St. Albert city council is putting up a $5,000 sponsorship for the Poundmaker Lodge's 50th annual competition powwow this weekend.
The sponsorship, the result of a motion put forward by Mayor Cathy Heron and passed unanimously by council on Aug. 15, will go toward supporting elders, security costs, signage and advertising, and first aid costs for the powwow, a recent report to council says.
The event itself will feature competitive Indigenous drumming and dancing, as well as ceremony, food, and “an opportunity to showcase recovery awareness (in) celebrating Poundmaker's accomplishments in supporting communities from addictions for 50 years,” the report says.
Poundmaker's Lodge stands on what was formerly the site of the Edmonton residential school on Poundmaker Road on St. Albert's eastern border. Since 1973, the Lodge has operated as an addiction treatment facility.
Festivities begin on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. with a grand entry, and will wrap up Sunday evening at 6 p.m. with dancing. A schedule of the event can be found on the city's website.
“In addition to council financial sponsorship of this event, city staff are volunteering at a booth throughout the weekend at the powwow, and a transit charter service is available from Nakî Transit Centre to Poundmaker's Lodge throughout the weekend,” the report to council says.
In an email, Heron said she wants to sponsor the powwow to show the city's ongoing commitment to truth and reconciliation, and to further develop its relationship with the folks operating Poundmaker's Lodge.
“The annexation brought Poundmaker into our boundaries, and I hope to build an enduring friendship,” Heron said.
“They deserve this celebration and recognition for 50 years of support to people with addictions.”
The report to council also says $1,500 of the sponsorship funding will come from council's sponsorship fund, while the remaining $3,500 is coming from council's contingency fund.
