Kapami Co-operative

Community owned Co-operatives in the Arctic are multi-purpose businesses that provide a wide range of services to their members and their communities. Services provided by local Co-ops include retail stores, hotel and tourism operations, cable television, arts and craft marketing, fuel distribution, construction & heavy equipment services, property rental and a variety of agency type services. Kapami Co-operative is located in Colville Lake; the traditional name of the community is k’AHBA Mi Tuwe (ptarmigan net). The Co-op is the only retail store, which includes a post office. Colville Lake has a population of 126, and is probably one of the most traditional communities you will find in the Northwest Territories. Located within the homeland of the North Slavey Dene, settlement did not begin until 1962 when the Roman Catholic Mission was created. The community’s economy is based on game hunting, fishing and trapping with tourism playing a secondary role. Languages spoken in the community are North Slavey and English.