CP Officially Renames Station from Hobbema to Maskwacis
In June 2019, CP officially renamed the Hobbema train station in central Alberta to Maskwacis, to acknowledge the true heritage of the territory and the tribes who originated on the Treaty 6 territory.
Maskwacis is Cree for Bear Hill, and the renaming ceremony and sign unveiling was held at Maskwa (Bear) Park. The ceremony began with a pipe ceremony conducted by an elder, followed by formal speeches by Ermineskin Cree Nation Chief Craig Makinaw, Samson Cree Nation Chief Vernon Saddleback, Louis Bull Cree Nation Chief Irvin Bull and CP’s Senior Vice President, Engineering, Mechanical & Procurement, Scott MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald acknowledged the history of Indigenous people, reiterated CP’s respect for the history and Indigenous communities, and spoke to the potential future opportunities among all parties for economic growth, development and employment.
Located between the townships of Wetaskiwin and Ponoka, the railway flag station was named after Dutch landscape painter Meindert Hobbema in 1891. When the railway was built, the communities along the railway line were named after the railway stations. CP’s renaming of the Maskwacis station therefore acknowledges the thousands of years of history that came before the railway.
Read more in Indigenous Relations.