Its a historic day today for the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation as it marks the grand opening of the Community Store and Café.
The largetst community infrastructure project since 2002 of the Bighouse, the facility represents a new era of food security and economic sovereignty for the Nation.
Roxanne Robinson elected councillor and Lodge Manager of Spirit Bear Lodge explains the excipment for the Nation.
“I think it’s very exciting times for, for our community of Kitasoo Xai’xais We have been had a really big opening since our big house opening back in 2002. So could see the excitement on social media and just feel it within the community.” – Roxanne Robinson – elected councillor and Lodge Manager of Spirit Bear Lodge
Robinsion also explains what the impact of the new store has for the community.
“Bring such a meaningful building to our community that’s gonna provide fresh produce and you know the café is gonna be a really like a social place for our people and I feel like that’s something that’s really been missing within our community my grandpa used to spend and your great grandpa used to spend hours at our local café drinking pots and pots of coffee and hanging out there with his friends and for us it’s exciting times because we’re gonna have somewhere to go to be social but also a little place for us to eat out because we’re such a small community.” – Robinson
The new facility features:
- The Return of the Café: A full-service café offering hot meals and fresh coffee, restoring an essential gathering space for residents, neighbors, and visitors.
- Expanded Food Security: A one-third increase in floor space compared to the previous location, ensuring consistent access to fresh produce, meats, and bulk goods.
- Economic Hub: Modern office spaces and a retail environment designed to provide meaningful local employment and professional training opportunities for community youth.
- Regional Integration: A new unified system allowing the use of gift cards at both the Community Band Store and First Nations Fuel.
Kitasoo Xais’xais Nation had also invited other neighbouring Nation to take part in the grand opening
