The new owners of City Centre Mall in the heart of downtown Edmonton are considering adding security screening with metal detectors, just like at the airport.
Westrich Pacific co-CEO Richie Lam, speaking to the International Chinatown Conference on Monday, said he was considering adding security guards, a metal detector and a bag scanner at every entrance.
Lam added anyone looking like they do not belong at the mall will not be allowed in.
Owners hope adding more attractions, including more apartments and more security to the downtown mall, will bring more people to the core.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Lam revealed plans for four apartment buildings, including on top of the former Hudson’s Bay store, totalling 1,500 new homes. He hopes construction on the first tower can begin next year.
“The main thing is something has to change right now,” Lam said. “Like, the mall is in bankruptcy because no one has shopped there. People don’t feel safe there, right? That’s why it’s in bankruptcy right now. So we have to do something to change it.
“Again, by putting residents there, by increasing and making people feel safe that they wanna go, right?”
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The mall already spends $6 million on security. Lam says any changes need to be done right, saying a “balance” needs to be found in order for customers not to be profiled and turned away.
“That’s one thing we do not want to enter in that realm,” he said.
Lam is also hoping for a T&T grocery store with a mini Chinatown inside Edmonton’s downtown mall.
That possible connection to Chinatown, and the prospect of more residents, was welcomed by one community leader.
“I am really welcoming the news that City Centre is gonna be having a rebirth and having all the new types of shopping and food experience in there,” said Sandy Pon, the chair of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society of Edmonton.
“Once you have the residents, more residents in the area, it’s just more vibrancy, and this is what we need.”
Westrich Pacific is planning to launch a website soon to get public feedback on what they’d like to see in the mall. More details on the plans are expected by December.
–With files from Lauren Boothby
Edmonton’s City Centre Mall on Sept. 29, 2026. (CityNews)
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