Informal blessing ceremony

On August 25th, 2022, members of the Deveraux Developments Calgary office, along with members from the consulting team and city planning team, were joined by Blackfoot elder Camille Pablo Russell for an informal blessing ceremony at 8620 Canada Olympic Dr SW in Medicine Hill, Calgary.

The Medicine Hill Development, located at the base of Canada Olympic Park, will be named The Podium at Aiss’ka’pooma (The Podium representing the Olympic heritage to the lands, and Aiss’ka’pooma representing the Blackfoot name for the Paskapoo slopes, the Indigenous name for the lands) is one of five Deveraux developments currently under construction in Alberta.

The informal blessing ceremony represents a positive start for the Podium development, which falls on the traditional Indigenous territory of the Blackfoot Nation. The Deveraux Developments team has been involved in Indigenous consultation with Camille Pablo Russell, and through his consultations, recommended the team to request permission from Mother Earth to build on the lands prior to groundbreaking.

Construction on the development is set to commence on September 16th and when complete, will feature 550 apartment units across 6 buildings. For more information about the Podium development, please click here.

The traditional territories of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta includes the Blackfoot First Nation tribes of Seek sigka, the Pee kahnee, Kai-nah, the Stoney Nakoda First Nations tribes of Chin-ick-ee, Bearspaw, and Wesley and the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The City of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.