Small businesses are the lifeblood of any city

Edmonton’s Trial & Ale is brewing up its own recipe for success.

In less than two years, the sour and wild ale specialists have expanded their operations twice and won several national and Alberta beer awards for their tangy concoctions. During a pandemic, to boot.

Co-owner Ryan P.—no last name, it’s part of the company’s mystique—credits the City of Edmonton for helping Trial & Ale get off the ground.

Business 101 

Small businesses are the lifeblood of any city—they make up 94.7 percent of the companies in Edmonton. It’s a vibrant location for aspiring entrepreneurs, thanks to the city’s growing population (1.01 million) and Alberta’s corporate tax rate. At 8 percent, it’s the lowest in Canada.  

But starting and maintaining a small business can be a challenge. Close to 40 percent across the country fail after five years, according to Statistics Canada.

The City of Edmonton plays a role in making it easier for local businesses to survive and thrive. It offers several initiatives for small businesses, including the Economic Action Plan Grant and other support grants, as well as the One-On-One Support Program. Its team of advisors help answer questions about permits, troubleshoot challenges with applications, and/or facilitate meetings with the City’s zoning, licensing or safety codes experts.

Destination Edmonton

“We’re a champion for businesses within the City’s organization,” says Tom Mansfield, Director of Local Economy & Investment Services with the City of Edmonton.

 “We’re a voice for a business-friendly culture that respects the needs of businesses and understands the roles of our subject matter expert colleagues, striving to help us as a municipality be competitive. We want to be seen as a destination for businesses.”

Since 2016, the program’s advisors have helped more than 3,300 business owners. The last two years have seen an increase in calls and queries—up 24 per cent in 2020, and 12 per cent in 2021. 

“They’ve been our go-to when we had any questions about the permitting process,” says Candyce Morris, one of the co-founders of Kind Ice Cream. “For a while, we were talking to them once a week while we were building out our production kitchen and our shop in Highlands.”

Trial and error 

In Trial & Ale’s case, Ryan P. and his business partner Jeff B. wanted to open their first location on the second floor of a commercial building. It wasn’t necessarily an ideal choice for a brewery, and, unfortunately, they failed their first safety codes inspection. 

With the help of the One-On-One Support Program, the brewers were able to meet with one of the City’s safety codes experts to resolve the issue and receive their permit. (Trial & Ale has since outgrown the location and moved to a larger industrial space—with a main floor—in northwest Edmonton.) 

“I owe so much to this particular program,” says Ryan P.  

“I cannot name a part of city, provincial or federal administration that is more critical than this team when it comes to assisting new businesses. They don’t just point you in the right direction, they actually take the lead on putting the pieces together to solve problems.”