Strathcona County Regional Park Master Plan

The land itself is a wonderful recorder of past events. By studying the layers of soil and rock under the surface, we can learn about processes like glaciation and the evolution of the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

Two palaeontological sites were previously recorded within the project boundary. These sites contained fossilized bones of horses, bison, and other animals.

Although there are no recorded archaeological sites within the park boundaries, archaeological sites (such as campsites and workshops for making stone tools) in the surrounding area bear witness to the presence and activities of ancestral Indigenous peoples that date back thousands of years. Landforms along water sources, including the North Saskatchewan River, tend to be an indicator of high archaeological potential.

The County held two engagements with Indigenous Communities and Organizations in 2020 and 2021. The engagements resulted in several recommendations for the Master Plan and the planning process, including Indigenous knowledge and history that could be incorporated into the park.

Historical records indicate that a portion of the park site was owned for several years by a Métis woman named Marie-Rose Cardinal in the mid-1880s. Cardinal was a residential school survivor. She took scrip (which Métis people living in the West obtained in exchange for their land rights) in the form of land and cash, and sold the land in 1887.

Relics of an 1880s homestead owned by Laurence Adamson (an English settler) were found during a field visit in 2021. Based on written records, the homestead originally consisted of several buildings on the property including a log house, two stables, a granary, a cow house, shed, and pig pens.

Archival records from this time period help us to learn about how people lived in the late 19th century, how property was acquired and transferred, the significance of Métis scrip, and the transition to large-scale farming at the beginning of the 20th century.

Communities of farm families, merchants, and service providers developed around cultural centres like schools, churches, fire halls, and community halls. Several families lived and farmed on the park site during the first half of the 20th century. The area became known informally as ‘Poverty Flats’, even though the farms in the area raised all types of livestock and crops, including vegetable gardens.

The park site was identified as a location for gravel and sand extraction in the early 1980s by a subsidiary of the company now known as LaFarge Canada Ltd. The gravel from the site and other quarries in the region was used in the development of buildings and other aspects of Alberta’s infrastructure.

Historically, the park site was made up of wooded upland habitat and it was connected to creeks and streams that supported a diversity of plants and wildlife.

Over thousands of years, sand and gravel deposits formed in the river valley. The climate, geology, and soil conditions of the region made the site, and many others in the surrounding area, viable for farming and quarry operations as Alberta developed.

There are five artificial water bodies on site that were created during quarrying operations. They provide some habitat for birds, waterfowl, and amphibians, and have the potential to support fish.

In partnership with the River Valley Alliance, the  Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge  will be constructed later this year pending funding decisions. Connecting to the Riverside Nature Trail, this bridge will improve connections to the new Regional Park for communities across the river.

Parks have the potential to become places where people feel at home, that they belong, and that they are welcome. They help to foster more equitable and resilient communities made up of people of all ages, cultures, and walks of life.

Strathcona County and its adjacent municipalities will experience significant growth in the coming years. On its own, Strathcona County is anticipating a population growth of 40-60,000 people in the next twenty years.

Surrounding land uses include the Bremner Lagoon site to the west (to be remediated), an active gravel quarry to the east, and a golf and country club to the south. Other land uses in the area include agriculture and light/medium industrial.

Future activity in the park will respect environmentally sensitive areas (for example, near the river’s edge). Activity may be restricted in some areas to limit impacts to essential wildlife corridors while active uses (like sports and event spaces) could occur in areas that have already been heavily disturbed.

Due to the steep slope at the river’s edge, direct river access will not be possible in the new Regional Park. River lookouts and programs for river appreciation are major opportunities for the Master Plan.

Existing nearby boat launches include the Fort Saskatchewan Boat Launch (7km downstream) and the Capilano Boat Launch in Edmonton (20km upstream). A new boat launch will be located at the Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge approximately 2km west of the new Regional Park.

“A simple way to change a passive, indifferent, or threatening space into a welcoming, nurturing, and inspiring place is through the presence of art.”

 _{-  Lily Yeh, Artist for The Trust for Public Land & City Parks Alliance}   

Themes that could be explored further include: glaciation and the evolution of the North Saskatchewan River Valley; Indigenous knowledge and history; settlement, trade, homesteads, and land rights; the significance of Métis scrip; Strathcona County family and community history; geology and aggregate extraction in the river valley; and natural history.

Through partnerships, the new Regional Park can support Indigenous knowledge and history with signage, artwork, and pavilions. The park could become a welcoming and safe ceremonial space for various nations to use and be used to educate the general public.