Explore Edmonton is betting on a new attractions bundle and a trolley-style bus to entice visitors to spend more time and money in the city before they head home, into the Rockies, or elsewhere. "The Discover Edmonton Pass and the Edmonton Explorer experience is really about turning a visit into a longer stay," CEO Traci Bednard said during a June 10 launch event. "When we have people here at our conferences … how do we encourage them to spend additional time, to bring their family and friends? That's what these programs do." In a press release, Explore Edmonton noted the new initiatives could help conference planners attract more visitors by making it convenient to take in the sights.
Key to that is the Edmonton Explorer, a hop-on, hop-off bus designed to look like a 1920s trolley by Molly Trolley. The Jasper-based SunDog Tour Co. operates two routes covering 20 destinations in the city, including attractions such as the High Level Bridge Streetcar and West Edmonton Mall, general hotspots downtown and in Old Strathcona, and hotels. There is a western loop and a central loop, and they intertwine at some spots so riders can hop between them. Part of the idea is to experience more of Edmonton by getting visitors to city highlights with ease; the two routes are timed to allow riders to explore, dine, or shop between boardings. The Explorer, which is partly funded by Travel Alberta, hits the road on June 15 and runs until about Thanksgiving, with tickets starting at $48.
Sport Edmonton has launched an Event Accelerator Fund supported by Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels, offering $40,000 in grants to help local sport organizations host bigger events between September 2026 and March 2027. Four grants of $5,000 are available for existing events and two grants of $10,000 for new events, with applications open until July 31.
Edmonton Unlimited, Edmonton Screen, Edmonton Global, and Explore Edmonton have clear and complementary mandates with no significant duplication, and they are delivering measurable economic outcomes, said a report that was presented to Edmonton city council's executive committee on June 10. While the ecosystem supports growth, there is a gap in mid-stage business retention and expansion support, the report said. A consultant recommended setting up a new economic agency to add scale-up supports for local businesses, but administration did not endorse that idea.
Edmonton Unlimited hosted a deep-tech showcase that drew hundreds of attendees and venture capitalists from across Canada, culminating in up to 30 private startup-to-investor meetings with more than 20 Alberta-based companies. The event featured an investor panel and a fireside chat with Wyvern on its journey from university spinout to globally competitive deep-tech company. The results will inform future deep-tech programming and a segment at October's Edmonton Startup Week, BetaKit reported.
The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce recapped a tour of Alberta's Industrial Heartland alongside Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Lisa Makin, describing the region as one of the top two industrial clusters in the world. The Heartland supports more than 8,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs, and it has attracted $50 billion in capital investment, with 23 companies operating there continuously since its founding. "This is all in Edmonton's backyard, and it's extraordinary," the chamber said.
Canadian municipalities announced the launch of a defence task force at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference in Edmonton on June 5. The initiative aims to improve coordination of infrastructure planning between military bases and their neighbouring communities. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack highlighted Edmonton's strategic role in supporting Canada's defence posture, with its advanced infrastructure serving both civilian and military purposes.
St. Albert Mayor Scott Olivieri highlighted the Lakeview Business District expansion and $28 million in federal funding for the Northeast Servicing Project as key economic development priorities as the city released its strategic plan for 2026 to 2029.
Janice Krissa of DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen celebrated the wrap of the Pitch Perfect Cohort 20 she participated in during the Venturepark Summit in Toronto. Krissa was invited by Arlene Dickinson after a pitch on Dragons' Den. "The conference not only inspired us but also set the stage for some exciting announcements in the near future," Krissa posted. "We feel even more ready to scale and can't wait to share our amazing authentic Ukrainian frozen food with people across Canada."
CANDLE Lithium is taking its direct lithium extraction technology global after completing a successful pilot with a natural gas producer through Edmonton Unlimited's Venture Pilots: Built World Tech program. The company's process pulls lithium from oil and gas brines without evaporation, returns water to the energy company, and can begin extracting within 30 minutes. Founder and CEO Salman Safari said pilots with major oil and gas companies in Canada and abroad are approaching commercial demonstration scale.
Bison Low Carbon Ventures has opened the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub near Legal in Sturgeon County. The project's first phase is licensed to store up to 500 kilotonnes of CO2 per year, with an initial investment of about $17 million. It plans to expand capacity to at least three million tonnes annually and grow total investment to nearly $150 million.
Double Lunch is expanding beyond show promotion to offer music industry resources, including a "band hotel" in Windsor Park for touring musicians, an Edmonton music listings page, a Canada-wide festival directory, and grant resources for artists. "I feel like when you start to take your music seriously … it very quickly becomes a small business," Double Lunch's Emily Bachynski told Taproot. The organization has launched a Patreon to help fund its activities.
ATWEC Technologies appointed Jeff Eales as CEO following its acquisition of Park-Aid Asphalt and Maintenance Ltd., an Edmonton-based heavy civil and infrastructure contractor with eight divisions that Eales built over more than a decade of leadership. Former CEO Joshua Weaver will remain as a board member and strategic advisor.
Vantix Systems has been acquired by Aplin, a workforce solutions company that was born in Edmonton and is now headquartered in Calgary.
The Business Development Podcast featured Colin Christensen, CEO of Tidal Care and mentor to more than 2,000 founders, to discuss functional mushrooms, psilocybin, and the emerging research on mushroom-based mental health therapies.
Civida is building 132 new homes in Edmonton's Keheewin neighbourhood for a project called Kaskitêw Asiskî. It will include a mix of affordable, community, and market rental suites, plus accessible design and shared community spaces. Construction is expected to be complete in 2027.
Ikigai Impact, a Quebec-based affordable housing investment company formerly known as Fierbrooke, acquired the 63-unit North Star Apartments in Edmonton for $8.37 million, expanding its Alberta portfolio of more than 60 properties.
The Heartland Housing Foundation has received $10.9 million through the provincial affordable housing partnership program for an all-ages downtown apartment building in Fort Saskatchewan with more than 80 units priced below market rates. The grant represents about 30% of the project's estimated total cost, with construction expected to begin in spring 2027. "This site plays a vital role in our downtown core, and the development will strengthen our community and provide meaningful benefits for generations to come," said Mayor Lisa Makin.
Twin Willows Golf Club in the city's northwest is in its final season after 61 years, following its sale to real estate developer Panattoni. The property will be converted into an industrial business park with up to two million square feet of industrial space, with construction expected to begin in 2027.
NAIOP Edmonton's Robynn Holstein argued that while downtown is showing real signs of recovery, the hardest work still lies ahead. "For all the progress, the fundamentals remain non-negotiable: safety, security, cleanliness, and foot traffic," Holstein wrote in an op-ed.
The Edmonton Transit Service will take over as the long-term operator of the Valley Line LRT from TransEd, the City of Edmonton announced June 9. The one- to two-year transition begins immediately and covers both the operating Valley Line Southeast and the Valley Line West, which is scheduled to open in 2028. City manager Eddie Robar called it "a business decision in the interests of taxpayers and transit riders — not a reflection on TransEd."
High schools in Edmonton are offering alternatives to traditional career paths amid a challenging job market for youth. Through the Educational Partnership Foundation, students can enter trades-centric programs that lead directly to apprenticeships, bypassing conventional post-secondary education. Graeme Dowdell of Edmonton Public Schools said the programs provide students the opportunity to connect with industry mentors.
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