ÎYARHE NAKODA – A buzz of activity and the clatter of construction are regular at Nakoda Lakeside Lodge these days.
But the commotion is music to the ears of Goodstoney First Nation leaders who have initiated the restoration of the lodge and conference centre that has been shuttered for more than a decade.
“There is a tremendous amount of excitement in the community right now,” said project manager Karim Ismail.
After a pipe ceremony and smudging, chief and council snipped a red ribbon on the deck of the event centre during the Nation’s annual pancake breakfast last month, marking the soft opening of the newly renovated space.
Next to the centre, the lodge, that will be able to accommodate up to approximately 100 guests, is set to follow suit this winter, opening in December or January after interior and exterior renovations, including a new restaurant, are complete.
“[We’ll] take it through a trial run, make sure it’s up to standards for chief and council and then be fully open and launched in 2027,” said Chris Joy, the lodge manager.
In the meantime, the event centre is officially open for bookings, says Joy – a checkpoint that’s been long anticipated after Goodstoney Chief Clifford Poucette first announced plans for the revitalization last summer.
“Chief Clifford Poucette is the driving force to make sure that this is the community’s gem or icon, if you will, to bring back employment and economic growth,” said Ismail.
While the resort will cater to “upscale luxury” with capacity for weddings, corporate and community events and retreats, Joy says the focus is partnering with Goodstoney Nation to provide Indigenous programming.
“It’s not just about a lodge. It’s about the community. It’s about being involved with the community and the experience that we’re going to provide with the community in all aspects, whether it’s culinary, your stay, your experiences,” said Ismail, noting it will also be a primary space for the Nation’s events, including Christmas parties and graduations.
Joy says one of their ideas is to hold daily fireside chats with an elder or community member around a fire pit that will soon be installed.
“We’re learning every day but we also want to teach others what we’re learning, too, and pass that along,” said Joy.
“The community has told us a lot of stories about this place and we want to make sure that we realize what their ambitions are,” Ismail added.
Plans for a small museum inside the hotel have also been set in motion, where artifacts from Goodstoney, including a headdress dating back to the 1800s, will be on display.
Lodge to create jobs, bring revenue to nation
From construction to hospitality and culinary positions, Joy says Nation members will receive the training they need for employment on site.
“All positions are going to be training positions [with] room for growth and growing the individuals within the community and that’s what we’re really excited about. Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes,” he said.
“We’re not just providing jobs. We’re hoping to provide careers,” added Liam Candline, executive chef at the lodge.
“We want to bring an apprenticeship program for culinary here,” he said, adding that the menu will feature Indigenous foods and locally supplied products.
Training has already gotten underway after a four-week program last month, in partnership with Southern Alberta Institute for Technology, equipped the Nation members with culinary skills needed to work in the kitchen.
“We have a leader, a chief that’s really business-minded,” said Councillor Watson Kaquitts, acknowledging Chief Poucette’s vision for the project.
“[The lodge] will generate revenue for our people.”
Kaquitts says, historically, the resort has been a launching pad for Nation members into jobs throughout the Bow Valley.
“Some of them worked in Banff and some of them Kananaskis and Canmore … and that was really good to see because they started from Nakoda Lodge,” he said, referencing the lodge’s closure in 2012.
“Hopefully it will happen again.”
Ismail says that many Nation members have also come out simply to volunteer on the project.
“They’re so excited it’s coming back to life,” he said.
A meeting place restored
Back in the hands of the Goodstoney people, the resort has come a long way since it was first built in the 1980s under the leadership of the late John Snow, who served as band chief for nearly 30 years.
“From what I understand, this was a very significant place where a lot of the elders met,” said Ismail of what is now the event centre.
“The conference centre was a meeting place for the community and Treaty 7. When it became popular, they realized they needed accommodations.”
From there, the Nakoda Hotel, or the lodge, was built in 1989.
Running as a commercial venture, the lodge shut down in 2012 and a legal dispute, along with other setbacks, left operations at a standstill.
“We never touched it for almost 10 years,” said Kaquitts, noting present chief and council couldn’t move forward until the dispute was resolved.
“After that, the chief said, ‘Let’s rebuild. Let’s fix it up and utilize it. It’s just sitting there going to waste.’ So that’s what we did.”
Before the lodge, the area was home to the original site of YMCA’s Camp Chief Hector, until it was relocated farther west to its current location in Kananaskis Country, but Kaquitts has his own memories of the land.
“Back in the ’70s, we used to have a guiding outfit there,” he said.
Along with several other young guides, Kaquitts would lead clients who were looking to experience Indigenous culture into the mountains surrounding the lake.
“We used to take them up to Brokenleg Lake. It’s about a two-and-a-half hour ride from Nakoda Lodge,” he said.
“They wanted to experience our culture and how we prepare our meat. Like, if we get a moose how do we make dry meat. That was fun,” he said, recalling fond memories in the backcountry and some close calls with resident grizzly bears.
Kaquitts says offering Indigenous guiding experiences has also been raised as an idea for a future offering at the lodge.
“They don’t have to hunt, but just go with [Indigenous guides] and they maybe look at where we gather medicine,” he said.
Once a sought after meeting place for businesses and other First Nations communities up north, Kaquitts says he hopes to see those groups return once again.
“First Nations from up north – Saddle Lake, Frog Lake, just to name a few – all those people used to come down and have workshops there for a week because it’s so beautiful,” he said.
“I’d like to see that come back again.”
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. This position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 07, 2026 at 12:08
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