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City and ʔaq̓am sign St. Mary’s Park MOU
Future management of the St. Mary’s Park will be jointly conducted by ʔaq̓am (St. Mary’s Indian Band) and the City of Cranbrook, after the two communities formally endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) March 17.
The MOU is a condition of the province around the 2011 purchase of Crown land by the City of Cranbrook next to the St. Mary’s River and River’s Crossing (former Shadow Mountain Development). Conditions also indicated that the land must be used for public park purposes and that the park be managed in collaboration with the St. Mary’s Band.
“ʔaq̓amnik̓ pride themselves on being good stewards of the land; we are excited for this and future opportunities for ʔaq̓am and the City of Cranbrook to work together,” says Nasukin Jim Whitehead.
“We are pleased to work alongside with the St. Mary’s Band to jointly manage St. Mary’s Park,” says Mayor Lee Pratt. “This partnership will help continue strengthening the relationship between our communities and may lead to future opportunities.”
The agreement provides the basis for formalizing this relationship and includes regard for mutual interests and roles and responsibilities of both the city and the St. Mary’s Band. Through this MOU, both the band and the city will pursue funding opportunities to offset expenses around the park’s development, operation, maintenance and management.
City of Cranbrook
