Demolition of Edmonton's iconic horse-racing track almost complete

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPolitics Demolition of Edmonton's iconic horse-racing track almost complete Work on bringing down the old Coliseum has begun, with officials anticipating it could be gone by spring of 2028 Author of the article: By Eric Bowling Published Sep 21, 2026 Last updated 12 minutes ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Crews continue the demolition of the former Northlands Spectrum (now known as the Edmonton Spectrum building), on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. The demolition involves heavy equipment removing sections of the last remaining building on the historic Northlands Park Racetrack and Casino property. PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia Article content Edmonton’s centenarian horse track has almost finished galloping its way into the city’s dusty history and the city’s original temple of hockey is not far behind. Article content Officials gave an update on the $10.8-million demolition of the original 118-year-old racetrack at Northlands on Monday. Work is on schedule and so long as the snow doesn’t make an early appearance this winter, the land should be graded and ready for development next year. Article content Article content Article content “If we get an early freeze or a lot of snow, then we’ll have to wait until spring to really grade the site properly,” said city infrastructure services general supervisor Jack Ashton. “We would have to bring in material to fill in the hole and get it to a certain compaction and get it ready for the developers.” Article content Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The plan also involves demolition of the Edmonton Oilers’ old home. Using a $55-million grant to finish the work, Ashton said the project has already begun, with abatement crews sweeping the Coliseum. Once that work is complete, the outer concrete panels will be removed. Article content He added roughly 80 per cent of the demolition material, including the concrete and steel, will be recycled into other new buildings. Article content “You’ll see scaffolding along the perimeter of the rooftop and a stair tower which will provide access to the roof,” he said. “Once the site is clean, then we can actually start the…