Xatśūll First Nation is pleased to announce a new $3.8
million project that will see the development of a gas station, convenience
store, quick-serve restaurant and a seasonal museum with Xatśūll and Secwépemc
artifacts that will include a tourism hub hosted by local ambassadors at the
site of the Emporium.
“Our members have wanted this to come to fruition for
over 20 years,” says Kúkpi7 (Chief) Sheri Sellars. “I’m ecstatic that the project is
finally able to go ahead. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication by the
Xatśūll Development Corporation, in collaboration with Xatśūll, and persistence
from our members to make this a reality.”
Renovations and expansion of the Emporium,
which is located about 30 km north of Williams Lake on Highway 97, will
commence on May 2, 2022 and the project is expected to take around a year to
complete if there are no delays.
The site was originally developed in 1970 and
has previously served as a gas station and restaurant. Most recently, it’s been
used by Xatśūll as a training centre for culinary arts, trail builders and
other miscellaneous functions. “The Emporium sits at the heart of nine biking
and hiking trails that were added in 2016 and is located just above the Xatśūll
Heritage Village. The site will provide ample of reason for people to stop,”
says Sellars. “
The proposed project, which will incorporate the Emporium, is
the right approach as it holds significant social, historical and cultural
value; there is no appetite to remove the existing building and replace it.”
Xatśūll is happy to announce that electric charging stations will be available
for those who’ve made the switch from gas or diesel. Xatśūll is partnering with
Petro-Canada for gas. This project as a whole is expected to bring a minimum of
nine full-time jobs and seven part-time jobs. “One of the big objectives for us
has been to bring more employment opportunities to the community, especially
closer to home.
This project will offer a mix of entry-level jobs and senior
positions that’ll suit a variety of experience and skill levels.” In the short
term, a Residential Building Maintenance Worker Trader Sampler Program will
offer training to eight Indigenous people in a variety of skills such as
drywall, plumbing, electrical, carpentry and more. The program will run from
May 2, 2022 to July 22, 2022 in collaboration between Xatśūll First Nation, the
Xatśūll Development Corporation (XDC), Cariboo Chilcotin Aboriginal Training Employment
Centre (CCATEC) and Thompson Rivers University (TRU).
“In addition to building
long-term employment through the development project, developing these crucial
construction skills locally will help us tremendously in future projects and
provides more career opportunities for local Indigenous people. We’re really
thankful for the support and collaboration with CCATEC and TRU as skill
development opportunities like this wouldn’t be possible without them.”
The
development project will be managed by Kevin Potter, of Capital Asset
Management Solutions, the construction will be managed by Xatśūll member and
owner of R&B Construction Gary Sellars and Steven Parker, Xatśūll’s Manager
of Economic Development, will oversee the Residential Building Maintenance Worker
Trader Sampler Program. “As you can see there are a lot of moving parts to this
project and we’re really happy with all the people who are stepping forward and
lending their expertise to it,” says Sellars. “Our belief in the viability and
benefits of this project have helped us make this project a reality. We’re
really happy we’ve been able to bring it to this point and are looking forward
to opening day. I’d like to thank Xatśūll members, staff, Chief and Council and
all the other organizations and people who’ve helped us make this project a
reality,” says XDC Chief Executive Officer Howard Campbell.
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