To edify is to enlighten, to inform. To make or to build. It’s synonymous with inspiration. And it’s the perfect title for a community magazine about Edmonton—the capital ED in EDify. This is a magazine that “authentically reflects Edmonton in a way that informs and intrigues, uplifts and entertains.” 

The annual issue focusing on innovation encompasses all that is EDify (formerly Avenue Edmonton). With the single coverline “Edmonton is innovating: education, medicine, bionic limbs, electrical engineering, generative AI” it’s clear that this is a city developing cutting-edge advancements in technology. 

Speaking of homegrown talent, Omar Mouallem—former Avenue Edmonton intern, later

associate editor, and then freelance contributor—is back, this time at the helm as EDify’s editor-in-chief. You might recognize Omar’s name as an accomplished journalist (The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and Maclean’s, among many others), filmmaker, author, and founder of Pandemic University, a pop-up online writing school. 

The creation of this tech issue may have been well underway when Omar joined the team, but it couldn’t be a better fit for his first issue. He has regularly offered a workshop on tech tools for writers and editors at industry association events and via Pandemic University. This is an editor who knows his tech!

And he’s bringing his own innovations to the magazine. He tells us he’s planning “a small team of contributing editors contributing editors with expertise across different fields.” They’ll act as EDify’s “eyes and ears on the ground” to identify early trends in sectors throughout Edmonton, with stories on everything from visual arts and culture to design and fashion, lifestyle and dining to business and health. 

The latter—business and health stories, like those featured in this May 2025 issue—will become “a more consistent part of our editorial mix, helping to establish EDify as an authority on those sectors in Edmonton.” 

Wondering what you can expect on this front? We’ve highlighted five tech stories to pique your interest:

• “Code Switch” by Omar Mouallem – AI takes on anti-Indigenous racism 
• “Augmented Humanity” by Caitlin Hart – An interdisciplinary lab transcends bionic limbs with machine learning 
• “Bleeding Edge Design” by Areeha Mahal – Can an emergency doctor and engineer put their lifesaving technology in the hands of everyday people?
• “The Power of Positive Reinforcement” by Cory Schachtel – Turing Award winner Rich Sutton believes the next frontier of AI lies in merging natural and artificial minds
• “Distant Memory” by Caroline Barlott – A distinguished neurologist devotes himself to reversing Alzheimer’s memory loss

Stay tuned for other exciting new features from EDify! Omar tells us they’re working on adding more longform and creative non-fiction stories, and “new columns that deepen our storytelling.”

Pick up your free copy of EDify’s May issue before it’s too late! Or better yet, have it delivered to your home each month when you take advantage of AMPA’s Read Alberta promotion to save 50% on two subscriptions of your choice.