PARK HONOURS MLA’ S LEGACY
Namrita Rattan stands with the designs of a new northeast park to be dedicated to her late husband, former Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar. Bhullar was killed in 2015 when he was struck by a semi while helping an accident victim on Highway 2.
A new northeast park will be dedicated to a former Calgary MLA who was killed while helping another motorist on the Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway in 2015.
On Thursday, Parks Foundation Calgary announced the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Park will be located in the community of Taradale, close to where Bhullar lived, and will honour his legacy as someone who was dedicated to community building.
Bhullar was killed Nov. 23, 2015, when he got out of his car to help after another vehicle rolled north of Red Deer. He was fatally struck when a semi lost control on the same stretch of snowy highway.
He was the youngest person to hold a cabinet position when he was appointed Service Alberta Minister in 2011, as well as the first turbaned Sikh cabinet minister in Canada.
The park will encompass more than five hectares, with colourful groves of trees, a gathering plaza and distinctive harvest tables that seat up to 20 people. It will be directly connected to the Rotary/ Mattamy Greenway, a 138-kilometre pathway that encircles the city.
“When the idea for the Rotary/ Mattamy Greenway began, it was with Manmeet’s support that the project really took hold. Without his direct support, the greenway project would not be where it is today, which is a mere 10 kilometres from completion,” said Sheila Taylor, executive director of Parks Foundation Calgary.
Bhullar was a friend of Mayor Naheed Nenshi, and the mayor said he was both thrilled and sad to be at the announcement of the new park.
“It really is a chance for Calgarians, all of us for whom Manmeet meant so much, to be able to demonstrate his lasting legacy every day of the year in a beautiful space that celebrates the land, celebrates community and, most importantly, it celebrates Manmeet,” said Nenshi.
Namrita Rattan, Bhullar’s wife, said they would often walk along the greenway together, which gave Bhullar a chance to reflect on and approach the challenges his work brought him with a renewed perspective.
Rattan said the park to honour Bhullar’s legacy is cherished by his friends and family.
“Once completed, this park, with its majestic trees, beautiful vibrant colours and multi-purpose gathering spaces, will embody his spirit as well as his strength,” said Rattan.
Construction on the park, which is scheduled to open in 2018, will begin in the next few months.