Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone. Shhhhh. Something is changing and it’s not right for us to talk about it.  We’re uncomfortable talking about these things … good things. We’re expected to be talking about the mosquitos in the summer and the dark days of winter. So whatever you do … please don’t share this with too many people.

Headline: Edmonton is emerging as an incredible place for young people to come and build their lives, their businesses and their careers.

Shhhhh.  I told you it’ll feel uncomfortable to say … so keep it to yourself.

Last week we were ranked as one of the Top 5 cities for entrepreneurs, with an extraordinary high level of entrepreneurs per capita versus others. Then this week, TecEdmonton was rated as the #1 business incubator in Canada and #17 in the world by Scandinavia’s UBI Global Benchmarking Report. Those honours come on the heels of being listed as the #3 city for Quality of Life among all global cities.

No wonder organizations like Startup Edmonton, TecEdmonton, EO Entrepreneurs Organization (#1 chapter in the world) and ACG Association for Corporate Growth (#1 new chapter launch ever) are among the most successful and fastest growing entities within their categories.  All here … in just Edmonton.  Shhhhh, damn it!

Where else can people come together in just 4 months to create E-Town as western Canada’s premier entrepreneurship festival? Where else can you sell 60,000 individual light bulbs in a few months to light up a 100 year old bridge? I guess it is because we’ve always done it. People behind upcoming things like the Heritage Days and the Fringe Festival, the ITU World Triathlon Championship, the LPGA and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup … and people like Don Sprague and Margaret Bateman and Don Lowry and Lyle Best have taught us how to make something happen … how to make something Edmonton.

And they couldn’t do it without companies like ATB Financial or TELUS or PCL Construction or Stantec or The Running Room or Fountain Tire or PriceWaterhouseCoopers or Finning or the many others that step up and help make these kind of awesome things happen in our city.  And I know there are so many more …

I just wanted to quietly say … thank you.

Just don’t tell anyone that it’s happening or how we do it.

Shhhhh.