Edmonton's Urban Villages: The Community League MovementHow did a collection of neighbourhood volunteer organizations come to influence the development of a major Canadian city? Few other North American cities have embraced the community league movement with the vigour of Edmonton. For 87 years, tens of thousands of volunteers from the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) have often acted as a counterweight to large private and institutional interests, shaping municipal development by providing a voice and a training ground for grassroots civic participation. In its wake, the EFCL has left a host of sports, cultural, and civic initiatives for the improvement of Edmonton, and an important lesson on how to create community. |
Contents
From Fur Traders to Bureaucrats 17951914 | 1 |
The Community Gives a Voice 19151929 | 17 |
Community Spirit in Depression and War 19301946 | 41 |
Black Gold Roughnecks and a Booming Community 19471960 | 69 |
Growth Immigration and Prosperity 19611987 | 97 |
Picking Up the Slack Again 19881998 | 141 |
Reinventing and Reinvesting 19992004 | 167 |
Onward to the Future | 189 |
List of Current Leagues | 201 |
About Area Councils | 207 |
EFCL Code of Ethics | 221 |
Notes | 225 |
| 229 | |
| 231 | |
About the Author | 249 |
Common terms and phrases
activities Allan Bolstad annual Area Council Avenue became began board members Boysdale Camp Foundation CACCL Calgary Canada Canadian Castle Downs centre Charles Simmonds city council City of Edmonton city's civic Club committee community hall community league movement construction continued cost countless demand economy Edmonton Archives Edmonton Bulletin Edmonton Examiner Edmonton Federation Edmonton Journal Edmonton Police Service Edmonton's residents EFCL board EFCL president EFCL's effort elected established facilities Federation of Community federation's Fort Edmonton funding growing growth hockey Hotel Macdonald included increasing infrastructure involved issues January Jasper Place kilometres land later league volunteers major Mayor meeting membership Mill Woods municipal needs neighbourhood North North Saskatchewan River operations organizations Park percent planning playgrounds population programs provincial recreation commission reported Revitalization river role Ron Hayter Rossdale Saskatchewan school board served skating South Edmonton Strathcona Street task force University of Alberta Whyte Avenue