Albertans accept Platinum Jubilee medals at newly renamed Queen Elizabeth II Building

Edmonton's Federal Building has been officially renamed after the late Queen.

At a ceremony Tuesday, a new plaque was unveiled for the Queen Elizabeth II Building, located in the legislature grounds.

Designed in the 1930s, the building hosted federal government employees until 1988, when Canada Place opened as the main federal offices in Edmonton.

It was redeveloped in 2010 after being acquired by the Alberta government. It has been hosting MLAs and government staff since 2015.

Premier Jason Kenney said at Tuesday's ceremony that there have been plans to rename the building for years.

"After all, why would the de facto headquarters of the Government of Alberta be named the Federal Building?" Kenney said. "With all due respect to my friends in Ottawa."

Rooms in the building already bear names from the Royal Family, Kenney said, like the Windsor and Mountbatten rooms, and the decision was made as part of the Platinum Jubilee year.

The renaming was officially announced on Sept. 15, a week after Queen Elizabeth II's death.

"I hope that the generations to come, who will spend time or work in this beautiful building, which has been named in her late Majesty's honour, will strive to follow and be inspired by the Queen's extraordinary life of duty, services and sacrifice," said the lieutenant-governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani.

As part of the ceremony, 87 Albertans were awarded with an Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal.

The medal program was announced as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Recognition Act to recognize Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne.

The medal will be awarded to a total of 7,000 Albertans. A full list of recipients will be released after the program ends on Feb. 5, 2023.