Drinks outside on Rice Howard Way? Council to review proposal next month
Edmonton could have a downtown outdoor entertainment district as soon as June 1.
If approved, Rice Howard Way — located just off Jasper Avenue between 100 and 101 Street — would become a pedestrian-only zone on Saturdays from June to August.
People would be allowed to drink alcohol in the district as long as it's purchased from businesses in the area.
Rice Howard Way was selected because of its walkability, low traffic, and number of bars and restaurants.
"We're super excited about the entertainment districts. We've seen this in other cities and it works really well," Downtown Business Association Executive Director Puneeta McBryan said. "People always reference European cities…you should be able to just have a glass of wine or a beer and stroll around and put up seats in the street and kind of treat it more like a plaza.
"It's shown to attract a lot of people and make a really big difference on things like vibrancy and safety and it's good for the local economy."
Streets would remain open to traffic at the 100A Street intersection for parkade access.
McBryan said Rice Howard Way works well because it has businesses and not many residents, but added 104 Street is also under consideration.
"This is really just hopefully a gradual move toward more relaxed, less fences, less red tape, let's just open up the street and have great events there, whenever it makes sense."
A proposal will go to city council next month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
National task force not lowering age for routine breast cancer screening to 40
A national task force that provides guidance for primary health-care providers is not lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age to 40, despite urging from several cancer specialists, surgeons and radiologists.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.
How to save on food and drinks at your next sports game or concert
When Dianne Debarros and Tom Stitzel headed to a Toronto Blue Jays game last month, the couple figured dining at the Rogers Centre would not be cheap.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.