Business Roundup

Economic development

• Separation talk is harming the provincial economy and making it hard to plan, more than half of the members and investors surveyed by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce indicated. Doug Griffiths of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce urged the provincial government to quash separatism. "If I had a choice, it would be for the Alberta government to say, 'Enough. We're focusing on business growth, economic growth, … not talking about leaving this country," Griffiths told The Canadian Press. "The whole thing is a moot point … We're on Indigenous land. We're guests here. And if any of them say, 'We aren't separating,' then we're not."
• Ottawa and Alberta have reached a prospective agreement on major project assessments that would allow projects under provincial jurisdiction — particularly in the non-renewable resource sector — to rely on Alberta's regulatory process rather than requiring a separate federal review.
• Alberta's long-awaited passenger rail master plan is expected within weeks, Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said. The plan is set to identify proponents for a high-speed rail line connecting Edmonton and Calgary, including the Edmonton International Airport and the Calgary airport. The province is seeking a significant private sector investment, citing record population growth and congested highways in the corridor, home to 80% of the province's population.
• The Edmonton Downtown Business Association's Downtown Dining Week runs from March 11 to 22 with 68 restaurants offering fixed-price menus. It arrives just before the city starts charging restaurants up to $6,900 per year for patios on public land.
• Alberta restaurant and bar revenue rose 5.9% in 2025, outpacing the national average, ATB reports. Edmonton and Calgary restaurants both saw record spending from foreign visitors, due in part to new flights to the cities. However, real per capita sales grew by just 1.9% in Alberta.
• WinterCity Edmonton has convened a Winter Economy Working Group, bringing together businesses, economic development groups, and winter festivals to share ideas on attracting investment and designing year-round economic vitality through cold-weather experiences.
• CBC's This is Edmonton podcast examines the economics of Edmonton's hockey industry, noting that OEG was recently found to be one of the five most profitable sports team owners in the world.
• Explore Edmonton is launching a speaker database to connect corporate conferences and business events with local keynote speakers, industry experts, moderators, and workshop facilitators.
• The Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator is wrapping up after six cohorts supporting 110 companies worldwide in building safer, healthier communities. "While this program concludes, the movement does not," the organization posted. "The work continues through each founder, each venture, and each supporter who believes that community safety and wellness deserve bold solutions."
• Stony Plain has launched a Business Retention and Expansion program, starting with a survey of local businesses to identify shared priorities and guide future support.

Startups and SMBs

• UCeed Investment Funds is investing in Hi Finance, a financial management service for students and recent grads that was born at the University of Alberta in 2025. Hi Finance has helped more than 2,000 Edmonton and Calgary students access more than $4 million in grants and other funding, UCeed said. "With the additional funding and support, we will be able to not only develop automated grant and savings processes, but expand our services to help students at campuses across Canada!" founder and CEO Zach Prusko posted.
• Western Archrib in Sturgeon County will receive $2.3 million from Natural Resources Canada to commission a 160,000-square-foot mass timber plant that will triple the facility's annual production capacity.
• Kimberley Hiebert, co-founder of door service franchise Door Gurus, has been named a finalist in the 10th annual Odlum Brown Forum Pitch — a national competition for women-led startups — and will compete for prizes worth up to $50,000 at an April 24 event in Vancouver.
• Alicia Fowler, founder of MOD Accounting and Rayo Teams, was a guest on the Women in Leadership and Entrepreneurship podcast from Dentons Edmonton, where she talked about building a values-aligned, women-led accounting practice grounded in feminist leadership.
• Levven has launched a major refresh of its Controls app, featuring a redesigned interface, smarter navigation, and improved home status visibility and device setup.
• The University of Alberta profiled Aqua-Cell Energy co-founder Keith Cleland, who is using an Innovation Catalyst Grant fellowship to scale up a saltwater battery made from abundant, non-toxic materials to store low-cost solar and wind power for peak grid hours.
• Innovation strategist Shawn Kanungo joined the Table Talk podcast from the Alberta Business Family Institute for a conversation about disruption, the "AI paradox" in family enterprise, and how AI agents are shifting work from planning to execution.
• The PGA of Canada profiled golfer and entrepreneur Garrett Hadfield, who co-founded the casual-wear brand Goat Track Social Club before taking over the Rundle Park Golf Course, where he has made the sport more accessible through free junior club rentals, affordable events for women and girls, and end-of-season food bank donations. Hadfield also transformed the cafeteria at the golf course into Shortees, a smashburger concept, in 2025.
• L'OCA Quality Market closed both its Edmonton and Sherwood Park locations on March 12, citing an unsustainable locally focused business model. The company said all employees and suppliers will be paid in full and on schedule. It has also cancelled plans to open a St. Albert location.
• DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen is hosting a grand reopening of its Jasper Avenue location on March 18, celebrating new additions including freeze-dried borshch and a coffee bike planned for Beaver Hills House Park. CEO Janice Krissa posted that the location earned only $71 on a recent Saturday, calling on the city to improve parking options and safety to stimulate business success.
• Ally Stone of The Inspired Leader discussed toxic hustle culture and human-centred business on the Stay Spicy podcast. Stone will next participate in a fireside chat at an Alberta Women Entrepreneurs event on March 19.
• Barb and Ernie's Old Country Inn celebrated 50 years in business, leading Min Dhariwal of CBC Edmonton's Radio Active to make his first visit. He tried German bacon pancakes and learned how connections between staff and customers are the restaurant's recipe for success.
• Johwanna Alleyne of Mojo Jojo Pickles discussed her 15-year-old business's inclusion in Feed the Soul YEG's Black Futures Dining Guide, which launched earlier this month. "I think that we've gotten better at creating things that fill the needs of our customers," Alleyne told CBC's Edmonton AM. "When we create a new product now, it's fire."

Real estate

• This year's edition of the Arch Madness showdown for iconic Edmonton buildings will focus on properties at the highest risk of demolition, examining both what the city stands to lose and opportunities for renewal. "We are at a pretty critical junction here," said Dan Rose, creator of the annual bracket competition, which will run until March 31 through polls on his Instagram stories. Two properties in the bracket are The Princess Theatre, which is for sale for $2.5 million, and the former home of the Royal Alberta Museum, which Reimagine Architects and Beljan Development have proposed to repurpose.
• First Capital Real Estate Investment Trust will transform the Westmount Shopping Centre into an outdoor shopping complex over the next 18 to 24 months. "We are really taking the centre of the mall and turning it inside out, creating a dual-facing shopping centre that will be open," Jennifer Arezes, the REIT's head of development and construction, told CTV News.
• Avison Young projects positive momentum for Alberta's commercial real estate sector in 2026, with Edmonton's industrial sector seeing strong demand and limited new supply, local private investors drawn to niche opportunities, and retail and education sectors picking up vacated downtown office space.
• Edmonton city council will consider a motion on March 17 to evaluate restrictive covenants and exclusivity controls that can prevent competing grocery stores from opening near existing or former locations. Coun. Michael Janz of Ward papastew says the restrictions limit competition and reduce grocery access in neighbourhoods.
• The Rat Creek Press interviewed Coun. Ashley Salvador about the Edmonton Exhibition Lands development on the former Northlands site. Demolition is underway, and the first phase is expected to accommodate about 6,000 new residents in low-to-medium-scale buildings, with an affordable-housing target of 16%.
• Multifamily building landlords are urging the City of Edmonton to reinstate weekly trash pickup, citing issues with the current biweekly collection system. At city council's utility committee meeting on March 9, property owners detailed problems such as limited space for multiple bins, blocked parking, property damage, and illegal dumping costs.
• Residents in Edmonton's McKernan neighbourhood say some multi-unit infill homes are operating as rooming houses and short-term rentals, bringing frequent turnover of guests. Neighbours argue the practice undermines the goal of creating stable or affordable housing. Mayor Andrew Knack said hourly rentals are inappropriate, and the City of Edmonton is taking enforcement action while reviewing regulations on lodging houses.
• Data from brokerage HouseSigma shows Edmonton's resale real estate market is softening, with sales down more than 27% year-over-year in January, new listings at a five-year high, and average days on market climbing from 71 to 90 — trends that could lead to moderate price declines in the months ahead.
• U.S.-based SmartStop Self Storage REIT has acquired a 1.75-acre site at 8403 127 Ave NW in north Edmonton, where it plans to develop a four-storey, 99,650-square-foot climate-controlled self-storage facility in partnership with SmartCentres, an Ontario-based company.
• Beaumont has begun a comprehensive review of its Municipal Development Plan and land use bylaw. It was last updated in 2019 when the city's population was less than 20,000 — it has since soared to more than 26,000. The new documents are expected to be complete in 2028.
• Fort Saskatchewan is seeking input on its new land use bylaw. A final draft is to be released on March 16, followed by a series of open houses until April 1. The deadline to provide feedback is April 10.

More headlines

• Three members of Edmonton's previous city council have found new jobs. Former mayor Amarjeet Sohi has joined New West Public Affairs as a senior advisor. Former Ward pihêsiwin councillor and 2025 mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell has joined NAIT as associate vice president for major capital projects, including the Advanced Skills Centre. And former Ward sipiwiyiniwak councillor Sarah Hamilton has joined Wellington Dupont as principal for Alberta.
• YWCA Edmonton has named its 2026 Women of Distinction, recognizing six leaders for their contributions to the community. The honorees include Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez; Shiza Wasi of YEG Muslim Vote; NorQuest College CEO Carolyn Campbell; curator and philanthropist Maggie Mitchell; and Holly Hallborg of REACH Edmonton. Educator Rosalind Smith posthumously received the Bellamy Award for lasting contributions to the community. They will be recognized at the Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon on May 7 at the Royal Glenora Club.
• Global Chamber Edmonton, led by Barbara Engelbart McKenzie, has named three business leaders to its advisory board: Terri Davis of ProFound Talent and oolu; Sukhi Grewal of NexGen Wellness; and consultant Marcela Mandeville, former CEO of Alberta Women Entrepreneurs.
• NAIT is seeing an increase in women pursuing skilled trades, with a 70% rise in female apprentices over the past five years, now totalling 1,000. Despite this, women remain underrepresented, making up less than 10% of tradespeople in Alberta. Meanwhile, Trade Winds to Success has completed its first-ever women's electrician training program.
• NorQuest College has reinvented its annual career fair for the AI era, adding a LinkedIn optimization lab with interactive resumé games, professional headshots, and a business attire corner alongside 52 traditional employer booths. The fair drew more than 2,500 attendees.
• Concordia University of Edmonton has launched a dual-degree program combining a Bachelor of Management with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, allowing students to earn both credentials in five years. Applications are open for fall 2026.
• NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was in Edmonton to unveil a new big-and-tall furniture line in partnership with The Brick. "Everyone in Canada knows Shaq loves Canada," he said.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• March 13: LinkedIn Content Crack'd starting at 11am online
• March 14: U of A MBA Open House starting at 10am at Alberta School of Business
• March 18: Building a Better and Different Experience starting at 11am online
• March 18: Women in Business - Panel Discussion and Networking Event starting at 2pm at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
• March 18: How Canadian Marketers Are Really Using AI starting at 5:30pm at Edmonton Public Library (Calder)
• March 19: Edmonton Region Research and Commercialization Day starting at 8:30am at Edmonton Unlimited
• March 19: Entrepreneur Forum For Newcomers in Alberta starting at 11am at Edmonton Convention Centre
• March 19: AWE Connect Event & Celebration starting at 4pm at LAST Modern Event Venue
• March 19: Perfecting Your Pitch starting at 5:30pm online
• March 19: 2026 State of the Region starting at 6pm at Heritage Park Hall

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 26: UofA Entrepreneurial Law Clinic Pop-Up: Free Student Legal Support at Edmonton Research Park
• April 9: YEG Secure 2026: Partnering for Community Safety & Resilience at Sandman Signature (Edmonton Downtown Hotel)
• April 11: Voices and Ventures 2026 at Alberta Aviation Museum

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