Edmonton extends funding for Chinatown vibrancy campaign
City will invest $480,000 this year and next to support community projects
The City of Edmonton is aiming to revitalize Chinatown by extending the funding for a vibrancy campaign over the next two years.
The grant program, which will allocate $480,000 annually, aims to enhance the area's cultural vibrancy, build community cohesion, and empower both residents and businesses.
The fund launched in April last year and helped fund about a dozen projects, including Van Bloc Party, Chinatown Dining Week, Chinatown After Dark and the Edmonton Dragon Festival.
"We want to uplift and celebrate all of the incredible things that Chinatown has to offer, both as a historic hub and economic driver in our city," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in a news release.
"That means investing in community-led projects and events that create momentum and have a lasting impact on this dynamic neighbourhood."
One of the organizations benefiting from the initiative is the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society.
"[The Chinatown Vibrancy Fund] is driving economic development and the preservation of heritage in the area," said Sandy Pon, co-founder and current chair of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society of Edmonton.
"There are a lot of buildings from the day that the city was founded. We want to show the significance of them."
Kathryn Luu, with the Chinatown BIA, says the renewed funding comes after a successful 2024.
One standout event was the Summer Festival, which drew a wide range of Edmontonians, and featured performances such as a captivating lion dance, the dragon dance, and other activities with local talent, merchants and vendors.
"Because of the vibrancy fund, we were able to put on such a spectacular event that brought so many different community members together," Luu said.
Luu is also a volunteer with Edmonton Chinatown Dining Week, which receives money from the vibrancy fund. She said the participating 28 businesses have seen a lot more foot traffic from the annual promotion.
"Instead of having one or two customers a day, now they have way more than that," she said. "When you see businesses saying they look forward to these events, it just shows that they do work."
A collaborative effort
Pon acknowledges that Chinatown revitalization is not without its challenges.
She said the broader issues of safety and housing require co-operation across all levels of government.
"There's social disorder. Everybody deserves to be able to walk in the area without fear," she said. "The CTC hopes that with the vibrancy grant helping with some of the activities and the promotion of Chinatown, we can also get more safety, security, and law enforcement."
The city is encouraging local organizations to think creatively about how they can help make Chinatown a more vibrant, welcoming space. There is no set funding cap for individual projects. Applications are evaluated by a panel of community members based on how they contribute to the Chinatown strategy.
"We want to make it interesting," Pon said. "There's a lot of things that we are experimenting with and they are going in a very positive direction."
Applications for the fund will be accepted until the end of February. The city anticipates the successful applicants will be announced by early April, with the projects kicking off soon after.
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