Automotive News Canada - September 2021 - 22

22
* SEPTEMBER 2021
ILLUSTRATION: METRO FORD
The sod-turning of Taza Park in August,
where Metro Ford and Big 4 Motors will
build new dealerships. The land is leased
for more than 90 years.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
DEVELOPMENT BREAKS
A DIFFERENT
TYPE OF GROUND
Auto retailers are tenants
in a Calgary 'village' that
reflects Tsuut'ina culture
By HARRY PEGG
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
TWO AUTO DEALERSHIPS WILL
be anchor tenants in a massive First
Nations development on Calgary's
western border, a unique project in
Canada, at least in terms of scale.
Metro Ford and Big 4 Motors will
each build a store at the 530-acre
(220-hectare) Taza Park, a mixed development
of retail, office and residential.
It's the second of three " villages "
in a development covering 1,200 acres
(500 hectares) of
reserve land.
" Metro Ford
and Big 4 Motors
have been working
diligently
with the Nation
to incorporate
Tsuut'ina history
and culture
into each
of their properties,
setting a
new standard for
the Taza tenant
and Nation relationship, "
Bryce
Starlight, a
member of the
Tsuut'ina Nation
Bryce Starlight:
Tsuut'ina history
and culture can
be incorporated
in many ways
in dealership
design.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
and vice-president of development at
Taza Development Corp., said after the
sod-turning ceremony in late August.
Both dealerships expect to be ready
by December 2022 or early 2023.
" When we open, it will be just over
five years since we contacted Taza
about taking part in the development, "
said Reg Pattemore, dealer principal
of Metro Ford. The dealership has outgrown
its current location in Calgary's
core, Pattemore said. Potential customers
have been avoiding downtown,
where parking is scarce and access to
the dealership is difficult, he said.
The new Big 4 Motors JeepChrysler-Dodge-Ram
store will be
ready at about the same time, said
Gerry Wood, president of the Wood
Group, which owns Big 4 Motors.
'A SEAMLESS PROCESS'
The biggest hurdle was finding land
in the west end that could be zoned for
dealerships.
" That's where Taza came in, "
Pattemore said. " It's been a seamless
process, far faster than if we'd looked
in Calgary. "
Pattemore called the relocation to
Taza " an honour, " adding that he looks
forward to " dreaming together and
prospering together in the future. "
The land is leased for more than 90
Tsuut'ina artist Keegan Starlight
modernized a Thunderbird logo for
Metro Ford and also is creating art
for the interior of the dealership.
SUPPLIED ILLUSTRATION
WHY THEY MOVED
The top reasons given by
Bryce Starlight, Reg Pattemore
and Gerry Wood for moving
dealerships to the Taza development
on Tsuut'ina land.
* Supportive landlord-tenant
relationship
* Readily accessible land
at a reasonable cost
* Room for a large dealership
* 90-plus years prepayable lease
term
* Potential for business growth
* Ready market from
underserved southwest Calgary
* No future tax issues
with the City of Calgary
* Ring road allows easy customer
access from anywhere in Calgary
years, Pattemore said, " and we've paid
out that lease to the end of its term. "
The deal will be " a good thing for
Metro ... we will be able to better serve
our customers, old and new. And with
the completed Tsuut'ina Trail segment
of the Calgary ring road, we will have
fantastic accessibility. "
Two segments of the highway are
still under construction. The 100-kilometre
road encircles Calgary, providing
four to six lanes bypassing the city
to the east and west.
Most of the west section runs
through Tsuut'ina land, after decades
of negotiation between the Nation, the
province and the city.
SHOWCASE 'HISTORY AND CULTURE'
Metro Ford at Taza Park will
cover 75,000 square feet (7,000 square
metres) on eight acres (3.2 hectares).
" Landscaping and design elements
will reflect Tsuut'ina history and culture, "
Pattemore said. " We have a
new logo designed by a Tsuut'ina artist,
who took the old Thunderbird logo
and modernized it. He is also creating
artwork for the interior of the dealership. "
When
it comes to incorporating
Tsuut'ina history and culture in dealership
design, Starlight said, " We don't
like to set hard-and-fast guidelines.
There are a lot of different ways to do
it. We don't impose a look. "
Wood of Big 4 Motors said it was
time that the dealership - in its current
location for about 40 years -
move to a larger site, and the Taza deal
means the store will more than double
its footprint.
The new dealership
will be
about 60,000
square feet (5,600
square metres)
and have 45 service
and detailing
bays and a photo
bay. " We will
be EV-friendly, "
Wood said.
While there are
Indigenous-owned
dealerships in
Canada, it is rare
for non-Nativeowned
stores to be
located on reserve
land.
ABOUT THE TSUUT'INA
THE TSUUT'INA NATION,
formerly Sarcee, was one of
the original signers of Treaty
7 in Alberta in 1877, predating
Calgary, which was incorporated
as a town in 1884.
The treaty assigned reserve
lands with an eastern border
adjacent to Calgary's current
western city limit.
The people are an
Athapaskan group originally
part of the northern Dene-zaa
(Beaver Indian) Nation who
migrated south onto the Great
Plains during the 1700s, prior to
any written records of the area.
Their language is closely
related to the Dene groups of
northern Canada and Alaska
and also to Navajo and Apache
peoples of the American southwest.
Wood:
The
Jeep dealership
will more than
double its
footprint at T
aza Park.
PHOTO: WOOD
GROUP
Stellantis has confirmed that this
is the first deal of this type for its dealer
network in Canada; a non-Indigenous-owned
Ford dealership is located
in a First Nations industrial park in
Fort McKay, Alta.
Wood is excited about the opportunities
and predicts more dealers will be
looking for space in the development.
" We're privileged to be one of the
first, " Wood said. " The potential of the
area is fantastic. "
Both dealers intend to move their
current staff to the new sites. When
new positions become available, the
stores will first reach out to qualified
Tsuut'ina staff and introduce training
programs.
" There are more positions than
there are Tsuut'ina, " Starlight said.
" It's a question of connecting to qualified
people. " There are also no hard
rules on hiring Indigenous workers,
he said.
Both stores will also have signs in
English and the Tsuut'ina language.
The size of the dealers' capital
investment " speaks to the viability of
the development plan, " Starlight said.
Neither dealer would discuss the
cost of construction.
Ford and Stellantis executives
Sarcee is a name believed
derived from a Siksika
(Blackfoot) word for " stubborn
ones " ; however another
source says it means " boldness
and hardiness. " In either case,
because of its origins from a former
enemy, the Sarcee name
is viewed as offensive by most
Tsuut'ina people.
Today, the Tsuut'ina are
noted for their business acumen
with projects such as the Taza
development, Grey Eagle Casino
and what Costco says is its only
store on native land anywhere.
Sources:
The Canadian Encyclopedia:
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/
article/sarcee-tsuu-tina
The Tsuut'ina Nation website:
http://tsuutinanation.com
would not comment on the project,
although both dealers said their corporate
executives were supportive.
Although hurdles have been no different
from any other development,
Starlight said, establishing the validity
of the vision for it was paramount.
" We know Taza is always under
scrutiny as an Indigenous project. But
the more we enlighten people about
the benefits ... the less it's about being
an Indigenous community.
" We see [Taza] as a regional
growth, " Starlight said. " It's ... an
entire region cooperating to bring
success. " - ANC
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sarcee-tsuu-tina https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sarcee-tsuu-tina http://www.tsuutinanation.com
Automotive News Canada - September 2021

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