Should Edmonton appoint a 'night mayor?' Sohi and council are considering it
Calls to designate a "night mayor" in the Alberta capital are growing.
Some local business leaders want a city employee or councillor to be available on evenings and weekends to take calls from companies that make most of their money after 5 p.m.
"There is a lot of unbridled potential of having that type of an advocate in place and really kind of harnessing the nighttime economy," said Tyson Boyd from Starlite Room.
His downtown music venue has had a tough time during the pandemic and said the extra support would help.
"If we don’t have a strong fall or any type of support coming ahead…You know things look rather bleak," Boyd said.
The Old Strathcona Business Association is also on board with the idea.
"It’s just that recognition that this is an important industry," executive director Cherie Klassen said.
She believes some bars, restaurants, hotels and taxi companies feel like an after-thought when it comes to support from the city.
"Maybe just an organizer needs a question answered related to something that the city can help with (for example), but if it’s after 5 o’clock, that doesn’t exist," she explained.
So councillors have asked city staff to figure out the best way to support the evening economy, including appointing a dedicated “night mayor.”
The "day mayor" is cool with it.
"Our goal is to become such a thriving place in Edmonton and we need to empower people to create those kinds of opportunities during nighttime," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.
Advocates believe the support is needed urgently for small music venues as Edmonton is set to host the Juno Awards in March.
"I’m frankly really nervous about how many off-site venues we even have to host music events in anymore," said Puneeta McBryan with the Downtown Business Association.
Edmonton's Executive Committee is recommending that council order a study on a "night mayor" and other support for late-night businesses. The costs are not yet known.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
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.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.