Business Roundup

Economic development

• Porter Airlines will offer seven new flights per week between the Edmonton International Airport and the Montreal Metropolitan Airport beginning on June 16.
• The City of Edmonton is accepting artist submissions until April 2 from Indigenous artists in Treaty 6 territory to create a legacy paddle for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre in June. The paddle will serve as a travelling symbol of national connection, passed from one host city to the next.
• The University of Alberta has launched Roots and Relations, an online micro-credential program in Indigenous entrepreneurship grounded in the Medicine Wheel. The program covers relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and resilience as core tenets.
• Edmonton city council has approved $33.4 million in additional funding to complete the Winspear Centre expansion. The project had stalled due to pandemic-related cost increases, but the new funding fills a gap tied to provincial and federal contributions. The expansion will add a 550-seat acoustic theatre along with new educational and public spaces. The additional funding came from the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy. Construction is set to resume, with the project now expected to open in fall 2027.
• The latest provincial budget cut $76,000 from the Historical Society of Alberta and $29,000 from the Alberta Genealogical Society, prompting leaders of the Edmonton and District Historical Society and the Alberta Genealogical Society – Edmonton to warn of losses to historical knowledge and economic activity such as tourism.
• Edmonton's affordable housing initiatives have generated $2.6 billion in economic activity since 2019, city administration told city councillors. The city invested $258 million, leveraging $1.26 billion from other governments and supporting the development or renewal of more than 6,100 homes, which created more than 10,000 jobs. Councillors said every dollar invested has attracted about five dollars in additional funding.
• Edmonton Unlimited is hiring a strategic industry liaison for defence and dual-use technologies to help connect defence sector needs with Edmonton-area startups and SMEs. The role involves working with defence contractors, primes, and the armed forces to identify capability gaps and translate them into commercial opportunities for innovators.
• Michelle Frechette and collaborators launched the Social Impact Innovation Hub, a new initiative that aims to use shared resources and proximity to empower social-impact organizations to accelerate each other.
• Applications are open until March 30 for Startup TNT's spring investment summit in Edmonton. Selected companies will be announced on April 7, before pitching on April 16.
• Eleven Eleven and District Café told Global News they saw a spike in business during Downtown Dining Week, which wrapped on March 22. Quinn Phillips of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association said online engagement indicates the event was a success.
• Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation has launched a newsletter called Innovation Translated, designed to help the life sciences community navigate the journey from lab discovery to market, covering topics from regulatory strategy to clinical manufacturing.
• Parkland County is collecting feedback on the Acheson industrial area structure plan as it updates the policy to improve development opportunities. There is a survey open until April 24 and there will be in-person engagement sessions throughout April.

Startups and SMBs

• Smart Access has raised $12 million in Series A funding from Bay Area investors Lobby Capital, Aspenwood Ventures, and Coelius Capital. The Edmonton-founded company sells a digital platform that helps large distribution operations optimize training, safety programs, and workforce management.
• RNARevive has joined Batch 2 of Plug and Play's Lifetech accelerator in Indianapolis. The company develops self-amplifying RNA therapies for age-related diseases, with a focus on bone health.
• Inline Group has acquired Challenger Geomatics, combining complementary expertise in surveying, geotechnical services, and materials testing. The acquisition expands Inline's capacity for multi-disciplinary projects across Western Canada and the North.
• Encore Trucking and Transport has acquired Craneco, adding wireline boom truck capabilities to its service offering. Craneco has provided specialized lifting support for oil and gas wireline operations in Alberta since 1988.
• DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen has moved Little DON'YA into a new space at 10405 Jasper Avenue and deployed a coffee bike serving nearby downtown parks. Co-founder Janice Krissa said the team is eager to help bring vibrancy back to downtown, but noted that weekend foot traffic remains sparse. "That energy is something we deeply value and something we want to help bring back to downtown Edmonton, because right now, that vibrancy is missing," she said.
• Patricia Street Deli is among the businesses taking the province up on its offer of up to $7,500 to hire and train young Albertans through the Alberta Youth Employment Incentive. The program is expected to support around 3,500 employers and hire up to 8,750 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 across Alberta.
• Birdog is among the businesses to raise concerns about the impact of the resumed construction of the Valley Line West LRT. Its general manager, Flavius Iulian, told CBC's Adrienne Lamb that the restaurant has seen a 50% decline in walk-in customers since the latest construction began.
• Central Auto & Trucks Parts owner Nick Spina told Global News he has dealt with a seasonal flooding problem at a nearby intersection for roughly 30 years, with both the City of Edmonton and EPCOR failing to provide a permanent fix.
• The Ottewell Farmers' Market will not operate this year due to scheduled EPCOR sewage and drainage upgrades. The Ottewell Community League said in a statement that it explored alternatives, but all of them "introduced additional accessibility challenges for patrons, vendors, and volunteers."
• Siwin Foods received more than $1.8 million in provincial tax credits after a multimillion-dollar expansion that more than doubled production capacity and created more than 100 jobs. The company, which produces products such as dumplings and ginger beef, now turns out roughly 150,000 dumplings per hour.
• French Bread Gaming co-founder Ethan Horkulak joined the Good Game YEG podcast to discuss the esports organization's growth from nine-person brackets to events drawing more than 200 attendees.

Real estate

• At a meeting on March 26, Edmonton city council's executive committee directed administration to develop a non-residential derelict tax subclass and bring forward an unfunded service package to the 2027-2030 budget deliberations for the software upgrades that will be needed to implement it. If approved, the subclass would allow the city to impose a higher tax on commercial buildings that pose a safety hazard and disproportionately consume city resources. Councillors also asked for a report with options for a vacant residential subclass within the redeveloping area.
• District Café and Fox Burger are both opening new locations at Rice Howard Place. Such openings stimulate downtown vibrancy, CBRE's Ryan O'Shaughnessy said. "Convenient, high-quality amenities play a big role in how people feel about coming to the office, meeting clients, and spending time downtown," he posted.
• Garneau Towers, a 309-suite apartment complex, sold for $70.7 million to Montreal-based Ferrovia Capital from Canadian Apartment Properties REIT. CoStar named the deal its 2026 Impact Award winner for sale of the year in Edmonton.
• The Dow Diamond, a 62,500-sq.-ft. office building in Fort Saskatchewan designed to resemble Dow's logo, won CoStar's 2026 Impact Award for commercial development of the year in the Edmonton market. The building, which opened in February, anchors Dow's Path2Zero initiative — an effort to build the world's first net-zero emissions petrochemical plant.
• Melcor Developments sold three industrial properties to Montreal-based BTB REIT for $31.5 million. The 143,118-sq.-ft. portfolio is located in Leduc.
• Reimagine Architects has confirmed it is in talks with the province to potentially redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum building in Glenora, which has been vacant since 2015. The firm's vision includes arts spaces, a market, a small theatre, and a café.
• Edmonton's spring resale real estate market is entering more balanced conditions, with inventory up nearly 35% year over year and resales down about 12% in February. The benchmark price of a typical home fell 2% to $419,600, though Edmonton remains the most affordable major city in Canada — a factor realtors say will support demand this spring.

More headlines

• A coalition of Indigenous leaders, farmers, and rural Albertans called No CO2 Pipelines Alberta is demanding a federal environmental review of the proposed $16.5-billion Pathways carbon capture and storage project, which would carry CO2 from 20 oilsands facilities to underground storage in the Cold Lake area. Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is threatening legal action, saying downstream communities deserve a thorough review. The Alberta Energy Regulator decided in 2024 that an environmental impact assessment was not needed.
• Alberta Health Services is taking legal steps to recoup $49 million that it paid to a Turkish drug company and importer MHCare Medical for children's medication that it never received. Premier Danielle Smith acknowledged "sloppiness" in the 2022 contract, which is under RCMP and auditor general investigations. Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the government's handling of public funds, while former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos is suing for wrongful dismissal, alleging that she was fired for probing contract concerns.
• 880 CHED has extended its radio broadcast rights for Edmonton Oilers games for three more years, extending a partnership that has covered every game since 1995. Jack Michaels and Cam Moon will handle play-by-play duties, with Bob Stauffer providing colour commentary.
• Boyle Street Community Services has welcomed Fred Hines as its new deputy executive director. Hines brings over 20 years of leadership experience across nonprofit, education, post-secondary, and corporate environments, with a background in Indigenous education.
• Mike McCready, associate dean of NAIT's School of Media and Information Technology, has been named president of the new Alberta chapter of the Applied AI Association. "This is a chance to connect the strong AI momentum already happening across our province and link it to a global network," McCready posted.
• The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute has facilitated a series of AI opportunity workshops in the Northwest Territories in partnership with Prosper NWT. The workshops helped local businesses identify where AI can deliver value and develop practical AI strategies.
• The University of Alberta's Alberta School of Business and the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business have partnered with Creative Destruction Lab - Rockies to give MBA students the opportunity to work directly with startup founders. Applications for the course are open until April 2.
• The University of Alberta's Alberta School of Business alumnus Mike Christ has established a $25,000 award for accounting students in honour of his late father. He said he hopes the Bernhard Christ Award in Accounting will inspire students navigating modern challenges, including the rapid integration of AI.
• Gillian Thomson, a real estate program assistant at the University of Alberta, was featured in the Alberta School of Business Get to Know series. Thomson is an inventor with patents for her Skipper shower cap brand and brings a background in entrepreneurship and city building to her role.
• Chris Yeung, executive director of Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels, joined The Business Development Podcast to discuss the setbacks he faced as an entrepreneur and the moment he was forced to set aside his ego and ask for help. He talked about rebuilding with intention and how personal branding helps professionals stand out in competitive markets.
• The Alberta Food Processors Association is now offering coaching, training, and funding to small and medium-sized food and beverage processors through a portal called SCALE AB. Funding of up to $100,000 is available to successful applicants. Applications opened on March 23.
• The Edmonton Corporate Challenge returns from May 13 to June 7, featuring more than 25 sports, spirit, and recreation events for companies of all sizes. Registration is open until March 31.

Happenings

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

• March 27: Edmonton Chamber Curling Bonspiel starting at 9am at Shamrock Curling Club
• March 27-28: The Warehouse Sale at The Creative Hive Event Centre
• March 28: Pagbabahagi – A Give to Gain MicroSkills Offering starting at 1:30pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• March 31: SR&ED for Startups starting at 10am online
• March 31: Intellectual Property for Startups starting at 5pm at University of Alberta ICE Engineering Incubator
• April 1: ASTech Awards Information/Office Hours Sessions starting at 1:30pm online
• April 2: Protecting Your Intellectual Property on Social Media starting at 12pm online

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• 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
• April 21-23: Canadian Hydrogen Convention at Edmonton Convention Centre

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