EDMONTON CHRISTMAS MARKET OPENING
POSTPONED TO SATURDAY
November 26, 2020
(EDMONTON)
Since 2012, Wild Heart Collective has operated public markets in Edmonton via the 124 Grand Market, Al Fresco on 104, K-Days, and the Edmonton Christmas Market (established in 2013). We have operated over 50 locations in the last season alone across Alberta, and pride ourselves on health and safety standards above and beyond those laid out for Alberta-Approved Farmers’ Markets for the protection of our patrons and vendors.
Our production team of over 30 staff and volunteers, and over 100 rotating vendors consisting of Edmonton’s most exciting and inspired small makers and businesses have been building the annual Edmonton Christmas Market in the former Army & Navy building on Whyte Avenue. The core management team at Wild Heart Collective has worked in lockstep with our partners at Alberta Health Services, operating under stringent health protocol. Our capacity sits under 10% of what is set out by the Alberta Fire Code, masks are mandatory, and an on-site cleaning team is available to keep surfaces sanitized. We have been working around the clock since October, and were set to open Friday, November 27 at 3:00pm.
Thursday afternoon around 3:00pm, we received communication from an Alberta Health Services official informing us that as a “special event,” we are unable to continue operations under this week’s newest provincial restrictions. To allow more time to seek clarity on this instruction, we have made the decision to postpone our opening to Saturday November 28.
As a licensed public market, we have operated locations around the city all summer with approval as an essential service from Alberta Health Services. We are confused and disappointed in this decision from the province, as we believe our mission aligns closely with the Ministry of Health and Premier’s Office priorities for public health and economic well-being. We are seeking further information from the offices of Opposition Leader and Edmonton-Strathcona MLA Rachel Notley, Minister of Health Tyler Shandro, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and Premier Jason Kenney to understand further why public markets would be forced to close when we operate as a licensed market in an approved retail venue.
We were encouraged Wednesday night to see Premier Kenney’s remarks, in which he stated “this government made, I think a grave mistake in the spring when we made a stupidly arbitrary distinction between essential and not essential retail businesses, that had the unintended consequence of allowing Walmarts and Costcos to sell darn near everything because they have a grocery section or they sell pharmaceuticals, while shutting down thousands and thousands of small-and medium-sized retail businesses.”
We have over 100 food, clothing, and health + fitness micro and small businesses who experience a make-or-break portion of their annual revenue in the holidays. If we are not permitted to open this month, Edmonton’s makers, inventors, and entrepreneurs will suffer another devastating blow to the benefit of large-scale chain business. We believe this would be - to use our Premier’s words - another grave mistake, with irreversible consequences.
Further details about our opening will be made available as we learn more from the various political and medical offices about our status as an essential service for Edmontonians.
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To schedule interviews with Wild Heart Collective owner and operator, Kirsta Franke please contact Communications Manager Riane Allen at hello@wearewildheart.com.