This evening I did my last training run on the Hotel MacDonald staircase before they are destroyed tomorrow to make way for a funicular in seventeen months. 202 wooden steps that I have loved and hated with equal passion. An appropriate blanket of fog descended over them as I pushed my way up, a fitting end for this monument. They were convenient for me to get to, and they were hard to do. And that is the key thing about them that I think the city is missing.
The Edmonton Journal had an article where Councillor Ben Henderson was saying this will be “a win for the city”. And I can see the advantage; to allow people with disabilities to use the river valley. Plus free money from the federal government will help create jobs. But I think they have the wrong attitude.

“All of the entryways from downtown to get into the river valley right now are extremely steep. I have tried, literally, every single one from downtown and they are somewhat scary to get down at the grade that they are at right now.”
– Erin Jackson, Committee Member, Accessibility Advisory Committee.

We need those stairs because they are hard. There are certain things that shouldn’t be made easy. The accomplishment comes from adversity. There should not be an escalator to the top of a mountain. And Edmonton is thick with runners who like to push themselves. If you have ever looked at the Glenora staircase, it is usually filled with runners after work. These are my people and we are being marginalized.
Now, all that said, I am being selfish here. I want to keep this staircase because it works for me. I just wish they could have picked a different location, maybe east of the Shaw conference centre. And in seventeen months, there will be a new staircase for me to use, but it probably won’t be as steep as I like. The delay will disrupt my training and I will have to find a different way to do my anaerobic training.
Goodbye Hotel MacDonald Staircase.