Opinion: Edmonton's downtown plan must put people before developers
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A recent Edmonton Journal opinion piece (' Downtown Edmonton needs bold action now, ' May 13) supports a $553-million expansion of the Community Revitalization Levy (CRL), claiming that 'when public goals align with private-sector interests, the result is a downtown that is safer, cleaner, more vibrant, and more economically resilient.'
This has been Edmonton's downtown strategy for decades: Subsidize developers, spruce up public spaces, and hope people move in. But the results are hard to ignore. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment, downtown remains underpopulated, and the revitalization taxpayers were promised has yet to materialize. Before council commits to another half-billion, we need to ask: Is this really the best tool we have?
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Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Forget about the past': Fans weigh in on criticism of Wayne Gretzky over Trump ties
Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state Published Jun 06, 2025 • 3 minute read Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones arrive for the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Photo by Pool / Getty Images EDMONTON— It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. But as the Edmonton Oilers skate their way through the Stanley Cup final, hockey fans say it's time to let bygones be bygones. 'I don't think it matters,' said Craig Hiscock, a longtime Oilers fan, as he posed Wednesday for a photo with a statue of Gretzky outside Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 1. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors 'Let's forget about the past. What he did here was a lot for the city, a lot for hockey.' The statue was vandalized in March and smeared with what appeared to be and strongly smelled like feces. On Wednesday, a hip-high metal fence was up around the bronze figure. An online petition started in February calling for a new name for Wayne Gretzky Drive also has about 14,000 signatures. Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state. The Great One was photographed with Trump several times at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In January, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, attended Trump's inauguration in Washington. Frustrations grew after he appeared as honorary captain for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final with the United States. Video footage showed him giving the U.S. team a thumbs-up as he walked to the ice. Essential Oilers news, insight, opinion and analysis. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Gretzky also congratulated Dallas Stars players in their locker room last month, after they advanced to the Western Conference final. The Oilers eliminated the Stars in five games and now have one win against the Florida Panthers in the Cup final. Game 2 is Friday night. Brian Foulken, who became a fan during the Gretzky era and collects Oilers merchandise, said Gretzky's accomplishments, including multiple scoring records that stand to this day, still resonate with people. As for the criticism, Foulken said people are going to have their own opinions. 'At the end of the day, (Gretzky) played here for a long time. The diehard Oilers (fans), we love him,' he said outside the arena before Game 1. 'He's an amazing player.' Foulken added that current Oilers captain Connor McDavid is inching closer to Gretzky-level greatness. Darren Rogers, a Gretzky fan since the Oilers' inception into the NHL in 1979, said Gretzky's leadership led the team to win multiple Stanley Cups. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Politics aside, that accomplishment should matter more to people in the grand scheme of things, Rogers said. Gretzky was in Edmonton for Wednesday's game. And as storied as Gretzky is to the Oilers franchise, he appeared to still be catching up to this new generation's fan base. On an American sports network, he sat side by side with commentators, as they discussed the Oilers' new tradition of playing the pop song 'Pink Pony Club.' Players have been tight-lipped about the significance of the Chappell Roan hit, typically heard after the team plays 'La Bamba' by Los Lobos following a win. 'Pink Pony — is that a band or is that a song?' the 64-year-old Gretzky asked TNT Sports co-host Paul Bissonnette following the Oilers' 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1. '(Roan) sings a song, 'Pink Pony Club,' and it's famous. It's on the radio,' Bissonnette answered. 'It's the new generation, Wayne,' he added. Gretzky appeared disappointed to learn Roan isn't Canadian, but still seemed eager to check out the song. 'I gotta get that (as) my ringtone,' Gretzky said. Read More Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Sports Cult of Hockey Local News
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Friday's letters: New zoning ruining mature neighbourhoods
A large multi-unit eight-plex under construction on University Avenue and 119 Street that is shaping the future of urban communities on Friday, May 23, 2025. Photo by Shaughn Butts / Postmedia Re. 'City's new zoning edict: 'Build as much crap as fast as possible,'' Opinion, June 3 I could not be in more agreement with Mr. Mark Dunlop. Council has abdicated its responsibility to promote pro-liveability development which respects context. Rather, council has turned Edmonton into a wild-west land grab focused solely on a destructive density model where neighbourhood feel, sewage and power services; school impacts; environmental impacts; effects of no onsite parking, et cetera, can be safely ignored. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Most shameful of all is the city's effective secondment of anti-poverty groups which have been sold the three-dollar bill promise of cheap housing as the quid pro quo for destroying mature neighbourhoods. We need subsidized housing for those in need. But it does not require that we burn to the ground mature areas. There are many alternatives, i.e. replace decrepit downtown buildings and empty parking lots with mixed-use housing, and we could help alleviate housing affordability and rejuvenate downtown. But rather than imagination and will, council chooses to gamble with the god of chance even in the face of Rome burning. We deserve better. We can do better. The October election is our opportunity to elect leaders, not gamblers. Steve Rose, Edmonton Council policies tarnishing city Mark Dunlop is right. We are governed by a council that is so blinded by their own agendas that we are now a city that looks like crap. Our downtown and communities are overrun by vagrants, our parks and boulevards are full of weeds and unkempt, our beautiful neighbourhoods are being destroyed by ill-advised bylaws. What business in their right mind would promote Edmonton as a place to live and thrive? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Think long and hard when casting your ballot in the upcoming election. M. Snihurowych, Edmonton New water bill charge unfair Just received my most recent water bill from Epcor after their demand that they replace my old water-reading device with the new advanced metering infrastructure devices that are now Epcor's new standard for the City of Edmonton. It indicates a new charge of $49.03 per month, a healthy increase of 45 per cent, or nearly $600 per year for what they call a non-standard meter read, as well as an existing service charge per month, making two charges per bill. How is it that they can institute a new fee in perpetuity on the citizens of Edmonton and no one says a thing about it? This charge will undoubtedly increase in the future as they look for new ways to suck more money out of people's wallets. E.A. Herr, Edmonton We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don't publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal |The Edmonton Sun. Cult of Hockey Sports Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Local News
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
How a little-known procedure helped the Liberals dodge their first confidence vote
A new election would not necessarily have been triggered if the Liberal throne speech reply was voted down Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon speaks with reporters outside of the Liberal caucus meeting in West Block on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Photo by Bryan Passifiume OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government used an obscure parliamentary maneuver to sidestep its first major test of confidence on Wednesday, adopting its reply to the throne speech by division. The measure sailed through the House of Commons without a vote after Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, the parliamentary secretary to government House leader Steven MacKinnon, moved without objection for the government reply to be sent to the King via Governor General Mary Simon. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Conservative Leader in the House of Commons Andrew Scheer was one of the MPs on hand to watch the motion carry. Ian Brodie, a political scientist and former chief of staff to ex-prime minister Stephen Harper, said that the procedural set piece likely reflected a tacit agreement between the new government and opposition parties. 'I'm sure the opposition parties thought this through and have consented to let the Carney government continue on,' said Brodie. According to the House rules of procedure, motions like the throne speech reply may be adopted without a vote under two circumstances: by unanimous consent and 'on division.' The latter happens when support for the motion isn't unanimous but no member of a recognized party moves for a recorded vote on its passage to be taken. Interim NDP leader Don Davies said in the preceding hours that he'd instruct his seven-member caucus to vote against the motion but wasn't in a position to make good on the threat, with the NDP not having enough seats to count as a 'recognized party' for the the purposes of parliamentary proceedings. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The minority Liberal government suffered a minor scare on Monday evening when it didn't have the votes blocking a hostile amendment to the throne speech reply calling on it to present an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. The procedural vote was not a matter of confidence and the government has said it doesn't consider it binding. Liberal MPs downplayed the narrowly lost vote, saying that they weren't surprised by the result. Brodie says that a new election would not necessarily have been triggered if the Liberal throne speech reply was voted down. 'The Governor General could reasonably ask (Conservative Leader Pierre) Poilievre to form a government. It's possible he could command the confidence of the House,' said Brodie. He pointed out that the Liberal government has yet to clearly establish that it enjoys the confidence of the House since Parliament was prorogued by Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau several months ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With files from the Canadian Press rmohamed@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Cult of Hockey Local News Edmonton Oilers Opinion Cult of Hockey
