Constable Ezio Faraone Park

Constable Ezio Faraone Park — Edmonton’s clifftop lookout and police memorial

This is a small park with one very large view. Four and a quarter hectares of lawn, shrub planting and paved lookout sit on the top of the north bank of the North Saskatchewan, right at the north end of the High Level Bridge and immediately west of the Alberta Legislature grounds. From the railing the whole river valley opens up: the bridge stretching south on its steel trestles, the flats and treetops below, the downtown towers off to one side and the water running west to east under it all. It takes about ten minutes to walk the whole park and most people stay far longer. It is also a memorial, and the reason for the name is stated plainly on site.

Highlights

• The lookout — a paved, railed viewpoint on the very edge of the bank giving an uninterrupted panorama of the North Saskatchewan River valley, the bridge and the downtown skyline, reachable without descending into the valley.
• The bronze memorial — a larger-than-life sculpture by Edmonton artist Danek Mozdzenski showing Constable Faraone in uniform, kneeling beside a young boy; it is the focal point of the park and of the annual police memorial gatherings held here.
• The High Level Bridge — completed in 1913, 777 metres long and 48 metres above the river, filling the southern half of the view; the first streetcar crossed it on 11 August 1913.
• The Alberta Legislature grounds — immediately adjacent, with formal gardens, fountains and the 1913 domed Legislature Building, making an easy combined walk.
• The honour roll — the park commemorates every Edmonton police officer killed on duty, including Constable Frank Beevers, who died in 1918, and Constable William Leslie Nixon, who died in 1919; it was rededicated to all of them on 25 June 2024.
• The heritage streetcar — from May to October the Edmonton Radial Railway Society runs restored streetcars across the High Level Bridge between the Old Strathcona district on the south side and its northern terminus near the park, one of the most striking short rides in Canada.

What you’ll find

The park is simple by design: open lawn, mature and ornamental planting, benches, paved walkways and the memorial, all arranged so that the view does the work. Because it sits on the top of the bank rather than in the valley, it is one of the few genuinely panoramic viewpoints in Edmonton that requires no climb.

• The bronze memorial sculpture and its surrounding paved plaza and seating.
• A railed clifftop viewing edge with benches placed to face the valley.
• Level paved paths suitable for wheelchairs, strollers and visitors who cannot manage valley grades.
• Lawn and shaded seating for a short picnic, with the city on one side and the valley on the other.
• Trail connections leading down into the river valley park system and along the top of the bank.
• Interpretive and commemorative plaques identifying the officers honoured here.

Things to do — and who it’s for

• First-time visitors to Edmonton — if you have one hour and want to understand the city’s geography, this is the single most efficient stop: valley, bridge, skyline and legislature in one place.
• Photographers — sunrise puts light on the downtown towers, sunset silhouettes the bridge, and winter ice fog over the river produces the most dramatic conditions of the year.
• Visitors with limited mobility — a rare river valley view with level paved access and parking close by, rather than a steep descent.
• People paying respects — the memorial is the gathering point for police commemorations, and quiet visits are entirely normal on any ordinary day.
• Walkers and runners — the park is a natural start or turnaround point for routes along the top of the bank, across the bridge or down into the valley.
• History travellers — the bridge, the legislature and the memorial together cover a century of Edmonton’s civic story within a few hundred metres.

Getting there & practical

The park sits on the top of the north bank at the north end of the High Level Bridge, next to the Alberta Legislature grounds and a short walk west of downtown. The nearest LRT is Government Centre Station, served by the Capital Line and the Metro Line, which is a walk of a few minutes; several downtown bus routes pass close by. There is parking beside the park, which is what makes it usable for anyone who cannot manage a valley walk. From May to October the heritage streetcar’s northern terminus is close by, so you can combine the park with a bridge crossing. Entry is free and the park is unenclosed, open daily on the standard Edmonton parks schedule from early morning to late evening; the lookout is lit and used after dark, and the memorial is accessible at all hours. There are no admission charges of any kind here — the neighbouring paid attractions are the streetcar ride and, further down, valley facilities. Budget fifteen to thirty minutes for the park itself, an hour if you are combining it with the legislature grounds, and up to half a day if you continue down into the valley or ride the streetcar across the bridge.

When to visit

Summer is the busiest and the easiest: the legislature gardens and fountains are running, the streetcar is operating, the valley below is solid green, and June daylight lasts past ten in the evening, so late walks are comfortable. Autumn is the best light of the year — the valley turns gold in late September and the view from the railing becomes a full canopy of colour with the bridge cutting through it. Winter in Edmonton is severe and it changes this park completely: long stretches below −20°C, deep cold snaps colder again, and a valley that goes white and silent. Ice fog rising from the open water beneath the bridge on a −25°C morning is a genuine spectacle, and the low sun sits at an angle that never happens in summer; dress properly, because the bank edge is fully exposed to wind. Spring is the least photogenic but the most active period, when melt swells the river below and the valley trails reopen. Any season, early morning and the hour before sunset are the two times worth planning around.

Good to know

The park is named for Constable Ezio Joseph Faraone of the Edmonton Police Service, who was born in 1957 and killed on duty on 25 June 1990, at the age of 33. He was a ten-year member of the force, serving with its task force unit, and was shot as he approached a vehicle believed to have been used in a bank robbery. He was the third Edmonton police officer to die on duty since 1918. Two men were later convicted of his murder. One immediate operational consequence was a change of policy requiring all task force members to wear body armour. In the months after his death, support from Edmonton residents, the City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta made it possible both to acquire this land as a park and to commission the memorial. The name was designated in 1991 and the park officially opened on 21 June 1992. The sculpture is by Edmonton artist Danek Mozdzenski and shows Faraone in uniform, kneeling beside a young boy — a deliberately ordinary, unheroic pose. The park has never commemorated one officer alone: from the beginning it also honoured Constable Frank Beevers, who died in 1918, and Constable William Leslie Nixon, who died in 1919, both shot by assailants, and on 25 June 2024 it was formally rededicated as a memorial to all Edmonton police officers killed in the line of duty, with an honour roll of ten names including Sergeant Malcolm Jack. The setting is not accidental either. The park occupies part of the top-of-bank land that Edmonton has been protecting since landscape architect Frederick G. Todd advised the City in 1907 to keep the river valley and its ravines as open space and to build a scenic route along the bank edge; between 1907 and 1931 the City acquired more than a hundred valley properties on that principle, and the result is the North Saskatchewan River valley parks system — over 7,300 hectares and more than 160 kilometres of maintained trail, the largest contiguous urban parkland in Canada. The view south is dominated by the High Level Bridge, completed in 1913 at 777 metres long and 48 metres above the water, carrying rail, road and streetcar traffic in its original configuration; the first streetcar crossed on 11 August 1913. The Edmonton Radial Railway Society, formed in 1980, restored the service and has run heritage streetcars across the bridge each summer since, with the northern terminus a short walk from the park.

Visitor tips

• Come at either end of the day. Midday flattens the valley; the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset give the depth that makes the view worth the trip.
• In winter, treat the lookout as exposed ground. The bank edge catches wind straight off the valley, and the effective temperature there can be far below what the forecast says.
• Combine it with the legislature grounds next door and, in summer, a streetcar crossing of the High Level Bridge — together they make a compact half-day with no admission cost for the park itself.

Questions & answers

Who was Ezio Faraone? A constable with the Edmonton Police Service, born in 1957, who was shot and killed on duty on 25 June 1990 at the age of 33 while approaching a vehicle believed to have been used in a bank robbery. He had served ten years on the force. Two men were convicted of his murder, and police policy was changed afterwards to require body armour for task force members.

What exactly is the memorial? A larger-than-life bronze by Edmonton sculptor Danek Mozdzenski showing Faraone in uniform kneeling beside a young boy, set in a paved plaza with commemorative plaques. Since 25 June 2024 the park has been rededicated to all Edmonton police officers killed in the line of duty, ten names in total.

How big is the park and how long does a visit take? It is 4.25 hectares and mostly lawn, planting and paved walkway. Fifteen to thirty minutes covers it comfortably; an hour if you include the legislature grounds next door.

Is it accessible? Yes, unusually so for a river valley viewpoint. The paths are level and paved, parking is adjacent, and you reach the panorama without descending the bank — which is why it is often recommended to visitors who cannot manage valley trails.

What can you see from the lookout? The North Saskatchewan River valley in both directions, the High Level Bridge immediately to the south, the wooded flats below, and the downtown skyline. In winter you frequently see ice fog rising off the open water beneath the bridge.

Is there an entrance fee? No. The park, the lookout and the memorial are free and open on the standard Edmonton parks schedule. The heritage streetcar across the bridge, which runs from May to October, is a separate paid ride.

When was the park created? The name was designated in 1991 and the park officially opened on 21 June 1992, funded and enabled by community, municipal and provincial support after Constable Faraone’s death.

Can I get down into the river valley from here? Yes. Trail connections lead from the park down into the valley park system and along the top of the bank, linking to Victoria Park and the wider network of more than 160 kilometres of maintained trail. The descent is steep, so allow time and proper footwear.