EDMONTON NORTHLANDS’ FUTURE UP IN THE AIR

Pandemic may be tipping point for organization, says Robert D. Walker.

As a longtime shareholder and former board member of Edmonton Northlands, I was disappointed to hear of the cancellation of the K-days exhibition this year and wondered what is in the future for this once vibrant and hugely influential organization.

With the previous cancellation of the annual K-days parade and the most recent postponement of the fair due to the COVID-19 issues, I am sure I am not the only one over the past years that has witnessed the gradual deterioration of Edmonton Northlands’ significance and relevance in the community.

Edmonton Exhibition Lands (Northlands campus), once the site for most of our major sports and entertainment events, has now seen the loss of the Canadian Finals Rodeo to Red Deer, the closing of the Edmonton Coliseum and the Northlands Park race track and casino, along with the City of Edmonton accepting that Edmonton Northlands could no longer service their $47-million City of Edmonton loan on the expansion of the Expo Centre, forgiving that debt and merging its operations with the Edmonton Convention Centre.

Unfortunately, city taxpayers are now burdened with the $4-million-a-year debt.

Edmonton Northlands has now relinquished management responsibilities and it does not have a physical presence on the exhibition lands, with their corporate offices now outside of Edmonton in a Sherwood Park industrial park.

So what is left for Edmonton Northlands and what is their business strategy for the future?

Northlands has said in the past that they can now refocus on a new business strategy: a community food hub, and research innovation centre on the current Northlands campus, plus expanding activities around the Farmfair International agricultural show.

Presently, Edmonton Northlands has agreed to operate K-days and Farmfair International on the exhibition lands site until 2022.

However, the traditional venue for both K-days and Farmfair on this precinct is now in question as the City of Edmonton continues in their process of redeveloping the entire 200 acres

(80 hectares) of the Edmonton Exhibition Lands.

Based on the City of Edmonton’s initial unveiling of four proposed land-use options of the Exhibition Lands, it appears evident that the long-term vision of this exciting mixed-use opportunity does not include either the K-days midway or Farmfair activities.

As far as their long-term financial future, Edmonton Northlands has traditionally relied heavily on major annual provincial grants to survive. While the previous Horse Racing Alberta grant is no longer available, the annual approximately $7-million-plus grant from Alberta Culture and Tourism, as listed in their last posted 2018 statement of operations, may also be in question with the present Alberta government so desperately underwater with their dire revenue projections and their exhaustive review of all existing programs.

As a previous Northlands annual report stated:

“There are conflicted public views of Northlands and perceptions of the current business model. The support of a viable way forward and general public opinion that Northlands should not receive further public funding was heard loud and clear.”

If that is the case and this storied not-for-profit, community-service organization can no longer prove its sustainability or relevance in this hiatus, is it possible that the postponement of this year’s K-days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may be a tipping point for Edmonton Northlands as we know it and be another statistic in what may well be, sadly, a long list of business closures realized after this serious public health issue subsides.

That Northlands should not receive further public funding was heard loud and clear.