Nearly 60 new businesses opened in Edmonton’s Chinatown area in the past year, according to advocates, but concerns about safety and cleanliness persist.
The City of Edmonton is exploring three new initiatives aimed at improving Chinatown, after a city council committee on Wednesday approved further study into a community cleanup group, possible changes to the 97 Street bridge and housing incentives for the Quarters area.
The measures were discussed during the annual update on the city’s Chinatown strategy, where councillors and community members acknowledged recent gains while stressing that more work is needed.
Progress and persistent problems
Community groups reported a surge in business activity over the past year, with a net gain of 59 new businesses in 2025.
It comes as the city has made $480,000 available in this year’s Chinatown Vibrancy Fund.
The grant aims to support community events and cultural experiences that bring visitors to the area north of the downtown core and help build the community.
A lunar new year event last week in partnership with the nearby Royal Alberta Museum attracted 3,000 people to the area.
“Our restaurants have told us after these events, we get a little busier and that’s what we want to see,” said Jackson Ho, executive treasurer of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area.
Despite those investments, residents and business leaders say problems persist, particularly once events end.
“It’s ongoing challenge that we as a Chinatown community are investing our time and effort and making sure that we’re changing the narrative.”
The bulk of the city’s social supports, such as homeless shelters, is concentrated in the area and social disorder stemming from things like drug dealing and substance use has been a concern for years.
“I think it’s no secret when you go to Chinatown, you see the opioid crisis smacking your face,” said city councillor Keren Tang.
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“I also hope these conversations will further encourage the provincial government to really come to the table and to really show us the progress they were committing to when it comes to recovery, to mental health, to addiction, to housing.”
The Edmonton region also has the highest concentration of provincial jails and federal prisons amongst all major Canadian cities. Mayor Andrew Knack said that leads to inmates often being dropped off near downtown or in Chinatown upon release.
“We still have work to do with the other orders of government, we still work to do ourselves,” he said.
While the city can’t change what happens at the provincial and federal level, those on council said the city can advocate for a better solution while focusing on things within the municipal purview.
“There’s a lot of things happening in Chinatown that’s out of the city’s control,” Tang said. “But I do think cleanliness is something that is within our control and I very much welcome new, creative solutions and how people can come together to do that.”
Mayor Knack said he’s in Chinatown at least once a week, sometimes multiple times, and said while the area has seen improvements compared to during the pandemic, it still faces visible challenges.
“You can see that there are fires that are still getting set, you can see there’s still garbage and so there’s clearly work that is needed. At the same time I’m seeing businesses start to grow and expand and create more opportunity,” Knack said.
“I’m really excited about the overall work that’s happening day to day in Chinatown with more work to go.”
Local leaders say a cleaner, safer public realm will help sustain the recent business growth and make Chinatown more welcoming for residents and visitors.
Ho said advocates pushing to turn the area around are happy those conversations are taking place.
“Cleanliness and sense of safety is obviously still an issue and having that addressed in some way, shape or form can only be positive,” Ho said.
“A lot of different issues span across different jurisdictions, a lot of opportunities for improvement.”
What the city will study
The committee on Wednesday approved examining three areas:
- Community cleanup group — exploring a dedicated team or partnership to address litter and post-event cleanup
- 97th Street bridge — studying options for improvements to the structure or its removal
- Housing incentives — considering incentives to encourage housing development in the Quarters area
City reports on the proposed initiatives are expected to be completed at different times over the next year and into 2027.
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