Council unanimously OK’s notice of motion for city hall Indigenous Relations Office

A Treaty 7 flag has been raised outside city hall, Langevin Bridge has been officially renamed, and now, another step has been taken in the city's journey to reconciliation.

On Monday, city council unanimously approved a notice of motion from Ward 11 Coun. Brian Pincott asking bureaucrats to consider creating a distinct Indigenous Relations Office at city hall.

“Having an office that can lead us on this journey is something that we need,” said Pincott. “Now is the time.” Pincott said the city currently has just one staff member who deals with Indigenous issues and that's simply not enough.

The city councillor, who is not running for re-election this fall, envisions the office as a resource for city staff and citizens.

“This motion is to say yes, we're beyond the words, we've made the declaration, we've put the policy in place; now, we need to turn that into action,” Pincott said.

The office would require full-time staff and city administration will now return to council in November with more details on staff numbers and budget considerations.

The support for the separate office comes after the Treaty 7 flag was permanently raised outside city hall in March, and council voted 14-1 in favour of renaming Langevin Bridge, which connects East Village with Bridgeland, to Reconciliation Bridge in January.

The bridge's namesake HectorLouis Langevin, a Father of Confederation whose ministry funded the bridge's initial construction in 1888, played a key role in creating the residential school system.

Pincott's notice of motion wasn't the only one that garnered unanimous approval from politicians on Monday.

A notice of motion from Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra focused on increasing gender equity and diversity on council, city boards, commissions and committees was approved in a 15-0 vote after a nearly hour-long passionate debate in council chambers.

“Gender equity is good for society,” said Carra. “If you look around this council chamber, you will note the faces at this table do not reflect the faces of Calgary at large. That's both about gender equity and that's about diversity.”

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he was pleased his colleagues unanimously agreed through the two notices of motion that work is needed to make Calgary a better place to live.

“We have to ensure that every single person in our community feels that they belong and they have the opportunity to succeed here. And in many ways, we do better than anywhere in the world of doing that.” Nenshi said. “We also have to recognize there are some groups that have not participated in the prosperity of our city and there's nothing wrong with asking why and asking how we might be able to improve that.”