Press Room

No Palm Trees for Enoch Casino Resort

The Edmonton Journal – Ron Chalmers

October 21, 2005

Native heritage, indigenous landscaping featured

River Cree Resort and Casino will feature Alberta woods inside, Alberta stone outside – and be landscaped with indigenous grass, shrubs, and trees.

“We won’t bring in any palm trees,” architect Darrell Halliwell of Cohos Evamy said Thursday.

The intereior décor will be highlighted with sky blue, blood red, and yellow to represent the sun – the symbolic colours of Enoch First Nation, which is a partner in the venture, along with Paragon Gaming.

Inside, the design will provide “an opportunity for Enoch Cree nation to display heritage items – art and artifacts,” Halliwell said.

The casino’s circular shape and east-facing entrance will also honour Cree culture, he said.

The nine-storey hotel will be topped by “a strong roofline, set against the Prairie sky,” Halliwell said.

A ceremony to celebrate completion of the hotel cement work began with Cree elder Jimmy O’Chiese offering prayers.

“He was thanking the Creator, and asking a special blsessing for the workers, the site and the project,” said Enoch Chief Ron Morin.

Project director Jamey Singh, of Ledcor Construction, said the project is slightly ahead of schedule thanks to “a good summer and quality sub-contractors.”

The site has 175 workers on the job, six days a week.

Morin previously has said that smoking would be allowed in 30 per cent of the casino and restaurant space. Brian lee, River Cree’s general manager, said Thursday that smoking may be confined to only 20 per cent of the space.