The Pulse
May 8, 2025

Filistix closed its downtown location in January but sees The Flavour Agency catering business as a way to stay in the game after years of bad luck.

Filistix was started by Ariel del Rosario and co-owner Roel Canafranca as a food trailer in 2008. They launched Filistix kiosks at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University in 2011 and 2012, respectively, before opening a sit-down Filistix in May 2019 in the Government District. The co-owners opened Filistix to "crusade" for Filipino cuisine, del Rosario said. However, he said he thinks many diners are shy to try Asian cuisine that doesn't come from one of "the big five" countries, which are China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

"Right now, what we're seeing with the dining public is that they're really sticking to what they know," del Rosario said. "Now that the restaurant industry is still in recovery mode, that kind of pushed our crusading back a few years."

As dine-in and food truck sales sagged, catering requests began to climb.

"We noticed that in the last couple years that our catering business has steadily increased," del Rosario told Taproot. "People were more interested in our catering offerings than booking us for a food truck or coming into the restaurant."

The COVID-19 pandemic is a key reason the downtown Filistix closed, del Rosario said. Filistix added home delivery during the pandemic and held special events to attract diners as restrictions eased, but even today, he said, there are fewer people working in-office near the restaurant to keep it open, despite other pockets of downtown showing signs of reinvigoration.

"What we notice coming out of the pandemic is that the Government District didn't really recover as quickly as some pockets in the downtown core," del Rosario said. "For example, 104 Street seemed like it was recovering a lot quicker, and definitely in the Rice Howard Way area."

Eventually, staff and supply costs for regular operations had to go, he said, but The Flavour Agency has kept the downtown space as its kitchen and home base. There, the catering company makes signature Filistix items like adobo meat dishes and rice bowls, plus pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and custom menus for catering clients.

The Flavour Agency's broader menu was developed in part because of a series of earlier snags for Filistix. In 2018, Aramark did not renew its two university kiosk contracts. Filistix soon found another site at the U of A, but stopped operating at MacEwan until 2022. That year, del Rosario and Canafranca returned to MacEwan with the food hall Takam Market in the Robbins Health Learning Centre. It comprises a Filistix, Big Sky Sandwiches, Butta la Pasta, Takam Café, and Takam Pizza, plus a bubble tea concept called BESTEA Chill Out Café from a separate owner.

• The City of Edmonton's 2025 construction season has begun, with more than 70 projects underway, including the Terwillegar Drive Expansion, the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion, and the final year of the William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation. In downtown Edmonton, the Imagine Jasper Avenue project will enhance crosswalks and pedestrian safety, and Warehouse Park is expected to be finished by the end of 2025. The City has a full list of construction projects on its website.
• A wildfire in the Redwater Provincial Recreation Area, northeast of Edmonton, has burned about 1,500 hectares. On the morning of May 7, there were about 30 fire response vehicles and 175 personnel on site. Sturgeon County has a series of evacuation alerts, including for the Town of Redwater, and dozens of homes have been evacuated. A separate fire this week forced an evacuation of Boyle, a village in Athabasca County, where officials say crews made "excellent progress" and are working to get the last areas of the fire under control.
• Residents of 46 townhomes in the Homesteader neighbourhood, who were ordered to evacuate on May 6 due to the possible presence of explosive or volatile chemicals in a unit on 50 Street and Hermitage Road, were allowed to return after police found no risk. Red Cross is coordinating the residents' return, while investigations continue, the Edmonton Police Service said.
• An assault trial for former Edmonton Police Service Const. Oli Olason, accused of using excessive force against Lee Van Beaver during a March 2021 arrest, continued on May 7 with testimony from other police officers. Prosecutors say Olason used excessive force when he kicked, stomped, and stood on Beaver's head during the arrest, which was caught on surveillance video, while the defence says the actions were justified. Beaver addressed the court earlier this week.
• The Rainbow Visions Film Festival, an annual LGBTQ2S+-focused film festival at the Garneau Theatre, is showing 12 feature films from May 8 to 15. FLASHBACK, a documentary on a popular downtown club open in Edmonton from 1974 to 1992, is screening May 18.
• TELUS World of Science is hosting an adults-only event called Science is Dope on May 22 as part of its "Dark Matters" series exploring taboo subjects. The May 22 event includes a 420-themed laser show, exhibits about drugs, and visiting scientists who will demonstrate ancient beer-making and discuss the use of psychedelics in clinical settings.
• A host of Edmonton companies appear on a list of Canada's best managed companies in 2025, a prestigious designation awarded each year by Deloitte Canada. In a release, Servus Credit Union said it was recognized for the 22nd consecutive year.
• MLA Nathan Cooper, who has been Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta since 2019, was appointed Alberta's envoy to the United States. Cooper has been speaker since the UCP formed government in 2019 but has never had a cabinet post or worked in international affairs. The role was recently vacated by James Rajotte, a former Conservative MP who is now a senior advisor to Premier Danielle Smith, according to a government news release.
• Dave Hancock, a former MLA who served as interim premier after Alison Redford's resignation in 2014, was appointed assistant chief justice of the Alberta Court of Justice in the Edmonton Family and Youth Division. He has been a provincial court judge since 2017.
• The Edmonton Elks have signed fullback Skyler Griffith, running back Isaiah Knight, and defensive back Jarmaine Doubs. The club says it has no more eligible draft picks ahead of the first day of rookie camp.

Here are opportunities to inform municipal decisions about rezoning applications, public art, neighbourhood renewal, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• West Jasper Place Rezoning (155 Street) — The City of Edmonton is reviewing an amended request to rezone five lots at 95 Avenue NW and 155 Street NW. Span Architecture wants the lots rezoned from small-scale residential to medium-scale residential for the purpose of building a roughly four-storey building with limited commercial opportunities on the ground floor. Residents can ask a question or contribute to a discussion board until May 11.
• Garbage Can Design Contest 2025 — The City of St. Albert is running a yearly contest to beautify the city with painted garbage cans using designs submitted by local students. Residents can review the designs and vote on their favorite until May 12.
• Meyonohk Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal — The City of Edmonton produced a draft design for neighbourhood and alley renewal in the Meyonohk neighbourhood. Residents can review the design and complete a survey until May 15. City staff are also seeking feedback on a draft design of Meyonohk Park, with a survey available until May 20.
• Municipal Development Plan Survey — The Town of Morinville began its final stage of public engagement for a new municipal development plan. Residents can review a draft and complete a survey until May 20.

More input opportunities

• Until May 12: Villeneuve Hamlet: Future Possibilities (Sturgeon County)
• Until May 20: Hays Ridge Community Park Development — Draft Design (City of Edmonton)
• Until May 20: Weinlos Park Playground Renewal — Planning (City of Edmonton)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• The State of the City starting at 11am at Edmonton Convention Centre
• Writing a Business Plan in the Age of AI starting at 11am online
• RWI Synthetics' Virtual Lunch & Learn: Transportation & Logistics starting at 12pm online
• Housing Information Session (Southeast) starting at 4pm at South East Edmonton Seniors Association
• Refill with Infill: Build & Bowl starting at 5pm at Plaza Bowling Co.
• NorthwestFilmFest at Metro Cinema (until May 15)
• Reception: High Energy 30 starting at 6pm at Art Gallery of St. Albert
• Flower Arrangement and Card Making Workshop starting at 6pm at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• The Ultimate Tomato Guide: Plant, Prune, Pick, and Preserve! starting at 7pm at Sakaw Gardens Hall
• YEG Startup Community Awards starting at 7pm at Art Gallery of Alberta
• Edmonton Tech Connect: AI, E-Commerce, Gov't Tech, Finance Networking Event starting at 7pm at Beercade
• How to Have Conversations about Dying and Grief starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library (downtown)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• May 12: A Conversation with Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Dan Williams at World Trade Centre Edmonton
• May 13: Table Talk Tuesdays at Remedial Wellness
• May 15: Tech Thursdays at Edmonton Unlimited

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