Why the city plans to sell Wellington Park land cheap to support Edmonton's Africa Centre
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The five in favour at the Wednesday meeting were Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Coun. Karen Principe, Coun. Aaron Paquette, Coun. Keren Tang and Coun. Tim Cartmell.
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In December 2024, council directed administration to report on the possibility of selling city land for the project.
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For the past two decades, the City of Edmonton has collaborated with the Africa Centre to support programming for African and Caribbean communities.
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The centre delivers a range of programs from cultural preservation and youth development to social supports and economic integration, reaching more than 20,000 people each year. The relationship between the city and Africa Centre formally began in 2007 when the centre entered into a lease agreement for the former Wellington Junior High School at 13160 127 St. The school was condemned in 2017 and city staff assisted with the relocation of Africa Centre to St. Francis Centre where, up until the fall of 2022, the group operated some programs and centralized its administrative staff and functions. In 2022, the centralized administrative office for Africa Centre moved to the Circle Square Professional Building at 11808 St. Albert Tr.
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Samuel Juru, executive director of the Africa Centre, said support from the city has allowed the group to 'provide services and programs for the community.'
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Edna Wakene, board chair of the Africa Centre, said more than 60 representatives from African and Caribbean community associations attended a town hall meeting in 2024 and shared in the call for a cultural centre.
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'The refresh of the centre's engagement strategy and business case has been an extensive and collaborative undertaking spanning over two years,' she told city council on Wednesday. 'We held six town halls to accommodate different demographics, including language, age and geographical locations. There was clear community consensus for the AMCC to be a centre for implementing a range of programs and services.'
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In a peak month, it made up to 1.5 million pieces of clothing for JCPenney. Key U.S. customers for Tzicc — JCPenney, Walmart and Costco — did not reply to AP to comment. Pivoting to the neighboring South African market, one of the solutions proposed by the trade minister and industry consultants, wouldn't be enough to even cover the employees' payroll, Omar said. And even if American buyers return, it's unlikely the factory could rehire all its 1,300 workers, she added. Today, just a few blocks away, former employees try their luck looking for work at other factories that are still operating. Most are turned away. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'Life is difficult,' former worker Mathunya said. 'There is nothing, nothing at all. People don't have money.' __ Pascalinah Kabi in Maseru, Josh Boak in Washington and Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed. ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
