Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/2/2015 (2035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Long Plain First Nation celebrated the grand opening today of a new gas station and smoke shop on the first urban reserve within city limits.

First Nation chiefs and officials from the province, the city and federal government braved a stiff winter wind outside the new Madison Petro-Canada Gas Station and Convenience Store along with about 100 people, including high school students from the First Nation bussed in for the event. Also on the reserve, and adjacent to the gas station, is Yellowquill College, which is already open.

"It’s a beautiful morning for Long Plain First Nation," said Chief Dennis Meeches, who thanked chiefs and dignitaries by name for attending the event. A traditional prayer in Ojibway, an honour song and speeches preceded an official ribbon cutting.

The new gas station is located at 490 Madison St., one block west of Polo Park Shopping Centre and directly behind the big box mall with the Future Shop and Best Buy stores.

The gas station means aboriginal people with treaty status can buy items like tobacco products and gas exempt from provincial sales tax.

Customers who present treaty cards get a full rebate on provincial sales tax so that, for instance, a package of 25 cigarettes that would retail for $15 elsewhere cost $13.75.

It took years of negotiations to convert the property to reserve status with Ottawa. Long Plain also had to sign a municipal services agreement with the city where fees are paid in lieu of taxes and conclude a partnership for the pumps.

"We went hard on this because we knew it represented a source for economic sustainability for Long Plain... We have an aggressive urban reserve strategy because we believe that will give us a strong revenue stream," Meeches said.

Long Plain has two other gas stations, one on the First Nation located 90 kilometres west of Winnipeg and another in Portage la Prairie. Together the two locations brought in tobacco revenues of $1.2 million last year, the chief said. Based on that, business in tobacco sales in Winnipeg should bring in half-a-million dollars a year.

"This is an exciting day for the community of Long Plain First Nation," said Norway House Chief Ron Evans. About five years ago, Evans worked with Long Plain as grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to negotiate the reserve’s deal with the city for municipal services.

"The Madison (Street) location is of particular importance: It will attract a lot of business and establish a First Nations presence within city limits," Evans said.

Long Plain bought the site in 2005 from Manitoba Hydro. An office building on the property was refurbished for Yellowquill College.

St. James MLA Deanne Crothers (NDP) indicated the gas station is a chance for non-aboriginal people to see for themselves that a reserve business looks just like any other business.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to educate the public on the success of an urban reserve," Crothers told the crowd of about 100, including the high school students who were bused in from Long Plain.

Long Plain partnered up with Petro-Canada, which has 20 other partnerships for gas stations on urban reserves in western Canada. The first was over a decade ago in Saskatchewan. Madison Street is the first Petro-Canada station to open on land owned by a Manitoba First Nation.

There are two other urban reserves on the city’s outskirts. Swan Lake First Nation runs The Arboc Smoke Shop and Gas Bar on Portage Avenue in Headingley. Land owned by Roseau River First Nation off Hwy. 6 in Rosser is the location for the Red Sun Smoke Shop and Gas Bar.