A tribal casino in Alberta is preparing to open its doors.

Bear Hills Casino & Travel Resort hosted a VIP and media tour event on Wednesday ahead of the facility’s opening later this spring. The casino and resort will be operated by the Louis Bull Tribe, which is one of four reserves in the Maskwacis community. Bear Hills will provide a plethora of new employment opportunities as the project undergoes construction.

“It’s important to note that every one of you are here today because you have had a role in getting us to this place. Here, inside the walls of a casino that, just a few years ago, was not much more than a dream. Here, in a place that will provide job and career opportunities to more than 80 residents of Maskwacis and Central Alberta,” Bear Hills President and CEO Gordon Rauscher told event attendees.

The gathering featured roughly 100 attendees made up of Louis Bull Tribe community members, tribe leadership, and partners of the project including TD Bank. The project is also backed by First Nations Bank of Canada and Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis.

Bear Hills Casino emerges as a promising venture

The new facility is in the first phase of its construction, which will include a Petro-Canada petroleum station, public facilities for highway travelers, the casino, and a performance stage. Later phases of development will include a hotel, event center, and restaurants.

Bear Hills Casino, which was first approved for development in 2019, will be designed to attract a bevy of gambling enthusiasts with 200 slot machines and 10 table games.

The facility, which has secured financing from multiple lenders, will receive a $500,000 grant for construction that was announced by Hon. Rick Wilson, who is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin and Minister of Indigenous Relations for the Government of Alberta.