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When Edmonton city council hammered out reforms enabling ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to operate in our city it made national news.

It not only made headlines across Canada, it made the right kind of headlines in English and French.

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One of the defining characteristics of our city in recent years has been a concern about the city’s brand. Everyone who lives here knows Edmonton is an open, inventive and entrepreneurial place. But there’s been a growing sense that our reputation across Canada and around the world didn’t quite match that reality.

Over the past seven or eight years, an entire movement has sprung up aimed at changing perceptions about Edmonton, led by bright and youthful leaders like author Todd Babiak, entrepreneur Chris Labossiere and social media/community organizer Mack Male.

Over time this movement has accumulated political influence. The city dedicated nearly $1 million for “Edmonton’s image and branding strategy.” Out are stuffy, meaningless slogans like “City of Champions.” In are celebrations of Edmonton culture and startup projects to improve Edmonton’s quality of life and appeal to the kind of young, urban professional we want to attract. This is a city for people with ideas. Taking a risk is the most Edmonton thing you can do.