Edmonton has a VERY bright future as of now. It has the most diverse economy in Canada (nanotech is big right now), and as the 3rd largest Oil-Gas manufacturing city in North America, is hugely benefiting from the soaring oil prices.

Edmonton is expected to overtake Calgary in population growth, something that has not happened for a while.
Calgary Region is expected to grow at an annual rate of 2.2% between 2003- 2007.
Edmonton region is expected to grow at a solid 3% in 2003, 3.1% in 2004 and 4% in both 2005 and 2006.

Edmonton is also one of the largest manufacturing hubs of Canada and North America. This will also be hugely boosted by seaward exports, due to a direct rail link to the Port of Prince Rupert, which is expected to hugely grow over the next few years.

With the closing of the Edmonton City Center Airport (which is expected to happen), more trafic will be directed to the International Airport, which has just undergone a huge renovation and expansion, more than doubling its size. More efforts to make more flights south have been successful. Now, instead of servicing mainly the north, it is going the route of Calgary International, making flights to SF, Houston, and other major US centers.

Station Lands looks like it is going to go through, adding 4 new towers to the Edmonton Skyline, 2 of them taking the "tallest in the city" title.

http://www.stationlands.com

Now i have a question. I have heard some other rumours about a Manulife Place II, and some other buildings to be built..do you have links to a site (aside from Emporis) that might have info about these buildings? (specifically Manulife II).

--brett, from Etown.

Edmonton is nice! I saw a thing about all the money Alberta has.. I should move there!

They have actually lowered the height of the two taller towers of stationlands. I believe they are down to 28 storeys now.

Times are indeed good in Alberta's capital, as well as everywhere else in the province.

yea we aare debt free haha..

its definitley a good spot to stick around for the next few years..
but i wonder whats this about mnulife II..id like to hear some stats and pics about it.

cant wait for stationlands.......we need a few more buildings up in herre. things are looking up though....and im intrigued by this manulife 2.....i havent heard a word about it.

imo, Man II and the two taller Sation lands towers are simply not needed if they are built in their current form as office towers. I can't even see Sationlands doing well as a condo....yet, as their is much nicer land to use between 104th and 109th street and south of Grant Macewan. There are many 12+ story condo's going up in the core, here is a link that lists and discuss's most of them. http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=47416

Edmonton will do very well as will Calgary in the next 5-10years.....

Stationlands will go ahead, just not in its current form...think 5-10 floors lower and more condos than offices.

Manu 2 should IMO go ahead in the next 2-3years as the podium is ready to go.

Downtown residential construction is insane! By this time next year another 1000 people will be living in the immediate core area and another 2500 by 2006.

Downtown retail is doing much better as vacancies are going down everyday and new facades are improving the look and feel of jasper etc.

anyone have a link to a sitte about manulife II?

it was posted in "new edm buildings" on skyscraperpage.com

i am kinda confused...i dont see wnything about manu II or new edm. buildings on skyscraperpage.com..

http://www.ualberta.ca/~chykerda/Manulife%20Phase%202%20proposal.jpg

Thats the first drawing I've ever seen of Man II. A twin building would look silly but having the same details and a different overal shape would look really cool. Thanks Cold!

Would the new tower also have been 147m?

^the manu 2 would look great IMO....but only if they used say green or silver tint.

It is also slightly tapered at the back so it would look different.

I assume it would be slightly lower?

What, they are building two more of those things? I thought that the original building was very 80's looking. I think they should update the buildings, give them their own flavour. Are they going to cover it in blue glass?

I don't like that idea of buidling another Manulife building with the same design...I always thought the design was kind of silly looking. They should come up with a different one...

this was to have been built back in the 80's directly after the 1st one....most of us think the 2nd one will be built, but not exactly as shown and without the hotel...

The only complaint I have about the the original manulife is that the roof is to flat. I would love to see a 20 meter pyrymid on the top of a slightly lower than 150m tower but for those that aren't aware we are "blessed" with a 150m hight limit. But as cold mention tappering the north side (102 ave) would look awesome especially if it were in silver or perhaps even black .

I have to disagree about it being too 80's. A beautiful glass tower will never look outdated imo.

I think it will look neat..hopefully they will kill the city center airport..its barely used except for medical and rich peoples private jets. that would also lift the height limit over downtown.

Hi Brett_131, and since I don't think I've seen you before here, welcome!

Yes, Edmonton does have a bright future ahead of it right now.

I would love to see Stationlands go up. But to be realistic, I don't see it going up until after 2010-2012 at the earliest.

Edmonton's downtown office vacancy rate is still one of the highest in Canada. But the good news is that it's slowly but steadily declining. Qualico's reducing the final height of the Stationlands Towers A and B seems to reflect this - it appears to be downplaying its projection for office and possibly commercial space. But still, it's becoming apparent that Stationlands will eventually be built, barring an unexpectedly serious economic downturn or bankruptcy of Qualico itself. (fortunately, neither appears to be on the horizon :D)

As for Manulife II, I'd like to see that happen, but they'll have to find a use for the old Hudson's Bay department store on Jasper. That place's sat mostly empty for too long because so many proposals fell through and that it's a heritage building, which means that it can't be completely torn down. The latest I've heard is that some people want it turned into a major art gallery or a museum, both of which sound great, but parking may be an incredibly difficult problem to solve.

I still think Manu II will probably likely go up, perhaps sometimes during the 2010s. I'd think the architecture might most likely be different from the 80's style proposed, but I happen to LOVE glass towers! Maybe something like along the lines of One Wall Centre in Vancouver, albeit a shorter version?

The City Centre Airport (YXD) is the main reason for the height restriction, as we all know. I'm not so sure if they'll close the whole thing down soon, because Edmonton Airports says it should continue to operate as an airport, especially for GA traffic and medevacs (due to the proximity to the Royal Alex). I know that they have a lease on YXD which expires in 2052. Still, it's possible that they could close it down entirely before that if they deem it no longer financially viable or for some other reason.

Yet, I hear that they will close one of its two runways in the near future, and it is the NW-SE one that will close down. If so, then height restrictions could be lifted to a degree in dowtown east of 101 St. But west of that, the current height restrictions would stay because the glideslope south of the north-south runway goes right over the west side of downtown.

^"Edmonton's downtown office vacancy rate is still one of the highest in Canada."

Class AA and AAA space is actually quite low, but so is new demand.....that is the problem.

The hudson's Bay building is now rumoured to be turning into a two tower condo project but very few details at this point.....not even sure who or when.

^ Interesting, I didn't know that class AA and AAA space is actually low in vacancy. But, I'm not surprised by the low demand though.

Hmmm, looks like the museum/gallery proposal's fallen through. Nothing much really surprises me about the building at this point now. Now, a two-tower condo proposal! :D I know that they can build a tower without having to tear the facade of the old HBC store down. I don't remember the maximum height, though, with not only the facade as a limitation, but also the ground floor area in general, too. When did you first hear about this, Coldsrx?

Vacancy rate is falling tons though..

I guess back in the 80's (before my time) there was a HUGE boom and between '80 and '85 most of Edmonton's tallest buildings were built..(Manulife, Scotia, TD, Bell (Canada Trust at the time), Oxford, etc. The only major ones built outside of this were Telus (in the mid 70's), CN (Late 60's. i believe), and Commerce Place (90-91)..so basically Downtown was WAY overbuilt, and than followed quickly after by a recession..and that ontop of West Edmonton Mall, downtown really never recovered..until today. Barely any residential towers were built until these last few years.

I have a concern about the statistics regarding vacancy in office towers here in Edmonton. Is the vacancy improving due to new space being used or is it a reflection on the number of office to condo conversions?

Its absorbtion. The convertions are on buildings that are no longer considered on the office market. Thus the drop in vacancy is due to increased occupied space.

Go Edmonton! Is it supposed to overtake Calgary by 2007 due to the higher growth rate?

It's really a great time to be in Edmonton - Alberta as a whole. We're so incredibily lucky to be sitting atop the resources we have.

I love starting to break out of my shell and start to get to know Edmonton in a more intimate way - I took Design History last year, and virtually all of the major designers and design movements seemed to go in one ear and out the other - now its starting to come back in a more tangible way - I'm really going to have to start collecting some architectual design books, and go over my textbooks!

The Omega looks wonderfully classy - we need more modern buildings in Downtown Edmonton - Too many of them are overly "functional" and a complete visual bore (Telus Towers! I could build something more dynamic with 8x2 red lego blocks!).

And wow - Station Lands looks amazing! I really hope the colour scheme chosen punches the Edmonton skyline out from the southside river valley view! Oh wait...just get rid of the Telus Towers... :happy:

It's crazy to see our relatively tiny DT core become so busy with construction. Everything looks so great so far - I'm also really looking forwards to seeing the new Grant MacEwan residence building go up - when I went to register for school, I saw a brief computer-generated movie of the end result - and they may plan tobuild several more should the project go well. It's gone up amazingly quickly...they started last year and the major architecture has already been constructed in permanance.

Has anyone any information about Century Park tho? I've Google-searched but can't find anything real tactile in terms of proposed images, etc.

Design student I would go over to skyscracperpage.com for that info as its been disussed a lot over there.

"The Omega looks wonderfully classy "

.....interesting analysis, reinforces why i bought into it i guess.

Yeah it looks awesome - congratulations on getting a place there? :)

Hi People. I'm New Here, First I WOuld Just Like to Say I Love This Forum, I Had No Idea Soo Many People Shared The Same Interest As Me. Anyways

Im From Edmonton, alberta, i work at A Recording Studio on 101st, 105ave, in a building that is gonna be knocked down , so the city can build a better and a much TALLER building over it. Lol, i drive threw the parking lot everyday were the station lands project is taking place. As a Proud Edmontonian i cant wait for this project to be done, (even though i'll be around 37 when the buildings will be complete),

welcome to the site! Besides this great site, be sure to stop by www.skyscraperpage.com and you will find another large group of Edmonton people.

also be sure to see www.promote-edmonton.com - this is a group of us who want to see edmonton become what we think it can become in coming years and are working to help accomplish this.

cheers

I just stumbled upon here on my Meadowlands buildings research, they look awesome and will be a great addition to Edmonton's skyline. If they had been built, I would have put them in the top 5 in my skyscraper list for Canada.

Edmonton is growing so fast it could easly over take Calgary some day, The whole West is Booming now, its a great time to live out this way

Edmonton is growing so fast it could easly over take Calgary some day, The whole West is Booming now, its a great time to live out this way

wouldnt go that far...but Edmonton is growing at a similar rate atleast.

I don't see Edmonton growing as fast as Calgary. Edmonton grows by only about 12,000 people per year, whereas, Calgary gains more like 20,000 per year.

^incorrect....generally they are marginally higher. The 20000-12000 yr was in the late 90's or early 00's but normally we are much more like 9000-12000 or somethin like that.

either way, they are growing slightly faster.

^ I still believe that what I said was right.

Here's some growth figures for Calgary:

http://www.calgary.ca/cweb/gateway/gateway.asp?GID=395&CID=0&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.calgary.ca%2FCCA%2FCity%2BBusiness%2FInfo%2Bfor%2BBusinesses%2FStatistics%2Band%2BEconomic%2BData%2FDemographic%2BInformation%2FPopulation%2BSize.htm

and edmonton 2002-2009...if my math serves me correct the Edmonton CMA added 18,000 and 15,000 in 2002-2004

http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_284_220_0_43/http%3B/CMSServer/NR/rdonlyres/05C274BB-A65E-423F-BE4A-1BBED16DC0BF/0/EdmontonCMAPopForecast.pdf

If Edmonton's cost of living stays lower it could catch up with Calgary. The job market is pretty good in Edmonton and its very diversified. I heard its the biggest manufacturing centre west of Toronto. Is this true?

Here's a good site for general info on Edmonton:

http://www.edmonton.com/business/page.asp?page=128

Here's another $10 billion for the oil sands north of Edmonton.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050313.r-suncor-capex14/BNStory/Business/

That is great news for Edmonton! I'm glad its coming back into its pown again. Good to see the CMA is growing by about 12-14,000 a yeas but I am more interested in how the downtown's population is doing. Is it growing fairly quickly or if so, is it still losing ground to the other areas in terms of relative growth.
I haven't been to Edmonton in a decade and when I was there the downtown was truly depressing/painful. They still called Jasper, Casper Avenue and I could see why.
How is it coming and with the development along Jasper and downtown have interesting streetscapes and shops/cafes or it like the standard parking lot in the front along the street and the restaurant/store at the back. In other words is it just like the stuff in the suburbs except built downtown or does it truly reflect the downtown neighbourhoods?

Downtown has been the fastest or second fastest growing part of the city in the last 5 years. The downtown population has increased about 10,000 in the last 5 years. Or up from 5,000 to 15,000 people. Right now we have 4 new properties going up inthe core as well as the Grant McEwan student residense which is to house 900 students. Thus its changing. Cafes and restaurants are opening up, City Centre mall is basically full, the office vacancy rate has fallen to 7% from 20%. I like to use coffee shops as a guide to how things are going. Second Cup now has 5 locations downtown, 4 Starbucks (and Sunterra sells Starbucks coffee as well so 5 total) 4 Tim Hortons, 1 timothy's and 1 grabba jabba and many others. There are currently several other towers planned for downtown as well, which should add more to the populaiton downtown. Jasper Ave is picking up and many of the vacant areas are now occupied. Lets just say a huge turn around.

Great news. I remeber one area along Jasper that was sorta nice was at the end of it. I know that sounds weird but heading west til is sorta curves and ends. I doubt know if you know what I mean. What about that area?

Great news. I remeber one area along Jasper that was sorta nice was at the end of it. I know that sounds weird but heading west til is sorta curves and ends. I doubt know if you know what I mean. What about that area?
You are referring to the 124 Street area. Well, that area is also doing very well. It has become home to a number of 'boutique' stores and has a couple of new developments and some proposals on the table.

All in all, Edmonton is doing quite well.

That's wonderful news. Edmonton has a lovely river valley and is much more cultured and has many more festivals, theatre and events than Calgary........or Vancouver for that matter.
I always thought that Edmonton could turn into a nice city but only thru proper development of downtown. It is great to see this is coming to fruition.

I was in Edmonton's downtown recently. It is really nice and clean. Needs a bit more life though.

I was in Edmonton's downtown recently. It is really nice and clean. Needs a bit more life though.
I think you'd find many Edmonton forumers agree. Things have improved, but could use more. It's happening. Once the larger projects wrap up, you'll see an injection of residents and 'more warm bodies' on the streets.

Does anyone have any pics of the Rice Howard Way???.I couldn't find any.

As CMD said there are currently several properties being built downtown and once the Grant McEwan residence gets filled (which alone will add 900 people) downtowns population will jump again. Heck its come from 5000 people to 15000 in the last 5 years and several projects being built and occupied right now will continue this trend.

Good on ya Edmonton.

Note that the population numbers I mentioned are for downtown itself and not Oliver, Rossdale etc. The boundries are 97 street in the East and 109 Street in the West. 104 Avenue in the North and 97 Avenue un the South. Or basically

I must admit that System of road names just be numbers drives me nuts.

Does anyone have any pics of the Rice Howard Way???.I couldn't find any.

This thread is a bit old, but Edmonton deserves this bump.
I took this picture after work at around 5 AM on December 19th 2004. Rice Howard Way looking South from 102 Ave. (admittedly, looks better in the daytime) Enjoy.

http://mock.nourism.net/ricehoward.jpg

Rich Edmonton gets no respect

ROYSON JAMES
TORONTO STAR
Apr. 27, 2005. 01:00 AM

In some ways, Edmonton could be considered the envy of Toronto. The province of Alberta smiles on its capital city even as Ontario only recently stopped frowning on Toronto.

Oil and resource revenues fuel an economy that has Alberta swimming in money while Ontario faces a deficit. And the respective capitals are engorged or starved accordingly.

Edmonton's mayor, Stephen Mandel, said in Toronto yesterday, "Edmonton is a rich city." It's not the type of claim you'd hear from cash-poor Toronto Mayor David Miller.

So what's the problem? Why is Mandel in Canada's media and business capital trying to drum up business and, more importantly, in search of recognition?

Because Edmonton gets no respect.

Say Alberta and people think Calgary, the country's oil capital. Edmonton, almost as big as Calgary and the provincial capital, travels under the radar.

Unemployment is low, revenues are high; public school education is perennially among the best in the country; health care is terrific and diabetes care, for example, is first rate; the quality of life is good; even their winter this year was pretty good.

But as they say, "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it ... "

Edmonton definitely plays second fiddle to Calgary and Mandel says he is intent on repairing the city's image. Edmonton is a great cultural centre, with many multicultural communities and great festivals. "We just haven't made an effort to sell that," he told the Star's editorial board yesterday.

Today, he will meet with business interests, hoping to sell his city of 710,000 and a region of 1 million as a business-friendly venue. That might be so, but Toronto politicians seemed unfazed by the mayor's presence. It's almost as if they don't fear losing business to a city with even a greater inferiority complex than Toronto.

Back in 1996, Mel Lastman, then mayor of North York, drew national attention when he said, "comparing North York to Edmonton is like comparing a stylish brick bungalow to a clapboard outhouse. It's like comparing us to the Yukon, or perhaps apples to prunes."

Lastman said he wasn't bowled over when he visited the western Canadian city in 1992. "My impression of Edmonton from what I saw is one of a flat, dull town of empty malls surrounded by farmland."

Edmontonians, of course, took offence. Their city wasn't nearly as bad as Lastman joked then. And it has grown up and improved a lot since.

But the image persists.

The "young turks" coming out of school are opting for places like Calgary and Toronto "because we haven't put together a package that sells Edmonton as a fun place," Mandel says.

The city is also short on immigrants, landing only 2.2 per cent of new immigrants to Canada. (Calgary gets about 3 per cent. Toronto gets more than 40 per cent.)

"We are getting fewer immigrants now than they did 10 years ago. People don't think of Edmonton. You've got to be in someone's mind. They stop in Toronto and stay there. We need people for employment."

Mandel, 59, beat out three-term mayor Bill Smith to take over city hall last October. The victory surprised the one-term city councillor. He ran on a platform of "making Edmonton a capital city again," meaning a leader in architecture, culture, affordable housing and beauty.

He says he's trying to run Edmonton up the flagpole but harbours no illusions about how quickly the makeover will take root in people's consciousness.

"Success isn't measured in one visit," he says. "Changes come over a long period of time. It won't happen while I'm the mayor. It might not happen for 10 years or 15 years."

Mandel might be desperate, but he knows a dog when he sees one. Asked if he would take our Toronto Raptors, the declining basketball franchise, Mandel declined.

How could the Raptors trade Vince Carter for so little in return, Mandel asked two or three times during his one-hour visit to the Star's editorial board.

Asked to state the essential message of his trip to Toronto, he quipped: "Try to get a better basketball team. No, just kidding. I'd say, Edmonton has a lot to offer. Come on out west and say hello. 'Cause once we get them out there, they stay."

Royson James usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca

great article.....making waves i tells yeah...making waves.

Well I guess we will have to see the response to his foray into Toronto and how many people actually took notice.

^^^^^^True enough, afterall it is west of High Park and north of Lawrence.

I've always loved Calgary but if given the choice between the two I'd move to Edmonton. It's always struck me as a more cultured place and with more character. Not to put down Calgary (it has many fine attributes itself of course) but Edmonton is more of a blue collar town than it's sister to the south. Always find those sorts of people more to my liking. With that in mind, I'm really glad to see that Edmonton has had such success luring people back to the core. In fact, I never realized that it had gotten so bad to begin with.

So whatever happened to Stationlands? Is it still a go , has it been downsized or anything, or is one of those things that makes a big splash and then slowly fades away ? I would LOVE to see that go up in Edmonton based on the renderings I've seen. Plus it's a great idea to begin with. What other developments are in the works for Edmonton as well?

Anyway, I'd love to know if anybody can tell me. Either way, it sounds like good news coming out of Edmonton and I say good on ya.

^stationlands will go ahead eventually....it was designed to be developed between 2002-2015 anyways.....it will likely have one of its office towers become a condo tower to coincide with the hotel, seniors, and office tower. I also believe the podium will be significantly reduced as we do not need another downtown mall of sorts.

To be honest...i think we will see smaller 150,000-250,000 office towers go up 1st.

As for other developments....where do i start:


Residential:

www.theomega.ca
www.theicon.ca
www.jasperproperties.com
www.theilluminada.com
www.cdlhomes.com - altavista 1 and 2 as well as rivervista
www.theparliament.ca
www.vivacityone.ca or .com?
the essex
the imperial
ellis lofts
7th street lofts phase 2
terrace court
BCM tower on 105st
the TEN lofts
etc.etc.

all under development as we speak or about to start.

there are approximately another 4-8 condo highrises in planning stages about a yr away from release including a 30 storey condo "hampton house" right in the center of the core.

YMCA is building a new full facility right in the middle of downtown....very very nice looking

Grant MacEwan College just released it's new west expansion plans including a new 12 storey health sciences building and 4 future academic buildings on 104ave

Norquest College has a $100million expansion planned pending funding approvals

The northedge study is going to be finalized soon encompasing ~30 square blocks on the north edge of downtown that is currently old warehouse/commercial which will house 4500-5000 residents when built out in medium and highrise residential with a pedestrian priority.

planning is in the works to eventually redevelop east jasper into a vibrant residential district.

and that is only downtown stuff....


over 1billion worth of new construction at the UofA....including a new $557million health sciences centre.

and of course...perhaps the most anticipated development....CENTURY PARK....which got the green light this spring and will be simply amazing.....

www.centurypark.ca

the LRT is being extended from the UofA to this site (formely heritage mall) by 2008/9.

Edmonton is truly experiencing a BOOM and you can feel the electricity in the air.

from emporis...the actual list:

Edmonton:

2. Tower B [Station Lands] 2 149 m 37 - proposed
3. Tower A [Station Lands] 3 149 m 34 - proposed
21. Hampton House 1 96 m 30 - proposed
35. Collins Tower 1 73 m 20 - proposed
37. Founders Ridge 4 71 m 22 - proposed
38. The Jasper Properties 4 71 m 22 -u/c
40. Tower D [Station Lands] 2 69 m 21 -proposed
41. Tower C [Station Lands] 1 69 m 15 -proposed
42. The Century [The Century] 2 69 m 24 - u/c
44. Cambridge Lofts 4 68 m 19 -u/c
45. One River Park 3 66 m 21 -u/c
53. VivaCity One 7 55 m 15 - -proposed
54. Omega Icon 1 55 m 16 --proposed
61. The Parliament 4 50 m 16 -u/c
65. AltaVista Towers - Tow.. [Altavista Towers] 45 m 13 - u/c
66. AltaVista Towers - Tow.. [Altavista Towers] 45 m 13 -proposed
67. The Omega 4 45 m 14 - u/c
69. The Illuminada 1 42 m 12 - u/c
70. Grant MacEwan College Student Residence 1 41 m 14 - u/c
71. River Vista 2 41 m 13 - -proposed
76. WEM Hotel II [West Edmonton Mall] 38 m -proposed
80. Celebrations Hotel and Casino 35 m 10 u/c
101. Century Park - Tower 5 [Century Park] 24 -proposed
102. Century Park - Tower 6 [Century Park] 24 -proposed
103. Century Park - Tower 7 [Century Park] 24 -proposed
104. Century Park - Tower 8 [Century Park] 24 -proposed
125. Century Park - Tower 4 [Century Park] 20 -proposed
126. Century Park - Tower 1.. [Century Park] 20 -proposed
128. Century Park - Tower 1 [Century Park] 20 -proposed
145. Century Park - Tower 2 [Century Park] 18 -proposed
146. Century Park - Tower 3 [Century Park] 18 -proposed
184. Century Park - Tower 1.. [Century Park] 16 -proposed
206. Canterra Suites 15 -proposed
275. Century Park - Tower 9 [Century Park] 12 -proposed
281. Century Park - Tower 1.. [Century Park] 12 -proposed
284. WEM Office Building [West Edmonton Mall] 12 -proposed
285. WEM Apartment Building [West Edmonton Mall] 12 -proposed

Here's a shot of The Jasper Properties from the hiking trail that goes around Riverside Golf Course, taken on the 21st.
It's really coming along nicely.

http://mock.nourism.net/etown/jasperprops.jpg

Great news for Edmonton. After a real slump it seems you are hitting your stride again. It is really great that so much is happening downtown aswell.

Ya daaaamn rights Etown is cookin'....booyah!

Wondering, does anyone have a RAIL map of Edmonton. I would like to know where the streetcar line goes. I know it meaners its way to Whyte but what happens after that??? Does it go to MillPond?? could it be used for LRT?
I know much of it is only single track but ussually its not the cost of the rail, its finding a damn ROW to put it.
Anyone know??????

^it connects to the CP yard on 103st and 81ave.

Does the Southeast Industrial/Sherwood line also meet up with the CP yard?
I'm assuming it does, it would be quite stupid if it didn't.

yuppers....well kinda, it intersects at around 61aveish....

for Edmonton map moron, does anyone have a map so I can see where that is exactly?

I couldn't find a map online, so I modified the ETS system map for this purpose:

http://mock.nourism.net/transmap.gif

The pink line is the SLRT, the northernmost red line is the streetcar going across high level bridge, the question mark is there because I personally have no idea which way the streetcar takes to the rail yard.
The red line in the east is the Southeast Industrial rail, and going south towards the airport is self-explanatory.
The blue line is just an idea of how I might stretch the LRT into Millhoods, and to the airport.

^^
I doubt the LRT will ever go to there airport that is just way to far 20 km(?).

Something will go to the airport someday, I think. :yes:

Thanks Mac....it seems they could use some of the line to get to MillPonds. Thru Strathcona to the rail yards then take the St.Albert line est for a Km and then create a line going to MillPonds???
Atleast half or the ROW is there.

^millwoods will eventually be branched off from the SLRT down 34th ave i believe...or was it 23....no i think 34.

as for the airport....the LRT will get there....i have no doubt....but we might be using spaceships by then.

Something will go to the airport someday, I think. :yes:

The best bet would a short LRT from the airport to the CPR/CP tracks and maybe have some sort of commuter train type transport.

Thanks Mac....it seems they could use some of the line to get to MillPonds. Thru Strathcona to the rail yards then take the St.Albert line est for a Km and then create a line going to MillPonds???
Atleast half or the ROW is there.
Going through Old Strathcona is not really an option, the whole area is built up tightly, Whyte Ave is constantly packed with traffic (no room for LRT), and I wager the NIMBYs would be out in force.

This will only help Edmonton. Ft. McMurray is busting at the seams.

Athabasca Oil Sands files for major expansion
Last Updated Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:22:40 EDT
CBC News
CALGARY - The Athabasca Oil Sands Project has filed an application for a major expansion which will require more than 10,000 workers at peak employment on two related jobs.

Once approved and assuming construction starts next year, the projects are expected to boost production to 300,000 barrels a day of synthetic crude oil by 2010.

"Actual timing for these projects will depend on the outcome of the regulatory process, market conditions, final project costs and consultation with key stakeholders," Shell Canada, a 60 per cent partner in the project, said Friday.


Cost estimates, which may run into billions of dollars, will be released once the expansion gets regulatory and final investment approvals.

Shell is seeking approval to double the capacity at both the Muskeg River Mine and Scotford Upgrader to eventually reach production of 500,000 barrels a day.

"Peak construction workforces are expected to be approximately 4,000 at the mine site and 6,400 at the upgrader," it said.

Approvals for the expansions are expected in mid-2006, Shell said in a release.

The Muskeg River Mine expansion would increase its capacity to about 300,000 barrels a day from 155,000 today. With the Jackpine Mine approval received last year, Shell will have approvals to mine 500,000 barrels a day of bitumen.

The Scotford expansion plan will raise increase upgrading capacity to 300,000 barrels a day, and "further additions to upgrading capacity will be made in due course to bring total capacity to 500,000 barrels per day in line with future mining expansions," Western said.

Western Oil Sands LP and Chevron Canada each have 20 per cent of the project.

Shell shareholders approved a three-for-one split at the annual meeting Friday, the company said.


Alberta's Oilsands
Found in the Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake regions of Northern Alberta, the oilsands contain an estimated 1.7 to 2.5 trillion barrels of oil trapped in a mixture of sand, water and clay.

The actions of water and bacteria have transformed the light crude into bitumen, a much heavier, carbon rich and extremely viscous oil.

The oilsands near the surface are extracted through open pit mining, mainly shovels and trucks.

However about 90 per cent of oilsands cannot be pulled out that way. It must be extracted using "in situ" ("in place") technology.

Steam is injected into the deposit to heat the oilsands, reducing the thickness of the bitumen. The hot bitumen migrates towards producing wells, bringing it to the surface, while the sand is left in place.


http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2005/04/29/shell-oilsands050429.html

Edmonton is rocking and it seems it has learnt from its mistakes of the past. Only a large downtown population base will bring the downtown back to life.......night and day.

^millwoods will eventually be branched off from the SLRT down 34th ave i believe...or was it 23....no i think 34.

as for the airport....the LRT will get there....i have no doubt....but we might be using spaceships by then.
The future Millwoods line will travel down 23 Avenue.

YES, more condos and apartment buildings in the downtown area. the night life of downtown needs to be brought back to LIFE. People Need to open up some 24 hr joints around downtown. i dont know about everybody else but i;m a night crawler and the only places i have to eat are Mcdonalds, Tim Hortons, Mac's, and 7-11. Were as when im in Calgary and Vancouver, I get to Choose from Sushi, Noodles, Thai Food, Donairs, everything... Edmonton is being taken over by the same Companys, exp. their is a bout 8 walmarts now, EVERY Bloody Block has a 7-11. u cant go 10 minutes in edmonton without seeing a 7-11 store. i would love to take a drive down Jasper Ave. and see more clubs, places to eat.. stuff like that. it seems people are too scared to venture downtown for buisness, they stick to whyte ave.

Another thing does anybody have any idea when they are planning to start the station lands project. i used to work at the building on the corner of 101st, and 105ave. the site were the 2 new sky scrapers are being built. i keep asking the manager when they are starting and they;ve told me spring 2005, and it is now august 2005. and nothing has happened. anybody know anything???

whyte is whyte...what jasper needs is what whyte doesnt offer....young proffessional places like the ones we are seeing such as fluid, suede, joey's, etc.

bring more of that...along with condos and voila.

To follow up with what coldrsx mentioned, downtown does have a number of 24-hour joints. I know Denny's is one that is extremely popular to the late night crowds, Taipan Cafe is another one.

Jasper is coming around, but more is needed. The new condo buildings will add more warm bodies and incomes.

I think the only thing that is slowing Edmonton down is Calgary, think of how big Edmonton would be all the towers it would have with all the oil companies based there.

Yes, but that can be said vise versa as well .

I think the only thing that is slowing Edmonton down is Calgary, think of how big Edmonton would be all the towers it would have with all the oil companies based there.


most ridiculous comment in a long time...

Edmonton isnt slowing down because of calgary and actually much of edmontons manufacturing is due to calgary based business.

Hmm...I don't think Ed was instigating anything, but as a spin-off of his comment, would anyone prefer if Alberta had one larger city of over 2 million (Edmonton and Calgary merged), or the way it is now, with the two separate. I would love the skylines merged, but prefer having two cities of over 1 million each.

I was not trying to instigate anything I am a native Edmontonian and lived there for 8 years before moving to Calgary. I am trying to say Edmonton's growth would be much faster and more substantial if Calgary was not so close. It is very hard to have 2 big cities so close to each other expect them to grow as fast as there potential is.

I read something that was kind of upsetting, that their is a height restriction of skyscraper's being built here in edmonton, due to the international airport, apparently their is a 150metre restriction.

and thats true rsx, young professional places. though whyte ave still has some growing to do.

^municipal airport...but 150m is fine as we dont have the density or demand for building up yet...id rather have 10 more 100m towers than 2 or 3 200

Great neighbourhoods don't need height. Take Paris and London as examples, the majority of their product is between 5 to 15 storeys.

really,.. yeah thats true, i always thought of edmonton as "the big little city" or "big small town" also, "the city that was built in the forest" because it runs throught ht enorth saskatchewan river and their are trees everywere.

I agree with coldsrx, I'd rather have more 100m than 2 supertalls. Its fills in a lot more parking lots and leads to more rejuvenation.

Rich Edmonton gets no respect

ROYSON JAMES
TORONTO STAR
Apr. 27, 2005. 01:00 AM

In some ways, Edmonton could be considered the envy of Toronto. The province of Alberta smiles on its capital city even as Ontario only recently stopped frowning on Toronto.

Oil and resource revenues fuel an economy that has Alberta swimming in money while Ontario faces a deficit. And the respective capitals are engorged or starved accordingly.

Edmonton's mayor, Stephen Mandel, said in Toronto yesterday, "Edmonton is a rich city." It's not the type of claim you'd hear from cash-poor Toronto Mayor David Miller.

So what's the problem? Why is Mandel in Canada's media and business capital trying to drum up business and, more importantly, in search of recognition?

Because Edmonton gets no respect.

Say Alberta and people think Calgary, the country's oil capital. Edmonton, almost as big as Calgary and the provincial capital, travels under the radar.

Unemployment is low, revenues are high; public school education is perennially among the best in the country; health care is terrific and diabetes care, for example, is first rate; the quality of life is good; even their winter this year was pretty good.

But as they say, "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it ... "

Edmonton definitely plays second fiddle to Calgary and Mandel says he is intent on repairing the city's image. Edmonton is a great cultural centre, with many multicultural communities and great festivals. "We just haven't made an effort to sell that," he told the Star's editorial board yesterday.

Today, he will meet with business interests, hoping to sell his city of 710,000 and a region of 1 million as a business-friendly venue. That might be so, but Toronto politicians seemed unfazed by the mayor's presence. It's almost as if they don't fear losing business to a city with even a greater inferiority complex than Toronto.

Back in 1996, Mel Lastman, then mayor of North York, drew national attention when he said, "comparing North York to Edmonton is like comparing a stylish brick bungalow to a clapboard outhouse. It's like comparing us to the Yukon, or perhaps apples to prunes."

Lastman said he wasn't bowled over when he visited the western Canadian city in 1992. "My impression of Edmonton from what I saw is one of a flat, dull town of empty malls surrounded by farmland."

Edmontonians, of course, took offence. Their city wasn't nearly as bad as Lastman joked then. And it has grown up and improved a lot since.

But the image persists.

The "young turks" coming out of school are opting for places like Calgary and Toronto "because we haven't put together a package that sells Edmonton as a fun place," Mandel says.

The city is also short on immigrants, landing only 2.2 per cent of new immigrants to Canada. (Calgary gets about 3 per cent. Toronto gets more than 40 per cent.)

"We are getting fewer immigrants now than they did 10 years ago. People don't think of Edmonton. You've got to be in someone's mind. They stop in Toronto and stay there. We need people for employment."

Mandel, 59, beat out three-term mayor Bill Smith to take over city hall last October. The victory surprised the one-term city councillor. He ran on a platform of "making Edmonton a capital city again," meaning a leader in architecture, culture, affordable housing and beauty.

He says he's trying to run Edmonton up the flagpole but harbours no illusions about how quickly the makeover will take root in people's consciousness.

"Success isn't measured in one visit," he says. "Changes come over a long period of time. It won't happen while I'm the mayor. It might not happen for 10 years or 15 years."

Mandel might be desperate, but he knows a dog when he sees one. Asked if he would take our Toronto Raptors, the declining basketball franchise, Mandel declined.

How could the Raptors trade Vince Carter for so little in return, Mandel asked two or three times during his one-hour visit to the Star's editorial board.

Asked to state the essential message of his trip to Toronto, he quipped: "Try to get a better basketball team. No, just kidding. I'd say, Edmonton has a lot to offer. Come on out west and say hello. 'Cause once we get them out there, they stay."

Royson James usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca

Poor Edmonton :) still suffers from a defeatist attitude.

Poor Edmonton :) still suffers from a defeatist attitude.Ahhh, yeaaaaa. I'm sorry but this article shows that our mayor is doing something that many former mayors neglected to do in the past and that is to 'Sell Edmonton'. So far, its been working. CHAMP Car was an extreme success, as was the World Masters, all this in addition to a growing economy and adding some new players to Edmonton's business scene: Dell and Spar Aerospace.

Anyways, here are some great letters about our ever-so-popular Folk Fest and one of kind Churchill Square.

Some good letters about the Folk Fest and Churchill.

Folk Fest: a performer's paradise

The Edmonton Journal
Saturday, August 13, 2005


The Edmonton Folk Festival is in a world of its own. For the artist, that world is as close as it comes to Nirvana in the often chaotic music industry. From the cordial hands-on attention of producer Terry Wickham and his support staff to the ubiquitous volunteers, everyone is on the same page, creating a relaxed, yet professional, environment where great music can be experienced.

This hit home as I sat in the mess hall having dinner with more than 2,000 volunteers and performers.

Across from me sat Laurie Wong, a nurse who was using her holiday time to volunteer in the bike lock-up. Originally, she was on a waiting list of more than 300 people to join the army of volunteers for the festival. She also told me that my re-useable plastic plate was being washed by yet another volunteer. His day job? An anaesthesiologist.

Edmonton you can be proud of having created a world-class festival which stands apart from any other. We look forward to regularly participating in it in the future, but for now we just want to say thank you.

Henry Kolenko, manager for Alpha Yaya Diallo, Vancouver

Churchill Square is one of a kind

The Edmonton Journal
Saturday, August 13, 2005

I want to reply to Scott McKeen's column about the new Three Bananas Cafe which just opened in Churchill Square ("Brand new eatery one barometer of health of downtown square," The Journal, Aug.10).

I see the square daily, as I work downtown.

McKeen is wrong when he says the renovation of Churchill Square was "widely despised long before it was completed" and that "cranky rightists" panned it as a self-indulgent extravagance of City Hall.

My observations are that it was widely misunderstood until it was fully executed and it was an enthusiastic "rightist" who encouraged me and a lot of other people to kick in the money to help complete the project.

I have seen squares in many other cities and few (even the one in Portland,Ore., which ours emulates) can hold a candle to this one.

On Tuesday, I took a former Edmontonian who has been residing in California for the past 20 years to the square. He was absolutely blown away by what he saw and felt.

The design and execution of our new downtown square makes me proud to be an Edmontonian.

Roy Nickerson, Edmonton

Now that CMD UW has mentioned Churchill Square.....check THIS out! And, yes, there's people - tons of people, in fact. :D

Downtown Edmonton with Churchill Square on a Friday in July (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=240936)

Speaking of Churchill, did anyone check out the massive street hockey tournement? Apparently 1000 contestants were scheduled to play. The area looked very busy this afternoon when I drove by, but I didn't actually check it all out.

"Poor Edmonton still suffers from a defeatist attitude"

LOL - I doubt you know the meaning of the word as if that were true, the mayor wouldn't bother with marketing Edmonton.

If you're arrogance is the prevailing attitude in the Calgary region, its doomed to fail