News & Highlights

From smart design to affordability to learning, here’s a sampling of good news and awards our city, organizations and communities have won recently.

2023

Edmonton Valley Zoo receives multiple national awards for conservation excellence

The Edmonton Valley Zoo is being recognized nationally in conservation and environmental stewardship by protecting the natural environment and helping mitigate climate change. The zoo won three awards at Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums’ 2023 Annual Awards of Excellence. 

Edmonton named Climate Action Leader on CDP A List

Edmonton has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project as one of 119 cities across the globe that is taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency, despite the pressures of a challenging global economic situation

Valley Line Southeast LRT Opens

As the first completely new transit line to open in western Canada in a generation, the Valley Line Southeast LRT provides more accessible, convenient and sustainable travel options for Edmontonians. The 13 km connects Downtown to Mill Woods and features 11 street-level stops, the new Tawatinâ Bridge across North Saskatchewan River and an interchange point at Churchill Square to access the existing Metro and Capital LRT lines.

NHL Heritage Classic returns to Commonwealth Stadium 

Twenty years after Edmonton hosted the first regular-season outdoor game, the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic returned to feature the Battle of Alberta. A sellout crowd of 55,411 fans saw the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames, as well as performances by Alberta musicians Rural Alberta Advantage, Brett Kissel and Nickelback.

Edmonton ranked second in Canada for sports events

In the 2023 BCW Sports City Ranking, Edmonton ranked second in Canada and 38th globally among cities closely associated with sports. The city's success can be attributed to hosting events, such as the PTO Canadian Open, FIFA Qualifier games, and the FIS Big Air World Cup.

The Style Experience FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup wins Sport Tourism Canada PRESTIGE Award 

The Style Experience FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup, held in December 2022 at Commonwealth Stadium, received the Sport Event Sponsorship Initiative of the Year Award at Sport Tourism Canada’s PRESTIGE Awards. This esteemed award honours the exceptional collaboration between companies, organizations, agencies, and individuals that significantly contributed to the outstanding success of a national or international sports event held in Canada between 2020 and 2022. 

Edmonton is Leading the Way in the Emerging Hydrogen Sector 

Hydrogen has the power to help us reduce carbon emissions while ensuring Edmonton prospers through investment and jobs that come with the growth of the green economy. Projects in Edmonton are underway to test hydrogen technology in the area of transportation, putting our region in the spotlight for leading innovation and investment in the growing hydrogen sector. Learn more.

Art Gallery of Alberta Wins Award for Outstanding Achievement in Exhibitions

The Canadian Museums Association awarded Edmonton's Art Gallery of Alberta with the Award for Outstanding Achievement: Exhibitions for their 2022 exhibition Scents of Movement, Scents of Place. The artist collaboration Sans façon and the artist Brian Goeltzenleuchter recreated scents from specific times and places in people’s lives.

Edmonton on Forbes 23 Best Places to Travel Around the World in 2023

Edmonton is included on Forbes 23 best places to travel around the world in 2023, where they celebrate our city as a vibrant urban center in the heart of the wilderness, with up to 18 hours of sunshine in the summer. The city’s creative culinary options, exploding craft beer scene and diverse Indigenous experiences are also mentioned.

Tawatinâ Bridge artist David Garneau Wins Governor General’s Award

Métis painter, curator, and critical art writer David Garneau won a 2023 Governor General’s Award for Outstanding Contribution in Visual and Media Arts. The Tawatinâ Bridge shared-use pathway features over 500 paintings of the River Valley’s flora and fauna, and the First Nations, Métis, and settler histories of the area.

The JUNO Awards return to Edmonton

In March 2023, Edmonton hosted the 52nd annual JUNO Awards, Canada’s largest celebration of music, at Rogers Place. Highlights were a spotlight on the 50th anniversary of hip hop and Alberta’s own Nickelback’s induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Blatchford named Best New Community in Canada 

Blatchford was recently awarded Best New Community at both the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) National and Edmonton Region Awards. The award category recognizes excellence in performance by developer and home builder members who create attractive, exciting, innovative and environmentally responsible communities.

Edmonton ranked first in Canada in housing affordability and supply study 

Edmonton received top marks in the Canadian Home Builders’ Association 2022 Municipal Benchmarking Study, which examines how local development processes, approvals and charges affect housing affordability and housing supply in major housing markets across the country.

Edmonton among best places for families to live in Canada

MoveHub rounded up the seven best places to live in Canada, and Edmonton was the sole spot in western Canada to make the cut thanks to being best for families.

Victoria IceWay featured in Travel + Leisure 

Travel + Leisure praises the Victoria IceWay as an ‘iconic ice-skating destination… a trail of ice through the forest of one of the city’s most beloved parks.’

Canada invests $9.74M in Alberta’s Hydrogen Economy 

The federal funding is improve access to hydrogen fuels, support product testing, attract investment to Alberta’s hydrogen industry, and increase the availability of quality training opportunities to commercialize new technologies all while supporting good-paying jobs Alberta workers can rely on.

Edmonton’s affordable housing market attracting immigrants 

Canadian Architect’s feature, Why Immigrants Answer When Edmonton’s Suburbs Call, shows how Edmonton’s City Plan for growth is attracting new Canadians by combining affordability, community design, diversity, and a sense of belonging. 

2022

Edmonton is the first Canadian city to join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities

Edmonton joins UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities, an international network of cities committed to excellence in learning for all, to foster a culture of learning throughout life to enhance social inclusion, economic development and cultural prosperity.

Alberta included on Conde Nast Traveler’s Best Places to Travel 

Conde Nest Traveler list of the top places to travel highlights the Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park as one of the many reasons to visit Edmonton and Alberta. 

Edmonton Arts Council received Cultural Planning Award of Excellence

Creative City Network of Canada awarded the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton with a Cultural Planning Award of Excellence for the Connections & Exchanges: A 10-Year Plan To Transform Arts and Heritage In Edmonton. The Cultural Planning Award recognizes a Canadian municipality that has developed, adopted, and implemented an excellent Culture Plan with a process that demonstrates outstanding visionary leadership and best practices in cultural planning. 

Blatchford’s District Energy Sharing System wins Canadian Architect Award Of Excellence

Canadian Architect celebrates Blatchford’s District Energy Sharing System Sewage Heat Exchange with ‘The building’s striking form and the views it opens up to its inner functions celebrate urban infrastructure’s civic potential, while highlighting the impact of human daily living on the urban environment.’