Calgary provides 911 services to Tsuut'ina under new deal

The City of Calgary has begun providing 911 services to the Tsuut'ina Nation, officials announced at a signing ceremony on Tuesday.

Since the agreement went into effect Jan. 3, the city has responded to 32 emergency calls on the reserve, which borders the southwestern edge of Calgary.

The agreement includes evaluating calls and connecting them to the appropriate service, transferring calls for police or ambulance to the relevant service, and dispatchingthe Tsuut'ina Nation Fire Department.

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The contract will see Calgary's 911 service respond to non-emergency calls, such as dealing with alarm companies and monitoring the safety of firefighters, the city says.

Tsuut'ina Chief Lee Crowchild hailed the new relationship as "an important step towardintegrating physical infrastructure and human resources in our shared environment."

Calgary's Deputy Mayor Ward Sutherland said the agreement is about more than providing 911 services.

"It is part of how the city is striving to learn fromand work with our neighbouring Indigenous communities in the spirit of reconciliation. It is also part of the city's commitment to building an equitable and inclusive relationship with Indigenous people who live in and around Calgary."

The Tsuut'ina Nation was previously served by the Foothills 911 call centre, which covers a wide area of southern Alberta.

The terms of the nation's deal with the City of Calgary were not disclosed.

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