Publisher's Note

As we revel in the warmth of August and the vibrant festivities that colour our streets, summer in Edmonton is in full swing. This month, we celebrate Edmonton's rich cultural tapestry with a focus on the diverse array of festivals that unite our community. Whether it's relishing the rhythms of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, savouring global cuisines at Heritage Fest, or immersing yourself in the theatrical magic of the Fringe, let this month be a celebration of life's finer moments.

For August’s Profile feature, we had the privilege of sitting down with Carolyn Campbell, the visionary president of NorQuest College. Over the past three years, she has passionately led the institution towards a future rooted in inclusion and social change.

In the auto section, we explore the world of luxury vehicle storage at The Vaults, a company that elevates lifestyle storage to new heights. With its custom-built facilities and round-the-clock access, car enthusiasts can indulge in the ultimate luxury of stylishly and securely preserving their prized possessions.

Our Cuisine feature takes us to the Royal Glenora Club, where exquisite dining experiences meet community connections. With its recent redevelopment, the club exudes modern elegance while preserving its longstanding traditions. The fusion of delectable culinary delights and the warmth of shared moments create a luxury that transcends the ordinary.

On the home front, our decor article shines a spotlight on Circa Living, a local boutique that brings a curated selection of unique pieces to enrich your living spaces. Discover the art of interior design and transform your home into a haven of comfort and style.

As always, we are honoured to be your guide to the luxurious side of Edmonton. From the captivating festivals that fill our summer days to the inspiring individuals and businesses that shape our city.

Wishing you a delightful August filled with joy!

As pandemic-related restrictions ease and people get more comfortable with venturing further afield, the team at Modern Luxuria is knee-deep in mapping out travel articles for the upcoming months. After lots of discussions, hours spent trend-watching, and doing extensive research on luxury travel, what we know is this: people's needs, wants, expectations, and methods of exploring are as vast and varied as the world itself.

Some people take the gung-ho bucket list approach, spending a couple of days here and there, crossing off destinations on an itinerary as they go. Others set out to sit back and sink into a state of bliss surrounded by sun and sand in a service-focused environment.

According to Oxford Languages, luxury is defined as, "the state of great comfort and extravagant living." What that means to one person, though, may differ from what it means to another.

To some, luxury travel could be a helicopter winery tour, a week basking in the Maldives, or a few days holed up on an amenity-rich ranch in Montana. Others might view luxury as time spent in a state of Zen while sound bathing, or prioritizing wellness at a sleep retreat where massages and meditation are daily rituals.

Luxury travel can be as simple or as outrageously curated as you want it to be.

Regardless of how one goes about the quest, all seasoned travellers have certain things they cannot leave home without—a specific piece of luggage, silk pyjamas, a journal, or skin serums, creams and spritzes to help combat the effects of long-haul flights. Some might say the most important thing to bring is curiosity because without that, jetting off to parts unknown would hardly be worth the effort.

Stay tuned as we set out to bring this beautiful world and all its treasures to you. Luxury travel, however defined, is only a click away.

Norquest College's president is a champion for arts, inclusivity, and Edmonton's future

Carolyn Campbell took over the president’s role at NorQuest College three years ago. Since that time, she has worked hard to create an institution with inclusion and social change at the core of its values. We sat down with Carolyn to learn more about her vision for the future of NorQuest, her passion for the arts and education, and how time is her favourite luxury of all.

Tell us a bit about your background and how your career led you to your current role as president of NorQuest College.

I was at MacEwan for five years—back when it was Grant MacEwan Community College—and then I was at the University of Alberta for 15 years, where I was the associate dean of business school for 10 of those years. From there, I became a deputy minister and then a deputy city manager, which was so exciting. In both roles, I learned a great deal, and actually, both roles were so helpful to my current role.

But once you get a taste of the life of students and how inspiring it is to be around [that environment], it is very hard to not want to continue your career in post-secondary. When the opportunity for a role as president of NorQuest came up three years ago, I was so thrilled because it was, honestly, my dream job.

One of the things that is so exciting about NorQuest is that we really feel that we make a huge difference in students' lives—it is transformational what happens for our students.

We believe we make a really big economic difference, a big social difference, and we think we're making a pretty big difference in Edmonton’s downtown, too. On all those fronts, you really see how people in this city, and our region, are finding their way in Alberta and making positive change.

When you think about the future—students and being on a path of learning— you just know how much change is going to be ahead; your world is opened up to new people and ideas and thinking and technology. So, NorQuest is just a very exciting place to be.

Sounds like a very fulfilling role for you, but I know there is life outside of work! Tell us about your family and what you do in your free time.

My husband and I have been married for 31 years and we have identical twin boys who are all grown up now! We do find ourselves spending lots of time with my extended family in Edmonton.

I am excited to spend the summer in Edmonton; it's such a great city with great friends and great patios. I really love Bodega. Both locations have fantastic patios. Of course, the Hotel Macdonald has a great patio—there are so many! I love walking in the River Valley, but also walking in neighbourhoods. It’s so much fun to grab a coffee and explore a new neighbourhood—it's hardly hiking, but it’s really fun to walk and talk with a coffee.

I also spend a lot of time with family and friends, we go back and forth to Jasper, and then I also spend lots of time on work, school work (I’m currently doing a PhD), or in my art studio.

You are a busy woman. What kind of art do you create and what can you tell us about your PhD program?

I am a painter and I have an exhibition coming up this fall that I am busy preparing for. I do giant abstract colourful paintings that are a mash-up with highly detailed figurative drawings.

I am also doing a PhD in Board Governance and I am looking at the repatriation of cultural property. When Indigenous objects are being shown, kept, or collected in museums, and communities are asking for them back, I want to examine how the boards of these institutions are handling this change.

Inclusion and social change seem to be something that you are passionate about in your role as president of NorQuest, as well as your focus on your PhD. Can you speak a little more about what that means to you and how you incorporate it into your life?

I’m so glad you picked up on that because inclusion is a very big part of who I am and what NorQuest College is all about. About a year ago, our team created a new strategic plan, which was a massive team effort, where we did a ton of engagement on it. We weighed in with industry, government, partners, stakeholders, and students, and we created NorQuest 2030: We Are Who We Include—and it’s all about inclusion.

I also believe a big part of social change is in volunteering and participating on boards. If you want to volunteer in this city, meet people and get involved, and you know how you want to give back and can express that, it won’t take you very long to meet someone who can introduce you to someone else who can get you on an interesting board. I love volunteering—mostly in the arts, and I am on a few boards too.

Finally, what are your top three non-negotiable luxuries that make your life richer?

Honestly, they all centre around time: time with family being number one— being at home, making dinner, playing board games, hanging with my family. Next, time at my art studio is a luxury for me but it's a necessity, too— art stores could be a big luxury, too!

And finally, a luxury of my life is art museums around the world. It is a great joy for me to go and learn so much from museums, and I recognize that I am really lucky to be able to indulge in that luxury, but I absolutely love it.

As we revel in the warmth of August and the vibrant festivities that colour our streets, summer in Edmonton is in full swing. This month, we celebrate Edmonton's rich cultural tapestry with a focus on the diverse array of festivals that unite our community. Whether it's relishing the rhythms of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, savouring global cuisines at Heritage Fest, or immersing yourself in the theatrical magic of the Fringe, let this month be a celebration of life's finer moments.