The Pulse: March 7, 2025

A request to discuss renaming one of the fields at Commonwealth Stadium to Play Alberta Field came to Edmonton's Naming Committee, a member has confirmed to Taproot.

In December, the committee was consulted on naming a field within the stadium after the gambling website. Play Alberta is the only regulated online gambling website that is offered to Albertans. It is operated by Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis. The revenue the website generates goes into the provincial general revenue fund.

Taproot asked the City of Edmonton to confirm the sale and provide specific details such as which field, the value of the deal, and other points, but a spokesperson said a news release would be available soon.

The Facility Name Sale Policy, adopted in 2007, allows city-owned facilities to be named after corporations or businesses as recognition for financial support. The policy states that city facilities must only be linked with organizations that are "compatible with, complementary to, and reflective of the City's values and mandate."

On Dec. 2, the Naming Committee passed a motion that stated the committee "rejects the naming of the field within the Commonwealth Stadium in the McCauley Neighbourhood as 'Play Alberta Field.'"

Matt Dance, the committee's chair, clarified to Taproot that the committee's motion was not about the name but rather the committee's role in discussing names brought forward under the city's Facility Name Sale Policy. While the committee's mandate is to approve names that meet the criteria laid out in the Naming Policy, "the Name Sale Policy is interested in making money — in selling the naming rights to specific things and then putting that name … on that thing," Dance told Taproot.

The committee also passed a motion to make a similar point on the Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar name, which replaced Terwillegar Community Rec Centre and was announced in August 2024. "We're really agnostic on the names that come forward through the Name Sale Policy," Dance said. "We just don't feel that we're in a capacity to approve or disapprove something that's being approved by a different process."

At the Dec. 2 meeting, the committee made a motion asking city council "to consider the erosion of place-making through the sale of naming rights of civic assets, and how this does not align with the values expressed in the Naming Policy."

Council voted unanimously to accept the name sale agreement for the Edmonton Elks partner field at a council meeting in early February. Discussions about the agreement were held in private. Taproot has not been able to confirm which field in Commonwealth Stadium will be renamed. In June 2016, the Elks announced a five-year naming rights agreement with The Brick that renamed the field 'The Brick Field.' The Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre immediately beside Commonwealth Stadium also has an indoor recreation field.

The committee is reviewing the Naming Policy and its relationship to the Facility Name Sale Policy. By the end of 2026, the two policies will no longer reference each other and administration will no longer be required to consult the committee regarding the sale of facility names, according to the committee's 2025 work plan.

Correction: This story has been changed to correct the process the naming committee took upon receiving a request to discuss the renaming that resulted from the city's Facility Name Sale Policy.

• Police issued tickets to the driver of a semi-truck that crashed into a Sherwood Park Freeway overpass on March 4. Police also ticketed the company that owns the truck. The driver was issued 13 tickets totalling nearly $25,000 and will be required to appear in court. The company received nine tickets totalling about $13,000. The freeway has since reopened, but northbound and southbound traffic on 34 Street have been reduced to one lane.
• About 100 people held an emergency rally outside the Alberta legislature in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. The federal government said Canada is prepared to offer troops to Britain and France's "coalition of the willing" peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire.
• Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein's latest piece discusses the potential for a 10-year extension to the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, which would allow millions of public dollars to go to a host of "catalyst projects," including remediating brownfield sites on Village at Ice District land and developing an "event park" next to Rogers Place. Business groups supported the idea, but some councillors questioned it for being "corporate welfare" or not serving the public good. Gerein wrote that the "overriding message to council" has been that "this is probably as good as it's going to get — especially at a time of financial distress." Council is set to review a report on the topic on March 18.
• Municipal officials from across the province discussed how U.S. tariffs could affect their communities during the Alberta Municipalities conference in Edmonton this week. Local leaders also asked the province to start collecting education property taxes, which are going up 4.5% over two years, instead of having municipalities collect them as part of their property taxes. Premier Danielle Smith is scheduled to speak at the conference on March 7.
• The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission announced it has suspended the import of U.S. liquor starting at 12pm on March 6 as part of the province's response to U.S. tariffs. Stores are allowed to sell their remaining inventory but not reorder, and AGLC won't accept returns. Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith appeared on American television networks to respond to the tariffs and defend the province's actions. U.S. President Donald Trump announced March 6 he will pause tariffs on some Canadian goods until April 2.
• Rajah Maggay, a staff member for Coun. Andrew Knack, announced she is running in Ward Nakota Isga in the Edmonton municipal election, set for Oct. 20. Knack announced last year that he isn't running again. Meanwhile, Coun. Karen Principe said she would run for the Conservative Party of Canada in the riding Edmonton Griesbach, making her unlikely to run again in Ward tastawiyiniwak. Municipal commentator Troy Pavlek is keeping an up-to-date list of people running for local office. Dave Cournoyer, who runs Daveberta.ca, is keeping a list of federal election candidates in Alberta.
• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released its 2025 housing market outlook, which says Edmonton will continue to have an active resale market in 2025 due to migration and relative affordability, although not as active as 2024, which saw historic transactions and housing starts. CMHC said it expects a gradual increase in rental vacancy and slowing rent increases, after monthly average rates for a two-bedroom rose to $1,536 last fall.
• The Nonprofit Chamber, which focuses on policy issues related to the nonprofit sector in Alberta, published highlights from the 2025 Alberta budget, which it says makes "a few new major investments" and changes how funds are spent, but "doesn't make many waves." The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations also released a list of budget highlights, while the Edmonton Social Planning Council released a fact sheet.
• The RCMP has launched an investigation into allegations against Alberta Health Services based on a complaint it received Feb. 6. Since former CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos filed a lawsuit against AHS for wrongful dismissal on Feb. 12, her allegations have sparked an investigation from Alberta's auditor general and a third-party investigation led by former judge Raymond E. Wyant, while the Opposition NDP has called for a full public inquiry. No statements of defense have been filed, but Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said she'll file one in the "coming weeks," CBC reported.
• Anna Bajwa-Zschocke wrote an opinion piece for The Gateway suggesting low voter turnout in the 2024 University of Alberta Students' Union elections is reflective of a broader voter turnout problem. Just 16.88% of students voted last year, down 9.7% from 2023. Meanwhile, the 2021 federal election had a 62.6% voter turnout, while turnout for Edmonton's 2021 municipal election was just 37.6%. "Change is possible, and it starts by getting involved with bodies of government that directly impact your day-to-day," Bajwa-Zschocke wrote.
• Strathcona County council appointed Stacy Fedechko as chief administrative officer effective March 3, replacing Darrell Reid, who retired in January. Fedechko has been the county's associate commissioner for infrastructure and planning services since 2020. She is the first woman to serve as chief administrative officer in the county's history.

On this day in 1957, a quarterback — and a future premier — named Don Getty was signing another contract with Edmonton's football team.

Getty first came to Alberta in 1955 as a new graduate and newlywed. While at the University of Western Ontario, he played basketball and football. Then, in 1955, Getty received and accepted an offer from Edmonton's team to play football.

The timing couldn't have been better. Getty and the team went on to win the Grey Cup in both 1955 and 1956. Getty would stay as quarterback with the team for the next decade, proving himself a valuable asset and ending up on its Wall of Fame.

In 1965, another former football player, Peter Lougheed, approached Getty to run for the Progressive Conservatives in the 1967 provincial election. While the Progressive Conservatives did not unseat the dominant Social Credit Party at the polls that year, Getty won Strathcona West in Edmonton, becoming one of the party's "Original Six". In the next election, in 1971, the PCs ended Social Credit's 36-year reign and took a majority, with Getty again winning, this time in Edmonton-Whitemud.

Getty served as the minister of intergovernmental affairs and the minister of energy before he left politics in 1979. He returned in 1985, running for and winning the leadership of the PC party, and then became premier. As premier, Getty took the reins at a turbulent time for Alberta: Oil prices were cratering, and the economy was in a dire state. Getty was criticized for responding with some expensive promises during the 1986 election. It didn't help that Getty was also prone to gaffes and attempts at jokes that got him in trouble, including saying the then-ongoing Chernobyl disaster would end up benefiting Alberta's oil sector.

In the 1989 election, the PCs held on to power, though they lost seats, including Getty's. That forced Getty to run in a byelection to regain a seat in the legislature. Getty continued to lead the province until 1992, when he resigned and took a step back from the public eye. He remained in Edmonton until his death in 2016.

Getty's legacy is complicated. Aside from managing economic turmoil, his terms in office saw Alberta attract increased investment in the oilsands and negotiate land claims with Indigenous nations. Today, though, Getty is probably best known for the Family Day holiday, an idea that the family-oriented premier was reportedly passionate about establishing. That holiday provided a welcome break for Edmontonians a few weeks ago.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.

Here are some events happening this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• March 7: Women and Wealth Gala starting at 5pm at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• March 8: Finishing Embroidery with Joyce Sirski Howell starting at 11am at Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts
• March 8: International Women's Day starting at 11am at Art Gallery of Alberta
• March 8: Evolving Neighbourhoods Connected Communities starting at 11am at Spirit of Hope United Church
• March 8: International Women's Day Dinner and Discussion starting at 5:30pm at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• March 8: City Bird Debate for the Skies starting at 5:45pm at Edmonton Valley Zoo
• March 8: Fool Speed Ahead: A Night of New Clown Works starting at 7:30pm at Mile Zero Dance
• March 8: Women of Folkways starting at 8pm at Parkview Community Hall
• March 8-9: Metro Athletics High School Senior Finals at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• March 8-9: Pet Expo at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• March 8-9: Nosh Food Fest at Strathcona County Community Centre
• March 9: Pop Into Spring starting at 3pm at First Presbyterian Church
• March 9: Script Salon: Besties and Besitos: A Queer Romantic Comedy starting at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 18: A Prescription for Change: Celebrating Social Prescribing Day in Alberta online
• March 19: Cocktail Showdown at EPIC Market
• March 20: Edmonton Native Plant Society at Ritchie Community Hall

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.