Walking into Edmonton City Centre could one day mean more than opening a door.
The developer buying the downtown mall is considering metal detectors and bag screening at every entrance, including the pedways thousands of people use to get around downtown.
Richie Lam, co-CEO of Westrich Pacific, laid out the idea Monday at the International Chinatown Conference at the Brighton Block.
"Let's just try this: at every entrance, at every pedway, we are going to put four security guards and a police officer there, a metal detector and a bag scan," Lam said, in video of the session reported by CBC News.
It's a striking idea for a shopping mall.
It's also not a done deal. Westrich doesn't take over City Centre until November, and it hasn't said when screening would start or how it would work.
The pedways are the hard part
Screening people at the mall's street doors is one thing. Screening every pedway is another.
City Centre is woven into downtown Edmonton's indoor pedway network, the covered walkways that link office towers, the mall and the Central, Churchill and MacEwan LRT stations.
That means plenty of people walking through City Centre aren't there to shop. Office workers use the mall as an indoor route across downtown, especially in winter, when the pedways are the only way to cover a few blocks without a parka.
If Westrich follows through on Lam's idea, the big unanswered question is what happens to them.
It isn't clear whether everyone passing through a pedway would be screened, whether bags would have to go through a scanner, or whether office workers and future residents would get a separate way in.
Westrich hasn't said.
Security is one piece of a much bigger plan
Lam's remarks went well past metal detectors.
He also floated ideas that could change what City Centre is and who uses it:
Two towers of about 50 storeys.
Affordable housing.
An indoor patio.
An Italian grocery store or food hall.
What he called a mini-Chinatown.
Those sit on top of the redevelopment Westrich announced in August, when a judge approved its purchase.
As we reported at the time, the first phase would bring about 1,500 homes to the west side of the property, where the Hudson's Bay store used to be, along with street-facing shops and a rooftop Nordic spa.
Westrich says major construction on that first phase is targeted for early 2027, subject to approvals.
The newer ideas from Lam haven't been formally proposed. They're what the company is thinking about.
Westrich has been talking about safety from the start
This isn't the first time security has come up.
When Westrich announced its City Centre plans in August, co-CEO David Sanche told CityNews that safety was the company's "top priority."
It's easy to see why. City Centre has lost big tenants over the years, including Hudson's Bay, and downtown Edmonton has struggled with safety concerns, social disorder, empty storefronts and fewer office workers since the pandemic.
Westrich's bet is that bringing thousands of people to live on the property will help turn that around. Lam's comments suggest a much more visible security presence may be part of that bet.
Westrich hasn't technically bought it yet
The sale has been approved, but it hasn't closed.
Edmonton City Centre went into court-appointed receivership on July 7, 2025, when secured lender Otéra Capital was owed about $139.5 million. PricewaterhouseCoopers was appointed receiver.
The Alberta Court of King's Bench approved the sale to Westrich on Aug. 7, 2026. Court records show the deal is scheduled to close in November.
The sale price is sealed.
A huge piece of downtown
The size of the property is why this matters beyond the mall.
Edmonton City Centre covers about 10 acres along 102 Avenue, from 100 Street to 103 Street, with roughly 1.4 million square feet of retail and office space. It includes the east and west malls, office towers and parkades in the middle of downtown.
When the property was marketed for sale earlier this year, retail occupancy was just over 41 per cent.
Westrich's first phase alone would add about 1,500 homes to that complex.
What we still don't know
When. There's no start date for metal detectors or bag screening.
What kind of screening. Westrich hasn't said what equipment it would use.
The pedways. No word on how screening would work for people just passing through.
The police. Lam talked about an officer at each entrance. Westrich hasn't said what arrangement that would need with the Edmonton Police Service.
The stores. It isn't clear how the mall's current tenants fit into the plan.
What is clear is that Westrich sees security as part of selling a new City Centre. It isn't just pitching apartments above an old mall. It's pitching new towers, thousands of residents, new places to eat and shop, a Nordic spa, and possibly a very different walk through the front door.
Sources
Edmonton City Centre, Westrich Pacific
Edmonton City Centre Inc. receivership, PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc.
Alberta Court of King's Bench, receivership proceedings, Edmonton City Centre Inc.
Richie Lam, remarks at the International Chinatown Conference, September 28, 2026
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