City of Saskatoon wants to hear from Aboriginal people as population grows
- EFN Staff | February 20, 2014
Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison is direct in his response to the role Aboriginal people must play in the future of Saskatoon.
"We need Aboriginal People to be successful so the City can be successful," said Mayor Atchison in an interview with Eagle Feather News. "And we need them to have a voice. We need to know what Aboriginal people need from the City as we grow to 500,000."
Mayor Atchison is referring to the Growing Forward project underway by the City. Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon is a specific public planning initiative to help guide investments to accommodate growth to half a million people which will likely come in the next forty years. This means big changes for the city and they need to know what the community needs.
"I want to hear from the individuals and what they need in a city that big,"said Mayor Atchison. "I want to know what moms and dads want for their children and grandchildren."
The Mayor is very proud of the involvement of Aboriginal people in the city and of the partnerships they have across organizations. Just on a business level, the list of Aboriginal investment is impressive. Muskeg Lake, One Arrow, English River, Yellow Quill and Red Pheasant are bands that have reserves in or around Saskatoon. Add in the land holdings that several bands own in fee simple and you have over a dozen bands with significant financial investments in the City of Saskatoon. Add in the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and its' affiliates, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and affiliates and a whopping 35,000 Métis and First Nation people living in the city and it becomes imperative that citizens be involved.
Muskeg Lake Cree Nation Chief Cliff Tawpisin appreciates that his First Nation has a strong tie to the City of Saskatoon. Not only do they have dozens of members living in the city, Muskeg Lake opened the first commercial urban reserve in Saskatoon decades ago and has been prospering ever since.
"We have a very respectful relationship with the city and their administration," says Chief Tawpisin. "The urban holdings are very important for our community and it creates wealth and jobs and opportunity. The city benefits, too. That's why Mayor Atchison came to a meeting we had with Aboriginal Affairs to help expedite our last urban reserve process. Other cities look to our relationship as one to aspire to. We should all be proud of that. It is not just Chief and Council that create this. It is our members and other citizens of Saskatoon that work together that make it happen. We should all be contributing to the future of this city."
Growing Forward is a wide-reaching public planning exercise using tools like private meetings with organizations, social media and a website and soliciting input through a mobile app. There are also two public meetings on February 25th one in the morning and one in the evening at TCU Place. Alan Wallace Director of Planning and Development for the City hopes to hear from the Aboriginal community through all forms.
"The input we get from the website and in person will be incorporated into the City's Growth Plan to Half a Million," Wallace says. "We hope this framework will allow us to make changes in our community in a way that will keep Saskatoon a prosperous and great place to live for all citizens. We fail if we don't have the Métis and First Nation voice at these consultations."
Wallace adds that the economic success of the City ties closely with the economic success of First Nation and Métis people pointing to the success of the urban reserves and the significant land holdings surrounding the city, but this process goes beyond business relationships.
"We communicate with the Aboriginal leaders often and with their economic clout we need to bring them into the plan, but we need to hear from everyone. This is everyone's future."
The look forward is focusing on bus rapid transit and bridge needs. Imagine a city double the size it is now and imagine having to bus from one end to the other. Can you imagine special bus lanes on busy streets, where apartments have retail locations below them and suites up top? Imagine 70,000 people living in downtown Saskatoon. More people per square block than we are used to. Should there be consideration for First Nation and Métis people in downtown? Do we need another bridge downtown?
According to mayor Atchison, the City of Saskatoon has made remarkable strides in the past decade on improving the quality of life of Aboriginal people and of embracing the relationship between all citizens.
"I can go on about the changes we have seen. Métis Nation-President Doucette always comments we are the only city that has a Métis leaders statue and a Chiefs statue and city founders statue within a few hundred meters of each other," said Mayor Atchison, referring to Gabriel Dumont in Friendship Park and Chief Whitecap and John Lake at the Traffic Bridge roundabout. "Look at the housing partnerships with CUMFI. They take over an apartment building that had over 400 calls to the police each year. CUMFI takes over and provides safe and affordable housing with no drugs and alcohol and the calls drop to 6. We have so much to be proud of together."
Mayor Atchison went on to add several more moments the city can be proud of including helping students at SIIT and Oskayak get to school with the UPass system, the Saskatoon Tribal Councils student housing on Avenue H, Whitecap Dakota First Nations donation of a major art installation for the roundabout at River landing, flying the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and Treaty 6 flags at City Hall and the hosting of the national gathering of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
"I could go on, but I think you get my drift," smiled Mayor Atchison. "We have lots going on here together as a community and the voice of First Nation and Métis citizens is valued. They have an important role to play. We need to talk about our future and our heritage together."