Caution urged on Rossdale demolition

Epcor has a duty to ensure possible human and archeological remains are preserved when it demolishes part of the Rossdale power plant, people at an open house said Wednesday night.

"Epcor has a responsibility to incorporate our culture into this site," said Duane Good Striker who believes his ancestors are buried at the site. "That's it. They must do this."

The Rossdale power plant sits on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River, just south of downtown, and was decommissioned at the end of 2008. It is considered a prime piece of land for redevelopment particularly by the City of Edmonton if its bid to host EXPO 2017 is successful. Demolition of about half the buildings on the site is scheduled to start this summer.

Previous excavations on the site have uncovered remnants of stone toolsdating back thousands of years. The remains ofaboriginal people have also being found at the site..

Philip Coutu said his ancestorsused to live on the site and he wants to ensure Epcor proceeds with caution.

"This site has never had an archeological study that's based on trying to discover our history," he said. "All of the archeology has been about 'Let's develop the site and see if there's anything that we're going to destroy.'"

Epcor plans to to hire an archeologist during the excavation. But the public consultations are more about the future of the site, Epcor spokesperson Tim le Riche said.

"We don't know what's going to happen to that facility and we're pleased to discuss with the community and First Nations communities what we're going to do with it and how we're going to respect any historical finds that may be made," he said.

Other buildings on the site - the low pressure plant and the pump houses - have historical designation and will be preserved.