Working collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples

We are committed to our relationship with Indigenous Peoples connected to the land.

Acknowledging Treaty 6 Territory

We respectfully acknowledge our water treatment plants are located on Treaty 6 territory – the traditional lands of the Blackfoot, the Cree, the Dene, the Nakota Sioux, and the Saulteaux and later the Métis. The banks of the North Saskatchewan River, where both our water treatment plants are located, have been a sacred gathering place since time immemorial.

We recognize that the ongoing success of our projects relies upon the success we have in establishing the appropriate, respectful relationships with Indigenous Nations and communities.

Our commitments

We will engage First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people from a position of mutual trust, combined with a willingness to understand their needs and concerns — cultural, social, spiritual, environmental and economic.
We engage with Indigenous peoples to ensure that potential impacts of our projects are properly identified and understood, and that we are working alongside one another to reach mutually agreed-upon solutions to those impacts.

Memorandum of Understanding

Our Memorandum of Understanding with Enoch First Nation creates a path forward on all projects that cause ground disturbance at the E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant going forward.

A shared history at Rossdale Water Treatment Plant

The area where the Rossdale plant is situated has a long history of Indigenous use and significance.

The site sits on the area where one of the iterations of Fort Edmonton once resided. The reason that site was attractive to the people who built the Fort there were the same reasons that Alberta's First Peoples had used that area as a meeting and trading ground since time immemorial. Their connection to the land pre-dates colonial introduction, was emphasized through the creation of a central hub for expanding European interests in the area, and continues as cultural and spiritual connections to this land are renewed and reinvigorated.

Today, a memorial park, situated to the west of the Rossdale plant, commemorates the historic grave site. Here are some resources to learn more about the site's history.

A shared history at E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant

The E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant is situated along a bend in the North Saskatchewan River located upstream from the historic placement of the settlement of Edmonton.

This is within Treaty #6 territory, the signing of which established a reserve (Tommy Lapotac Indian Reserve) whose boundaries included the water treatment plant area. The reserve was gradually made smaller through "surrenders" in 1902 and 1908, culminating in the current area of Enoch Cree Nation, to the west outside the modern city limits.

Historically, these areas were traditional transportation ways, communication networks and encampment spots. The ongoing discovery of archeological evidence demonstrates the longstanding use of the river valley by Indigenous peoples and connects EPCOR's river valley operations to present-day Indigenous rights-holders.

Contact us

We believe in listening to and engaging stakeholders. Community input and involvement is an important part of our decision-making and we want to hear what you think about our initiatives.

Phone: 780-412-4200
Email: epcorprojects@epcor.com