Council votes unanimously in favour of establishing an Indigenous gathering place

It's been more than three years since members of the Indigenous Gathering Place Society (IGPS) began talks with the City of Calgary about the possibility of creating an urban space for cultural exchange. 

Last night, council voted 14-0 to approve a proposal to work alongside the IGPS — a non-profit, grassroots, indigenous led group — on determining a location for the gathering place. 

"You can't begin to imagine how grateful I am that our elders are actually going to see this come to fruition," said Doreen Healy, co-chair of the IGPS. 

While the building will ultimately be a place for Calgary's urban Indigenous community to call home, members of the IGPS and city councillors noted the importance of the space for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to learn from one another. 

"It's going to give [people] an opportunity to go see our Indigenous cultures in action, their governance, their ceremonies, their spirituality and go and participate," said Coun. Evan Spencer, who brought forward the motion.

"I think that's going to have widespread implications in terms of understanding."

Creating such a space was a commitment the city made as part of its response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations.

Dunbow Road, Nose Hill Park, and the confluence between the Bow and Elbow rivers have all been considered as potential locations for the space.

The IGPS and city officials will conduct a study and summarize their findings in a report, which will be submitted to council later this year. 

John Fischer, co-chair of the IGPS, emphasized that the vote speaks volumes to the city's support of not only the project, but of the joint use of Indigenous and western practices that will validate the process on both sides. 

"That space in between [the practices] where we come together is an ethical space," said Fischer. "That is where outcomes like reconciliation can happen."

During the council meeting, several councillors voiced their concerns that not all Indigenous leaders had been adequately consulted on the project, based on submissions from both the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3 and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.

"Not all Indigenous people have to have the same perspective," said Dr. Terry Poucette of the city's Indigenous relations team, and emphasized the difference between consultation and engagement.

Poucette noted that the IGPS had engaged with First Nations groups around Calgary and were in current talks with Métis Nation 3. 

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that council had a responsibility to consult with Indigenous leaders and other entities outside of the IGPS. 

Doreen Healy emphasized that it is the intention of the IGPS to make the gathering space inclusive of all Indigenous people "[regardless] if they are Metis, Inuit, [or] First Nations."

"There's no room for politics in the Indigenous gathering place — we need to work together."