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Annual General Meeting 2020

Though 2020 has put a pause on a lot of the High Level Line Society's activity, we will still hold our Annual General Meeting that will include a brief update.

Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00pm

RSVP (free) here

The event will be held online through Zoom. A link to the event will be sent to registrants ahead of the meeting.

All High Level Line Society members welcome. Not yet a member? Sign up here.

See you there!

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The Inaugural High Level Line Day!
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The first ever High Level Line Day is officially in the history books!

Earlier in the summer, we put the call out to help us activate the line in whatever way possible. We imagined a couple lemonade stands, some buskers, and maybe a sign or two that said “High Level Line,” and we would have been happy with that. Instead, community groups and neighbouring businesses stepped up in a big way, and we couldn’t be more proud.

On Sept 7, 2019, High Level Line Day, we saw:

  • Old Strathcona Farmers Market set up a booth in Railtown Park, giving away (yes, for free!) sandwiches, cookies, apples, and market dollars, encouraging Oliver residents to take High Level Line to the market year round.

  • CNIB brought their new Cycling Without Age trishaw over to show seniors and those with visual impairments what it’s like to be on a bicycle again. We admit, our families definitely took more than a few rides on this throughout the day!

  • The Alberta Legislature hosted special tours of the Legislature grounds!

  • Downtown Business Association set up shop at the northern streetcar terminus, welcoming people to Downtown Edmonton with maps, guides, and #yegdt swag.

  • Musicians set up throughout the afternoon at Ezio Faraone Park. Shout out to Jesse Cunningham for volunteering to organize four acts including himself, Rebecca Lappa, Marissa K, and Kathryn Johnson. Thanks to Yeg Music, Central Social Hall and El Cortez for sponsoring the musicians!

  • CommuniTEA Infusion set up free lemonade and iced tea in Ezio Faraone Park, run by volunteers from the Skills Society.

  • An interactive art activity called “I See You” by Françoise Thibault (facilitated by Gaby Pelc) livened up Ezio Faraone Park too.

  • Walkable Edmonton and Paths for People shared info about walking and biking in Edmonton. And the free popsicles from Walkable Edmonton were a huge hit!

  • Lime brought their e-scooter training crew to Ezio Faraone Park, giving people a chance to try the scooters without committing and sharing tips for how to ride safely along High Level Line.

  • Jeff Davis of Edmonton Road and Track Club volunteered to guide people on a leisurely bike or scooter tour along High Level Line.

  • The Edmonton Radial Rail Society had two of their vintage streetcars running. The volunteers always share fascinating history along the line, making the experience of being on top of the High Level Bridge even more interesting.

Click on image to view larger.

To mark the occasion, Mayor Don Iveson proclaimed it High Level Line Day in Edmonton, and kind remarks were delivered by Councillor Scott McKeen, Councillor Ben Henderson, and MLA David Shepherd. As volunteers running with this initiative in our spare time, it was really meaningful to see our tireless effort being recognized. Oh, how far we’ve come from putting an idea out there on social media!

Word traveled fast about the inaugural event, catching the attention of Global News, CBC News, CTV News, Edmonton Journal, and CBC Radio One.

We can’t say this enough: THANK YOU to all of those that helped make High Level Line Day a success. To those that took time out of your weekend and joined us in activating the line, to those that came out to learn more about the project in person, to Old Strathcona Business Association and Downtown Business Association for providing us with sponsorships to make it happen, to those that helped spread the word about what we’re trying to do: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, should we do it all again next year?

High Level Line Day - September 7 - Help!
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If there’s any time of the year to explore the potential of High Level Line, it’s the summer.

So we’re circling a day in our calendar and asking for help from Edmontonians to bring High Level Line to life.

On September 7th, let’s activate High Level Line.

What does that mean? Well, consider this an open call to make it awesome. The streetcar will be in service with 2 weekend cars, so we encourage everyone to hop on the streetcar one way then walk back along the line. Imagine what the Line could be like if it was fully connected and activated all the time!

High Level Line Day
Saturday, September 7
1:00-5:00pm

How can you help? Tell us! Possibilities for activation from the community:

  • Musicians - small performances along the line, buskers.

  • Theatre groups - intimate improv shows and other live performances.

  • Street performers - set up along the line and wait for your audience to fill your hat!

  • Lemonade stands - Hey, kids! Let’s get the world’s greatest lemonade crawl going.

  • Bike repair stations

  • History tours - We all want to learn more about the rich history of the corridor and river valley.

  • Urban design tours - We’re talking to you, all you Jane’s Walk hosts. It’s not May, but people love going for walks and talking about their city.

  • Lantern parade at dusk

  • Sidewalk chalk art - any artists? Kids… hopscotch competition?

  • Cycling and running ghost races on Strava - anyone know how to set these up?

What else? We want to know!

We will also need sponsors. This day can’t possibly come together without them, and we’d be so pleased if you have a company or personal pocketbook that can lend a hand.

Please send us a note with your idea, and include the time of day you’d like to do it. We’ll share the plans for the day as they start taking shape. For now, please let us know how you can help!

Email: highlevelline@gmail.com

Note: The event was originally booked for August, but we’ve moved it to September 7th.

Annual General Meeting 2019 - Join us!
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Join the High Level Line Society Board for our first Annual General Meeting.

All High Level Line Society members welcome. Not yet a member? Sign up here and tell your friends, too!

When: May 31, 2019 at 7:00pm
Where: Edmonton Tower - 3rd floor, Room 3-385 - 10111 104 Ave
Cost: Free, of course!

RSVP here so we know how many people to expect.

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High Level Line Launch Party
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We said we would host a party to kick off memberships, and it was better than we could have imagined! Engaged citizens from all walks of life joined us at The Common to kick start the official membership sign ups, talk about the idea, buy t-shirts, and raise a glass to the potential of our city.

On the walls and tables, we asked for input along the entire line (on a giant map) and on specific areas of the Line like the High Level Bridge. We held a t-shirt raffle to kick off fundraising towards future High Level Line activities including awareness, advocacy, and design studies. It was a lot of fun, so thank you to all who came out.

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We couldn't believe the turn out! The place was packed, and we loved hearing questions from all the guests. Commonly asked questions were about LRT alignment (which is still up the air as Centre LRT plans are in the works), and wondering how to help out. We'll explore some of these topics in upcoming news posts on this website.

Next steps: we are holding an AGM in the fall (likely October) and collecting names for future volunteer opportunities. Part of our AGM will be announcing and signing up sub committees. 


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Jane's Walk 2018

We were so impressed by the crowd that came out for the Jane's Walk this past weekend! Thanks to everyone who made it out and had great information to share. It was a beautiful day to walk from downtown to Whyte.

We started our walk at the north end of High Level Line, between MacEwan University's Robbins Health Learning Centre and the new Allard Hall. From there, we walked the whole line south through Oliver, Grandin, across High Level Bridge (no, not the top of it), Garneau, and ended in Old Strathcona. 

What's a Jane's Walk? It's a free, citizen-led walking tour that honours the memory of Jane Jacobs, a visionary urbanist that pushed for people-centred communities. Learn more about Jane's Walk here. 

 

Event: APEGA AGM + Conference
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Event alert!

We're excited to host a session at the APEGA Conference! Two of us from the team will be sharing the story of High Level Line and discuss how to contribute to Edmonton reaching its full potential. 

High Level Line—A Discussion of Possibilities
APEGA AGM & Conference
April 19, 2018 at 9:30am
Shaw Conference Centre
More info and register here: https://www.apegaconference.ca/

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