There will soon be a Walmart Supercentre on the Tsuut’ina Nation. Officials from Walmart Canada, Tsuut’ina Nation leadership and Taza Development Corp. joined together on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony at Taza Park West. The grocery and home goods giant, expected to open next fall, will be located near the Tsuut’ina Parkway near Stoney Trail. It will be about 140,000 square feet and will include a full grocery store. “For people that are going to reside in Taza Park or work in Taza Park, we now have a huge amenity to pick up home elements, including food, on a regular basis without leaving the community,” said James Robertson, president of Taza Development Corp. Ed Wirun, market manager of Walmart Canada, says the project has been in the works for several years. “For me, one of the most exciting parts of a new store is thinking about what it will mean for the people who live and work in the surrounding community,” he said. “It will mean more choice and greater access to the everyday items families rely on.” Wirun says the hiring process is likely to begin in the early spring, with “a couple hundred” employees needed. Tsuut’ina Nation Chief Ellery Starlight says it’s hard to put into words what the recent economic development on the nation has meant to members. “It’s so exciting, the prospect of having anything here to generate revenue, to generate a future, to make things happen,” Starlight said. “You just can’t fathom, a lot of times, what you’re looking at. It’s just, ‘Wow! We did this. “A long time ago, our elders talked about our buffalo. The buffalo was everything to us. Walmart is our buffalo — you have everything in there; You have food, you have tools, you have blankets. So now we have our very own Walmart.” Taza Development says other retailers in the area will be announced soon.
