Gateway to the Rocky Mountains now includes an Esso

It was a beautiful day on May 23 in Kananaskis country, as chiefs, councilors, community members and business partners gathered to celebrate the opening of the Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre.

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The 6,000 square-foot facility, adjacent to the Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino, was opened by Stoney Nakoda Nation, which includes the Bearspaw First Nation, Chiniki First Nation and Wesley First Nation. The travel centre includes 10 Esso fuelling stations, truck transport fuelling stations and a Tim Hortons drive-through located in a stunning convenience store, not typical of the average service station.

As children ran and played throughout the ceremony, it was easy to envision the common theme of the dignitary speeches: youth. The travel centre will create opportunities for the youth of today, and also for those to come, and has created approximately 60 new jobs, 95 percent of which are filled by community members.

“We hope this is the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship for those involved,” said Darcy Dixon, Chief of the Bearspaw First Nation. “In today’s ever-changing world, nations are looking to be more involved in all business, all industries, surrounding our traditional lands.”

The Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre is located about 75 kilometres west of Calgary, just off the Trans-Canada Highway. The highway, passing the new centre, is travelled by millions each year to reach Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and beyond.

“This site is an important part of the Esso network and we welcome the Stoney Nakoda First Nation to the Esso family,” said Kimberly Hamilton, market development coordinator at Imperial.

The Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre joins 31 other Esso sites across Canada, owned or operated by Indigenous communities or community members, on reservation land.

Working with Indigenous communities on business opportunities involving our Esso and Mobil retail brands is only one of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to business development. The company also actively works to engage with Indigenous businesses in the areas we operate, investing more than $1.8 billion with Indigenous businesses since 2012.

If your summer vacation plans include a road trip west from Calgary, or east from BC, make sure you include a pit stop (ĩnãzĩ) to fill up at the Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre.