What's New?

Expansion and Renovations to Close John Janzen Nature Centre
Expansion and renovation of the John Janzen Nature Centre is set to begin resulting in a 10-month closure that will start on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

During construction, guided classes and field trips that have already been booked for May and June will continue to operate; however, drop-in programs will be unavailable.

The closure will also impact some access to nature trails surrounding the Centre. One access point to the Birch Tree Trail will be closed, but remaining trail access points will remain open.

The closure will not impact the Backyard Compost Centre, which will continue to offer regular drop-in and pre-registered programs outside.

The John Janzen Nature Centre is expected to re-open in the spring of 2011.

Expansion of the Centre will consist of a new interpretive play space for children, a “green” roof and an improved entrance.

The City of Edmonton is providing $1.1 million for the expansion while the Government of Canada (Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program) and the Edmonton Nature Centres Foundation are contributing $801,277 and $550,000, respectively.

Get Hooked Fishing Adventures becomes Alberta's first and only Certified Freshwater Angling Guide
After completing a certification course that is offered through Emerit and the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and passing the required standards as well as through evaluation and written exam Keith now becomes Alberta's first and only certified freshwater angling guide.

After lobbying the provincial government for the last two years to have standards and a license put into place for fishing guides, the government refused to move ahead with any such program. Keith then contacted the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council who informed him of their nationally recognized program. Wanting to give his guiding service further credibility and peace of mind for his consumers Keith took the course. His guides will be starting the course in the near future.

By trying to establish some form of standards for the guiding industry Keith hopes that other fishing guides in the province will soon follow suit.  http://gethookedfishing.com 

Edmonton Named Most Sociable City in North America
Edmonton tops 9 American cities in garnering award

The Responsible Hospitality Institute has named Edmonton the most Sociable City in North America. The award recognizes Edmonton’s success in creating a safe and vibrant nightlife.

Edmonton’s innovative marketing campaigns, partnerships between government and businesses, the Public Safety Compliance Team and other city services were highlighted in awarding the honour to the city. The award acknowledges the city’s work in its 13 different entertainment districts, which include Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona, West Edmonton Mall, and downtown.

Edmonton has become the go-to city for others to learn about safely managing entertainment districts. Responsible Hospitality Edmonton RHE was invited to the New York Regional Forum where cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New York examined Edmonton’s successful strategies. The City of Pittsburgh also consulted Edmonton to learn how it successfully evolved the management of the Whyte Avenue area in Old Strathcona.

Other major North American cities competing with Edmonton for the coveted title included:

• Long Beach, Santa Rosa, Livermore and San Jose, California,
• Gainesville and West Palm Beach, Florida
• Seattle, Washington
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The City of Edmonton created RHE to plan, manage and police 13 hospitality and entertainment district zones throughout the city to support community development, revitalization, safety and economic development. 

The first Sociable City Awards were recently presented in Austin, Texas. Criteria to determine the top sociable city focused on safety and vibrancy to encourage partnerships, proactive compliance education and training, public space entertainment, multi-cultural and/or multi-generational activities and public services supporting an active nightlife. 

New Brewery Opens in Edmonton 
Edmonton’s new brewery, Kohler Brewing Company Inc., has begun operations and is set to release their first beer, Kohler Lager, in the Edmonton market in spring of 2010!

“From the very beginning of this project, we set out to make a very approachable, high quality, completely pure lager beer,” says longtime beer industry guru Todd Gajek, who was hired to put the brewery together and head this project. “To accomplish this, we literally searched all over North America looking for the exact right brewmaster to help us develop our beer recipe and brew a series of three distinctly different Canadian lager test batches. We were lucky enough to convince world renowned brewmaster Eric Buehner to assist us. 

Mr. Buehner is one of the most prominent and respected brewmasters in North America. He has received numerous medals and awards throughout his distinguished career including 4 Gold, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze medals from the North American Brewers Association.

“Our challenge to the Brewmaster was to develop a well balanced, PURE, Canadian beer that exceeds the strict criteria of the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516,” said Todd Gajek. He goes on to say, “This meant brewing a beer without the use of any adjuncts, fillers, preservatives and stabilizers that are all common additives in almost all Canadian beers. He was further instructed to use only the best ingredients, regardless of price. I wanted him to get us back to a time when there was pride in brewing an all natural beer, a time when a brewmaster had no idea what Ammonium Persulphate or Erythorbic Acid was and the concept of adding artificial carmel colouring to your beer was outrageous.”

The first sample of the three different Kohler Lager test beers arrived in January and a private tasting was held followed by public tastings. “All three batches turned out fantastic, truly excellent!” said an excited Ryan Kohler, President of his namesake brewery, “and therein lays the problem; they are all so good that we literally can’t decide which beer to go to market with!  Now we need the beer drinkers of Edmonton to help us choose which beer will become Kohler Lager.”   http://kohlerbrewing.com

The New Big is Here
Edmonton EXPO Centre opens its doors

Dec 4, 2009 - The new big for Edmonton is here. The Edmonton Exposition and Conference Centre is now open and ready to bring even more exceptional live experiences to our city. At a special celebration to mark the first event in the new ballroom, Ken Knowles, President of Northlands and Jackie-Rae Greening, Chair of Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, officially opened the facility Friday afternoon.

The EXPO Centre integrates high-tech features with flexible, adaptable, indoor space to make room for the biggest and best in trade and consumer shows, conferences and special events. It boasts four new exhibit halls, a grand ballroom and world-class conference and catering services. It’s the new big in conferences, tradeshows, meetings and entertainment. And, the new gallery spaces connect the halls and provide the most state-of-the-art technology and business services to ensure the best trade show experience and business environment.

With the capacity to host up to 25,000 visitors at one time, the facility provides limitless opportunities to learn, discover, buy, sell, trade or just be entertained. Everything from small business meetings to large lavish banquets can be held here.

The Edmonton Exposition & Conference Centre was made possible with significant support from Northlands’ government partners. The Government of Alberta invested $50 million to the project, in addition to $25 million contributed by the Government of Canada.

Visit the Edmonton EXPO Centre website www.edmontonexpocentre.com for more information.

Edmonton Tourism is thrilled with today’s announcement that the Government of China has granted Canada ‘Approved Destination Status’ (ADS), a designation that makes it easier for Chinese citizens to visit our country and for the Canadian tourism industry to advertise Canada to China.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement in Beijing following his meeting with counterpart Wen Jiabao, Premier of China.

“We’re very happy with today’s historic announcement by China,” says Ken Fiske, Vice-President, Economic & Tourism Development, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).

“We have been laying the groundwork in preparation for ADS since 2005. Edmonton Tourism has established working relationships in Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin, Jinan and Chengdu. This work has resulted in the signing of formal cooperative tourism agreements in February 2009 with Jinan, Harbin and Chengdu,” Fiske adds.

In 2008, visits to Canada by Chinese citizens were up 5.3 per cent from 2007 for a total of 159,000. Chinese travellers had the highest average length of stay - 28 nights - in Canada and spent more than visitors from any other country – on average $1,650. According to a Conference Board of Canada survey, ADS is expected to boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50 per cent by 2015.

New Art Gallery of Alberta now open
Open January 31, 2010, the new Art Gallery of Alberta is an 85,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility and a premiere presentation venue for international, Canadian and First Nations art, education and scholarship. 

Designed by Randall Stout Architects, Inc. of Los Angeles, the building itself is a work of art. Located in the heart of Edmonton's Downtown Arts District on Sir Winston Churchill Square, the gallery secures Edmonton's reputation as a world class city and centre for visual art. For more information, visit www.youraga.ca.   

Hotel rebuilt after 25 years in pieces; Project underway for 14-room Edmonton inn
Calgary Herald
Mon Nov 30 2009
Page: B4
Section: City & Region
Byline: Gordon Kent
Source: Edmonton Journal

In what could be a Canadian first, work is underway to rebuild the old Alberta Hotel from pieces lying in storage since the historic structure was demolished 25 years ago.

The five-storey building was torn down in 1984 to make way for Canada Place in downtown Edmonton, but its distinctive turret, metal balconies, exterior sandstone blocks and bricks were numbered and put into crates.

Now they're set to go back up metres from their original location after architect Gene Dub started foundation work this fall on land west of the federal office tower.

"There are pictures of the inaugural parade from 1905, when Alberta became a province, running right past the building," Dub said late last week.

"There are rumours that the prime minister at the time, (Wilfrid) Laurier, stayed there."

He plans to create a 14-room bed and breakfast style boutique hotel with a restaurant, office space and perhaps a spa at the Jasper Avenue site, which has been used as a park.

The west entrance will incorporate the facade from the Rothsay Apartments, which stood at 97th Street, and the hotel might also use a remnant from 101st Street's Tegler Building, which was spectacularly blown up in the 1980s.

The north side facing the Citadel Theatre will be a wall of glass, but from the south the new hotel will look identical to what was erected in 1903, Dub said.

"It's quite an important structure in the history of Edmonton. I thought it would be important that we try and keep it and bring it back."

There will be challenges. The material has been kept outside in crates covered with plastic in the city's Kennedale works yard, and over the years much of the paint used to number the pieces has fallen off.

The Rothsay remnants were taken down in sections, but at some point these chunks were broken into individual bricks, Dub said.

He bought the land from the city in 2005, half of which will remain as park when he's done, and has paid a storage fee for the fragments, which he received for free.

Construction was delayed by negotiations over parking access and Dub's unsuccessful proposal to use the building for a national portrait gallery.

He hopes the $15-million project will be finished by the end of 2010.

Robert Geldart, Edmonton's principal heritage planner, said specialists today probably wouldn't keep such remnants because they can't be reused in the proper context, especially when several buildings are joined together in one.

Instead, the structure would simply be documented and photographed to keep a record for the future, he said.

West Edmonton Mall’s World Waterpark is recognized as an outstanding attraction 
World Waterpark, located in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, has been recognized by the attractions industry as one of two top waterpark attractions of 2009.

World Waterpark was named the 2009 Must-See Waterparks runner-up, behind first-place Dollywood’s Splash Country, during the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Attractions Expo held recently in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award, judged by the IAAPA Waterpark Committee which is made up of waterpark operators and managers from around the world, recognizes outstanding waterparks which provide visitors with unique and memorable experiences, top-notch guest service, operations and safety.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire West Edmonton Mall team, from the staff in the park each day to those behind the scenes,” says West Edmonton Mall Manager Stacey Claffey. “Providing our customers with a unique, over-the-top experience is always our goal when it comes to service, safety and attractions within the park.”

Opened in 1986, World Waterpark entertains more than 560,000 guests each year. The park, which has a constant air temperature of 28 C, is open year-round and features a 12.3-million litre wave pool and more than 17 waterslides and attractions including an interactive children’s play area complete with a 1,200-litre tipping bucket, and a permanent indoor bungee jump.

Over the past year, World Waterpark has expanded its offerings, hosting unique events such as a wakeboard festival and dive-in movie night. Other events are planned for the new year. In addition, management continues to research one-of-a-kind waterslides and features to enhance all guests’ experiences.

IAAPA is the premier trade association for the attractions industry worldwide and is dedicated to the preservations and prosperity of the attractions industry. IAAPA represents more than 4,000 member facilities from 90 countries throughout the world.

First Segway Guided Tour in Canada Glides into the River Valley in Edmonton, Alberta 
Eco-Friendly personal transportation device now available from Segway Edmonton

In the summer of 2009, Segway Edmonton expanded to offer tours in Edmonton's river valley.  Popular around the globe, the Segway® Personal Transporter (PT) is a self-balancing personal transportation device designed to go anywhere you go – in a safe, eco-friendly, efficient manner.

“As the number one Segway dealer in Canada, we have been providing Segway guided tours at West Edmonton Mall for over two years and this was a natural progression for us. The Segway experience is like no other and we’re excited to be able to offer a safe and memorable tour experience using the Segway PTs through our beautiful Edmonton river valley. The Segway is extremely eco-friendly and as a result the Alberta government and the City of Edmonton are trying to define guidelines on where it should be ridden. Segway Edmonton has been granted a permit to operate these tours as a part of the ongoing analysis of the Segway PT in Alberta and participant’s feedback will be a major part of the development of the this eco-friendly, futuristic transportation in the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta.” said Chris Szydlowski, owner of Segway Edmonton.

The river valley tour program includes Segway certified instruction followed by a scenic glide through Government House Park along River Valley Road, through the beautiful trail up to St. George’s Crescent and back to Government House Park. You will seamlessly glide upon your Segway through North America’s largest trail system. They also offer a 1.5 hour tour at West Edmonton Mall (WEM) during non-business hours that operates year round.

The first of its kind, the self-balancing, electric Segway PT runs on batteries and is a zero emissions, eco-friendly form of transport that is highly energy-efficient. Segway technology enables the Segway PT to work seamlessly with the operator’s body movements. To operate the device, the rider simply leans forward to move forward and leans back to go back. Turning is controlled by simply leaning left or right with the leansteer frame. Gyroscopes and tilt sensors in the Segway PT monitor the rider's center of gravity 100 times per second. www.segwayedmonton.com 

Edmontonstories.ca Provides Personal Views on What Makes Edmonton Great 
City wins heart of relocated Maritimer and provides serenity through its ribbon of green 

A story of how Edmonton’s waving canola fields, “The Bay of Canola Fields” quelled a Maritimer’s longing for the ocean and insights on the soothing impact of the river valley, “Ribbon of Green” are two randomly drawn winning stories in a contest encouraging people to submit their thoughts on what makes our city unique to Edmontonstories.ca.

“I’m thrilled at winning, and I’m thrilled to live in Edmonton,” said Tanya Edison. “This city is my home, and I’m proud to tell anyone who’ll listen about what a great place this is.”

“What I value is the different, more natural and off-the-beaten-track side of Edmonton,” asserts David Hryciuk. “Our city provides a priceless level of natural therapy through the river valley. What an amazing advantage we have.”

“It’s interesting that these two submissions link to the land and the breathtaking setting of our city,” says Mayor Stephen Mandel. “There is so much that makes our city special. We know it – but the reality of Edmonton is often a surprise to those who can only imagine what Edmonton has to offer. The range of stories and the glimpses of Edmonton being described are truly inspiring. I encourage everyone to take a few moments, have a look and a read and, even more importantly, take some time to share your story of our city and what it means to you.” 

The Bay of Canola Fields and Ribbon of Green were selected at random from the stories posted to the site in a contest encouraging story submissions that bring life to more authentic and personal aspects of our city.

In the first 48 days, Edmontonstories.ca has received:

• 62 new stories, bringing the total stories posted to 136
• over 32,000 visits of which 23,939 were unique
• people are spending an average time of 2.15 minutes on the site
• site visitors are coming from 92 countries and over 1000 cities world-wide

Edmontonstories.ca is an initiative to raise awareness of Edmonton and build pride in our city. The first part of the campaign is gathering the stories of Edmonton that have inspired people to live here or visit. The second part is to share those stories online to inspire others to consider living or visiting. The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Economic Development are partners in the effort.

Explore Edmonton through our stories at www.EdmontonStories.ca. 

Canadian Cycling Association announces 2010 Road National Cycling Championships
The Canadian Cycling Association is pleased to announce Edmonton, Alberta as host city for the 2010 Road National Cycling Championships. From June 25 to July 5, 2010, more than 500 of Canada’s top cyclists will descend upon Edmonton for a chance to become Canada’s Top Road Cyclist.

“Edmonton is increasingly becoming a hub for cycling in western Canada and the Alberta Bicycle Association is excited to be bringing another National Championship race to Alberta,” said Kipp Kaufmann, Executive Director of the Alberta Bicycle Association. “Edmonton has a long tradition of communitywide support and passion for sport events.”

The races will be run by an organizing committee that includes veteran organizers from a variety of cycling clubs in Edmonton. The Masters, Para-cycling, Junior and U17 races will take place during the second weekend just outside of Edmonton in the city of Devon. The host of the Devon Stage Race, one of Alberta’s largest stage races, will be rolling out the red carpet for the athletes. The National Criterium Championships will take place on Canada Day at the Alberta Legislature. The spectator friendly event is expected to attract large crowds.  www.canadian-cycling.com, www.albertabicycle.ab.ca.  

Edmonton is the Host City of Country Music Week and the 2010 CCMA Awards
Country Music Week 2010 in Edmonton will take place September 10-13 with the CCMA Awards to be held on September 13. The CCMA’s were last held in Edmonton in 2004. "The City of Edmonton is honored once again to host Country Music Week on behalf of the CCMA. Edmonton has a reputation for volunteerism and hosting successful major events because of our commitment to excellence and our pride. With our strong country history, culture and heritage we are a logical site to host this event and we look forward to hosting Country Music Week with great enthusiasm and anticipation," says Dr. Bob Steadward, Co-Chair of the Edmonton Host Committee.  www.ccma.org 

Grey Cup Coming to Edmonton in 2010
The Grey Cup is returning to the scene of some of its greatest triumphs. Canadian Football League Commissioner Mark Cohon announced February 24 that the 2010 game and festival will be held here in Edmonton, site of three of the most successful Grey Cups ever. "Edmonton is a natural home for our national championship, and the tremendous national gathering that comes along with it, so we're excited it will host the 98th Grey Cup," Cohon said following the Edmonton Eskimos' annual general meeting. "Nothing brings Canadians together like the Grey Cup, and no one has a better track record as Grey Cup hosts than Edmontonians."  The 2010 Grey Cup will be played on Sunday, November 28.

Edmonton's three Grey Cups rank fifth, sixth and seventh on the all-time list of Grey Cups with the highest attendance: 60,081 in 1984, 60,431 in 1997, and 62,531 in 2002. www.esks.com, www.cfl.ca



Edmonton chosen to host Rendez-vous Canada in spring of 2012 
Four day event will draw international tourism industry to Festival City

Edmonton Tourism and its industry partners are proud to announce that the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) has named Edmonton the host city for the 2012 edition of Rendez-vous Canada – Canada’s premier annual international tourism industry marketplace.

Rendez-vous Canada brings together international buyers and Canadian sellers of tourism products through a series of pre-arranged meetings over a four-day period each spring. In the spring of 2012, that four day period - May 13th to 16th - promises to be a fantastic showcase for Canada’s Festival City.

“We’re delighted that we’ve been chosen to host the 35th annual Rendez-vous Canada event in Edmonton in 2012. As host city, we’ll have a tremendous opportunity to showcase the region and the incredible product we offer,” says Ken Fiske, Vice-President, Economic and Tourism Development, Edmonton Economic Development Corp (EEDC). “Hosting Rendez-vous Canada will have an immediate positive impact on international visits to the region.”

Every year, in a different Canadian destination, Rendez-vous Canada brings selected international buyers and travel trade media together with invited suppliers of Canadian tourism products, services and information. The 2010 event will take place next May in Winnipeg.

Rendez-vous Canada is owned by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and staged by TIAC. It’s one of several CTC events that provide value for tourism attractions and support Canada’s $71 billion travel industry.

2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Coming to Alberta
The 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place from late December 2011 to early January 2012 (exact dates to be determined) in Alberta at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary and Rexall Place in Edmonton. The schedule will consist of 31 games, created and approved by both the IIHF and the 10 competing nations. The game schedule will not be determined or announced until early 2011.

The Alberta Bid was led by a team from the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Sport Tourism Authority, Edmonton Events International, Edmonton Oil Kings, Calgary Hitmen, Northlands and Hockey Alberta.

Information on public ticket availability for the 2012 IIHF World Championship, including ticket prices, will be finalized at a later date. When tickets plans are finalized, it is anticipated that season and partial ticket holders of the Alberta-based WHL teams will have front-of-the line access to ticket packages at the official ticket campaign launch date.

The Alberta bid was chosen from two potential groups who made final presentations in Toronto on June 9-10 to the 2010 and 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship site selection committee, comprised of Bob Nicholson (president and CEO, Hockey Canada), Allan Morris (chair of the board, Hockey Canada), David Branch (president, Canadian Hockey League), Scott Smith (COO, Hockey Canada) and resource person Scott Farley (director of marketing services and events, Hockey Canada). The other finalist was a bid from Toronto. Saskatoon and Regina, SK had also bid for the championship, but withdrew after those cities were awarded the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship. www.hockeycanada.ca

Edmonton, Alberta will play host to the 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup

The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has announced that the City of Edmonton, Alberta will play host to the 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup.
 
The City of Edmonton, in conjunction with the Edmonton International Baseball Foundation (EIBF), has played host to seven previous international baseball events, including the inaugural Women’s Baseball World Cup in 2004, and most recently the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship.
 
“It will be a great pleasure to go back to Edmonton, we have had some excellent experiences there and I am confident this edition of the Women’s World Cup will be no exception,” says Riccardo Fraccari, President of the IBAF
 
The EIBF is a non-profit organization established in 1979 by Mr. Hayter in order to attract prominent international baseball events to Edmonton, starting with the 1981 Intercontinental Cup.
 
The 2012 Women’s World Cup will be the fifth edition of the event, a tournament that is held every two years.  The United States won the first two World Cup tournaments, with Japan capturing the title at the last event in 2008.  Canada has medaled in each of the first three events, winning bronze in 2004 and 2006 and taking silver as runner-up in 2008. www.ibaf.org

Looking Ahead on Edmonton's Calendar

2010

• Grey Cup coming to Edmonton
• The Works Art & Design Festival celebrates 25 years!
• New 138-room Courtyard Edmonton West scheduled to open Fall 2010
• 2010 Road National Cycling Championships coming to Devon
• Edmonton hosts Country Music Week and the 2010 CCMA Awards
• Heritage Festival celebrates 35 years!
• Canada’s West Marketplace Trade Show heads to Canada’s Festival City in November 2010
• The rebuilt Alberta Hotel (14-room bed and breakfast style boutique hotel) expected to open late 2010
• New developments planned for 2010/2011: Four Points by Sheraton Gateway and Four Points by Sheraton West (opening TBD)

• Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 60th season in 2011/12
• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival turns 30!
• International Children's Festival celebrates 30 years!
• Alberta 55 Plus Games come to St. Albert
• Residence Inn by Marriott opening November 2011 (tentative)

• The Edmonton International Film Festival celebrates 25 years!
• 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship come to Edmonton
• New control tower opens at the Edmonton International Airport
• Edmonton hosts Rendez-vous Canada in the spring
• Edmonton to host 2012 Women’s Baseball World Cup