For the Enoch Cree First Nation, the construction and development of a world-class entertainment resort and casino is no gamble.

The $140-million gaming and entertainment complex, an initiative that unites the aboriginal band and Paragon Canada ULC, could be the economic engine that powers future growth and development for the 2,000-member strong Enoch Cree Nation No. 440.

After it is built, the Enoch Paragon Limited Partnership (EPLP) operation on Edmonton’s western outskirts at 79th Avenue and Winterburn Road is expected to attract $29.1 million annually to benefit the native band.

Construction, which will move forward once an expected water, sewer and fire servicing agreement between the City of Edmonton and the EPLP is concluded, is tentatively scheduled to begin in August with completion anticipated for the summer of 2006.

Rendering courtesy Yates-Silverman Inc.
The proposed Enoch Entertainment Resort is seen as a potential economic engine.

“A casino is a great way to generate revenue,” said Robert Morin, president of the Enoch Community Development Corp., “and we’ve tied it into a resort destination – a tourist attraction.”

With two hotels, a meeting and conference centre, a mixed-use event centre, three indoor hockey arenas, an indoor soccer field, four restaurants and a 60,000-sq.-ft. casino, Morin believes the reserve is holding all the right cards.

“It means a great deal. First of all, it’s the largest project ever to be built on our land,” said Morin, who added that it will help to kickstart other economic activities in his community such as residential housing, new educational facilities and projects including a healing and counselling centre.

“It also allows for immediate employment during construction, and after construction it offers long-term employment by providing our community members with opportunities for long-term careers,” said Morin.

Benefits from the EPLP project will also spread into Edmonton and the region around the city as the $29.1 million represents just 39 per cent of the estimated $75 million of annual unleveraged direct economic impact.

The EPLP estimates that $34.4 million, or 45 per cent, will spread to the Edmonton market through increased labour, lottery fund revenues, and vendors and services, while the balance of about $11.6 million will flow outside the greater Edmonton area.

Generating a strong portion of that income will be a casino with 600 slot machines, 40 game tables, 12 poker tables and a high-limit gaming lounge.

But don’t expect the flashy, Disney-type theming of mega-hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas strip, said John Cahill, Paragon’s vice-president of planning. “It’s more of a residential-scale casino,” he notes.

Yates-Silverman Inc., a casino interior design firm that has been prominent in the gaming industry for more than 40 years, is on board to ensure that the project will be sophisticated yet also somewhat understated, said Cahill. Architect Cohos Evamy will help to meld the project with local sensibilities, noted Cahill, who pointed out that the theme will centre on the history of the Enoch telling the story of their culture.

Vegas veteran Elizabeth Blau, a restaurant developer best known for helping to transform that city’s restaurant scene into a renowned culinary destination, is also part of the team. She will deal with four restaurants that are still in the process of being finalized – a steak ’n’ chop house, a three-meal café, a sports bar and grill and a 300-plus-seat buffet. Blau will transform these formats into concepts that are new and unique to Edmonton, drawing on her hotel casino food and beverage expertise.

Meanwhile, the Marriott Hotel chain is bringing two of its 14 brands into the Edmonton market, opening a 225-room four-star, full-service hotel, and a 152-room Fairfield Inn and Suites – its more affordable banner – at the resort.

The two new Marriotts will join a soon-to-be Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Edmonton, marking the chain’s entry into the local marketplace through the conversion of the existing Thornton Court Hotel. The Courtyard brand is aimed at business travellers.

“We believe it (the entertainment resort) is going to introduce new demand into the market,” said Cahill. “Marriott also has the strongest reward program, and it will bring out a whole pent-up demand for their points. They have no (resort) place to use them in Alberta.”

Rounding out the resort’s attractions, which except for the Fairfield Inn & Suites will comprise a huge interconnected complex, are:

* A 12,500-sq.-ft. meeting and conference centre.

* A mixed-use event centre that can hold as many as 1,700 people. A flexible space with an adaptable seating configuration, it will lend itself to live entertainment performances.

* Three indoor hockey arenas and one indoor soccer field to be operated by Burnaby, B.C.-based Canlan Ice Sports Corp.

* Very limited retail, including sports offerings in the sportsplex, typical retail found in hotel lobbies and a planned store with products based on the Enoch Cree culture.

The announced development occupies 19.6 hectares of land, leaving another 21 acres in the planning stages. Morin added the company is looking at commercial activities that will complement the resort.

Meanwhile, a Calgary-area First Nation is also pinning its economic hopes on a proposed 70,000-sq.-ft. casino. Tsuu T’ina residents voted 74 per cent in favour last week of ratifying the development, to be located on the former Harvey Barracks land in the city’s southwestern quadrant.

The band has said it plans to use gambling revenues from the estimated $700-million project to pay for social programs and housing for its members, but residents in nearby communities are expressing concerns about increased noise, traffic and social problems.

The proposal must still be approved by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.