Latest news with #EdmontonMountainBikeAlliance
CBC
02-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
New bike skills park in river valley gets green light from Edmonton city council
Social Sharing The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance has received the final approvals needed from city council in order to start building a skills park on the site of a former wastewater treatment plant in Queen Elizabeth Park. The EMBA has called the decision a big win for Edmonton riders. "Next stop: shovels in the ground!" the group said in a social media post Wednesday. The free park, intended to be a place where mountain bikers can learn and practise skills, will include trails, a looped asphalt track and an area for jumps. The $1.2-million project has been funded through donor contributions and grants from the municipal and provincial governments. Eleven council members voted to approve the skills park on Wednesday morning, with Jo-Anne Wright and Karen Principe, who represent Ward Sspomitapi and Ward tastawiyiniwak, respectively, voting against it. Principe said she thinks that the park will be a wonderful addition to the city but she was not convinced the location, southeast of the Walterdale Bridge, was the right place for it and Wright made similar comments during the council meeting. "Other locations really haven't been considered that might be actually even more accessible for people," she said. City council approved a master plan for Queen Elizabeth Park, which included a bike skills park, in 2013. Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford said before the vote that council should respect the decision that was made then because pivoting at the last minute would create distrust and uncertainty for community members who have been working on the project. Cyclists and conservationists clash over skills park in Edmonton's river valley 2 days ago Duration 2:09 The Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition has argued the park would be destructive and launched a petition asking council to find a more ecologically sound location for it. As of Wednesday, the group's petition had more than 500 supporters. Kristine Kowalchuk told CBC News on Wednesday the coalition is extremely disappointed with the city council decision, calling it "another major blow to the river valley." A recent city report said an environmental impact assessment identified some potential environmental impacts from the project but estimated the cumulative impacts to be low to moderate. A site location study concluded the skills park would not cause significant environmental impacts. Rutherford said directing bikers to a specific area could help protect the river valley by reducing use on unauthorized trails. "There are areas I'd like to see completely blocked off from bikers so that there can be restoration and naturalization in other parts of the river valley, but I think in order to do that, you need to give people a space to go," she said.
CBC
21-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Why Edmonton ultrarunners are helping repair trails after a wet race
Ultrarunners and mountain bikers in Edmonton are teaming up to fix trails that were damaged last weekend. Organizers of the North Sun Ultra say trail conditions worsened during a wet race Saturday, before reverting the course. As CBC's Travis McEwan reports, the group plans to bring people and money to assist the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance with repairs.
CBC
19-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
New mountain bike park in Edmonton's river valley will start construction this year
Construction will begin this year on Edmonton's first mountain bike park in the city's river valley. Since 2018, the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) has been planning the dedicated bike space outfitted with trails, an asphalt track, and jumps in Queen Elizabeth Park. With a $613,000 grant from the provincial government, the project is now fully funded and hopes to open in spring or summer 2026. "This investment in the Edmonton Bike Park is a game changer for our community," Joe Yurkovich, EMBA president said in a news conference Tuesday. "It's been a long road, but we're excited to get started this year." Yurkovich said the park will serve all ages and skill levels, allowing more people to explore the sport and grow their skills before hitting the trails. The park will be free to use and the EMBA is fundraising a reserve fund for any ongoing maintenance for the park. The site is at a former wastewater treatment plant in Queen Elizabeth Park. When the city wrote a master plan for the park in 2013, a bike skills park was identified as a good future use of the space. Adam Luciuk, event producer for the Edmonton Mountain Bike Festival, said the community has been looking forward to having a dedicated space for years. "That was part of the reason why we started the mountain bike festival was to build upon that excitement for the community and create a celebration." Luciuk is enthusiastic about the potential the new park will bring for holding events in the city and tourism. "Something of this scale can really attract people from outside the city to come to Edmonton to do training, to learn a new sport, and to recreate," he said. "We can even use this space to host cool and fun events that bring athletes and people from all over the world." The funding was announced Tuesday, but EMBA applied through the 2024 granting cycle. A third of the project also came from the City of Edmonton through a $407,000 grant. The remaining $177,000 was raised through private sponsorships and donations. Tanya Fir, minister of arts, culture and status of women, said the money is part of a package of grants dedicated to creating vibrant communities. "They give Albertans a chance to connect with friends, family and neighbours, enriching and enhancing our province's cultural and recreational landscape, while also providing a boost to our thriving economy," Fir said. One concern Yurkovich said was raised during the proposal feedback process was parking because they expect the space will be popular. But in such a central location, he expects many cyclists will simply ride in. "It shouldn't be a problem. But that just gives you the sense that people do see that this will be a great amenity for the city."
