Sophie Pierre, former chief of ʔaq̓am, one of the bands in the Ktunaxa Nation, oversaw the transformation of St. Eugene Resort from a residential school to a thriving hotel.Supplied
When Sophie Pierre looks out across the St. Mary River from her home on the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa First Nation near Cranbrook, British Columbia, she sees the residential school she attended from 1956 until 1965 — only it isn’t a residential school anymore. Since 2003, the St. Eugene Resort, with its world-class golf course and Rocky Mountain backdrop, has stood as a monument to the resilience of her community and their efforts to reclaim control of the narrative in a story that reaches back 10,000 years.
The resort, sprawling and undeniably beautiful, has at its centre the red-roofed school building erected in 1910 and run by Roman Catholic missionaries since 1912. After its closure in 1970, the building sat empty and decaying for two decades while ownership was in limbo and the community debated what to do with the property — a place that represented suffering and housed deeply traumatic memories.
“I don’t think there was a window in there that wasn’t busted,” says Ms. Pierre, former chief of ʔaq̓am, one of the bands in the Ktunaxa Nation, and the founder of the resort. “It was really ugly. So it was the perfect depiction, I think, of what had happened to us as a people going through that residential school.”
When the property was officially handed over to the Ktunaxa Nation, a significant segment of the community wanted to see the school torn down, an expensive endeavour that wasn’t linked to a clearly defined purpose or outcome.
“Out of sight does not mean out of mind,” says Ms. Pierre. Instead of demolition, they heeded the advice of community Elder Mary Paul, who believed that the band’s next steps, whatever they were, would be more impactful and more important than their recent past.
Inspired by Ms. Paul’s perspective, Ms. Pierre led the redevelopment project, a ten-year process that included raising the funds to cover the $40 million price tag, an already massive challenge exacerbated by the Indian Act. Since reserve land is owned by the federal government, it’s difficult for Indigenous entrepreneurs to apply for credit or access capital. Instead, she and her team had to sell investors, such as Delta Hotels, a Canadian hospitality brand now owned by Marriott International and The Columbia Basin Trust, on the viability of a project like this one, which combined reconciliation with revenue generation.
“The reason that we’ve got the hotel is to tell the story of the residential school,” Ms. Pierre says. “We took it upon ourselves to take that narrative about what the school had done to us and turn that around, to regain our own place and to tell the truth about what happened.”
The resort has also become an economic tentpole for the Ktunaxa Nation. The property includes 125 luxury rooms, two restaurants, a bar, a casino and a spa, as well as the Les Furber-designed golf course. The original Mission Building houses 25 of those rooms, as well as the Ktunaxa Interpretive Centre. In total the resort employs about 250 people, a quarter of which are Indigenous, and the course has racked up accolades, including ranking as one of Golf Digest’s Best New Canadian Golf Courses upon opening in 2001.
After a ten-year renovation, the St. Eugene Resort includes a 125-room hotel, two restaurants, a bar, a casino, a spa and a golf course designed by Les Furber.Supplied
This balance is one many Indigenous-owned tourism companies are navigating. “Indigenous tourism is reconciliation in action,” says Keith Henry, CEO & President at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
To Mr. Henry, the success of the property stems from the very fact that the community has leaned into, rather than shied away from, its history.
“They own it and they’re benefiting from that,” he says. “That’s what makes it different — the history and the cultural context. What makes it special and unique is the history and the story of the Ktunaxa people, their resilience and strength. That’s where the power really is and that’s what makes them more successful.”
Proprietorship of the St. Eugene resort is shared across five bands, making the property 100 per cent Indigenous-owned, conceived of and sustained. It operates not only to benefit the community that created it, but the generations of Ktunaxa to come.
While Ms. Pierre is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations (she recently became the Inaugural Senior Fellow in Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School), she remains a staunch champion for the business. The current CEO, Sandra van Steijn, is committed to maintaining — and growing — St. Eugene Resort’s success.
“St. Eugene Resort operates as a full-service destination resort, welcoming leisure travellers, golfers, RV guests, and corporate groups year-round, while continuing to honour the building’s history and what it represents to our communities,” says van Steijn. “Looking ahead, our focus is on thoughtful, sustainable growth that strengthens the guest experience and local employment, including enhancements to accommodations and outdoor-stay offerings like glamping, along with ongoing reinvestment in the property.”
The company is also reaching out to local partners to create opportunities to host a diverse range of experiences, from wine festivals to writers’ retreats.
Today, when Ms. Pierre’s grandchildren look across the river, they don’t see a residential school, they see their resort — a project that offers opportunity and prosperity for their community and a future that continues to grow out of an ongoing reconciliation with the past.
“Our grandchildren refer to ‘Our hotel, our golf course, our resort.’ That’s what it’s become for them,” she says. “It’s the future. It’s not the past dragging us back.”
One in a regular series of stories. To read more, visit our Indigenous Enterprises section. If you have suggestions for future stories, reach out to IE@globeandmail.com.