A new gate will be built in the downtown core on 97 Street between Jasper Avenue and 101A Avenue, where the original Edmonton Chinatown began.
Project Information
The new gate will replace the original version that was located on 102 Avenue. The original gate was dismantled and put into storage in 2017 to accommodate the construction of the Valley Line Southeast LRT.
In 1987, the original gate officially opened to commemorate the sister-city relationship between Edmonton and the City of Harbin in China’s Heilongjiang Province. Edmonton’s Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) partnered with the City for the establishment of the gate, and for 30 years it stood as a representation of the friendship between the two cities.
The City of Edmonton has worked with the City of Harbin and Edmonton’s Chinese community on the design of the new gate. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2026 and be completed in early 2027.
Chinatown Gate public information sessions
With the final design of the new gate now complete, the Project Team will be hosting two public information sessions to share details and renderings of the new gate.
- The first session will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 11am-1 pm.
- The second session will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 6-8pm.
Both sessions will be held at the TD Explorer Room on the second floor of the Stanley A. Milner Library in downtown Edmonton. There will not be a formal presentation, so people can come and go at any time. Project staff will be available to answer questions and share information about the design. A small 3D model of the new gate will also be available to view. The same information will be available at both sessions, so there is no need to attend both.
View from Jasper Avenue looking north
View from 101A Avenue looking south
Location
The new gate will be built on 97 Street between Jasper Avenue and 101A Avenue. The new gate is intended to create a sense of connectedness in cultural experience, improve the vibrancy of the surrounding area and serve as a defining boundary for the city’s old and new Chinatowns in conjunction with the Gate of Happy Arrival at 107A Avenue. Foundation footings and landscaping were installed as part of the Jasper Avenue New Vision project.
Gateway Plazas and Gate Location
Project Timeline
2027
- Construction anticipated to be completed
2026
- Construction scheduled to begin
2025
- Edmonton City Council approved additional budget of $2.7 million for the project, bringing the total budget to $8.7 million, following preliminary design costing exercise
- Community engagement with Edmonton’s Chinese community and the City of Harbin
- Detailed Design completed and shared with Edmonton’s Chinese community (in progress)
- Call for Artist Procurement to provide design for artwork on the north-facing panels of the gate
2024
- Design of the new gate began. Concept design completed and shared with the Chinese community. Drop-in event in fall 2024 to share Concept Design.
- Consultant and Construction Manager contracts awarded
- Engagement with Edmonton’s Chinese community and the City of Harbin
2023
- Edmonton City Council approved $6 million to design and build a new gate
2022
- Streetscape improvements including structural work for the gate’s foundation and plaza landscaping were completed as part of the Jasper Avenue New Vision Project
2019
- Initial design concept for a new gate was developed by the City of Harbin as a gift
2017
- Original gate was dismantled and put into storage