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Authority record
Edmonton Scottish Society
AR-MS-76 · Corporate body · 1937 - current

The Edmonton Scottish Society was formed in 1937 after an amalgamation of the Caledonian Society and the St. Andrew’s Women’s Association. The Edmonton Scottish Society works to promote Scottish heritage through athletic, cultural, and social activities through its annual Highland Gathering.

AR-MS-173 · Corporate body · 1889 - current

Edmonton's first separate school was opened in 1889 under the aegis of the Sisters of the Faithful Companions, next to their mission. The school district was created in the same year by the department of education for the government of the Northwest Territories. The first Separate School Board trustees were George Roy (Chairman), Luke Kelly, and Antonio Prince. By 1913 the board had seven schools under its control, with 956 pupils enrolled, and 28 teachers.

Edmonton Ski Club
AR-MS-1233 · Corporate body · 1911 - current

The Edmonton Ski Club was established in 1911 by a group of Norwegian immigrants. The founders were not satisfied with the natural slopes of the Edmonton River Valley and built a 30 metre ski jump ramp on Connors Hill. The ramp was completed in 1912 and went over what is now Connors Road. It was on this ramp in 1913 that one of the founding members, John Haugen, set the Canadian record with a 109 foot jump.

In 1935 the jump was rebuilt and reopened after it was deemed unsafe. The Club continued to gain new members until World War Two when membership and interest in skiing began to decline. The Connors Hill ski jump was closed in 1975 and torn down in 1978. With the closing of the jump, membership in the Club continued to decline, however, saw a resurgence due to the Winter Olympics in Calgary in the 1980s.

The Club continues to operate as a not for profit Society. The Club is located on a hill in Gallagher Park in the community of Cloverdale in Edmonton. The Club operates year round and offers both summer and winter camps, bike programs, ski and snowboarding lessons, and a terrain park. In August the hill is used as a seating area for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. The Club was closed for one season in 2018 and reopened the following year after receiving funding from the city and province. Construction on a new facility starts in 2024.

AR-MS-323 · Corporate body · 1939 - current

The idea of a social planning agency for Edmonton first originated in 1928 when the Social Services Council of Canada and concerned citizens and church organizations formed a social services council for Northern Alberta. Unfortunately, the depression of 1929 delayed any efforts to form such an agency for the next ten years. Due to pressing social issues, the idea re-emerged in 1939 and local social service agencies agreed to the formation of the Edmonton Council of Social Agencies. At the time, the Council of Social Agencies was created to help coordinate social services and prevent redundancies.

Due to the Second World War and Canada’s involvement, the Council worked to provide relief services in the 1940s. In 1941 the Community Chest of Greater Edmonton was established to facilitate a central collection of funds for various social agencies associated with the council.

In 1950 the Council changed its name to the Edmonton Council of Community Services. In 1953 the Council and the Edmonton Community Chest merged, in order to provide a centralized location for funds for social agencies. The Community Chest would be re-named in 1960 to the United Community Fund of Greater Edmonton.

Throughout the years, the Council has changed its orientation in order to adapt to changing social conditions. In its early years, it acted as a coordinating body for other social agencies but relinquished this role in the 1960s in order to become more involved with research and planning. The Council looked to take on more advocacy work for marginalized communities including the Boyle Street population, Indigenous people, women, and youth. The Council conducted a wide range of studies on social issues in Edmonton including daycare, aging, the juvenile court system, family, disabilities, addiction, and inner city problems. These studies influenced the formation of social policies at both the provincial and municipal level. In 1963 the Council changed its name to the Edmonton Welfare Council, before being renamed once again in 1967 and finally becoming the Edmonton Social Planning Council. In 1968 the Council published the Bluebook in order to assist youth in understanding their legal rights.

In the 1970s, looking to apply the research and planning it conducted, the Council began to advocate for organizations and neighbourhood groups throughout Edmonton. Through these activities the Council assisted in the establishment of the Sexual Assault Centre, the Society for the Preservation of Architectural Resources in Edmonton, and the Catalyst Theatre. The Council also helped organize the Mayors Neighbourhood Planning Conferences, the Citizen and the Citizen Participation Program of the City’s General Municipal Plan.

In the 1980s the Council worked to evaluate both existing and proposed social policies and to meet both the organizational and skill development needs of voluntary agencies. In 1982 the Council published the first issue of its newsletter, First Reading, which would run until 1998.

The Council's role has been continually modified in order to deal with the current needs of the Edmonton population. It has continued to approach emerging social issues, to search for solutions, and to undertake numerous worthy research projects. The Council today is an independent non-profit organization which conducts research on social issues, creates public awareness and understanding of current social issues, and encourages participation through creating social policies and implementations of programs. In the 2000s the Council began to focus on low income and poverty, as well as advocating for data-driven social policy analysis.

Executive Directors of the EPSC:

  • Lillian Thomson - 1940
  • Hazeldine Bishop - 1944
  • C. Ashby (acting director) - 1951
  • Jack Anguish - 1952
  • William Nicholls - 1955
  • Gus de Cocq (acting director) - 1963
  • Stewart Bishop - 1964
  • Bettie Hewes (acting director) - 1970
  • Peter Boothroyd - 1970
  • Elwood Springman - 1975
  • Alan Shugg - 1977
  • Trevor Thomas - 1978
  • Hope Hunter (acting director) - 1980
  • Peter Faid - 1981
  • Jonathan Murphy - 1990
  • Brian Bechtel - 1995
  • Nicola Fairbrother - 2003
  • Susan Morrisey - 2005
AR-MS-1224 · Corporate body · [198-?] - [ca. 2006]

The Edmonton Society for Urban and Architecture Studies (ESUAS) was founded in the 1980s. The ESUAS’ objectives were to foster and develop an appreciation and understanding for design in urban and architecture settings through teaching, sharing and working. The ESUAS offered workshops, lectures, and exhibitions in order to achieve their objective. One of their most popular offerings was their annual Architecture Lecture Series. Architects and designers, both Canadian and international, would give free public lectures in Edmonton. In 1999/2000 the ESUAS conducted the Alberta Architecture Project and the creation of an Alberta Architectural Dictionary.

The ESUAS became an incorporated non-profit society in 1988 and a registered charitable organization in 1991. As of 2006 the ESUAS was defunct.

Edmonton Stamp Club
AR-MS-1217 · Corporate body · 1912 - current

The Edmonton Stamp Collector's Club, also known as the Edmonton Stamp Club, was established in 1912 by a group of philatelists. The Club is registered as Life Chapter #6 of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada and Chapter #680 of the American Philatelic Society. With the objective of "the promotion of the benefits of stamp collecting," the Club meets monthly to organize events and speakers regarding stamp collecting on both amateur and professional levels. The Edmonton Stamp Club hosts an annual Spring National Stamp Show with a different theme each year. The Edmonton Stamp Club also publishes a newsletter, "The Bulletin" and produced a 10 part video program called "Uncle Albert's Stamp Collection" which was broadcast in 1982.

Edmonton Stock Exchange
AR-MS-210 · Corporate body · 1949 - 1958

The Edmonton Stock Exchange was incorporated by an Act of the Alberta Legislative Assembly in 1949. Organization was delayed until summer of 1952 and the exchange opened for trading in January 1953. It was the sixth exchange organized in Canada at the time, and the second in Alberta; the other being in Calgary. The Board of Directors consisted of Eric M. Duggan, President; Clayton L. Jackson, 1st Vice President; J. Logan Sutherland, 2nd Vice President; Maurice D. Parry, Secretary-Treasurer; John E. Sydie; Walter C. Jackson; Allan K. Snell; Harold F. LeMasurer; K. S. Langfeldt and J.L.M. Dillon, Jr. - all brokers or investment dealers within large city firms. The manager was J.J. Collins, formerly of the CPR. The Exchange handled industrials, mines and oils stocks and sold 65 seats initially for $500 each, before the 1953 opening.

In February, 1957 the other Canadian stock exchanges withdrew their recognition of the Edmonton Stock Exchange - essentially cutting off its trading capabilities. No official reason was given for the withdrawal, but it was believed that it was due to Edmonton being involved in two international securities act incidents, the first involving Green Bay Mining and Explorations Ltd and the second involving Canadian Scotia Limited. In February of the following year the Board announced the closure of the exchange.

There had been an earlier unsuccessful attempt to establish an exchange in 1929 under the name of Standard Stock Exchange of Edmonton. It was an offshoot of the Turner Valley oil boom, however, it was unable to withstand the Depression and closed in 1930, being liquidated in 1935.

AR-MS-220 · Corporate body · 1921 - [1958?]

The Edmonton Street Railway Athletic Association was formed in 1921. In the early years the association started baseball, soccer, and hockey teams. However, by 1930, all activities had stopped and the association ceased to exist. It was resurrected in 1945 and began to sponsor hockey, softball, and fastball teams. A meeting was held in November of 1958 to close the bank account of the Edmonton Transit Athletic Association, as they had not held a meeting since 1950.

AR-MS-365 · Corporate body · 1954 - 1981

The Edmonton Teachers' Wives Society was formed in 1954 as a social club to encourage Edmonton Public School Board teachers and their families to interact and to assist new appointees and their families to integrate into the system. Approximately 100 women attended the first meeting of the Society which was unique in western Canada at the time. The first president was Mrs. W.R. Stewart. The membership also included the wives of retired teachers. Regular monthly dinner meetings were held during the school year with entertainment or talks. The Association was dissolved in 1981.

Edmonton Transit System
AR-RG-90 · Corporate body · 1946-1971

The idea of local public transportation began in 1893 when the North West Territories Council approved “An Ordinance to Empower the Municipality of the Town of Edmonton to Construct and Operate a Tramway”. However, public transit was not established until 1908, when the City of Edmonton purchased the Strathcona Radial Tramway Company, a private venture that was slated to start a local railway before being bought out through Bylaw. A second bylaw ratified the establishment of the Edmonton Radial Railway shortly thereafter – Bylaw 185.

From 1904 until 1971 this department had a number of names. Until 1946 it was called variously the Edmonton Radial Railway or the Street Railway Department. On July 16, 1946 the name was changed to the Edmonton Transportation System, to reflect the changing nature of the department, specifically the large number buses that now made up the fleet. On April 29, 1947 the name was shortened to the Edmonton Transit System.

The Edmonton Transit System merged with the Engineer’s Department in 1971 to form the Engineering and Transportation Department. This was in reaction to the provincial City Transportation Act, passed in 1970, which required cities to undertake transportation studies to ensure transportation needs were met. In 1976 the independent Transit Department was formed from the Transit Branch of the Engineering and Transportation Department. However, the independence was short lived, and on January 1, 1984 the Transit Department, the Engineering Department, and the Transportation Management Department merged to form the Transportation Department. The former Transit Department was now the Edmonton Transit Branch of the Transportation Department. The Transportation Department was reorganized and renamed the Transportation and Streets Department in 1997. On June 1, 2011 as part of a large-scale reorganization within the City, the Transportation and Streets Department was renamed Transportation Services. In 2016, this department was reorganized again to become the City Operations Department.