Long Plain Sets Site on a Brighter Future

Arrowhead Development Corporation (ADC) is the economic arm of Long Plain Reserve No. 6, Keeshkeemaqua Reserve (Portage la Prairie), and Long Plain Madison Indian Reserve (Winnipeg).

The First Peoples Economic Growth Fund (FPEGF) is proud to support ADC’s efforts to build the Madison Petro Canada gas station in 2015. The award-winning Madison station exceeded opening revenue goals, providing a space for Long Plain to prosper, contributing to the community’s resilience and independence.

While community-owned gas stations are not a new concept, the stunning success of the Madison Petro Canada gas station is something remarkable. The Madison station — providing gas, diesel, tobacco products, lotteries, convenience items, and ATM — was also Winnipeg’s first urban reserve gas station when it opened in 2015.

Seeing the success of other urban reserves in BC and Saskatchewan, Long Plain Chief Dennis Meeches was committed to the opening of the station in Winnipeg in hopes that it would bring economic independence, saying: “In the beginning, it was very scary because we didn't know what to expect originally we called it an ‘Economic Development Zone’ and I still view it as that today.”

“We found that Petro Canada had more of an establishment with First Nation people in Saskatchewan,“ says Bill Beauchamp, Director of Education, Long Plain First Nation. ”We looked at other gas stations as well but we ended up with a better deal with them…But before we even looked at the type of companies to deal with. We needed the funding and going to banks was not an option. First Peoples were the ones that we thought of. We presented the idea to them and they liked it.”

“Madison Petro Canada has definitely surpassed everyone’s expectations, even Suncor’s — their estimates were that we were going to sell 3 to 4 million litres a year,” says Terry Myran, CEO Arrowhead Development Corporation. “Every year we've broken that record not last year, but the previous year we were sitting at 21 million litres sold which actually made us a leader within our territory.”

Not surprisingly, ADC moved ahead, partnering with First Peoples, to build a second Petro Canada gas station on the Long Plain Reserve itself, and a third is now being planned as part of a new business model to complement the Keesh Gaming & Conference Centre, under the direction of current ADC CEO, Terry Myran.

“Working with First Peoples has been seamless,” says Terry. “They understand our challenges, where we’re coming from, and they recommend what programs and services would help us the most. They’re great at picking apart scenarios, questioning assumptions, understanding demographics and explaining the connections. They know what’s going to work best for our resources and how we’re set up. They even coordinated customer service training for our staff.”

Under Terry’s direction, ADC is very focused on a broader market for their services. While some early planning focused on the built-in First Nations audience, Terry strongly believes that seeking broader audiences is key to exponential growth — understanding the tourism travel patterns and general population buying habits.

“I would definitely recommend the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund as a partner. They've shown us time and time again that they want to be there for our growth. They want to be there for us,” says Terry. “We wouldn't be the places we are without partners like them.”

When it comes to the community benefits of the off-reserve Madison gas station, it’s clear that the economic prosperity of the station is having huge impacts for on-reserve band members. The Madison station generated 45 new jobs. And, while providing employment is a great benefit, Terry also sees these entry level jobs as a great opportunity for personal growth, a beginning for promotion in house or for bringing their new skills to other jobs and businesses on the reserve. Importantly, Madison’s staff can really take pride in running a business that contributes back to their own community’s well being.