Illustration by Hayden Carkner/The Griff

How students benefit from a revitalized downtown

For most Edmontonians, waking up to a text asking if they want tickets to tonight’s Oilers game would be a no brainer.

But for the average person, even free tickets to a hockey game come with a price tag. You have to pay for parking, and at the very least you’ll want to buy a drink or a snack at the arena. But when parking starts around $25, and a bottle of water will set you back almost $10, the possibility of going to a hockey game starts to become an expense that most people, especially students can’t afford. 

The completion of Rogers Place and the development of the Ice District in the downtown core has served as much more than just an overpriced addition to the city. It set the revitalization of downtown in motion. 

Despite expanding both outwards and developing in the core, some Edmontonian residents may still see some downtown areas as dangerous or unwelcoming. Others may just see it as overcosted compared to what they could get in suburban areas.

“Downtown is a really visible part of our city. It’s where visitors come, and where Edmontonians really come together to celebrate. And so I think the state of downtown really impacts how people feel about the state of our city.”

– Anne Stevenson

According to Anne Stevenson, city councilorr for the O-day’min (downtown) ward, revitalizing the downtown core is an important step in changing people’s perceptions of the state of our whole city. 

“Downtown is a really visible part of our city,” says Stevenson. “It’s where visitors come, and where Edmontonians really come together to celebrate. And so I think the state of downtown really impacts how people feel about the state of our city.” 

Downtown Edmonton also functions as an economic engine for the entire city, as it generates more tax revenue per acre than other parts, which ultimately helps to generally alleviate pressure on businesses and taxes across the city.

 

“I truly think that downtown revitalization is for all Edmontonians.”

– Anne Stevenson

The end goal of the revitalization is simple: make downtown Edmonton a home, an economic hub, an attractive destination, as well as a safe and welcoming place for its residents, which, according to the Downtown Vibrancy Strategy, starts by bringing people back to the downtown core to visit, work, and study.  

With the Ice District and the completion of Rogers Place in 2016, it seems as if the city and the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) are doing just that. Phase one of the Ice District generated over $3.2 billion in economic impact for the city. With a newly signed memorandum of understanding with the City of Edmonton and the Provincial government that will support the development of a new $250 million event park, and public space that will be fully connected to Rogers Place, it seems as if they have no intentions of slowing down. 

Couple this with MacEwan University’s plan to increase its student population to 30,000 by 2030 with the addition of their new $190 million business building, and a back-to-office mandate for the thousands of people who work in the downtown core, making sure people have a reason to visit the downtown core doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. 

“If we were looking at downtown revitalization solely as more people coming out to event parks or going to hockey games, that’s not actually going to get us what we want.”

– Anne Stevenson

But revitalization includes much more than just million dollar buildings. 

“If we were looking at downtown revitalization solely as more people coming out to event park or going to hockey games, that’s not actually going to get us what we want,” says Stevenson. 

Since its establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Downtown Revitalization Coalition (DRC) has focused their advocacy efforts on making downtown a cleaner, safer, and future focused space. Made up of a steering committee of people who work and live downtown, they have worked to provide more and better support for Edmontonians in crisis, better public safety enforcement on transit, and have secured $2.5 million in city funding for additional cleaners, including garbage removal, space maintenance, and graffiti cleaning. 

Additionally, OEG believes that the “event park and Village at Ice District investments will improve safety, security, and community well-being in Edmonton’s downtown.” 

However, despite all the effort and investment made and going towards a revitalized downtown, the prospect of being able to live, work, and visit downtown still seems inaccessible for the average person. 

Stevenson admits that there are certain risks that come with revitalization. 

“I think that anytime a city revitalizes an area of the city there’s risk of gentrification, there’s risk of people being pushed out because of rising costs.”

– Anne Stevenson

“I think that anytime a city revitalizes an area of the city there’s risk of gentrification, there’s risk of people being pushed out because of rising costs,” says Stevenson.  

But Stevenson says that there are plans in place to ensure that students will still have access to a new and vibrant downtown, such as affordable housing projects that are currently in the works geared towards students who want to study in the downtown core. The increase of people coming downtown for entertainment could potentially support more businesses like restaurants which will in turn provide more part time jobs for students. Stevenson also points to other considerable spending on public spaces like O-day’min Park, that is free and open for anyone to enjoy. 

At the end of the day, the revitalization of downtown Edmonton, according to Stevenson, isn’t just for one specific group of people. 

“I truly think downtown revitalization is for all Edmontonians,” says Stevenson. “Especially those that come to the downtown, that live in the downtown, that work in the downtown. But also even for Edmontonians that never step foot in the downtown.” 

While it is clear that more work needs to be done on the revitalization of downtown, the idea that downtown will be accessible for people and students alike doesn’t seem as far-fetched as we might think. 

But Oilers tickets still cost too much.

Article originally published on March 1st, 2026.