The ''Edmonton Riverboat'', formerly known as the ''Edmonton Queen'', is a

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

on the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventual ...

in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The riverboat originally started to sail on the river under the name ''Edmonton Queen'' in 1995 and has become a unique Edmonton attraction. The Edmonton Riverboat is 52 metres long and configured to carry 399 passengers as of 2020. The Edmonton Riverboat primary operates during the summer months as the cold weather, variable river levels and the North Saskatchewan River is often iced-over throughout the winter.

History

On 2 April 1992, Edmonton

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Jan Reimer Janice Rhea Reimer (born May 23, 1952) is a Canadian politician and the first female mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, having served in that capacity from 1989 until 1995. Highlights of her time in office included the inception of a new waste managemen ...

would announce a

CA$ The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...

3.4-million venture partially funded by the federal and provincial government to build a dock for the proposed Edmonton Riverboat. Edmonton builder Scott Steel would construct the riverboat within the city, but would refuse to release the vessel, claiming he was owed $1.35-million. Edmonton Riverboat Summer 2018

The Riverboat was a lifelong dream of Edmonton businessmen Ray Collins who formed the North Saskatchewan Riverboat Company and prepared the boat. The North Saskatchewan Riverboat Company would fail before launching the Edmonton Queen, and the riverboat was subsequently sold to the

development corporation Development corporations or development firms are organizations established by governments in several countries for the purpose of urban development. They often are responsible for the development of new suburban areas or the redevelopment of exi ...

Carrington Properties for

500,000 in early 1995. The Edmonton Queen would eventually be launched on the North Saskatchewan River on 4 May 1995. In April 2016, the boat was sold in

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

for $553,000 and underwent renovations, upgrades, and a change in name to ''Edmonton Riverboat''. The Edmonton Riverboat has had a number of grounding and weather incidents throughout its history. In July 2019, the boat became lodged on a

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body o ...

. The 300 passengers on board were rescued by the Edmonton Fire Department. In April 2020, the boat was damaged after its hull was punctured by one of the underwater concrete pilings at dock due to rapid water level fluctuations from the

spring thaw ''Sacrifices of the Heart'' (working title ''Spring Thaw'') is a 2007 American made-for-television drama film starring Melissa Gilbert and Ken Howard that aired on Hallmark Channel in 2007. The film is made from a script by Patti Davis, daughte ...

. As of June 2020 the riverboat is dry-docked in Whitemud Park for repairs. As of July 2022, the Edmonton Riverboat is back in operation after repairs and upgrades were completed.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edmonton Riverboat 1995 ships Ships built in Alberta Tourist attractions in Edmonton 1995 establishments in Alberta Ferries of Alberta