The City of Edmonton officially opened Alex Decoteau Park Saturday to honour Canada’s first aboriginal police officer in 1909.
The $4.3 million green space – which includes a dog park, a large sculpture and a community garden – is downtown Edmonton’s first park in 30 years.
The project has been 10 years in the making. Martina Gardiner, the city’s director of open space infrastructure, said this park is a key addition to the area.
“When you look at downtown, it’s very grey. So there’s a lot of ash fault, a lot of concrete, a lot of buildings, and then as a soon as a green piece pops up, it really brings life into the area.”
Decoteau’s great niece, Izola Mottershead, hopes the park will teach future generations about the importance of Decoteau's achivements.
“It’s wonderful, and if I can encourage my children and my great grandchildren to realize it and acknowledge it and love it the way I do, then I’ll be successful.”
