Councillor Urges City to Update Welcome Signs for Edmonton

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Edmonton City Councillor, Michael Oshry, brought forward a motion in the City Council meeting on Tuesday to change the signs that welcome the motorists entering into Alberta’s capital city. According to Councillor Oshry, there should be a refreshing change to the current, decades-old welcome signs, and perhaps a reconsideration of Edmonton’s slogan, i.e. ‘City of Champions.’

The slogan of ‘City of Champions’ dates back to 1987, relating to the response to the ‘Black Friday’ tornado and the volunteers who jumped into action in its wake. Additionally, it also highlights the signification of the huge successes of the city’s professional sports teams at the time. In his remarks, Oshry said he wonders these days if the sign needs to be changed, along with the slogan. He mentioned that “I think we need to have some signage that better reflects where we are today and where we’re going,” adding that “we’re a fast moving, growing, exciting place to live and I think those signs need to demonstrate that.”

Last time a call was made to change the city’s welcome board was in 2008, which was voted down due to the hefty price tag attached, i.e. $2.6 million for a modern pyramid design. However, Oshry alleged that “you can spend as much as you want, or as little as you want, but we spend a lot of money on branding the city or positioning the city and this is the first impression people get when they get into the city, I think it’s important to spend a little money on this.”