Edmonton gondola needed better Indigenous consultation, councillor says
The sole city councillor to vote in support of a gondola across Edmonton's river valley says the outcome may have been different if there were better Indigenous consultation.
A recommendation that a city agreement with Prairie Sky Gondola be terminated passed 12 to one on Monday.
Karen Principe, councillor for Ward Tastawiyiniwak, was the lone vote against nixing the project.
But she says more meaningful consultations with Indigenous people were needed before signing the land-lease agreement with Prairie Sky.
The gondola project has been criticized for several reasons, including financial risks to the city and controversy around building on the Rossdale Burial Site.
The Rossdale Burial Site is an Indigenous burial ground that has been recognized as a cemetery by the City of Edmonton since 2005.
The decision comes after a meeting last week where citizens, councillors and the Prairie Sky Gondola team discussed the project.
"It was a very tough decision," said Principe. "I just thought that it was such a great, creative idea and something unique for Edmontonians."
Chief Darlene Misik of Papaschase First Nation sent out a statement Thursday, saying her community supported the Prairie Sky Gondola Land Agreement.
"Without this opportunity to access and develop our significant presence beyond the appearance of what is quite frankly an unkept cemetery, the city will wait yet another 15 years or until something else triggers a discussion before considering that perhaps something should be done at the Rossdale Flats," Misik wrote.
Nisha Patel, former Edmonton poet laureate and disability justice activist, wrote an essay against the gondola.
"I feel immensely grateful to the amount of people who fought and reasoned for this outcome," Patel said.
Patel's essay focused on the Indigenous burial site, the city's transit needs and the financial implications of the project.
"As someone who has lived in areas with low to no transit options and now lives in a high transit corridor, I'm very sympathetic to the many folks who rely on transit alone."
While the city has halted the project, Prairie Sky Gondola could still revise its plan and propose the project again.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2022
___
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.