Edmonton's K-Days to get $10M from federal government
The federal government is providing $17.5 million for tourism projects in the province, including $10 million for Edmonton's K-Days fair.
Minister of Tourism and Edmonton-Centre MP Randy Boissonault made the announcement at a press conference in Edmonton Tuesday.
"To ensure K-Days remains a key part of what makes Edmonton special and continues to drive this city's economy forward well into the future," said Boissonault.
The funding for K-Days comes from the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative and the Tourism Relief Fund administered by PrairiesCan (Prairies Economic Development Canada), a department that diversifies the economy across the Canadian prairies.
The money will go toward site improvements, operational costs and turning Klondike Park into a year-round destination. It will also include expanding programming to be more inclusive to Indigenous peoples, new Canadians, Francophones and LGBTQ2S+ communities.
"We are examining everything at the fair, and over the next few years, you will see the fair evolve to better align to our community needs," said Arlindo Gomes, from Explore Edmonton.
In addition to the $10 million for K-Days, $7.5 million is going to 29 tourism projects to help attract more visitors to Alberta. That funding comes from the Tourism Relief Fund and the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.
"These investments will help tourism operators in Alberta launch new experiences and develop long term strategic plans that will help grow the visitor economy," said Boissonault.
Included in the dollar amount is $1.8 million for Indigneous Tourism Alberta to help operators develop authentic Indigenous cultural experiences in the province.
"Indigenous tourism offers amazing opportunities for travellers to connect with Indigenous peoples at a time when reconciliation is at the top of Canadians' minds," said Shae Bird, CEO of Indigenous Tourism Alberta.
"This investment will help Indigenous Tourism Alberta continue to support the rapid growth of the sector into a major component of Alberta's visitor economy, and support hundreds of Indigenous entrepreneurs reach their business and social goals."
Other funding includes $600,000 to the Francophone Economic Development Agency of Alberta for 20 bilingual tourism routes.
The Downtown Business Association will receive $300,000 for a pop-up Spark event to promote the downtown core of Edmonton.
The federal funding comes as tourism is picking up in Alberta, part of it is needed to help attract staff back to the industry.
"It could be up to 10 years to totally rebuild our tourism labour force. No sector was more decimated than tourism as a result of COVID-19," said Darren Reeder from the Tourism Association of Alberta.
The investment is expected to help create or maintain over 4,000 tourism jobs in Alberta and attract more than 2.1 million domestic and international visitors.
K-Days is now hiring, and organizers believe showcasing Edmonton businesses at the festival will help expedite economic recovery.
"By creating more opportunities for local businesses, local artists and performers, and create fundraising opportunities for community non-profits," said Gomes.
K-Days runs from July 22-31, the first time the fair has happened in three years.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when provincial fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.
Duelling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.