A large crowd, many with ties to either the Ebb & Flow or Pine Creek First Nations, turned up today for the ribbon-cutting to officially open the new Anishinabe Aki service station on Main Street South in Dauphin.
A joint project between the two communities, the land for the building was first purchased 20 years ago, with shovels going into the ground in May of last year.
In his remarks at the opening, Pine Creek Chief Derek Nepinak congratulated both councils on their perserverence in seeing this project through to the end.
"Like I said in my comments, we were offered the purchase price plus 10 per cent. So it would have been an easy way for us to grab a few dollars and walk away. But we decided, and with speaking with the late Chief Ralph Beaulieau in Ebb & Flow, let's hold on to this and turn something into money for us in the future."
Nepinak added that the service station will benefit future generations of both First Nations.
