WEST KELOWNA — With over 400 businesses on Westbank First Nations (WFN) land, Chief Robert Louie says his band is open for business.
“We are the largest first nations community with the developments on a reserve in Canada,” he said Wednesday in front of a crowd of about 50 people at a Greater Westside Board of Trade luncheon.
This entrepreneurial drive hasn’t gone unnoticed in West Kelowna’s business community, which is one of the reasons Louie was invited to speak.
“We’ve partnered with Westbank First Nation over the past several years. We want to continue our relationship and ensure we’re on the same page and moving together within our community,” says Chair Christopher Cruz.
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One item of interest at the meeting was the major private hospital project that hasn’t gone ahead.
READ MORE: Cracks appearing in WFN private hospital proposal
The band proposed to build Canada’s first for-profit, private hospital to take advantage of medical tourism. However, its fundraising partner failed to come through with the money needed for the $125 million clinic.
“In our minds that end of the bargain wasn’t fulfilled. We’ve got to do one of two things: get a new partner or evaluate the whole medical centre proposal,” explains Louie.
While that project is stalled, the band says other developments are on the way. It has acquired more than 700 acres of land in an exchange with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as part of this highway interchange project.
“As far as development of all these properties, that’s going to take some time, some consultation with our membership and we need to create land use plans.”
The Chief’s message today: there will be many more business opportunities on the Westbank reserve in the years ahead.
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