I Heart Edmonton

Edmonton's music scene may not always reach far beyond our borders, but the talent here is rampant and it shone bright at the annual #yeg Music Awards last Sunday! By Emil Tiedemann T HE 2015 Edmonton Music Awards were handed out last Sunday night ( June 14 ) at the Royal Alberta Museum Theatre, and there were several multiple winners during the 4th annual ceremony! The 2015 Edmonton Music Awards were held June 14 at the Royal Alberta Museum The vision of the Edmonton Music Awards is to acknowledge, celebrate and promote Edmonton music and musicians in all forms, because in case you weren't aware, there are plenty of talented local artists and bands that are making some pretty damn good music! Names like Bryan Finley, Braden Gates, Kimberley MacGregor, and The Wet Secrets walked away with multiple trophies during the night, which celebrated more than a dozen different genres that are alive and well right here in our own backyard. The complete list ...

SHANIA TWAIN REMINDS TENS OF THOUSANDS WHY SHE'S STILL THE ONE! By Emil Tiedemann Shania's 1st single, 'What Made You Say That?' (1993) I T was 22 years ago when I, barely a teenager, first saw the music video for Shania Twain 's very first song "What Made You Say That?" I was in love from this moment on !   My adoration for Shania only elevated with the release of her groundbreaking The Woman in Me album in 1995, sparking a transition in the landscape of country music as we knew it.  And you can only imagine the depths of my fascination for anything Twain when she topped even that with the record-shattering Come On Over album in 1997. That album made Shania an icon in this industry, forever chiseling a spot for herself in the realms of popular music.  Things continued up from there, as she had her first #1 pop album with 2002's Up! , making her the only female artist to score three Diamond-certified albums. And then things sort of j...

The local LGBTQ+ community came out to celebrate those that have made an impact on the lives of others during the annual Pride Awards! By Emil Tiedemann W ITH the recent shooting death of Cst. Daniel Woodall , it's hard to imagine a Pride celebration while the whole city mourns for a fallen officer. Then again, how could we not?! The 2015 Rainbow Art Gallery & Pride Awards was Wednesday, June 10 Woodall, a husband and father of two, was a member of the Edmonton Police Service's Hate Crime Unit , the very division that investigates crime and violence against members of the local queer community, as well as other minority groups. In fact, there's a chance that Woodall may have been right there alongside his fellow officers and the very folks he helps to protect, at the annual Rainbow Art Gallery & Pride Awards last Wednesday ( June 10 ) at the ATB Financial Arts Barns in Old Strathcona .  Some of his EPS comrades were at the celebration, recognizing...

Edmonton smashes its previous attendance record for Pride, as the annual Parade returns to Old Strathcona after more than two decades By Emil Tiedemann T HE last time the Edmonton Pride Parade marched down Whyte Avenue, Basic Instinct was steaming up the box office, Billy Ray Cyrus had an "Achy Breaky Heart," and Roseanne was the most-watched show on TV. That was 1992.  Edmonton became the 3rd Canadian city to 'install' rainbow crosswalks! This is 23 years later, and the Parade has proudly returned home to Old Strathcona . And the neighbourhood ha s embraced the rainbow effect, the streets shining brighter than ever before!  Rainbow crosswalks and banners, chalked up sidewalks, decorated storefronts, and Pride-themed food & drink specials criss-cross the world-famous Avenue , all in support of Edmonton's visible and ever-growing LGBTQ+ community.  This was the first time the Canadian military marched in #yegpride! There were plenty of ...

How one man changed everything for LGBTQ+ rights in the Canadian workplace By Murray Billett THE BEGINNING/ Delwin Vriend T HE importance of the 1998 Delwin Vriend Supreme Court case is best understood by sharing the fact that it is now studied in law schools around the world. Vriend was fired in 1991 from his teaching position at King's University College right here in Edmonton.  t To be clear, this turned into a human rights case with historical significance when our small LGBTQ+ community organized to take on the Government of Alberta. The Tory government of the day refused to accept his complaint, as Alberta’s Human Rights legislation did not include sexual orientation.  o Consequently, their position made it clear that it was legal to discriminate against us. We organized, reached out to our allies and took them to court! y VRIEND V. ALBERTA/ Delwin Vriend, Gala-Gay and Lesbian Awareness Society of Edmonton, Gay and Les...

Edmonton has gone gay! We're in the midst of the Edmonton Pride Festival's 35th anniversary, and there's plenty of gay going on! BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HE 35th annual Edmonton Pride Festival is almost here, and that means something different to every person attending this June.  To some, Pride means beers, boobs, bare chests and boisterous boys in briefs, and to others it means watching LGBTQ+ leaders march along their allies in the annual Parade, which has moved to Whyte Avenue this year.    The Pride Parade is moving from downtown to Whyte Avenue this year! And then there are those folks who look at Pride through a whole other lens. To them, Pride means celebrating our unity and diversity at the same time, and appreciating the struggles & triumphs that has lead to where we are today. It means remembering that there are thousands upon thousands of friends and allies who will support and respect the local queer community, and not forgetting what it took t...