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Enoch In a colourful pageant of costumed singers, dancers and drummers the Enoch Cree nation got its first glimpse of economic salvation Sunday, when the River Cree casino threw open its doors for a community open house.
“Impressive,” said Irene Morin, who works for the band council and, like hundreds of others, got her first look inside the massive gaming facility attached to a Marriott Hotel and twin ice arenas.
From its wooden canopied exterior to its interior of dark wood, earth-toned carpeting, marble floors and cream stucco rounded walls, River Cree is the Taj Mahal of Edmonton casinos, a true showpiece for the gaming industry.
It officially opens to the public on Thursday. Morin said what she likes about the casino is its roominess. At 65,000 square feet, there is plenty of space between banks of gambling machines and gaming tables, so people won’t feel they are jammed in.
Enoch residents Robbie and Wayne Ghostkeeper came out for the open house and liked what they saw.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Wayne Ghostkeeper. “It’s something else, for Enoch, for a First Nation. It’s going to be good for the community.”
The jobs and economic spinoff from the casino, hotel and sports complex should go a long way towards paving roads and catching up on a backlog of 300 homes for band families, Wayne Ghostkeeper said. So far, there are 200 First Nations people hired for the resort complex, or about one-third of the overall staff.
A ceremony featuring music and traditional costumes and speeches kicked off the open house. A buzz of anticipation washed over the crowd.
There is no gambling yet, but row upon row of slot machines were lit up, winking like silent sentinels as the crowd toured the huge gaming hall, with its multiple lounges and restaurants lining the perimeter of the casino complex.
“Today is a day of celebration,” said Morin, noting the band has talked about a casino at Enoch as a major thrust of economic development for more than 30 years.
Chief Ron Morin, in buckskins and eagle-feather headdress, told band members that when he was originally hired by the band as an economic development officer in the early 1990s, the notion of a casino seemed like a far-away, unrealistic idea.
There were doubts from the start that the band could build such a large project.
The band persisted with that dream, Morin said. But the overall goal had to be more than a casino and the band’s intent all along was to adjoin a hotel and sports complex.
Even as various potential partners came and went, the band would not be deterred from its overall vision, despite lawsuits involving by one partner, now long gone.
The band did not want a staged development with only a casino to start.
The Enoch Cree finally partnered with Paragon Gaming of Las Vegas.
“They took the torch to help us realize this vision,” said Morin.
Originally conceived as a more modest, $40-million plan, the development that rose from the flat fields and bush just west of Edmonton at 231st Street and Whitemud Drive finally came in with a $178-million price tag.
“To all of you band members who have come out on this historic day, it was all of you people who supported us and believe in this vision that made it a reality,” Morin said.
A black-tie reception for invited guests takes place Wednesday before Edmonton’s newest gaming complex opens for business Thursday.
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