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160 acres purchased from province for just over $9M
The City of Red Deer has acquired a key piece of land which could be used to build an Indigenous cultural centre.
The sale of the land, which was once home to the former Michener Centre, closed Friday between the province and the city, with Red Deer paying just over $9.16 million to acquire it.
“It’s a really important piece of the community in that surrounding area,” said Russ Watts, the city’s engineering services manager.
The use of the land, while yet to be finalized, has seen two major proposals for an Indigenous cultural centre and a pool facility — but upcoming public consultation could see other uses for the land be suggested.
Historic site
The purchased site is 160 acres, according to Watts.
“It’s a lot of trees, a lot of grass, a lot of wetland, and kind of a natural area,” he said. “But there is that area where the old building sites were — and were remediated — that has been disturbed a little bit.”
“The site was operated by Assisted Living and Social Services – Persons with Developmental Disabilities, who provided home living and other supports in those buildings,” a spokesperson for Alberta Infrastructure told CBC News. “It used to have 16 major structures that used to be on the site, which have been demolished.”
The Michener Centre was set to close in 2013, with the decision reversed a year later. But by 2015, all remaining residents moved either to other buildings or to the south side of the campus. In 2021, demolition work began on the north side of the campus.
The city’s plan to acquire the lands was announced in late 2020.
“The Michener North lands have deep roots in Red Deer’s history, economy, park space and natural areas,” a post on the city’s website reads.
“It’s a really important piece of the community in that surrounding area.– Russ Watts
“The centralized location provides a place to reflect history, access the Waskasoo trail system, experience wildlife and enjoy open outdoor space year-round.”
Indigenous centre 3 decades in the making
In late May, the Mâmawatoskêwak Advisory Circle gave a presentation at a city council meeting, and said it had identified the Michener North lands as the ideal place for a future Indigenous cultural centre.
Tammy Rogers, the chair of the group, noted the idea of building such a centre in Red Deer has been in the works for over 30 years.
“In the fall of 2024, the city hosted a gathering where the Indigenous community came together and really sought out and put forward what would be required for an Indigenous community centre within the city of Red Deer,” she said.
Since then, the Mâmawatoskêwak Advisory Circle was formed and explored 22 potential sites for such a centre with the criteria that the land needed to be a minimum 30 acres, with the indoor space being a minimum of a 10,000-square-foot facility with expansion capability.
Rogers said additional criteria included proximity to public transit, safe and convenient road access, adequate parking, accommodation for active transportation, that the site be within or near city limits, a preference for proximity to water, high visibility to support reconciliation and public awareness, that the site be compatible and supportive to neighbouring land uses, and that it would fit a development timeline that would not exceed 10 years.
The initial list of 22 potential sites was narrowed down to three.
“Those sites were Signet Close area, Heritage Ranch and the Michener lands up to the Michael O’Brien Wetland,” she said.
Ultimately, Rogers said the only one which fit the criteria was the latter.
“There’s a lot of natural Indigenous medicines that are growing there,” she said.
“There was just a feeling there when we were on the land. An eagle was flying by, which is a huge sign in Indigenous culture, and it just felt right.”
Rogers said a cultural centre is important for the local Indigenous community, as there is no dedicated space for them now, but added that once such a centre is built, it will be open to everyone.
“We do host a number of things at Fort Normandeau, but it’s not accessible to everyone,” she said. “The Indigenous community has been fractured by colonial decision-making, and there needs to be a space where we can come together to practise our ceremonies, to be able to teach our youth, to be able to have connection between our elders and our youth that is safe, that is accessible, and that can feel like home.
“We will be there every day. There will be something every day, whether it’s folks just coming and having coffee, whether it’s walking, taking care of the [land] … part of it is being really good stewards to the land. It will be an open space for people to visit and just be there.”
Next steps
In the next few weeks, the city will put out a request for proposal to begin developing an area structure plan for the land, which will look at proposals already put forward for the site such as the Indigenous cultural centre and the pool facility.
Other potential future uses could be considered based on public engagement to come and on what a technical assessment of the site shows is suitable for the land.
“The process to develop an area structure plan is typically 12 to 18 months,” said Watts. “We’re looking to start that next step here I would say maybe in the next month or so.”
According to a statement, the city says it anticipates a plan for the land will be “ready for adoption by city council in early 2028.” — Lina Elsaadi
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Credit belongs to: www.cbc.ca
