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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nThe Edmonton city council voted to pass a proposal to increase building heights in special zones in Rossdale Monday.<\/p>\n
At a public hearing Monday, the motion was adopted with 11 councillors voting in favour to pass the motion, one councillor voting against while another was absent.<\/p>\n
The city council\u2019s vote came despite concerns raised by residents and Indigenous groups that building condos on former burial site would be sign of disrespect.<\/p>\n
The rezoning proposal could bring three high-rise residential towers along the north Saskatchewan river valley, with some commercial and community facilities on the ground level.<\/p>\n
But residents raised concerns about the plans to redevelop the land near Remax field on what is believed to as a historic Indigenous burial site<\/p>\n
Among them are James Delorme and his brother Julian who were at Monday\u2019s public hearing to voiced their opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe speak for people that can no longer speak,\u201d Delorme said. \u201cWe\u2019re speaking for our future. We\u2019re speaking on behalf of our families.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a simple question of do you want your family bones to have buildings built on top of them and then to be forgotten about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dwayne Good Striker, the environmental affairs ambassador for Sovereign Blackfoot Nation said, \u201cI was forced off that area when the\u00a0Walterdale Bridge was being built. It\u2019s important for them to be reminded that we are here as treaty persons and that we have rights that must be respected.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials said that they had done extensive consultation with 32 Indigenous stakeholders as part of the city\u2019s effort to redevelop residential lots in the Rossdale flats and other river valley neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe intention to develop on these lands has been there for many years,\u201d said Anne Stevenson, councillor, Ward O-day\u2019min. \u201cThis is just an amendment to those allowances to make it more suitable for some of what we\u2019re hearing desired in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calvin Bruneau, Chief of Papaschase First Nation defended the city\u2019s proposal saying they were consulted last October and a few times this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are saying they didn\u2019t consult with First Nations. Well, as far as we\u2019re concerned they consulted with us,\u2019 Bruneau said. \u201cThey\u2019re not building in and around the burial site. It\u2019s away from there. It\u2019s just that they need to proceed with caution.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tEdmonton City Councillors (Courtesy: Facebook\/Edmonton City Council) <\/p>\n
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