Erik Backstrom

Stuff you find when you’re picking up garbage downtown: a 1980/81 register of natural gas utility meter readings for the Remand Centre. It must have blown out of the building during its demolition, which can be seen in the background.

Heritage Places Strategy We invite you to learn about the new Heritage Places Strategy being developed and provide your feedback on what the strategy could consider.

Want to share your thoughts about heritage places in Edmonton or suggest a place that's significant to you on our interactive map? Go to this Heritage Places Strategy engagement page. engaged.edmonton.ca/heritage-pla...

The political heavyweights are coming out in the federal campaign.

St. Lawrence Market to celebrate grand opening of redeveloped North Building The redeveloped North building will officially open on May 10, 2025.

Expansion of Toronto's daily public market. www.canadianarchitect.com/st-lawrence-...

Scenes from Edmonton's buff brick district! To learn more about this collection of mid-century modern buildings and get a tour of one of them, come to my "History Buff" Jane's Walk on May 10. It's free but you need to register. #yegheritage www.showpass.com/history-buff...

High levels of toxic chemicals found in paper receipts used by US retailers Holding the receipts for 10 seconds absorbs enough bisphenol S to break California’s safety rule, research finds

Time to shift from paper receipts to virtual ones. Home Depot has been offering virtual receipts for years and they are really convenient for returns and accounting purposes. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

That is a very true story, Gary.

I love naming so today was delighted to learn about the early colonial variation in the naming of the Great Lakes. This screenshot is from the 1720 map of British cartographer Herman Moll. P.S. The "Chat" relates to a feline rather than an AI model! collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commo...

The Secret Formula for Faster Trains A new report shows how Amtrak and commuter railroads can reduce “dead time” and increase speeds for less than it would cost to build new high-speed rail lines.

Smart thinking: using existing existing rail corridors more effectively for passenger service. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

It's almost as if there should be laws against this sort of thing.

Thanks, Carrie. I’m very grateful that Urban Planning Committee gave me the opportunity.

I'm Here, Grandma! A whirlwind trip to Edmonton

This beautifully-written piece is most fundamentally about family but it's also a love letter to Edmonton and specifically Old Strathcona. katherinemartinko.substack.com/p/im-here-gr...

Full Circle The demolition of landmarks and culturally significant buildings represents only the most visible and widely spoken examples of a demolition practice that seems endemic in a city like Toronto.

Why so much valuable construction material gets wasted and what we could do differently. www.canadianarchitect.com/full-circle/

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi seeks federal Liberal seat in Edmonton, sources say Amarjeet Sohi will run as a Liberal Party of Canada candidate in the upcoming federal election according to multiple sources.

Amarjeet Sohi will run as a Liberal Party of Canada candidate in the upcoming federal election, according to multiple sources familiar with the Edmonton mayor’s immediate plans for his political future. #yeg #yegcc #ableg #cdnpoli #elxn2025 edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...

Big, BIG news for Edmonton's two elections this year.

Photo of Richard George Hardisty

1947 Vancouver Province obituary of Esther Hardisty.

... from the Northwest Resistance to World War II. The roles defy easy categorization and are a great example of the complexity of human life that Walt Whitman expressed through the line "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"

Westmount home of prominent Edmonton couple latest property to receive city historic designation The former home of an Edmonton couple who played significant roles in local and national affairs a century ago is being declared a municipal historic resource.

What I like best about working with heritage planners is learning about the people who contributed to Edmonton's history. Richard & Esther Hardisty, who built this newly-designated home in Westmount, played roles in important local, national & international events... www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...

Suburbs AREN'T all alike, the insurance industry explains in this 1950 Edmonton Journal ad.

Electric Construction Equipment Promises a Quiet Revolution Battery-powered excavators and wheel loaders are still rare on most worksites globally, but cities like Oslo are pioneering a new generation of cleaner machines.

Electric construction equipment would be a game changer for urban noise. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Semiannual reminder that there is a strong scientific consensus on the benefits of permanent standard time rather than the time changes we have now or permanent daylight saving time. www.chronobiocanada.com/official-sta...

River of ice. The sunlight when I was crossing Dudley Menzies bridge really highlighted the ice’s subtle topography.

1911 vision of the vicinity of 118 Avenue & 66 Street in Edmonton. #yeghistory

In 1986 the Urban Design Strategy that the City prepared for an about-to-redevelop Cloverdale called for on-street parking outside the peak hours of traffic. It never happened then but is something that we could try now, at least on a pilot basis, to help sustain neighbourhood retail.

On roads like 112 Ave, 124 St and 97 St we allow off-peak, on-street parking. This not only gives people driving to the area somewhere to park, but it gives pedestrians a buffer from the traffic, makes the sidewalk a nicer place to be & thus makes people more likely to support adjacent businesses.

The pedestrian environment is very harsh: four lanes of traffic right next to a not-very-wide sidewalk with no street trees. The road carries a lot of traffic during the rush hours but midday and in the evenings, one lane in each direction should be feasible.

Cloverdale Coffee helps add amenities in river valley, proponent says Jay Downton thinks opening a new coffee shop in the Cloverdale neighbourhood later this month could help increase interest in Edmonton's river valley.

I'm excited to see new retail services in Cloverdale but if we want them to be successful, we have to talk about changing how 98 Avenue operates. edmonton.taproot.news/news/2025/02...

Thanks for sharing, Conrad. A similar project went up last year in Strathearn: 44 homes on two lots. The Strathearn building has some tuck-under parking but far fewer than would have been required before and is being explicitly marketed for its proximity to LRT. www.link95.ca

Albertans want rail network built as soon as possible: government survey results Albertans are looking for a provincial rail network to be prioritized and built as soon as possible, according to the survey results.

There was Calgary - Edmonton passenger rail service between 1891 and 1985. Reinstating it would be good economically, socially, and environmentally. edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...

The History of Heritage in Edmonton - Edmonton & District Historical Society The History of Heritage in Edmonton presented by Erik Backstrom Join EDHS as Erik Backstrom, Sr Planner for the City of Edmonton, provides a historical overview of heritage in Edmonton. Come join us f...

Pleased to be speaking at the Edmonton & District Historical Society talk on Tuesday. I'll be talking about what heritage is, how we've commemorated it over the years here in Edmonton, & what lies ahead for heritage. It's free but people are asked to register. historicedmonton.ca/edhs-special...

Edmonton land use change: Cloverdale / river valley 1978 and 2023.