Top 10 Reasons Why Edmonton Has Lost Its Appeal To Me...

First of all, this post is not meant to slam Edmonton. Let me state that I consider myself an Edmontonian. Even though I was not born here, I consider myself one. I have lived in Edmonton my entire adult life. I left Mississauga the day after I turned eleven and never looked back. This post is merely, as I've stated before, therapy. These are things about the city I am from in which I would address to make it better. This is not "10 Reasons Why Edmonton Sucks" or "10 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Edmonton". I'd encourage people to come here, it's wonderful; however, being here for almost thirteen years, this city has lost its appeal to me to some degree. So if you must give this post another title let it be "10 Things Edmonton Needs To Take A Look At Harder". So here we go...


**NOTE: This post is not filled with cited "facts" this is merely a collection of thoughts based on things I have read, heard and what I feel based on where I live.**


10) IDIOT DRIVERS

Ok, this one isn't Edmonton specific, as I realize there are idiot drivers everywhere, however; Edmonton seems to have an extraordinary amount of idiot drivers. The amount of times I have been cut off by someone not paying attention is amazing. New laws are always being passed all over Alberta to try and get drivers to pay more attention but it never seems to make a difference.

9) THE RIVER VALLEY TRAIL SYSTEM COULD BE BETTER

Edmonton has the unique quality to have a major river running through it. Historically the North Saskatchewan River divided the City of Edmonton with the City of Strathcona. Since amalgamation, the city has installed a number of walking trails which overlook the river valley and they are quite nice. I read an article last year which made me think; Vancouver has several boardwalks which are at water level, allowing for an even more extraordinary experience. The article argued that Edmonton could use a boardwalk and I agree, the river valley system could be better with the addition of a boardwalk type of area, however of this list, this is the one I would focus on the least.

8) 118 AVENUE EAST OF REXALL PLACE NEEDS WORK

There are a few areas in Edmonton a lot of people would consider "run down". Areas on Fort Road, off Jasper Avenue and Stony Plain Road are a few additional areas which I believe require more attention. The one which I believe requires most attention is 118 Avenue east of Rexall Place. During my last drive down the Ave., I counted no less than ten boarded up businesses and more than a dozen more run down looking business. I'm not trying to insult the Beverly area, because I do respect the history of the community and I can't blame a community that doesn't necessarily have the means to support itself. However, I think there is something the government could do to revitalize the area and bring more money in the the Beverly community. The removal of the Oilers from Rexall Place to the Downtown Arena is the worst decision ever for this very reason; it will take even more money from the community when Rexall Place becomes a money pit and eventually sold and demolished.

7) THE OILERS REALLY SUCK LATELY

This one isn't specific to the city, it's more a morale thing. The Oilers making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 did something to the city. There was a bond; a brotherhood; a friendship. The city was friendlier and fun. Every season since then, the Oilers have failed to make the playoffs and are at risk of finishing dead last in the NHL for the third straight season. The hardest part of watching NHL hockey for me personally, is these people get fat contracts to play a game for a living and then they can't even go out there and give it 100% for the people who are paying their hard earned money on over-inflated tickets. Edmontonians all hear the rumors of the young players' antics off the ice. The bar hopping. The bed hopping. It's easy to assume that these guys are rich, young and are not giving hockey their entire focus. Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers of the 80s were champions on and off the ice, which is something our group of young players needs to learn to be.

6) CITY COUNCIL IS A JOKE

This one doesn't need much in depth detail. We all know people's opinion's of governments always has them doing stupid things; wasting taxpayer dollars and sanctioning idiotic construction projects are two of the ones I hear in Edmonton the most. Mayor Mandel and his council have proven themselves a joke through simple idiotic comments in the paper. Example: Mayor Mandel's council has sanctioned more construction projects in the last three years than ever before, yet he goes in the paper to complain about the amount of construction projects. This is where I face palm.

5) CONSTANT CONSTRUCTION

This one ties well into the last one, obviously, as I think a majority of Edmontonians are fed up with the amount of construction projects sanctioned over the last number of years. Yes, the major projects such as the Anthony Henday West and the widening of the Quesnell Bridge are finished, there are even still residual things to be done on these areas. Exit signs on the Whitemud have yet to be installed despite road work being finished for months. I know I don't understand all the ins and outs of construction, and to be honest I could care less, I just think that citizens are tired of having those big orange arrows slowing up our day. Add the LRT expansion to all the little projects going on at any given time and it can add up to one hell of a headache.

4) DOWNTOWN IS DANGEROUS

First of all, when I say "dangerous", I don't mean by saying "if you go to Downtown Edmonton something bad will happen to you". It probably won't. However, if you have ever had the opportunity to walk around various area by Jasper Avenue you will find that the area is in bad need of attention. I guess it's hard to pinpoint exactly what I do mean by "dangerous", however citizens of Edmonton (who don't live Downtown) will usually tell you that certain Downtown areas give off a certain vibe. Chinatown by 97 Street is not an area I would walk around at night. Same with Oliver north of 104 Avenue. These are just things you know. These are things most people know. These are things the government needs to know and fix.

3) WEST EDMONTON MALL ISN'T ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE

The Mardi Gras decorations
over Bourbon Street

Okay, like I stated at the beginning of the post, this is not an article meaning to tell people why they should not visit Edmonton. Obviously, West Edmonton Mall is a huge tourist attraction for the city. The attractions the mall has truly makes it a wonder; a waterpark, an NHL sized indoor ice rink, the World's largest indoor amusement park and several other features like Professor WEM's Golf Course and a full size replica of the Santa Maria definately make West Edmonton Mall a place to visit if you're ever coming to Edmonton. However, my problem with the mall lies a little bit deeper than that. As a citizen of Edmonton, not a tourist, the mall is...just a large mall. The attractions are there if I need them. It's convenient that there's an amusement park there, sure, but it's not a selling point for me to visit there every weekend or even every month. The worst part of the mall, is the shopping. If you're into shopping, it must be paradise, but in my opinion, every other store is some kind of high end clothing, shoe, or jewelry store. There are a few interesting novelty shops in the mall, the best of which is most likely Millennium or Spencers, but the mall is fastly being overtaken by what I like to call the Abercrombie & Fitch-type stores like Hollister, H&M and American Eagle. It's all the same. And it's all boring. I'd rather go elsewhere. There is nothing I can get at West Edmonton Mall that I can't get anywhere else in the city (and cheaper too), and that's the main reason I avoid it like the plague.


2) "DEADMONTON"

This one is pretty simple, so I'll keep it short and sweet. In 2011, Edmonton set a record for most homicides in one calendar year with 47 (I believe, someone might have to correct me) beating former record holding year 2005 with 39 murders (which we passed in September 2011). So, I guess this one is pretty self explanatory; with a disproportionate number of killings taking place Downtown and in the North End, it is quite obvious why I don't travel there as often as possible. Its hard to feel safe when the police have said they don't have the officers to keep up with the amount of violence in Edmonton. What the fuck is wrong with this city?

1) ST. ALBERT AND SHERWOOD PARK ARE BETTER ALTERNATIVES
So, as we get down to the final point of my rant, it is simply that St. Albert and Sherwood Park provide better alternatives for people who are looking to avoid the hassles of the city. Both are fully functioning cities with many of the amenities that Edmonton has, so travel to the big city can be minimal if that's what you're looking to avoid. The pros are both cities are adjacent to Edmonton, which provide easy access to the West End from St. Albert and Mill Woods from Sherwood Park, both in less than 20 minutes travel time. The cons are a higher cost of living, however when you're looking for safety and security you get what you pay for.


So, now that I've had the opportunity to vent, and most likely piss off  few of my fellow Edmontonians, I'd like to remind you all that this blog was not meant to tell you how much Edmonton sucks (which it can), but it is to remind the masses that cities are not built in a day, and they take even longer to properly maintain. If the government is unable or unwilling to make changes, hopefully at the very least this will make people aware of the problems in their city so they can better educate themselves. But one can only hope.