Edmonton city councillors are being presented with ideas to encourage people to patronize events and businesses past 5 p.m. city-wide.
Next week, the executive committee will be presented a report developed by Explore Edmonton and Night Time Economy Solutions, a company out of the United Kingdom.
“We all think about economic development from sort of 8-5 but we need to think about people looking for an opportunity after 5 p.m.,” Explore Edmonton’s Traci Bednard told Global News.
The goal is to improve the local economy by getting people to stay out into the evening and nighttime.
That could mean attracting more events and venues, businesses and other draws.
The report surveyed thousands of people, businesses and students.
5:58 Downtown Business Association excited for return of outdoor 104 Street farmers market
Among its findings, it says people are increasingly interested in different experiences open later at night including night markets, shops, theatres and restaurants.
It also found that crucial to increasing traffic is improving both transit and safety throughout Edmonton.
“That’s not really new information for us so I’m curious to see how council reacts,” said Edmonton Downtown Business Association CEO Puneeta McBryan.
McBryan pointed out countless reports have already shown the need for better transit and safety and those two points have been prioritized in the city.
6:25 Town hall in Edmonton to address safety concerns on public transit
The report also suggests the creation of a night mayor position.
Rather than an elected mayor, the person would be appointed to represent and advocate for the nighttime economy strategy.
They would also be tasked with bringing together stakeholders to identify how to achieve the strategic goals.
“We need the infrastructure and the supports in place not just for those participating but for the businesses trying to develop those opportunities as well,” Bednard said.
7:32 Civic Matters: Sohi speaks about city strike and UCP review
Ward Papastew Councillor Michael Janz wants to know who will take the strategy forward.
“Who’s going to take it from here? We put money into Explore Edmonton, we put money into the city, we put money into our (business associations) … there needs to be somebody who ultimately owns it and takes the lead on it,” Janz said.
McBryan argued that does not have to be a dedicated position.
“I don’t think we need to create anything new here. I think the report reinforces that the things that need to be invested in and the problems that need to be solved are not new ones,” she said.
Other cities including Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle have also at least considered specific nighttime economy strategies.
According to the report, Toronto’s is one of the most developed as it was created in 2019 with three key goals including to improve safety. In that city, a member of Toronto City Council is designated as the “Mayor’s Night Economy Champion.”
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
