interviews

One of :I Heart Edmonton's" favourite things to do is discover a few things we didn't know about some of the most interesting (and well-known) locals. In November 2009 we asked Edmonton radio host Rhubarb Jones if he would participate in the inaugural "A Few Minutes With..." post, and since then we've continued to learn a lil' about some of our city's other outstanding citizens. Now, let's spend a few minutes with...
- Murray Billett (LGBTQ+ activist) (August 2015)
 
Murray Billett


- Jesse Beyer (Global Edmonton meteorologist) (July 2015)

Jesse Beyer

- Mickey Wilson (transgender advocate & educator)
(July 2015)

Mickey Wilson

- Marni Panas (transgender advocate & educator) (June 2015)

Marni Panas

 - Dr. Kristopher Wells (LGBTQ+ advocate & educator) (June 2015)

Kris Wells

 - Mark Drelich (radio host on NOW! Radio) (May 2015)

Mark Drelich


- Dana Giesbrecht (host/producer of 'Go! Edmonton!') (January 2014)

Dana Giesbrecht
- Michael Phair (gay advocate, former politician) (December 2013)

Michael Phair

 - Roman Danylo (comedian, actor) (November 2012)

Roman Danylo

 - Nolan Crouse (Mayor of St. Albert, 2007-) (June 2012)
Nolan Crouse

- Jason Zerbin (singer, songwriter) (June 2012)

(Jason) Zerbin

 - Michael Bernard Fitzgerald (singer, songwriter) (April 2012)
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

- Stephen Mandel (Mayor of Edmonton, 2004-2013) (January 2012)
Stephen Mandel

 - Christian Hansen (singer, musician, actor) (May 2011)
Christian Hansen

- Shad (Juno-winning rapper) (May 2011)

Shad

 - Garner Andrews (radio personality, painter) (January 2011)
Garner Andrews

- Daryl Bonar (2010 mayoral candidate) (November 2010)

Daryl Bonar

 - Mat Simpson (actor, student) (August 2010)
Mat Simpson

- Ryan Parker (actor, The BeArthurs member) (June 2010)

Ryan Parker

 - Colin Close (singer, songwriter) (May 2010)
Colin Close

- Ryan Jespersen (Breakfast Television host) (April 2010)

Ryan Jespersen

- Brittney Le Blanc (iNews880 web editor, blogger) (April 2010)
Brittney Le Blanc

- Mack Male (software developer, blogger) (February 2010)

Mack Male

 - Simon-Marc de Freitas (pianist, instructor) (January 2010)
Simon-Marc de Freitas

- Michele McDougall (Breakfast Television meteorologist) (December 2009)

Michele McDougall

 - Don Iveson (Ward 5 city councillor, blogger) (November 2009)
Don Iveson

- Rhubarb Jones (Joe FM radio personality) (November 2009)
Rhubarb Jones (left), with Charlie Daniels

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Reason #42 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

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Borden Park

By Emil Tiedemann

It’s kind of like this little forest in the middle of the city, 22 hectares of greenscape situated in between 112th Avenue and the Northlands compound. And even though it’s more than a century old, you probably wouldn’t even know about it if not for some Tweet or Instagram of what’s got to be the sweetest toilet in all of Edmonton, the Borden Park Pavilion. 


In 2014, a $9 million restoration of the northside Borden Park, one of the oldest green spaces in the city, was completed. It included the installation of the eye-catching pavilion, sidewalks and benches, picnic tables and fountains, revolving art pieces, a formal garden, and a playground that looks like something right out of The Flintstones! 

Named after former Canadian Prime Minister Sir Robert Laird Borden (who visited Edmonton in 1914), the park was first established in 1906 (as East End City Park) and was actually the original home of the Edmonton Zoo and even a fairground from 1915 to 1935, as well…
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Reason #41 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

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Hotel Macdonald

By Emil Tiedemann

When a monarch, a world leader, or an international rock star happens to stroll through town, it’s usually a safe bet that they’ll be put up at the 11-storey, 199-room Fairmont Hotel Macdonald in the downtown. 

And when they do, you can be sure that they’ll be lodging in the $3000 a night Queen Elizabeth II “Royal” Suite, the grandest of them all. It is built on two levels, and includes a spacious living room and foyer, a dining room and kitchen, two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and the “royal” treatment. 



The Mac, as it has become known to locals, is as extravagant as it gets in Edmonton, a four diamond, château-style luxury hotel overlooking the breathtaking river valley, along the buzzing Jasper Avenue. Named after our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, this iconic landmark took four years to construct, opening for the first time on July 5, 1915 as “the centre of Edmonton’s social life.” 

In 1985, Hotel Macdonald became the first building in tow…
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Reason #43 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

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City of Champions

By Emil Tiedemann

I wonder how many students who attend J. Percy Page High School actually know who their school’s namesake was. Before he had a school named after him, before he worked as a high school principal, and way before he served as the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Mr. Page coached perhaps the most winningest team in the history of North American sports! 


Actually, the Edmonton Grads - out of the then new McDougall High School - still hold the record for the best winning percentage of all time (96.2%), for any team in any sport! Between 1915 and 1940, the all-female basketball team lost just 20 times, and won 502 of their matches, even sweeping four consecutive Olympic Games (1924-36) and pummeling their opponents 1,863 to 297, overall. 

So, before the Eskimos, before the Oilers, and way before the Oil Kings, the Grads warranted our “City of Champions” epithet. More importantly, these young women were from Edmonton, not traded here. They grew up here, …
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Reason #44 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

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Alberta Avenue

By Emil Tiedemann

Every city has that area of town in which they tend to avoid, because it’s got that...reputation. You know what I’m talking about. For so many years, 118th Avenue has carried that burden, a neighbourhood that was stricken with higher levels of crime and poverty, which always seem to go hand in hand. 

But, that was then and this is now, and now things are better...a lot better, depending on who you ask. In fact, it’s not even called 118th anymore, going back to it’s original name, Alberta Avenue (between 109th Street & Wayne Gretzky Drive), after nearly a century as 118th. 


Sure, there are still pawn shops and cheque-cashing joints “plaguing” the area, but Alberta Avenue has long evolved from just that, thanks to some dedicated locals who want to prove to the rest of Edmonton that this isn’t such a bad neighbourhood after all. 

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Reason #35 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

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 Java Joints


By Emil Tiedemann

To be honest, I can drink a cup of coffee from just about anywhere, but there’s no denying that some places simply serve up superior brews. Just as Edmonton’s culinary scene matures and expands, so does its coffee landscape, broadening local bean buffs’ alternatives to include more than the ubiquitous Starbucks or Timmy’s. 

There are java joints offering up specialty coffees and tasty cafe cuisine in virtually every corner of the city, from the Burrow in the downtown Central LRT station to the Carrot on Alberta Avenue. Some of the “older” shops have even grown into local franchises, like Transcend, Credo, or the Remedy Cafe, all with multiple locations around town. 


There are small ones (Coffee Bureau), underground ones (Lock Stock), fashionable ones (Barking Buffalo), nearly hidden ones (Little Brick), ones that sell books (Mandolin), ones that specialize in baked goods (District) or sandwiches (Farrow) or Italian (Leva). We’ve got you covered, no matter yo…
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