The Kahkewistahaw First Nation is receiving a loan for its Kahkewistahaw Landing Infrastructure urban reserve project.
15.4-million dollars is going to the First Nation from the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Chief of the Kahkewistahaw First Nation Evan Taypotat explained the loan is for 25 years at an interest rate of 1 percent, but won’t have to start making payments until 2026, when he hopes to have several businesses on the land to help repay the loan. He added Kahkewistahaw is “the only First Nation in Canada to apply and be accepted for such a type of loan”.
The money will be used for building infrastructure such as road works, utilities and broadband connectivity in Saskatoon. Chief Taypotat says once that’s done, likely in the next 12 months, they will figure out what to build next as well as conduct what he called a “highest best use/interest” survey for the area to determine what the City of Saskatoon needs the most. Kahkewistahaw Landing, located at the corner of Claypool Drive and Airport Drive, will be home to, among other things, a gas station, a medical centre providing culturally sensitive social services, commercial and office space, a conference centre, a hotel, and a new building for the Federation of Soveriegn Indigenous Nations. Property highlights and concept drawings can be found here.
The process started back in April of 2017, when Kahkewistahaw bought the 40 acres of land in northwest Saskatoon.
“It’s been a long process,” Chief Taypotat said. “And all the hardships to get to today will be worth it because in 50 years from now – when I’m long gone from this Earth – Kahkewistahaw will achieve sovereignty through economic development through the land.”
Taypotat hopes what they’re doing inspires other First Nations to achieve sovereignty through economic development. He explained a lot of First Nations are geographically gifted and economic sovereignty comes easier for them, but other reserves are not geographically gifted and have to make things happen for themselves, like they did.
“We don’t live on the edge of a city or live in a city, but we found land that we liked that we knew we could make our dollars, so to those First Nations out there…keep dreaming and it could happen. There’s many cities in Canada that are working towards reconciliation and this is just one good example of it working in everyone’s favour.” Taypotat added.
On another note, he mentioned he’s speaking at an FSIN conference at 10:45 tomorrow morning (Wed) in Saskatoon about achieving reserve status in urban centres.