Edmonton city council approves Rossdale rezoning for up to 15-storey buildings
The 9-4 vote allows taller development on land adjacent to the Rossdale Burial Site, a shared resting place for Métis, First Nations, and early European settlers.
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Edmonton city council has voted in favour of rezoning two parcels of land in Rossdale to allow medium and large scale development with heights up to 15 storeys — an increase from the previous 12-storey limit.
Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson brought the motion forward to allow building on land bounded by Rossdale Road, 97th Avenue, 105th Street and 102nd Street. The rezoning passed 9 to 4, with Coun. Jo-Anne Wright, Karen Principe, Reed Clarke and Keren Tang voting against.
The proposal sparked significant opposition. Nearly 20 speakers came to city hall to voice concerns, many focused on the site's historical importance. The parcel sits directly next to the Rossdale Burial Site at 101st Street and 96th Avenue, a shared resting place for Métis residents, First Nations peoples including members of the Papaschase First Nation, and early European settlers.
Amber Paquette, Nehiyaw and Métis and the city's sixth Historian Laureate, opposed the rezoning on cultural grounds. "We have something special here that deserves to be protected, and it's a place where families gathered for over 600 generations," she told council. She called for a comprehensive, Indigenous-led historical land-use study of the area.
Paperchase First Nation Chief Calvin Bruneau supported the rezoning for potential economic development benefits to the First Nation but cautioned the city should move carefully, emphasizing the need for site monitoring archaeologists to watch for human remains or artifacts.
Multiple members of the Edmonton Stragglers, another First Nation band with ties to the land, spoke against the rezoning. "Our ancestors matter, their graves matter and descendants who carry their blood matter today," Gerald Delorme told council.
Environmental concerns also surfaced. Kristine Kowalchuk, chair of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition, pointed out Rossdale sits on a floodplain and referenced the Flood of 1915, questioning why the city would pursue development where other cities are removing infrastructure and rewilding floodplains.
