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
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.