20 Things I Love About Edson

Sometimes we forget to recognize the the amazing features and assets that Edson has to offer (in no particular order):

1	Galloway Station Museum	What a great asset! Not only is this a top notch museum and knowledge source for Edson history, but its Shell Room is one of the best locations for groups and businesses to meet. This is the weekly meeting place for the Rotary Club of Edson. For more info click Galloway Station museum
2	RCMP Centennial Park	This is one of the first things travelers notice when they visit Edson. Its the crown jewel of the town, offering tourists and locals the opportunity stroll around the fountain, and partake in entertainment in the amphitheater.
3	Trails	Edson has a great network of dirt, gravel, and paved trails for locals to get fresh air and enjoy nature. Back in the 2013 election I proposed a longterm plan for the trail and park system. In 2017 the town completed it with the Master Trails Plan. Click here to download the trails map
4	Willmore Park	I’ve spoken to people that lived here their entire lives without ever visiting Willmore Park, what a shame. This park offers great walking trails and swimming opportunities in the summer, and the best toboggan hill for winter fun. The campsites are also nice and clean with quick access to town if you forgot something. Click here for map of the park
5	Edson Bike Park	Within Willmore Park is the Edson Cycling Association’s new Bike Park. Not only will the park be very popular with locals but it is a huge draw for tourists to the region. I was proud to be a part of Rotary’s funding of the Rotary Pump Track. They are still looking for volunteers and funds so help them out! For more info visit their page.
6	Vision Park	Vision Park is nationally famous for its Slo-pitch tournaments and parties in the past. Council recently approved the Vision Park Revitalization Plan to upgrade the park to modern standards and re-focus the park on provincial and national level sport competition.
7	Dog Parks	We now have 2 dog parks in town, one centrally located for quick and easy access, and another park south of the train tracks for more privacy and space.
8	Rotary Skate Park	When I was young I raced BMX (1st place Nationals!) so I know the importance of this park. It gives youth a place to burn off energy, get some exercise, have fun and socialize. Safety will be an ongoing concern at this park, but on a whole its a great asset.
9	Kinsmen Spray Park	My kids loved this place when we were younger and we have some dedicated volunteers and their sponsors to thank for it. A lot of work went into planning and financing this huge project and it will be loved for years to come.
10	Red Brick Theatre	Not only a historically important building for the town, the Red Brick Theater offers a place for the development and display of culture and fine arts in Edson.
11	The Two Highways	People occasionally grumble about the stress or safety of crossing the highway, but from an entrepreneur’s point of view we have twice as much highway frontage as most towns in Alberta. With over 10,000 vehicles driving through our town daily, the highway is a critical economic engine to our success.
12	Edson Golf Club	Not only does the Edson Golf Club offer a great course with mature trees, but it also features a convenient pro-shop and the Bench Bar & Grill. Click here for more info.
13	Edson Public Library	With today’s dependence on technology and immediate access to online formation at our finger tips, you would think that a library is unnecessary. Surprisingly the library has never been busier with locals looking for a place to learn and socialize.
14	New Hospital	This was a desperate and immediate need for our community. The state of the art hospital will improve not only emergency care but provide longterm care for many health concerns. Now we must make sure that every possible service is provided by the hospital so we don’t need to travel for health care.
15	New Parkland Lodge	Longterm suites for our seniors was one of my campaign proposals in the 2013 election. The new Parkland Lodge contains 18 renovated single-lodge units, 64 new supportive-living lodge units and 23 self-contained lodge units.
16	Downtown	We have beautified the downtown area tremendously over the last decade. I still think it can be improved a lot more, but we are off to a great start.
17	Train	I know what you are thinking “the train?” but without it we would not be here. Not only was it the founding reason for our town, but it continues to drive economic growth and provide stable jobs for its operation.
18	Weyerhaeuser & West Fraser	Often disregarded but our forestry sector sure has provided steady jobs to thousands of people over the years when the town was going through Oil & Gas boom/busts. We need to actively seek and plan for additional long-term employers like these to diversify our economy.
19	Ring Road	People don’t always recognize the importance of 22 Ave (Twp Rd 534, Hwy 748), 40st (Bear Lk Road), and the Rodeo road, but they create a route for trucks to circumvent the town, and they provide a quick route for locals to get around. As the town grows, these routes will become more and more important for safety, efficiency, and industrial development.
20	Soccer Fields	Our soccer fields offer opportunities for local recreation as well as provincial-level sport competition. The size and quality of these assets mean they are important for drawing tourism dollars into our economy.