Whitecap’s Darcy Bear marks 25 years as chief

For nearly three decades Darcy Bear has helped make Whitecap Dakota First Nation an economic success story in the country.

Taking over as chief 25 years ago, he helped lead the community from having no modern infrastructure to an unemployment rate of 5 per cent.

“We can’t change the wrongs of the past, the Indian Act and everything else, but certainly going forward we can all change the future by working together in partnership,” Bear said when reflecting back on how the community has achieved success.

“We have that attitude that we don’t believe in the word ‘can’t’. There’s always a way to moving something forward.”

Bear said a hotel and spa opening in the summer of 2020 will bring another 150 jobs to the region.

He said they’ve become the victim of their own success as they now rely on workers from surrounding communities to fill jobs on the reserve located 20 minutes from downtown Saskatoon.

It’s one reason Bear is working with the rural municipality of Dundurn and the federal government to construct a road linking Highway 11 to his community.

“A lot of those citizens would certainly like to work over here, but again to get across to Whitecap it’s a long commute. We need to work on those things as far as the infrastructure piece.”

Mayor Charlie Clark and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron were among the dignitaries that recognized Bear’s achievements during a ceremony at Dakota Dunes Casino Thursday night.