both neighbourhoods border the ring road, providing high visibility, significant traffic counts, and easy access for businesses, tenants, patrons, and the future residential area.

“We have a school coming down the chute, we’re also working on bringing an arena in, so coming down the chute in the next 10-year development, we are confident that this is the catalyst for all resources, all energies, all networks, to come together and to see some real growth in North Battleford,” she explained.

Looking ahead, David Gillian, Mayor of North Battleford, believes that this opening will give the city a promising economic prospect and bring the real growth people have longed for.

“This is going to be not just one street mall and some businesses. This is going to be a neighbourhood someday, and in the next 10 to 20 years, there’s going to be more and more and more development here,” Gillian said.

Montana Construction from Saskatoon is the leading contractor for the project.

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kenneth.cheung@pattisonmedia.com