[NicolBolas]

This is a very good and interesting idea. It is easy to "avoid downtown like the plague" partly because there is not much unique or compelling for retail around now.

I suppose there are some people who have a phobia of downtown, but many more would come downtown if there was more interesting and quality retail ideas such as this here.

I would go downtown more if it was appealing.

I've traveled around the world, yeah you can't compare Edmonton to New York or Singapore, it will never be that alive. But when I was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia even their downtown is more alive and surprisingly pretty comparable in terms of climate.

 

[Mesopotamia]

There needs to be a focus on constructing more residential buildings, creating more 3rd spaces, improving access (e.g. more LRT lines, free parking on weekends or weekday after hours), and above all safety with more police presence. The return to work mandates companies have been doing are useless because downtown will just become a ghost town after 5pm

 

[David A]

I would go downtown more if it was appealing.

I've traveled around the world, yeah you can't compare Edmonton to New York or Singapore, it will never be that alive. But when I was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia even their downtown is more alive and surprisingly pretty comparable in terms of climate.

I understand the capital of Mongolia wasn't always as good as now, so perhaps there is hope for us too. Although it is a national capital, rather than a provincial one with a provincial government quite disinterested in it.

Probably good comparisons are similar sized Canadian cities and perhaps a couple of other mid sized provincial capital cities.

 

[Gronk!]

The Cornwall Centre in Regina has opened a downtown police office. I'm wondering if ECC should follow suit. Maybe EPS can take over the old Sport Chek space?

Cornwall Centre opens Regina Police Office downtown

Cornwall Centre debuts a Regina Police Service workspace to keep officers in the core, improve response times, and support a safer downtown Regina.

retail-insider.com

 

[ChazYEG]

I would go downtown more if it was appealing.

I've traveled around the world, yeah you can't compare Edmonton to New York or Singapore, it will never be that alive. But when I was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia even their downtown is more alive and surprisingly pretty comparable in terms of climate.

It is an interesting perspective, but I would argue, as @David A Mentioned, that it is not a really good comparison. The general makeup of Canadian cities' urban fabric is vastly different than those from anywhere except North America, Australia, New Zealand and maybe parts of England and South Africa. No other place suffered with suburbanization + easy and cheap access to land and private vehicles, with little to no geographic constraints in the same scale.

 

[David A]

The Cornwall Centre in Regina has opened a downtown police office. I'm wondering if ECC should follow suit. Maybe EPS can take over the old Sport Chek space?

Cornwall Centre opens Regina Police Office downtown

Cornwall Centre debuts a Regina Police Service workspace to keep officers in the core, improve response times, and support a safer downtown Regina.

retail-insider.com

Seems like a good idea and it would be nice if we could also get new tenants like the ones mentioned in the article for the Cornwall Centre.

 

[IanO]

External ID
636764133-002
Job Type
Major Development Permit
Description
Alteration of (an) existing building(s), Other
Applicant
CANDEREL MANAGEMENT (WEST) INC.
Status
Intake Review
Class of Permit

Create Date
November 13, 2025
Approval Date

Location
1, 1 - EDMONTON CITY CENTRE NW Plan 1194TR Lot B 148, 1 - EDMONTON CITY CENTRE NW Plan 1194TR Lot A
Neighbourhood
DOWNTOWN

 

[bodsbods9090]

External ID
636764133-002
Job Type
Major Development Permit
Description
Alteration of (an) existing building(s), Other
Applicant
CANDEREL MANAGEMENT (WEST) INC.
Status
Intake Review
Class of Permit

Create Date
November 13, 2025
Approval Date

Location
1, 1 - EDMONTON CITY CENTRE NW Plan 1194TR Lot B 148, 1 - EDMONTON CITY CENTRE NW Plan 1194TR Lot A
Neighbourhood
DOWNTOWN

What does this mean? Altering an existing building can mean many things...

 

[NicolBolas]

It is an interesting perspective, but I would argue, as @David A Mentioned, that it is not a really good comparison. The general makeup of Canadian cities' urban fabric is vastly different than those from anywhere except North America, Australia, New Zealand and maybe parts of England and South Africa. No other place suffered with suburbanization + easy and cheap access to land and private vehicles, with little to no geographic constraints in the same scale.

Mongolia is the definition of no constraints. When you fly over it, it's like being on another planet. Ulaanbaatar is in a valley and they are all about private vehicles. They also have to deal with huge Ger districts because there is such a huge housing crisis.

 

[ChazYEG]

Mongolia is the definition of no constraints. When you fly over it, it's like being on another planet. Ulaanbaatar is in a valley and they are all about private vehicles. They also have to deal with huge Ger districts because there is such a huge housing crisis.

You literally described a constraint (a valley).
Nevertheless, Mongolia has not experienced the combination that North America has, of cheap and easy access to land and private vehicles, for the better part of the last 8 decades, and government/corporate incentivized sprawl in the same scale. The subsidies we've had to maintain the lifestyle we generally have in Canada and the US are not possible, in the same scale, in places with lower income (being from a lower income country myself, it is quite shocking how large the difference in purchase power is, especially in institutional terms).

 

[inclusion]

What does this mean? Altering an existing building can mean many things...

With our luck, probably painting the walls.

 

[Gus Haynes]

 

[David A]

With our luck, probably painting the walls.

It says major development permit, whatever that means, but I would think more than just painting the walls.

 

[inclusion]

It says major development permit, whatever that means, but I would think more than just painting the walls.

You got me; they must be doing the floors too.

 

[Avenuer]

It says major development permit, whatever that means, but I would think more than just painting the walls.

You're correct, but it's nothing fun or exciting. Just concrete repairs to parkade ramps and foundation walls and replacing existing snowmelt systems within the ramps as well.