The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Downtown Business Association have issued a joint statement following news the massive Christmas tree in Churchill Square will not be returning this year.
Last week, the EDBA revealed its plans for the annual Downtown Holiday Light Up, which is moving out of the square to Rice Howard Way. With the move, the Christmas tree that is typically lit up outside city hall will not be set up this year.
There was a lot of disappointment from the public, prompting the joint statement from city manager Andre Corbould and EDBA board chair Martin Kennedy Sunday.
“While we understand that some are disappointed by the evolution of these holiday celebrations, we want to reassure Edmontonians that there will be fun and family-friendly holiday activities throughout December — including the illumination of living holiday trees in both Churchill Square and Rice Howard Way. To be clear, these were our decisions, and were not made by the mayor or city council,” the statement read in part.
The statement said city administration supports the EDBA in its evolution of its Holiday Light Up, adding the City of Edmonton plans to expand its festive programming on Churchill Square.
This year, all of the trees surrounding Churchill Square will be lit up and decorated as a “festive forest.” The display will be complemented with lanterns and a special art installation. The city hall ice rink will open soon and inside, city hall will be filled with seasonal holiday decor.
“We are charting a new path. In retrospect, we should have communicated these activities better, and we apologize that some people were led to believe that Churchill Square would not be a festive place,” the joint statement read.
“However, that oversight did not justify some of the activities which followed. A small number of people are using this situation to make racist attacks on the staff of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the mayor. Those actions do not reflect the views of either the vast majority of Edmontonians or the organizations we lead. They are inappropriate. We do not tolerate online hate and bullying, and we will not be swayed by such behaviour.
“We are genuinely excited by the programming that has been developed for Rice Howard Way and Churchill Square and invite you to join in these events, and to celebrate the true spirit of the holidays.”
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also admitted the communication from city administration and the EDBA could have been better, but he expressed his disappointment with some of reaction both parties received.
“It is disheartening to see that racism was directed toward my office as well as the executive director of the Downtown Business Association. I hope people learn from this that they’re not quick to pass their judgement without knowing the facts,” Sohi said Monday
“We are also on a journey to build an inclusive city for everyone that is free from bias, that is free from assumptions, that is free from making conclusions without knowing all the facts.
“I hope there’s a lesson to learn here.”
The annual Holiday Light Up will be held on Dec. 3. This year’s festivities include events, music, free hot beverages, Instagrammable experiences and large light installations.
“We’ve rethought what we’re doing to gather people together. It’s really about supporting the businesses downtown. It’s really about showing off some of our most beautiful hidden gems and Rice Howard Way is definitely one of them,” Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the EDBA said last week.
Free parking will be available for Downtown Holiday Light Up visitors on Dec. 3 at Edmonton City Centre East Parkade from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information on the event can be found on the Edmonton Downtown Business Association’s website.
Comments