Blackfoot Elder Conducts Informal Blessing for Deveraux’s Podium at Aiss’ka’pooma Project

On August 25, 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 our new development 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 (Podium represents the Olympic heritage of the lands, and Aiss’ka’pooma represents the Blackfoot name for the Paskapoo slopes, the Indigenous name for the lands) and is one of five Deveraux developments currently under construction in Alberta.

The informal blessing ceremony represents a positive start for the Podium development, which sits 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 discussions, recommended the team request permission from Mother Earth to build on the lands prior to ground breaking.

Construction on the development is set to begin on September 16, 2022 and, when complete, will feature 550 apartment units across six buildings. For more information about The Podium development, please click here.

The Indigenous peoples of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta include 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 the homeland of the historic Northwest Métis and to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.