Amanda Proudfoot knows how important a safe and secure City Hall is to Edmonton.
It’s a place where Edmontonians, elected officials and City staff shape the future of the city at Council meetings and public hearings. It’s also known as a “people place,” where you can learn about local history, make connections and build communities. On a usual day, you can see a mix of students from City Hall School, office workers grabbing coffee at The Hallway Café, and non-profit groups hosting events under the pyramid in the City Room.
“It’s a representation of the entire city,” she said. “It’s like the central meeting place, the town square. It’s the heart of the city, where people who represent Edmontonians make decisions.”
Proudfoot is one of more than 70 City employees who worked to repair, restore and reopen City Hall after an intruder fired a gun and threw explosive devices outside Council Chambers on January 23, 2024.
The building reopened, with new security measures, to the public on March 25, 2024.
Thanking City staff
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and city councillors recognized the collective efforts of these employees— including mental health consultants, security specialists, electricians, carpenters and painters—at a Council meeting on April 3, 2024.
Other employees thanked include those who responded in the immediate aftermath of the January incident, such as Traffic Operations workers who closed the roads around City Hall, and Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) bus operators.
“The start of 2024 has been challenging for the City so seeing everyone here today is something to celebrate,” said Mayor Sohi.
“I would like to thank the many people who contributed to the response and recovery from City Hall security, the first responders, City employees whose bravery and quick decision-making secured the building and its people on January 23, to the leaders and professionals who ensured staff were supported in their healing journeys and to the City Operations team, who completed trauma-informed repairs. To City staff who kept the public informed and engaged in the governance processes and to Elder Tom Snow, who blessed the building as staff began to re-enter the worksite. Thank you for your hard work and commitment.”
Repairing City Hall
During the January incident, the Mayor, some councillors and City staff were in a meeting in the River Valley Room when they heard gunshots in another part of City Hall. They were able to leave the building safely as were some Grade 1 students on a field trip, who then sheltered in Edmonton Transit warming buses.
Glass panels, walls and carpet inside City Hall were damaged by gunshots and explosive devices. City staff worked diligently and steadily to clean up glass and burn marks, build temporary walls and barriers, replace glass panels and repair walls, floors, carpets and doorways.
Creating a safe space
Amanda Proudfoot works in the City of Edmonton’s Sign Shop, which creates all of the City’s traffic, wayfinding and informational signs. She and her colleagues, Matt Acker and Sergio Marin, designed and made vinyl coverings for some temporary walls and a door as well as a broken window in City Hall. (They installed everything but the window covering, which required workers certified to operate a scissor-lift to reach the pane.)
For the wall and door coverings, Proudfoot created a design identical to the one on City Hall’s existing walls. She used the same pattern and colours in order to camouflage the damage and minimize any traumatic reminders.
“You don’t even really notice that there’s still a construction area there, which was the whole idea—we didn’t want [the temporary walls] to be so jarring for staff and visitors,” said Proudfoot.
Bow Sanderson, Team Leader of Traffic Field Operations, and Shewkar Ibrahim, Director of Traffic Operations, also helped to coordinate the Sign Shop’s work.
“It’s just a team effort,” said Sanderson. “It’s Traffic Field Operations in a nutshell. This is just what we do on a day-to-day basis. So when anybody in the City needs help with something, if we can help, we will be the first to respond and help out. That’s just what we do.”
New security measures
In addition to repairs, City staff planned, coordinated and implemented new security measures to provide a safe and secure City Hall for everyone.
The building opened in phases over a nine-week period. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, councillors and some staff returned during the first week of February, followed by additional City employees and guests in mid-March, and the public on March 25, 2024.
Visitors will notice a few changes. Only the southeast and southwest entrances to City Hall are currently open. To enter the City Room, members of the public must enter through a dedicated access point and undergo security screening and bag check. Stairwells are locked for emergency use only and elevators require City of Edmonton identification cards to operate. The City Hall parkade remains restricted to authorized users.
Returning to City Hall
Holly O’Brien, general manager of The Hallway Café, is happy to see people and vibrancy return to City Hall. The café employs high-risk and at-risk youth as part of a program run by E4C, a non-profit organization.
“We love getting to know City Hall employees, and seeing council members support the work we do,” she said. “It means a lot to be back. We can continue to provide learning opportunities for the youth and see our ‘regulars’ again.”
School resumes for students
City Hall School students have also returned to the building. Led by educator Moselle Semeniuk, the school teaches grade 1 to 12 students about municipal government and the role of City Hall in Edmonton.
“When students get their first tour of the building we tell them: this is a ‘people place,” she said. “They see that in action through the events that take place, the skating rink/fountain outside, the people who regularly spend part of their day at the tables inside City Hall, the pianists who come play on our public piano. The students also see it every time the councillors, Mayor and other staff warmly welcome us when they see us.
“In Spring 2023, a grade 2 student said to me, ‘City Hall feels like home now.’ That is always what I’ve hoped it means to participants of City Hall School. I want them to leave with the knowledge that City Hall belongs to everyone.”
Welcome home, Edmonton.
Editor’s note: the pic at the top of the post shows members of the City’s Traffic Operations on the main floor of the City Room: (from left to right) Shewkar Ibrahim, Director of Traffic Operations; Darryl Mullen, General Manager of Traffic Control and Parking; Josue Moreno, Team Leader, Detours; Bow Sanderson, Team Leader, Traffic Field Operations; Dawson Roberts, Manager of Traffic Field Operations; Jenny Albers, General Supervisor, Planning and Permitting, April 3, 2024.