EPCOR Reveals Indigenous Name for Edmonton River Valley Solar Farm – Edmonton | The Canadian News

A controversial solar farm built in Edmonton’s river valley is set to open in a few months, and now it has a name.

On Wednesday, EPCOR revealed that the name was decided on in a traditional indigenous naming ceremony in January.

The 51-acre farm will be officially called kisikaw pisim, which means sun by day.

“(It) just talks about the sun, how important it is to us, how much a symbol it is when we wake up every day we give thanks to the sun —another sunrise— and when we go to sleep at night, it’s one of the last things to say good night to us, so it’s really important to us in our culture and it really speaks to how important the sun is to us in our culture,” Enoch Cree Nation chief Billy Morin explained.

Morin said it was EPCOR that suggested the traditional naming ceremony, a move he deeply appreciated.

“It’s not some kind of lottery or it’s not pulling a name out of a hat, choosing a name. He had a traditional ceremony that was very powerful,” said EPCOR President and CEO Stuart Lee.

“And for someone who hasn’t participated in a ceremony like that before, I walked away with a better appreciation of the culture.”

Morin said names are important and it means a lot to him to see more Cree words being used throughout the city.

“It really highlights how our young people, who lost a lot of that language, now see it here on a sign,” Morin explained.

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“You are seeing it everywhere and it helps my three youngest children when we walk these trails and cross that bridge. I can say ‘kisikaw pisim’. I never got to tell them that before.”

Both Morin and the Enoch Cree Nation have not always been as supportive of the project.

At first, the nation openly opposed the farm, which is on traditional territory of the Enoch Cree Nation.

Morin said talks with EPCOR and the city of Edmonton changed his mind.

Others, including wildlife groups, raised concerns about the ecological impact of the development.

EPCOR announced that it would transfer 31.5 acres of land to the City of Edmonton to expand its trail network.

He said he will also add trees and bushes to the site to help wildlife.

The last of the 30,350 solar panels was installed in March.

When operational, the project is expected to be able to provide 50 percent of the energy needed for the water treatment plant.

Lee admitted that supply chain issues have delayed construction by a few months, but power is expected to flow in late September, possibly around the same time as the solstice.