IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN CRANBROOK…

….But that’s not all this B.C. gem is known for. Cranbrook has taken repurposing to the next level, and tourists are reaping the benefits. Here’s why you should add it to your post-pandemic travel plans.

- JELA TEJADA

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, I’VE always wanted to learn more about Canada’s First Nations. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to dig deeper than what I learned in my history textbooks as a child. I definitely never thought I’d be awakened by the squawking of geese while spending the night in a teepee, just footsteps away from a former residential school.

But that’s exactly what happened on a recent trip to Cranbrook, B.C., where I had the chance to take a glimpse into the world of Canada’s First Nations. There, I saw how this town has taken the idea of repurposing to a whole new level, starting with a residential school that is now a resort.

The St. Eugene Mission school was in operation from 1912 to 1970, during which Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to assimilate into “Canadian” culture. But today, the red-brick building that has affected thousands of children over generations has been transformed into St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino. The property is solely owned by the Ktunaxa Nation, a local Indigenous group that has lived on the land for more than 10,000 years.

“We could’ve called it the Ktunaxa Resort, but we had to recognize exactly what it was and reclaim it,” says Sophie Pierre, former chief of the Aqam band of the Ktunaxa Nation and a residential school survivor. “We changed the narrative, so to my granddaughter, it’s just a hotel where she is excited to play, and that’s part of the healing.”

STAY HERE