The Pulse
Sept. 29, 2026

With an expansion to Calgary and growth in Edmonton, it might look like Sea Change Brewing Co. is charting a course for the edge of the world, but one of its founders says the company is just going where the current takes it.

"We've never planned this," creative director Pete Nguyen said of the brewery's expansion from one location to four. "We didn't have a marketing or branding plan that says, 'This is how our brand will progress when we open up multiple-city locations,' or things like that. So what we're dealing with now is … making it up as we go."

Sea Change operates three locations in the Edmonton region: the original taproom at 9850 62 Avenue NW, another in Beaumont, and its distillery/ready-to-drink brand Shiddy's at 9908 78 Avenue NW. It also co-owns the food brand Flat Boy Burgers, which operates at Shiddy's, in Beaumont, and in Calgary.

Sea Change, Shiddy's, and Flat Boy made their way to Calgary in July. The operators took up the former Inner City Brewing Company space with collaboration in mind. The launch of Skelly Club, the formal name of the brewery-taproom-restaurant, included brews made with existing operators in Calgary.

"We wanted to integrate ourselves in the brewing community, and also make it very apparent that we're brewing beer in Calgary," Nguyen told Taproot. "I think, at our size, people just assume we brew off-site … We wanted to ensure that people knew that we were innovating and creating something special for the Calgary market."

Sea Change has worked closely with the arts communities in both Edmonton and Calgary, sponsoring the latter's East Town Get Down festival, among other happenings. A "very gay nature exhibition" that took place in mid-August is another example.

"Sea Change has been an incredible supporter of Calgary's local arts community," Natasha Faye Jensen told Taproot via direct message. "When we reached out to them about supporting our exhibition Earthlings at The New Gallery, they responded immediately and were so generous and easy to work with."

Growth came partly due to necessity, dating back to when the Beaumont location opened in 2019, just two years after Sea Change was founded in Edmonton. (The company marked its seven-year anniversary in Beaumont on Sept. 26.)

• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce released a 56-page plan calling for Edmonton's next four-year budget to prioritize fiscal responsibility, core services and investments aimed at economic growth. Its recommendations include limiting neighbourhood renewal to basic repairs, selling surplus land, expanding private partnerships and sponsorships, and protecting businesses from construction disruptions through better coordination and communication. The Edmonton Construction Association pushed back on the proposal to pause the growth of neighbourhood renewal, saying infrastructure continues to age and delaying work will increase future repair costs.
• Construction has begun on a shared Francophone school in Edmonton that will host both public and Catholic high schools. The Alberta government invested $91 million to create spaces for 1,260 students, with the schools named École l'Odyssée and École l'Envolée, respectively. Although each will maintain its distinct identity, they will share amenities such as a library, gymnasium, and classrooms for career and technology studies. The schools will serve students from Grades 7 through 12.
• Edmonton is reviewing its public spaces bylaw due to concerns that it may unjustly target homeless individuals. Critics argue that the bylaw, which regulates outdoor public areas, disproportionately impacts those lacking permanent shelter. Joshua Goldberg of the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness said he hasn't seen evidence the bylaw is making public spaces safer. "What I see is that it's contributing to life getting harder for unhoused people," he said.
• The City of Edmonton is exploring lower parking-ticket fines for people who pay early. In a report to city council's community and public services committee, administration estimated that a tiered system would require about $1 million in upgrades and reduce annual revenue by $300,000 to $400,000. According to the report, five of seven large Canadian cities already used a tiered system in which fines for early payment are reduced and late payments are increased.
• Edmonton's new integrated stabilization centre has recorded 98 admissions since it opened less than a month ago, with 12 people transferred directly to the Addiction Recovery Centre at Alberta Hospital Edmonton, Postmedia reported. The 18-bed facility, located inside the Edmonton Police Service headquarters, provides people arrested or in crisis with time to stabilize and connect with addiction and mental health services. Police Chief Warren Driechel said the centre gives officers an alternative to moving people between streets and shelters without connecting them to longer-term supports.
• The City of Edmonton has received a Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs award for its approach to managing wildfire risk where urban areas meet wildland vegetation. Edmonton's Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Risk Strategy, introduced in April, combines emergency planning, environmental management and technology to protect neighbourhoods around the River Valley and ravines. Measures include thermal drones, environmental sensors and an AI forecasting tool to detect and assess wildfire risks. The City is also managing vegetation, training employees for emergencies and providing FireSmart education to residents.
• About 658,000 Albertans have requested special ballots for the Oct. 19 referendum, about 11 times the 2023 election total. Elections Alberta said it still needs more officers in northern and southern Alberta.
• The Alberta government is preparing to launch a process for private-sector proponents to submit proposals for high-speed rail between Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary, while Ottawa has agreed to refer the corridor to the federal Major Projects Office. The province said trains travelling up to 320 km/h could get passengers between downtown Edmonton and downtown Calgary in under two hours.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Passing the Stories Forward: An Oral Storytelling Workshop starting at 10:30am at Edmonton Public Library (Woodcroft)
• Community Gathering in Honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation starting at 11am at Roundhouse Park at Station Lands
• Intro to Fresh Pasta starting at 6pm at Get Cooking
• Writer Gatherings starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Facts, lies and ChatGPT: Keeping media literate in the age of slop starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• Elections Alberta - You Can Vote starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Abbottsfield - Penny McKee)
• Skerryvore starting at 7:30pm at Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts
• Tuesday Jam Hosted by Byrne McMullen starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 13: The Strategists Live: Pre-Referendum Edition starting at 7:30pm at Horowitz Theatre
• Oct. 14-18: LitFest at various locations
• Oct. 15: ERINnovation Meetup at CAMS: Where Health Innovation Meets Simulation at NAIT (Feltham Centre)

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

For more on 1-Across, see this edition of the Arts Roundup.