City of Calgary and Blackfoot Confederacy reach protocol agreement

3 week_ago 8

Calgary·New

The City of Calgary has reached what could beryllium its archetypal protocol statement with an Indigenous organization. The Blackfoot Confederacy made a petition to the bureau of Mayor Jyoti Gondek successful 2023, seeking a memorandum of knowing oregon protocol agreement.

Deal spells retired however some parties volition prosecute and collaborate successful the future

Scott Dippel · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 7:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

A radical of radical airs for a photograph successful beforehand of a ample motion that says assembly chanmber

The City of Calgary has reached what could beryllium its archetypal protocol statement with an Indigenous organization.

The Blackfoot Confederacy made a petition to the bureau of Mayor Jyoti Gondek successful 2023, seeking a memorandum of knowing oregon protocol agreement.

Once metropolis assembly approved going up with discussions, the 2 parties started talking.

Such agreements outline however the 2 sides volition prosecute with each different and enactment toward establishing a collaborative relationship.

The authorities of Alberta has reached 3 specified agreements with Indigenous groups.

The City of Calgary says protocol agreements are legally non-binding.

Each statement tin vary, depending connected the aspirations of the parties, areas of associated involvement and the conditions for meetings.

The CEO of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Carol Mason, attended Thursday's gathering of metropolis council's intergovernmental affairs committee.

She said the enactment is excited astir reaching an statement and moving up moving with the city.

"We've ever had relationships with the City of Calgary, but to further that and proceed the maturation of that is truly important and captious for partnerships," said Mason.

The Blackfoot Confederacy represents the Siksika, Pikani and Blood First Nations who are Treaty 7 signatories arsenic good arsenic the Blackfeet Nation successful Montana.

Mayor Gondek was connected manus for the discussion. She said reaching the statement is simply a historical step.

"It has taken america a fig of years to physique the relationships and peculiarly the trust, that we are superior astir reconciliation to get to this point," said the mayor.

Gondek added that she's looking guardant to reaching akin agreements with different Indigenous groups.

The metropolis has besides received requests to negociate protocol agreements from the Tsuut'ina Nation and the Bearspaw Nation.

The intergovernmental affairs committee approved the memorandum of knowing connected Thursday.

It volition spell to metropolis assembly astatine an upcoming gathering successful April for discussion.

If it approves the agreement, the metropolis says a tube ceremonial and a signing of the woody volition beryllium scheduled for aboriginal this twelvemonth with Blackfoot chiefs and elders.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Dippel has worked for CBC News successful a fig of roles successful respective provinces. He's been a legislative reporter, a quality reader, an duty exertion and a nationalist reporter. When not astatine Calgary's metropolis hall, it's inactive each politics, each the time.