Spent this past weekend in Calgary and I always wonder why Edmonton does not see the same level of corporate and private sponsorship that Calgary does. I get that they have more rich people than Edmonton, but that is not to say that Edmonton is not a wealthy city (we have the second highest GDP per capita in Canada for major cities, after Calgary). The Calgary Zoo, Telus Spark, etc. have corporate and private sponsors for many exhibits, which you can see were either built new, expanded or renovated with the resulting funding.
Just imagine if the Valley Zoo, Muttart, Fort Edmonton Park, etc. received the same level of support - the City would be less on the hook for investment as a result of those gifts.
The Werklund Centre in Calgary (formerly Arts Commons) is a great example - Dave Weklund donated $75 million to its expansion in 2024 and thus received the naming rights for the facility in his honour. That is wild, considering the Winspear here could not even fundraise half of that amount from its donor pool.
I think the wealthy people and corporations of Edmonton and area need to do a better job of stepping up and supporting our regions' arts, culture and attractions, as their counterparts down in Calgary seem to be much more generous.