The Pulse
Aug. 19, 2026

Armed with a new strategic plan and knowledge gleaned from many conversations, the head of the agency responsible for attracting foreign investment to the Edmonton metro region says she is focused on the individual needs of member municipalities.

"I kind of began from the (idea that) people are just people; I'm going to go talk to people," Edmonton Global CEO Daryn Edgar told Speaking Municipally. "Every person was constructive. They were forthcoming about the details and the attributes for their specific region and what ROI meant to them. It's not the same for every region; it's different because every region has different assets, they have different credentials, and they have different economic positions."

Edgar became CEO of the regional economic development agency in October 2025, replacing Malcolm Bruce, who had retired in March as five of 14 stakeholders were about to confirm their exit from the organization. Strathcona County, Fort Saskatchewan, Devon, Sturgeon County, and Parkland County all left in 2025. Leduc County voted to leave in December 2024; its departure won't be finalized until this December, under Edmonton Global's two-year exit terms. The other shareholders are Beaumont, Gibbons, the City of Leduc, Morinville, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and, of course, Edmonton.

One of Edgar's first duties was to meet with the mayors, chief administrative officers, and other key municipal staff from each shareholder, regardless of whether they were departing. She learned that dissatisfaction is not uniform.

"There are lots of different kinds of happy, and there are lots of different kinds of unhappy, specifically, for each specific shareholder — what is the happy and the unhappy?" Edgar pondered as she met with them. "I've got to say, I did come into a situation where there was this veil of unhappiness, and it was really opaque."

Spruce Grove Mayor Jeff Acker is optimistic about Edmonton Global now that Edgar is at the helm and the agency has new strategic and business plans. Treating municipalities as individuals while developing a cohesive region is beginning to pay off, he told Taproot's civic affairs podcast.

"I think we're relieved," he said. "We have identified some huge opportunities. We've streamlined the organization. We have way better accountability in reporting. I think, as a shareholder, we have good information now to share with our councils and our communities that we have a plan for the future."

Acker and Edgar both said the remaining and former stakeholders in Edmonton Global believe in regionalism as a way to attract foreign direct investment, but it hasn't always been easy to justify agency dues and their implications on tax assessments for residents and businesses. That's partly why the new plans from Edmonton Global emphasize accountability and return on investment.

"We're going to take our efforts and apply them to places where tax-base jobs and capital expenditures can be generated in the short term," Edgar said. "By the short term, I mean under 60 months, because we do have these very long close cycles. Market-making projects tend to get measured in years, whereas our close cycles are measured in months."

• The Servus Edmonton Marathon was indeed 674.7 metres longer than certified, confirming what many runners felt after the Aug. 16 race through downtown. Race director Tom Keogh apologized for an error in calculating a detour around the Wellington Bridge, reversing the event's earlier insistence that the routes were accurate. Keogh said organizers are working with Athletics Canada to determine how affected finishing times, including Boston Marathon qualifiers, can be recognized.
• TELUS World of Science - Edmonton will remain closed until early 2027 instead of reopening in November as flood damage from a July 10 storm has proven worse than expected. President and CEO Constance Scarlett said restoration work is now expected to finish in December. About 70% of the centre's staff remain temporarily laid off. "The extension has an incredible toll on all our staff," Scarlett said. "Now that we have a concrete date to work towards, we'll be able to work on those recall plans and hopefully be able to bring those employees back sooner rather than later."
• Law enforcement leaders from across Canada gathered in Edmonton for the 121st annual summit of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Among the topics was Bill C-22, which the police chiefs feel does not give them enough access to encrypted data during their investigations. Chief Warren Driechel of the Edmonton Police Service said Project Gaslight, an extortion investigation in the South Asian community, was delayed by difficulty accessing digital evidence. More shootings occured before officers could intervene, he said. Civil rights advocates and tech companies have opposed moves to make such data available, warning of overreach.
• Hope Mission has built up round-the-clock health resources, including a rapid-response team for drug poisonings, senior director Tim Pasma told Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein. Staff now respond to as many as 30 drug-poisoning events some days, he said. The mission's push for a 120-bed shelter outside the core on Girard Road, which city council heard about on Aug. 18, is part of a broader decentralization effort for social services. Chinatown Transformation Collaborative chair Sandy Pon said reducing the concentration of services in the neighbourhood is needed to draw visitors and businesses back to the area. Council postponed its decision on the Girard rezoning until Aug. 25.
• Edmonton city council voted 11-2, with councillors Karen Principe and Thu Parmar opposed, to shift $2.5 million from the Climate Resilient City Facility Upgrades project to help fund a retrofit of the 44-year-old Fire Station 22, also known as Wîhkwêntôwin Fire Station. Mayor Andrew Knack said the funding was already approved and the transfer adds no new debt, covering part of the $14.52-million project, which includes energy-efficiency upgrades, a barrier-free washroom, and new gear storage.
• The City of Edmonton's response to Dutch elm disease could do more long-term harm to the tree canopy than the disease itself, University of Alberta forest health professor Nadir Erbilgin told CBC. Instead of removing infected trees along with healthy elms nearby, Erbilgin recommends using pheromone-baited "trap trees" to draw out and destroy disease-carrying bark beetles. Senior scientist Mike Jenkins said the city plans to add trap trees using Siberian elms next year, alongside continued surveillance and removal of infected trees.
• Elections Alberta is inviting electoral staff from other provinces to help run the Oct. 19 referendum. Spokesperson Maia Hanrahan said extra support is needed for the 48-hour continuous count after voting ends. Elections BC and Elections Saskatchewan confirmed they received requests for help. Elections Alberta said it has received more than 30,000 applications toward its goal of recruiting 60,000 election workers.
• Edmonton city clerk Aileen Giesbrecht announced she is leaving her role after nearly 21 years with the City of Edmonton, with her last day set for Aug. 28. She worked on the Downtown Arena Project, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bid, and the 2021 and 2025 municipal elections. She posted that she plans to move into the private sector.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• CPKC Women's Open starting at 6:50am at Royal Mayfair Golf Club
• Community Coffee Takeover: Cold Calling starting at 9am at Edmonton Unlimited
• Treaty No. 6 Re-enactments starting at 11am at Fort Edmonton Park
• ERIN Community Initiative Info Session starting at 12pm online
• RAM at KidsFringe starting at 12pm at Light Horse Park
• Treaty No. 6 150 Cultural Teachings at various locations
• Family Nature Nights: Wonderful Watersheds starting at 6pm at Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park
• Mural and Food Tour - Old Strathcona starting at 6pm at SouthBARK on Whyte
• Complimentary Vision Workshop | Give Yourself Permission... to Dream AGAIN starting at 6pm at Sweet Castle Bakery
• Wîhkwêntôwin Walking Tour starting at 6:30pm

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Aug. 25: Growing Herbs and Cut Flowers for Insects, Health and Delight at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Aug. 28-30: Ignite Market at Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
• Sept. 1: Commonwealth Walkway Summer Tour at 100 Street Funicular

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

This week's puzzles were constructed by Jeff Nachtigall, a longtime friend of Taproot.