Company News
Edmonton: Past, Present and Future – By Terry Cavanagh
March 20th 2008They first came for furs– then gold– then land and finally oil.
1754 Anthony Henday came to the area.
The first 2 companies H.B.C. (Hudson’s Bay Company) and N.W.T.C. (North West Trading Company) opened up this area for fur trade. 1795 Voyageurs trapped and hunted on the river banks. Missionaries brought religion to the area. Some left the area to go up to the Yukon for gold. More people came to the area by ox team, stern wheelers, stage coach and finally rail.
All of this was the start of a wonderful, great city.
1892– The Town of Edmonton N.W.T. (North West Territories)
1904– The City of Edmonton N.W.T. with the capital in Regina
1905– The City of Edmonton in the province of Alberta
1906– Edmonton proclaimed the Capital of Alberta (A wonderful decision at that time)
1908– University of Alberta was established, street car system started and the first dialing phone system was created in North America
1915– Hotel McDonald was opened
1926– First Edmonton-born mayor was born, Mr. Terry Cavanagh
1929– Women declared people
All of this was a wonderful start for this wonderful city.
Yes we had some ups and downs, but every city has.
An example of growth in this city was in 1971 with the start of Millwoods. The province bought 9 sections of farm land and eventually sold that to the City for $3,400.00/per acre. A very good buy for the city! There are now approximately 93,000 people in the part of Edmonton, a tremendous development. S&D International is one of the major companies in this area.
There was a down turn in the City that started in the late 1980’s and continued in to the mid 1990’s. We were receiving approximately $76 million per/year in funding, this was cut down and eventually reduced to $16 million per year, a drastic decrease. The economy in Edmonton continued to go down, along with the cost of land and price of buildings.
Most things have changed, “And there is nothing as constant as change”. We must manage change less change manage us.
One dramatic change came about in 1973. The oil companies (O.P.E.C.) came to Chicago and raised the price to produce oil from $3.50 per barrel to $12.00 per barrel. At that time to produce a barrel of oil in Fort McMurray was $18.00, where now it’s approximately $25.00 per barrel. The future of oil in the Fort McMurray area is good for about 100 years. With new technology they will be able to remove oil that they were not able to previously remove.
There is a very good possibility of eight oil treatment plants to be built north east of Edmonton at a cost of approximately $140 billion. When something like this is planned it is extremely important that all Edmonton region Government and business people work together to make this the best industrial area in Canada.
In November 1984 I made a request that Edmonton be declared the, “The City of Champions”. Certainly sports have helped make us the “City of Champions”, but it is the business people, community members, all our volunteers and the citizens of this great city that make it “The City of Champions”.
The proposed growth for the City of Edmonton’s future is phenomenal. The UofA (University of Alberta) downtown centre in the old H.B.C. building is a major development for the UofA. Education buildings are a major development as is the UofA hospital.
The growth in condominiums in the downtown core is rapid. 104 St. north of Jasper Ave. has a condo with 30 stories and one with 35 stories. Five condominiums proposed for 101 St. and 105 Ave. are in the works all above 20 stories. 4 condominiums outside the downtown core on 142 St. and 102 Ave. and a major development replacing the old Heritage Mall site are all in place. EPCOR will build a new building on 101 St. and 104 Ave. beside the CN Tower.
All of these developments mean a great deal to all of Edmonton. More people will come in to the City of Edmonton for many jobs that will be created by the industrial development. S&D International must be prepared for the future. We look ahead 10 years, but we must realize the future is now. S&D have looked ahead and this company is prepared for the future. Canada’s economy continues to heat up at a rapid pace.
We all know that Alberta and especially the Edmonton region is the busiest part of Canada. S&D will be prepared for the future and as I mentioned, “The future is now”.
Terry Cavanagh
Former City Mayor & Councilor of the City of Edmonton
February 11, 2008 alignment