{"id":634743,"date":"2026-04-28T19:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/634743\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T19:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:19:08","slug":"calgary-siksika-health-ink-mou-on-community-well-being-and-inclusion-okotoksonline-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/634743\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary, Siksika Health ink MOU on community well-being and inclusion &#8211; OkotoksOnline.com"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On April 17, the City of Calgary <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.calgary.ca\/siksika-health-services-and-the-city-of-calgary-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-to-advance-reconciliation-community-wellbeing-and-inclusive-sport-and-recreation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">signed a memorandum of understanding <\/a>(MOU) with\u00a0Siksika\u00a0Health Services to formalize a long-term partnership focused on reconciliation, community well-being, and inclusive sport and recreation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Officials say the signing marks an important\u00a0milestone, but\u00a0emphasized that meaningful relationships and action go beyond the document itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe at\u00a0Siksika\u00a0Health Services are really looking at what it takes to build holistic health programs and services that include mental, physical, and spiritual health, grounded in\u00a0Siksika\u00a0culture,\u201d said board chair Ike Solway.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSports and recreation are a huge part of this. We support individuals on the Nation and off the Nation, including our members in Calgary. That will be a driver of what\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0here to do today with signing this MOU.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Related Stories:<\/p>\n<p>Central to the agreement is a shared commitment to addressing racism and stereotypes, advancing Truth and Reconciliation, and promoting Blackfoot culture, language, history, and ways of knowing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe MOU, as it\u2019s written, isn\u2019t really about the things we\u2019re going to do, but more about how we\u2019re going to do it,\u201d said Jarret Hoeber, manager of recreation service delivery with the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to be partnering with\u00a0Siksika\u00a0Health, an organization that shares the values of a holistic approach to individual and community well-being.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the signature<\/p>\n<p>The partnership is also intended to serve as a model for collaboration between Indigenous communities and public sport and recreation organizations,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0how work rooted in respect and culture can build stronger, healthier communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following the signing, the agreement was\u00a0honoured\u00a0with a Blackfoot ceremony, reflecting the cultural foundations guiding\u00a0Siksika\u00a0partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Angie Sarsons, chief executive officer of\u00a0Siksika\u00a0Health Services, said the agreement carries deeper meaning than a signature.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory has shown us that signatures alone do not guarantee impact; many peoples and organizations have signed agreements before and continue to struggle with\u00a0honouring\u00a0the commitments within them,\u201d said Sarsons. \u201cSo\u00a0as we come together today, we do so with our whole hearts. This is not just a formality; it is a genuine, lasting commitment to this partnership.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On April 17, the City of Calgary signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with\u00a0Siksika\u00a0Health Services to formalize a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634744,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-634743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}