Municipal, News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

On June 27, 2025, Edmonton City Council voted to extend the Capital City Downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) — and with that decision, secured one of the most significant investments in our city’s future in a generation. 

Make no mistake: this didn’t happen by accident. It happened because the business community stood up, got organized, and made it impossible to ignore. 

We commend City Administration for the countless hours they put in to preparing an updated Capital City Downtown Community Revitalization Plan, and for City Council for demonstrating courage and leadership in making a long-term decision that will benefit all Edmontonians for generations. 

Over the past few months, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has been proud to lead the charge — not behind closed doors, but in full view of our city. We rallied our members. We built alliances. We raised our voices. Together with the Downtown Business Association and the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, Oilers Entertainment Group and BILD Edmonton Metro we mounted one of the most coordinated, energized advocacy efforts this city has seen in recent years. 

• Mobilized 750+ letters from Edmonton businesses to City Council, which accounted for 87% of letters entered into the public record. 
• Surveyed our members, who responded with overwhelming support for renewed investment in our downtown. 
• Held dozens of meetings with business leaders, councillors, City administration, and provincial officials to build cross-government support. 
• Sent a formal letter of support directly to the Mayor’s Office. 
• Executed a comprehensive communications strategy, including a dedicated educational website landing page to inform and engage Edmontonians. 
• Co-authored two  op-eds — one from Chamber CEO Doug Griffiths and BILD Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson, and one from VP Heather Thomson. 
• Hosted a press conference that led to front-page coverage in the Edmonton Journal. 
• Created a full advocacy toolkit, with templates, resources, and clear next steps — sent to over 16,000 subscribers with urgent calls to action. 
• Spoke in favour of the extension at the public hearing, alongside other community and business leaders who saw the value of this generational decision. 

And today, we can proudly say the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce contributed to this generational decision. But more importantly, we can confidently say all Edmontonians have won.

The message is clear: the business community is paying attention, is ready to collaborate and lead, and when it matters — we deliver. We’re not done. But today, we celebrate. 

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