May 17, 2022
The snow is gone, the grass and trees are turning green and City crews are out helping our parks and open spaces thrive this spring and summer. There is a lot happening behind the scenes including mowing, pruning, planting trees, rejuvenating fields and servicing trails. These green spaces welcome Edmontonians year round and spring revitalization is one of the most important times of year.
For the 2022 construction season, the City also has 29 parks and open spaces projects in construction, 36 projects in planning and design, and is preparing to see a continued growth in the use of parks, trails and open spaces across the city.
Connecting Edmontonians is at the heart of the City’s strategic plan and maintaining a robust network of parks and open spaces is essential for a growing community. Through efficient operations and strategic development and renewal, the parks are ready to provide connectivity and recreation for summer while planning for the future.
"As Edmonton grows to welcome another million residents, the demand for parks and open spaces will continue to increase," says Suzanne Young, Director of Open Spaces Planning and Design. "We want to ensure the City plans and builds parks for people, meeting both current and future needs."
Among the 2022 construction projects, the City will complete renewal projects in several parks and trails, including Glengarry District Park, Confederation District Park, Ramsay Ravine and many others. The City will also build or renew playgrounds at Rundle Heights and Griesbach parks and plant nearly 3,000 trees through the
Urban Tree Canopy Expansion Project. The City is planning for future parks, including Warehouse Park, a downtown park that will provide a much anticipated new urban green space to address the needs of current and future residents, students, workers and visitors alike. See the Backgrounder for a complete list of projects that have been completed in the past year, that are currently under construction and that are being planned.
Naturalization
Part of maintaining and preserving the City's parkland and open spaces includes reverting sections of green spaces to a more natural state through naturalization, an ecologically-based approach to landscape management used to transform highly-maintained land to a more natural condition. This preserves the natural environment and allows natural plant and animal species found in Edmonton to flourish.
"Climate resiliency is a top priority for the City of Edmonton and naturalization enables us to support this," noted Nicole Fraser, General Supervisor, Operations Planning and Monitoring. "It is an important process that takes several years to fully realize as we build habitats that protect the natural environment and support our pollinators, birds and other animals."
Parks and open space service levels
Turf maintenance throughout our parks will be completed on a 10 to 14 day schedule, except for premier and high profile parks and sports fields which will continue to be maintained on their seven to 10 day cycle. This year the City is adding a second cycle of line trimming (also known as weed whacking). There will be a trim cycle in June with the second cycle starting in August.
More information on overall service levels, for things such as weed control, grass mowing and shrub and flower beds, are all available online in more detail at
edmonton.ca/parkcare.
Parks and open spaces - yours to enjoy
Park attendance has risen significantly since 2019 with some visitor counts seeing increases of more than 50 per cent in 2020-2021. This trend is expected to keep pace this summer as Edmontonians continue to seek recreation experiences in outdoor and open spaces.
“We are so happy to welcome families, friends and visitors into parks as people connect and make memories with one another,” says Juanita Spence, Supervisor of River Valley Parks and Facilities in Community Services. “While we are all stewards of these beautiful open spaces, the City also plays a role in ensuring parks are vibrant and animated spaces where everyone feels welcome.”
Parks in 2022 will host various festivals and events, sports and picnicking families. The popular Green Shack program will also run at multiple parks across the city through July and August.
The City has also resumed an
expanded pilot project that permits the consumption of alcohol at 124 picnic sites across 18 parks citywide. This pilot will run until October 10, 2022.
For more information about City parks and open spaces, including maps and location information, visit
edmonton.ca/parks.
