Edmonton not interested in Aboriginal urban affairs committee

Page 9

The Edmonton Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee was on city council's cut list when it decided where it will send city representatives to act as a liaison between council and committees.

"Recently, council voted to take councilors off of some committees," said Councilor Larry Langley. "In its review of the 50 or 60 committees that councilors attend, we realized some had to be cut." He was confident the committee will still function, although he admitted it was in danger at one time.

Langley was at an open house hosted by the urban affairs committee on Nov. 9, where it gave Edmontonians a look at who makes up the committee and what it does. Mayor Bill Smith spoke briefly about the committee's accomplishments and left the reception shortly afterwards.

Councilor Langley has been the liaison councilor for three years. That responsibility will end sometime after the new year. City and council will now learn about the committee's activities by reports filed twice each year.

"The feeling might have been, there's a lot of agencies, I think there is about 83, looking after them [urban Aboriginal people]" Langely commented.

Langley credits Jane Woodward, committee chairperson, for reviving the group over the past two years. Woodward is resigning as chairperson of the committee Dec. 31. The remaining members will put forward names for a new chairperson.

"We were told, informally, that the committee didn't do anything," said Woodward. That impression was projected when city council decided to pull their liaison representative off the committee.

In her address at the open house, Woodward said the Aboriginal committee did not want to duplicate any of the other services for Aboriginal people in the community. Its purpose is to promote the development of Aboriginal people in Edmonton.

Woodward feels the committee is important because of the advocacy and liaison it provides to Aboriginal people in the city. The committee co-ordinated the successful National Aboriginal day celebrations in June with the provincial museum and the federal government. It also published a directory of services in the city and members have planned and implemented various events. The committee receives a small budget from the city.

The Aboriginal population is predicted to increase in the next 10 years. Statistics Canada projected Alberta will have the largest Aboriginal population of any province by the year 2016. Housing and employment opportunities have been reported to be the reason more Aboriginal people are moving into the city. The increase in population calls for more initiatives to address the particular concerns of Aboriginal Edmontonians and is the main thrust of the committee.

"We are contributors to the city's population, not just creating problems," said Woodward. She sees Aboriginal people very much a part of the city's growth and prosperity.

Mayor Smith failed to return a number of phone calls left by Sweetgrass or address requests for an interview on this matter.