I Heart Edmonton

We may be cut from the same cloth, but there's nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry By Emil Tiedemann The "Battle of Alberta" has been around for as long as Alberta has been, back when they had to figure out which city would become the provincial capital and which would host the University of Alberta. Edmonton eventually came out on top in both facets, but even before that there's been a rivalry between our two cities' various sports teams dating all the way back to the 19th century.  The "Battle of Alberta" has been going on for more than a century now. Even today, that intrinsic rivalry between Edmonton and Calgary remains, whether it's over economic durability, athletic achievement, or simply which city has the tallest tower. It's silly, I know, but I think there can be benefits in some friendly competition. I mean, we're cut from the same cloth and we're there for each other when it comes down to it, but what's w...

Green Edmonton By Emil Tiedemann You might not realize this, but Edmonton is Canada’s leader in setting and achieving the highest standards of environmental preservation and sustainability ; a feat that we’re proud of and one that we are determined to not only maintain, but to improve on.  In an era when nations around the globe are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprints and build a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future for generations to come, Edmonton seems to be paving the way for innovative and diverse tactics to accomplish these lofty, yet necessary goals.  A few years back, David Suzuki and daughter Sarika brought their show The Nature of Things (CBC) to Edmonton’s Waste Management Centre , where they were informed of our state-of-the-art composter, the largest in North America! This structure produces some 60,000 tonnes of compost every year, allowing Edmonton to reduce its own emissions and to recover clean energy that can be us...

Mayor Don Iveson By Emil Tiedemann “We are the most underestimated city in the country,” City Councillor Don Iveson told me in a 2009 interview, four years before he became the 35th Mayor of Edmonton. He was right back then, but by now I’m pretty sure that the rest of the country has finally realized Edmonton’s new reality.  Iveson brought a new level of excitement and enthusiasm for Edmonton’s near future, despite his initial opposition to what has since become known as Ice District. At 34, he was the third youngest mayor in the City’s history, and he had something that was crucial to those who voted him in in 2013. He had optimism and a strong and buoyant vision. He was realistic, but hopeful; serious, but approachable; young, but confident. It also didn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes!    Mayor Don Iveson and his wife Sarah Chan at the Edmonton Pride Parade on Jasper Avenue. Mayor Iveson has never had a difficult time letting people know just how he fee...

The LRT by emil tiedemann I WAS just a small kid when I started taking the LRT (Light Rail Transit) to school every morning with my two older brothers. We would board at the Clareview Station and get off at the very next stop, Belvedere, before catching a quick bus to North Edmonton Elementary School.  In high school, I would take the LRT downtown, or use it to get to and from work, or to an Oilers game or concert at Rexall Place, or even when I was skipping school to meet up with a friend at the University.    Edmonton's LRT crossing the North Saskatchewan. Actually, more than 100,000 people use the LRT every week, and those numbers will continue to climb as Edmonton’s population grows, and as the LRT itself expands across every corner of town. It’s an epic undertaking for the City, but not so different from when the City first came up with the concept of Western Canada’s first rapid transit system back in the early ‘60s.  After 12 years of planning...

The Good People by emil tiedemann R EMEMBER Spider-Mable? By day, she was six-year-old Mable Tooke , who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2013, and who spent her long stays at the Stollery Children’s Hospital reading Spider-Man comic books.    An illustration of Spider-Mable, by local artist Colin MacIntyre. By night, she was a local superhero saving our city from evil villains. “I want to fight crime with Spider-Man,” she told the Children’s Wish Foundation when they asked her what her one wish would be.  And so, with the help of countless Edmontonians - including Oilers captain Andrew Ference and Mayor Don Iveson - they made it happen for this little girl on September 28, 2015, putting together an elaborate day full of imagination and make believe.  At the request of the Mayor, Spider-Mable and Spider-Man himself scoured the city, cameras capturing her every move as she searched for clues to who kidnapped Mr. Ference. Dressed hea...

My 500t h blog post ... looking back on how we (& Edmonton) got here! by emil tiedemann W HEN I started this blog more than seven years ago, Edmonton was a different city. So many things have happened since then, transitioning our humble hometown into a world-class metro virtually overnight. It's staggering to see how far we've come in such a short amount of time. The 'I Heart Edmonton' blog began on July 3, 2009, 500 posts ago! Chronicling the city's vast progression wasn't the reason why I started th is blog, bu t rather something that fueled its continuous . I t began as my personal way to discourage the ongoing negative commentary spreading across social media about Edmonton , including the erroneous "D EADmonton" moniker. I set out to showcase Edmonton and to show Edmontonians that there is so much more to our city than what they might think. It was a learning process for me as well, as I discovered ju st how much I didn...

It's essentially my everlasting love for Edmonton all wrapped up in 280 pages! by emil tiedemann H OW do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  If you've followed this blog over the years then you know just how much I heart my hometown Edmonton. It's no secret, I mean it's right there in the title! If you ask me how much I heart Edmonton, I would spread my arms apart like I'm hugging a giant tree and say, " THIS MUCH! "  Best Christmas gift ever!!! It's not that I don't ever get a tad tired of our winter by the time March rolls around (or January, depending on the year), or that I don't get frustrated from time to time with the road construction, but I prefer to focus my attention on all of the many positive things I've come to love about Edmonton.  In fact, when I actually sat down and thought about all the ways I love thee, my head literally exploded with reasons! Okay, not literally , but you get what I'm getting at. T...

What's h ap pened and happening in Edmonton... Seattle's Pike Place Market! - Could Edmonton's abandoned Ross dale Power Plan t be retrofitted to resemble Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market? Imagine a farmers' market atmosphere with cafes, public art, an Indig e nous museum, perf ormers, local vendors & artisans, river taxis, and so much more!  - Edmonton-born Earls restaurants have moved to drop all Alberta be ef for the ir 65 locations ac ross Canada because they do not meet their new "humane-certifie d" standards. I personally applaud Earls for this move, because it just may ignite a major change in how we do beef in Canada!  - Sadly, 13-year-old Connor McGrath lost his battle with leukemia earlier thi s week. The Edmonton boy made headlines when the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave him the opportunity to meet actor Ryan Re ynolds, who wrote a heartfelt letter following McGrath's death. - Mayor Don Iveson wants to turn Edmonton in...