Quebec Cree to put their stamp on Montreal's skyline

The Cree Nation of Quebec is getting into the Montreal real estate development game, unveiling plans to build a 26-floor high-rise of condo, rental and commercial space that is steeped in symbolism. 

The Odea Montreal has been designed with a massive stylised canoe shape on its south facing side and has other features to highlight Cree culture, language and a connection to land and water, according to Derrick Neeposh, the president of Creeco, the investment arm of the Cree Nation government, and the parent company of Eeyou Eenou Realty Properties Inc.

The building will be located in Old Montreal on Robert Bourassa Boulevard at the corner of Ottawa Street, right at one of the main entrances to downtown Montreal. 

"The thought was always ... we're spending so much money in the South on lawyers, consultants, you name it. ... we wanted to reverse that and say, 'It's time for us to create the wealth in the South for the benefit of the North'," said Neeposh. 

The $100 million project includes 435 residential units, 264 rentals and 171 high-end condominiums units for sale. It also includes 1,000 square metres of commercial and retail space, green space, two rooftop pools and a sky lounge, according to a release. 

The irony of Odea Montreal being located on a street named after former Quebec premier and former foe of the Cree, Robert Bourassa, is not lost on Neeposh.

"We had no say in naming the street Robert Bourassa Boulevard," he said.

Bourassa was Quebec premier in the 1970s and was behind a massive and unannounced hydroelectric development in Cree territory. The Cree took Bourassa's government to court over the development and won, forcing a negotiated settlement that led to the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in 1975.

That treaty paved the way for the Cree Nation to become the economic powerhouse it is today. 

The Cree have owned the land since 1995, when the address was 277 Duke street, before an elevated section of the Bonaventure highway was removed and the street renamed after the former premier.

"I am proud to see my nation's contribution to the Montreal skyline with an innovative and forward-thinking project," said current Cree Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty, adding the venture offers endless opportunities for additional investment. 

The design of the building comes from a collaboration between architectural firm Lemay and Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal, who said when he first visited the site, he had a strong vision of a canoe. 

"The canoe signifies the incredibly creative technology that allowed communication, trade and commerce, not only for the Indigenous peoples in Turtle Island, but as it was adopted by the European (Quebecois) voyageurs," said Cardinal in an email. 

"[The canoe] became the ultimate vehicle of the times to expand their influence across the land," he wrote.