Wîhkwêntôwin is the densest neighbourhood in Edmonton, humming with more than 18,000 residents and dozens of businesses. It is also home to many empty lots, referred to as pits. A local Instagram account has highlighted these pits, which are defined as a “place that used to have a building, and is now empty, with no current construction.” According to the account, Edmonton Pit Tour, there are 10 pits in Wîhkwêntôwin, including the well known Jameson Pit on 121 Street and 102 Avenue. The Pit was formed in 2021 by Vancouver-based property developer Open Sky Developments and is intended to house the Jameson Tower, a 22-storey residential building. While the Jameson Pit is relatively young compared to other pits in the city, it differs in that it is three-storeys deep and has its own ecosystem. In 2025, Open Sky Developments said it intends to resume construction but as of now, their website is inactive. “It’s really a lost opportunity for urban development,” said Edmonton Pit Tour guide Stephanie Swensrude. “It’s not living up to its full potential.” Swensrude approached Edmonton Pit Tour for an interview, but ended up partnering up with the account to offer an in-person tour of several pits in Wîhkwêntôwin. “This area has such a concentration of pits … so it’s a little bit strange because you’ll be walking past something like this, and then one block in, you’re in this lovely, densely populated, vibrant neighbourhood,” said Swensrude. Tuesday evening’s tour was sold out, with 80 people braving the rain to learn more about Edmonton’s pits. “I think it’s a really clever way of doing activism,” said one attendee. “Bringing humour and activism together in a way that gets people’s attention, but also discusses something serious about our city.” The tour took participants to five different pits in the area, including the Jameson Pit and the Emerald Pit on Jasper Avenue and 114 Street. The Emerald Pit is more than a decade old and was created by Regency Developments, the same company that owns the property known as the BMO Pit on 101 Street and 102 Avenue. Development began in 2018, said Swensrude, but it was soon realized that soil remediation needed to be done as it was a site of a gas station at one point. It has sat empty with no activity ever since. “Regency said they promise that work has been done to beautify the site,” Swensrude said during the tour. The pit is littered with garbage and filled with mud and puddles, often frequented by geese and other birds. Ward O-day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson said she hopes the pit tour can highlight some of the progress the city has made on some pits and derelict properties, such as Dwayne’s House on 102 Street and 100 Avenue which is now demolished after years of sitting empty. “That was a huge sore point for many years,” said the councillor. “We’re looking at what tools we have to incentivize and require redevelopment.” Recently, the city has made an effort to address the dozens of unpermitted surface-level parking lots in the downtown core. “I think looking at the progress that we’re making on the pits of despair is important while recognizing it continues to be a challenge,” said Stevenson. Edmonton Pit Tour intends to host another event in the near future. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
