Constance Brissenden

Travel is eye-opening. You’re in a new place and you can’t help comparing it to home. When I went on a recent working trip to Havana, Cuba, it made me see our neighbourhoods in a new light. A better light. And it made me angry some people still think we live in a questionable part […]

Horse racing will continue at Northlands until 2018. In November, Northlands and Horse Racing Alberta (HRA) reached an agreement to continue racing at the park until July 2018, when Century Mile, the new track outside the city, is ready. Mat Monaco, executive director of The Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association of Alberta (HBPA), said it’s […]

Renting a spare room to a student can pay off The buzzer to my condo rang. I opened the door to Concordia student Nadine Uwimana, who was looking for a place to live. A new stage of my life had begun. In early August, I had a spare bedroom and I knew it was time […]

Night was approaching as I stood by the river, thinking of closure. The beauty of the water, a calm swath winding through low green banks, filled me with appreciation. I was here because my partner, Larry Loyie, a proud Cree man, writer, and educator died three months before at 82 years old. He asked that […]

Ask Bernice Caligiuri about her art philosophy and you get a simple answer. “I just do it because I like it,” said the 70-year-old artist. “When I start a piece, it may be a wall hanging, a painting, or a sculpture. It’s so much fun that a whole day can go by in a flash […]

Good news for swimmers: Borden Park pool is targeted to open in late summer of 2017. Calgary-based New Perspective Pools will build the Natural Swimming Experience pool. Built in 1920, the original pool was in dire need of a new filtration system. Rather than invest in an aged facility, a series of open houses pinpointed […]

The City of Edmonton offers four outdoor pools and numerous spray parks for cooling down on hot summer days. Two community leagues, Elmwood Park and Alberta Avenue, are diving in with memberships that provide free access to all outdoor pools. Local residents, as well as those living outside the community borders, are eligible for membership. […]

Outrider Larry Dagg, on his horse Rooster, is joined by Northlands Park racetrack announcer Matt Jukich (left) on March 7, the first day of thoroughbred training for the 2016 racing season. Dagg, originally from Saskatchewan, is responsible for the general on-track safety of riders and horses. “I’ve worked with horses all my life,” he recalled. […]

Borden Park’s upgrades are complete. Improvements to the 20-hectare park include a pavilion with washrooms and vending machines, improved trails, and a band shell. A new pool is slated for 2017. “We’ve moved into the design stage. The project is going ahead,” said Nicole Poirier, director of the city’s civic events and partnerships. The pool […]

Nine years ago, Parkdale resident Marissa Ponich didn’t know much about sabres, a cavalry weapon used on horseback long ago. Andrew Rusheleau, Ponich’s then-boyfriend (now husband) introduced her to sabre fencing when she was attending the University of Alberta. She came to love the sport under the guidance of coach Sergei Kazimirski, founder of Sergei’s […]

The clock is ticking to determine the future of the aging hockey arena and the entire Northlands site. Northlands’ proposed Vision 2020 strategy for its 160-acre “campus” is a huge gamble. On one hand, it’s a $165-million-dollar “re-creation of recreation,” marked by massive changes to its three main venues. On the other is the spectre […]