The Pulse
Nov. 9, 2023

A new Indigenous tourism strategy from Explore Edmonton that's aimed at international travellers could be a step towards economic reconciliation, but observers note such work can also create unhealthy expectations unless Indigenous communities are in the driver's seat.

"Tourism is really an avenue for economic reconciliation," Paul Hawes, vice-president of destination development and marketing for Explore Edmonton, told Taproot. "If you think about the tourism business, it's driving funds and money, and line of sight, into Indigenous business, the stories of Indigenous peoples, and then putting money into Indigenous communities."

Hawes said Explore Edmonton's 56-page Indigenous Tourism Strategy: Walking Forward Together, known in Cree as mâmawokamâtowin, is an effort to increase the economic benefit of the tourism sector, including reconciliation. Hawes and Explore Edmonton built the strategy with input from five Indigenous people, who created an advisory circle.

Still, observers caution that while cultural tourists can bring dollars, they can also create pitfalls. Challenges, they say, are often related to environmental impact, as well as cultural commodification, where a specific cultural group can feel pressure to perform a digestible version of their identity in order to align with tourists' expectations.

"If you're having folks that don't live in these areas, tourists coming from abroad or even just other parts of Canada, there are expectations that people have," Jacquelyn Cardinal, CEO of Indigenous consultancy Naheyawin, told Taproot. "It's up to Explore Edmonton and other organizations that do this important work to make sure that they actually place Indigenous peoples in the driver's seat, because there is an absolute risk of external entities trying to come in to shape or control the narrative in line with commodification for a broader appeal to the market."

Hawes led development of the strategy to integrate with Explore Edmonton's broader Tourism Master Plan. The strategy speaks extensively of building relationships among existing Indigenous tourism companies and using storytelling to promote these companies. It was fuelled in part by research that demonstrates growth in Indigenous tourism in Canada is outpacing growth in non-Indigenous tourism, and that international travellers are often the paying customers.

"We identified 57 initiatives from the tourism master plan that we will tackle over 10 years," Hawes said. "There were two pieces of work that we really needed to tackle first and foremost, because they'll probably be a lens for almost all of the work that we do ongoing. One of the pieces is around our regenerative tourism strategy … and then the Indigenous tourism strategy."

Hawes said the regenerative tourism strategy within the master plan focuses on "responsible, sustainable and regenerative" approaches to tourism that can limit the environmental consequences of tourism, and is linked to the agency's overall Indigenous strategy.

"The advisory circle said this to us a lot — 'This is what we do, Indigenous culture is making sure that the land is rejuvenated and not taken from,'" he said. "We found that there were different organizations working on the two pieces, but they've met together to share insights on each of the strategies because of the alignment and overlap."

• Doctors are sounding the alarm on overcrowding and long waits at the Grey Nuns Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency departments. Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Paul Parks said on Nov. 7 that the Grey Nuns was at 150% capacity and unable to safely receive new patients. Dr. Neeja Bakshi said in a social media post that the health care crisis is causing emergency department waits up to 36 hours, a lack of privacy, and major strain on health care staff.
• The city and the Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta hosted a commemorative event for National Indigenous Veterans Day at City Hall on Nov. 8. The day was first recognized in Manitoba in 1994 to recognize the military contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis veterans. The event opened with a prayer from Elder Gladys MacDonald and featured music, dancing, cultural celebrations, and speeches from Indigenous partner organizations including the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, formerly the Métis Nation of Alberta.
• CTV News published a list of Remembrance Day events happening on Nov. 11 in Edmonton and surrounding communities. The city will host a ceremony beginning at 10am at City Hall, and the province will host a service at the Alberta Legislature rotunda on Nov. 9 beginning at 11am.
• Speaking Municipally co-host Troy Pavlek wrote a social media post exploring what happens if Edmonton city council fails to pass a budget, and criticizing councillors Tim Cartmell, Sarah Hamilton, Andrew Knack, Jennifer Rice, and Karen Principe for the "deeply unserious behaviour" of voting against budgets after deliberating individual amendments. If council doesn't pass the budget amendment, the city will have to re-do the process since it contains legally required payments like police salary settlements. It could also affect the city's credit rating. Council is set to begin its budget adjustment debate on Nov. 21.
• Expedia Group, the company behind Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, included Edmonton on its list of top "tour tourism" destinations for 2023, alongside several other cities like Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. The cities have "piqued the interest of savvy music lovers" and offer hotel rooms on major concert tour stops for less than $150 per night, says Expedia.
• The Edmonton Oilers promoted goalie Calvin Pickard of the Bakersfield Condors to replace former goalie Jack Campbell, who has cleared waivers and is now assigned to the Condors. Pickard, 31, has a 2-2 record with a 2.03 goals against average and a .912 save percentage over four appearances with the Condors this season. He has appeared in 116 NHL games, primarily as a backup.
• The Edmonton Oilers partnered with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government this past summer to run a hockey camp for Métis girls to support participation in hockey. The camp included five kids and ran July 24 and 28, with appearances from Oilers and Oilers alumni. "They've been amazing to work with," said Lorna Dancey with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, noting the government is looking for partnerships to advance reconciliation. Five of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action relate to reconciliation and sports.
• The province announced plans for a sweeping overhaul of Alberta Health Services, which includes creating four new organizations dedicated to acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction. Under the new system, AHS will focus only on acute and continuing care, and mental health will be overseen by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange appointed a new seven-member board, while a longer-term governance structure is to be determined. The new primary and acute care organizations will be unveiled in fall 2024, while the complete transition will take up to two years. A day before the government's announcement, the Opposition NDP shared leaked documents material showing the UCP's plan will cost $85 million and impact about 250,000 healthcare workers. Critics say the plan lays the groundwork for more privatized health services.

Here are some opportunities to offer your input on civic initiatives, including renewal projects in Dunluce and Oliver, urban agriculture in Fort Saskatchewan, and Edmonton's single-use item reduction bylaw.

• Dunluce Neighbourhood Renewal (draft feedback) — The City of Edmonton has prepared a draft design for the Dunluce renewal project. A drop-in public engagement event around the draft design is happening at St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School from 5:30pm to 8:30pm on Nov. 9, and an online community conversation is set for Nov. 16. Residents can complete an online survey until Nov. 30.
• Urban Agriculture Plan (planning) — The City of Fort Saskatchewan has begun developing its Urban Agriculture Plan, which concerns growing, processing, and distributing food in and around the city. The Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board's Regional Agricultural Master Plan, approved in December 2022, requires communities in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region to create urban agriculture plans. Pop-up public engagement events are scheduled for Nov. 14 and Nov. 16. Residents can also complete an online survey throughout November.
• Oliver Neighbourhood Renewal (planning and design) — The City of Edmonton has begun planning and design work for the Oliver renewal project, which is expected to enter construction in the spring of 2026. In October, the city released its first edition of the Oliver Neighbourhood Renewal Newsletter. Residents can complete an online survey about living, getting around, and accessing services in Oliver until Nov. 17.
• Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw Survey — The City of Edmonton is looking for feedback on its Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw, which took effect on July 1. The bylaw puts restrictions on certain single-use items, requires reusable cups for dine-in beverages, introduces a minimum fee for paper bags and new reusable bags, and more. A survey for residents and a survey for businesses will be open until Nov. 19.

More input opportunities

• By Nov. 19: Land Use Bylaw Update in St. Albert
• By Nov. 20: Glenwood Alley Renewal (pre-engagement survey) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 21: Castle Downs Park (concept plan) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 22: Vibrant Streets Art Contest (voting) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 26: Lansdowne Alley Renewal (pre-engagement survey) in Edmonton
• By Dec. 1: District Planning (online engagement and surveys) in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Washroom Survey in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Engagement Feedback Survey in Edmonton

Photo: A reusable shopping bag from Loblaws waiting to be taken to the store. (Kevin Holowack)