The Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC) has purchased two properties in communities across ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, or Ktunaxa territory.
The acquired properties are located in Castlegar and Cranbrook.
In Cranbrook, the Nation is taking over the Mega Deals Furniture building on 9th Avenue. The Ktunaxa has also expanded its presence in the West Kootenay with the purchase of 1444 Columbia Avenue, a small office complex in Castlegar.
“It was important to the Ktunaxa Nation to re-establish our presence in the West Kootenays,” said Shawna Janvier, Ktunaxa Nation Council Chief Administrative Officer. “Our purchase of the building at 1444 Columbia Avenue in Kiksiⱡuk, or Castlegar, is but just one step in this process.”
“When the Ktunaxa Nation Council purchased the Tembec Building in Cranbrook in 2012, we believed we would never run out of office space,” Janvier said. “With the substantial growth the KNC has undergone in the last few years however, it was clear that more office and meeting spaces would be needed and the decision was made to purchase the building at 32 9th Avenue South in Cranbrook. We look forward to having a larger presence in the Cranbrook downtown core.”
A number of Ktunaxa Nation Council subsidiary businesses, including Ktunaxa Enterprises Limited will be moving in to the building in Castlegar in the near future. The building in Cranbrook will undergo renovations in early spring to create office space for Ktunaxa Nation Council staff.
