Last week, the Elders’ Selection Committee met with the Shain Jackson, lead artist for Kwa’lilas Hotel, to continue making progress with the hotel’s art curation. To date, Kwa’lilas Hotel has received 12 design ideas from 4 community members and artists. We are excited to announce that the first piece of art has been approved. A…
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KEDC’s second hotel property on the waterfront, Pier Side Landing, recently had the pleasure of hosting the hockey teams from Nanaimo and Powell River for a tournament in Port Hardy. If you are part of a team or know athletes looking for a place to stay in Port Hardy, we are excited have you stay…
Last week, KEDC Tourism Coordinator Davis Henderson attended the Discover Vancouver Island event at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort. Davis represented two KEDC-owned properties, Kwa’lilas Hotel and Pier Side Landing, to promote exciting tour packages in the North Island. The event hosted 23 tour operators across Canada including BC Ferries, Jonview and Discover Holidays. If you see Davis…
Malcolm McSporran is the building designer for Kwa’lilas Hotel and is the managing director at Quinkatla Development Planning, a development company with a strong history of First Nations projects in both larger building projects and homes. For Malcolm, finding the relevant cultural and social context for each project is an ongoing educational experience, and achieving…
Tohmm Cobban is the lead architect for Kwa’lilas Hotel and owns his own architect firm, Tohmm Cobban Architect. He was first introduced to KEDC through longtime friend and classmate Malcolm McSporran, who is the building designer for Kwa’lilas Hotel. Tohmm and Malcolm share an avid interest in designing buildings that resonate with the culture and…
The roof of Kwa’lilas Hotel is well on its way to completion and is expected to be finished by the end of February. The big house roof is a main feature of the hotel and an integral part of the GNN culture. Gilakas’la to the dedicated members of k’awat’si Construction who are working seven days…
Electrical, plumbing, siding and roofing are all in progress in the north wing of Kwa’lilas Hotel. About 20 workers are onsite and crews are continuing to work on the new construction in the Gwa’sala Nakwaxda’xw community.
Davis Henderson, Tourism Coordinator for KEDC, is responsible for the development of culture and tour packages for Kwa’lilas Hotel, Pier Side Landing and k’awat’si Tours; coordination of the artist selection with Shain Jackson; and management of a number of agencies that work with KEDC in public relations, advertising, and design. He has been with KEDC…
Three k’awat’si Tourism Company staff members have successfully completed their Serving it Right training and certification through the North Vancouver Aboriginal Training Society. The course details servers’ legal responsibilities when serving alcohol, and provides techniques to prevent problems related to over-service. Congratulations to Charles Willie, Katie Walkus, and Kristen Walkus! Next month, Kwa’lilas Hotel staff…
As renovations on Kwa’lilas Hotel progress, KEDC will be parting from Mizare Hospitality on mutually agreeable terms as the team moves into the next phase of the properties’ development. KEDC is grateful for the support and guidance provided by Mizare in the early days of forming the Kwa’lilas Hotel concept, marketing and project management and…