“Cedar Point” has been unveiled as Grande Prairie City Council’s choice for the official renaming of the Coordinated Care Campus facility.
According to the city, the name was chosen as a traditional one that symbolizes resilience and strength. Officials say the city believes cedar is a “strong reflection” of the facility and the ways it supports unhoused residents on their journeys to stable housing.
Councillor Grant Berg sat on the naming committee and says after a lengthy process, cedar topped the more than 20 different choices on the list.
“One of the things we wanted to talk about or address was a connection to the land, a natural environment, and a healing environment so we discussed a variety of different trees because they’re rooted, strong, they are shaped by the weather but they’re resilient,” he says. “When we were discussing different trees, cedar was a natural one, it is used in smudging, it is hardy, it’s a beautiful tree.”
Berg adds that while the tree’s connection to the land was a significant influence on the name chosen, addressing the Coordinated Care Campus’ “corporate” reputation was considered during the process as well.
“It’s also about creating a beautiful environment, we didn’t want a name that was very corporate like the CCC or something that was just alphabet soup, we wanted to be addressed by a positive name that is stigma-free.”
Officials say the new name aims to create a sense of belonging for residents and reflect the multi-use purpose of the facility and the potential for additional expansion.
