The potential renaming of Okotoks' Dewdney Park has been extended.

Dewdney Park was established in 1981, and was named in reference to 'Dewdney' being the town's name prior to 'Okotoks.'

Edgar Dewdney, the former lieutenant governor and town's former namesake, has since drawn criticism due to his mistreatment of First Nations peoples in the late 1880s.

In June of 2021, town council voted to consider the renaming of the park.

At their latest meeting (Feb. 14) council voted in favour of extending the timeline on the decision to June 13.

According to programs, culture and heritage manager Jeanette Messer, it's largely to do with the consultation process the town is pursuing with regard to the potential change.

"We needed to make sure we had an appropriate engagement with our Indigenous neighbours. I think that moving forward, this is something the Town of Okotoks is going to do for many initiatives, and this is something that we really can't make a mistake on. That engagement is really important."

The town is working with Arrow Archeology Ltd, an archeology consulting firm that also provides heritage resource management and traditional knowledge consulting.

Previously, the town has worked with Arrow for the ongoing water pipeline and decided to carry out consultations on Dewdney Park through the company because of the existing relationship.

Messer says they're garnering feedback from a number of Indigenous groups through Arrow, with consultation talks including potential new names for the park and a few other details that would come along with a name change.

"One of the things that we will be considering too is, depending on council's decision, what is the appropriate type of ceremony that we might have to conduct, and any other notifications or decisions that have to be wrapped up in that possible name change."

The timeline was first extended in August of 2021 when it was pushed to Feb. 14.