A new gate will be built in the downtown core on 97 Street 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 of Edmonton with the City of Harbin in China’s Heilongjiang Province. Edmonton’s Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) advocated 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 is currently working with the City of Harbin and Edmonton’s Chinese community on the design of the new gate. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2026.
Draft Design (subject to change) - view from Jasper Avenue looking north
Location
The new gate will be built on 97 Street 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
2026
- Construction anticipated to be completed
2025
- Ongoing stakeholder engagement with Edmonton’s Chinese community and the City of Harbin
- Design anticipated to be completed
- Construction anticipated to begin
2024
- Design of the new gate began
- Ongoing stakeholder 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
- Stakeholder engagement continued with Edmonton’s Chinese community and the City of Harbin
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