Consultations begin on sacred land plan.

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The first consultation, this for the Aboriginal community, was held early last month when Lewis Cardinal and representatives from the City of Edmonton outlined plans for Kihci Askiy (meaning "sacred land" in Cree) in the Whitemud River Valley area. Cardinal began working on behalf of the Indigenous Elders Cultural Resource Circle Society in 2006 to formalize the use of the city-owned land, which has been the site for sweat lodges for the past three years. The IECRCS wants to enter into a stewardship relationship agreement with the city, which would allow IECRCS to use the 80-acre parcel indefinitely for Aboriginal cultural ceremonies. While two more public consultations must be held and then reports made to respective city committees, Cardinal is confident that city council approval will come through by mid-October. If it does, Edmonton will be the first major city in Canada to have such an agreement with an Aboriginal group. "The Elders said we need to have ceremonies available to people in the city because many of our people are moving to the city," said Cardinal.