The Pulse
Nov. 28, 2024

Despite the province's ongoing work to demolish the former Royal Alberta Museum in Glenora, the heads of Beljan Development and Reimagine are campaigning to save it from the wrecking ball.

Their big idea is to repurpose rather than demolish it — and stop letting the existence of asbestos in the building derail a discussion of saving it.

"Leasing the building to a known, competent, and capable development and design team is a lot less risky than taking on a demolition project where there's all sorts of things that could surprise you," Vivian Manasc, founding principal architect at Reimagine and a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, told Taproot.

Reimagine and Beljan Development both have experience rejuvenating historic buildings. They held an event that Taproot attended on Nov. 21 to discuss their pitch — which they have shared with the Alberta government — to preserve the nearly 200,000-square-foot building, upgrade its infrastructure, and prime it for new purposes like retail, food service, recreation spaces, and cultural facilities. But the team isn't locking itself into just one course.

"The art of of repurposing an asset is just understanding how you create that flexibility, how you create all the pieces that tenants or different uses will require," Ivan Beljan, the owner of Beljan Development, told Taproot. "I think you just have to understand what the market is looking for today, but also be adaptive enough that you can accept other things that you may not have even envisioned there."

Opened in 1967 as the Provincial Museum of Alberta, the original RAM was funded by the federal and Alberta governments to commemorate Canada's centennial. Its six-year construction cost $8.5 million, or between $75 million and $88 million in today's money. The building was renamed during Queen Elizabeth II's visit in 2005, her last trip to Alberta. It was shuttered 10 years later. The new Royal Alberta Museum opened downtown in 2018 and cost nearly $376 million. Architectural fans love the former RAM for its Tyndall limestone exteriors, marble-lined interior, and the reproductions of Indigenous petroglyphs from Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, which are carved into its south-facing walls.

"You couldn't possibly build that building now," June Acorn, a nearby resident and advocate for saving the building, told CBC in 2016, when demolition was first discussed.

Asbestos has been raised as a challenge to save the old RAM, but it's not a barrier for Beljan and Manasc. "That's actually the least of our worries," Manasc said. "It's just the thing that you have to do, just like washing the floors. Nobody talks about washing the floors."

In fact, the province has started asbestos abatement work at the former RAM and is also removing artworks from the premises as it pursues its demolition options, Manasc said. But if that makes it sound like the wrecking ball is already swinging, Manasc said that's not the case.

"The earliest a demolition would actually begin would be May," she said, estimating this based on keeping watch on the process. Manasc noted the due date for consultant WSJ to prepare tendering documents (invitations for bids by contractors) is at the end of February, and there is a two-month average between a tender and work.

• Edmonton's Phase 1 parking ban on major roadways will end on Nov. 28 at 7am. The City is not planning a Phase 2 ban, but crews continue to work around the clock to maintain Edmonton's road network. Residents can report winter road concerns through 311 and sign up for parking ban notifications online.
• The City of Edmonton is offering $968,750 in funding through the 2025 Community Investment Operating Grant to support eligible organizations focused on social services, amateur sports, and active recreation. In 2024, 145 organizations received funding to enhance social inclusion and equitable access in these areas. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 29.
• The Exploring Wâhkôhtowin board game has been named one of 10 recipients of the Intercultural Innovation Hub Award, chosen from over 1,800 global applicants. It was presented on Nov. 26 at the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Cascais, Portugal. The game was developed through the Edmonton Shift Lab, supported by the Skills Society and Edmonton Community Foundation, and further advanced by the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation and the Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre.
• The Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program in Edmonton plans to expand with two more buildings by late next year. The program, created by University of Alberta students and supported by Alberta Health Services and the Jasper Place Wellness Centre, has helped more than 300 unhoused patients move directly from emergency rooms to transitional housing since its launch in March 2023.
• Crown prosecutors dropped charges against three former community peace officers who were accused of negligence in the overdose death of Christopher Gillman in an Edmonton police cell in 2020. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team had previously found that the officers failed to perform required wellness checks, but the Crown said new medical evidence impacted the case's viability. Gillman's death is set to be reviewed by a future fatality inquiry.
• The Edmonton Police Service issued a warning about an e-transfer scam targeting online sellers. Police say fraudsters send fake money transfer emails that redirect victims to a fraudulent banking website to steal their login information, and that these scams have resulted in $6,700 stolen from Edmontonians this month alone. Police advise verifying links, checking bank URLs, considering in-person payments, and setting up auto-deposit for e-transfers.
• A new Re/Max report predicts a 10% increase in average home sale prices and a 4% rise in sales next year in Edmonton's real estate market. Despite the rising prices, Edmonton remains the most affordable major Canadian city for home ownership, with first-time buyers expected to dominate the market, according to the report.
• MacEwan University political science professors Marielle Papin and Brendan Boyd published an op-ed in Postmedia urging Edmonton to do more to cut emissions. Edmonton has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 9.3% since 2005, and implemented North America's first carbon budget in 2022. However, the authors wrote, Edmonton is exceeding its carbon budget and needs to take further action to meet its 2050 carbon neutrality goal, pointing to measures like the City's efforts to improve public transit and zoning bylaws to reduce urban sprawl.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will invoke the Alberta Sovereignty Within A United Canada Act to challenge the federal government's draft emissions cap regulations. Smith said her government could pursue options like withholding emissions data and restricting federal access to oil and gas facilities. The regulations aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas operations by a third by 2030, but Smith argues they overreach federal authority.

Here are opportunities to inform municipal decisions about rezoning, problem properties, neighbourhood renewal, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• Strathcona Blok99 Rezoning — The City of Edmonton got a request to rezone 9009 99 Street NW in the Strathcona neighbourhood as a medium-scale residential zone, which would allow an apartment up to eight storeys and some ground-level commercial opportunities. Developers are proposing a 60-unit building called Blok99. Residents can ask a question or share their thoughts to a discussion board until Dec. 1.
• Derelict Residential Tax Subclass Survey — The City of Edmonton wants to understand opinions and awareness from residents about the derelict residential tax subclass, which applies to derelict properties in mature neighbourhoods. An online survey will be open until Dec. 2.
• Wîhkwêntôwin ᐄᐧᐦᑫᐧᐣᑑᐃᐧᐣ (Oliver) Neighbourhood Renewal — The City of Edmonton has released a second round of design options for renewal in Wîhkwêntôwin. Residents can meet the project team in the Foundry Room of the Oliver Exchange from 4:30pm to 7pm on Nov. 28, or at Holy Child School from 10:30am to 1pm on Dec. 7. An online survey will be open until Dec. 13.

More input opportunities

• Until Nov. 29: Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal Draft Design — La Perle and Belmead (City of Edmonton)
• Until Nov. 30: Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal Planning — Dunluce (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 1: Short-term Rentals Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 3: Vision Zero Street Lab Exploration — High Park (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 8: Northeast River Valley Park Strategic Plan (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 11: Neighbourhood Renewal Final Design — Overlanders and Homesteader (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 15: Business Improvement Areas (BIA) Patron Experience Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 20: Passenger Rail Master Plan Survey (Government of Alberta)
• Until Dec. 31: Business Improvement Areas (BIA) Business Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 31: Building Relationships to Shape Our City: Connecting with under-heard communities (City of Edmonton)
• Until Jan. 5: West Jasper Place Rezoning — 95 Avenue NW (City of Edmonton)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Economic Reconciliaction: A Symposium for Changemakers starting at 8am at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Capital Access: What's my company worth? starting at 12pm online
• Report Launch: Shifting Gears - Exploring Edmonton's Financial and Political Pressures and Ways Forward starting at 12pm online
• A Book Launch Afternoon starting at 2pm at University of Alberta (Rutherford South Library)
• Magical Christmas Music Gala starting at 5pm at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel West Edmonton
• Banking as a Service (BaaS) - How much Fintech is in our future starting at 5pm at NAIT (HP Centre for Information & Communications Technology)
• Festival of Trees Gala starting at 5:30pm at Edmonton Convention Centre
• Nerd Nite 84 Pop Culture Potpourri starting at 7:30pm at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Dec. 6: RIN Pitch Up online
• Dec. 8: Holiday Brunch and Skate at Rogers Place
• Dec. 12: Creating a User-Friendly Website Experience online

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