TCS President Ahmet Topal and Treasurer Sinem Senol look for alternate solutions for the Mosque Project

After disappointing news from the City Developers regarding our initial development plans, TCS President Ahmet Topal and Treasurer Sinem Senol spent Spring 2017 reaching out the EPSB, the Catholic School Board, and the Francophone School Board to discuss the possibility of purchasing additional land towards the West of our existing property. With future plans to close the Brightview Elementary School behind our property this initially looked promising. However, further meetings with the City parks planning manager, revealed to us that CoE would like to maintain the integrity of the large green space on the west side of our property.

In April 2017 some new members joined the TCS Board to bring some fresh momentum to our project. Our President Ahmet Topal, Treasurer Sinem Senol, and Board Member Mustafa Kamil Demir were elected for another two year term. They were also joined by new Board members Suat Demirer, Onur Mutlu, and Yasemin Akgul Uluc. Newly elected Board Members re-affirm the TCS's Board's commitment to the project.

During the summer we reached out to real estate agents to discuss whether it might be possible to sell the existing property and purchase land elsewhere. President Ahmet Topal and Treasurer Sinem Senol met with bank officials to discuss the possibility of obtaining a loan to purchase new property and presented all their findings to the Board for discussion, before presenting the ideas to the general membership. The realtors we spoke with strongly discouraged us from selling our existing property, citing future development plans of the City of Edmonton on the West side. In the end, the Board decided it was best to give up the quest for searching an alternate location.

Summer 2017 unfortunately brought some controversy to the TCS Board as well. Disappointed by the bleak prospect for building the Mosque in our existing location, construction committee started with a plan to build a storage/kitchen/funeral space adjacent to the Gym. Mr. Suat Demirer, our newly elected Board Member raised concerns about this construction plan, and it was put on hold. For now our Phase II plans are on hold until Edmonton Public School Board goes forward with its school consolidation plans and shuts down the Brightview School. Our Project Consultant and Board Member Suat Demirer will continue to look for solutions for the Phase I - TCS Mosque project.

TCS Mosque Faces Setback after Development Permit Pre-application Meeting

On February 22, 2017 Turkish Canadian Society Board Members Suat Demirer, Sinem Senol, Zafer Koprulu, and Mustafa Kamil Demir met with City of Edmonton planning officer Samantha Buccino and several other City of Edmonton officials at a Development Permit Pre-Application Meeting to discuss our planned Mosque Project.

Although the City officials were generally supportive of the idea of building a mosque at our existing site, there were several issues raised during the meeting. We were told that we would need to purchase significant amount of land from EPSB to get the project approved as designed.

TCS Board and our volunteer designer goes back to the drawing board, to re-think and re-design the project. We will especially have to put our Phase II - Cultural Centre plans on hold, as the parking and landscaping requirements will be impossible to meet.

Design Concept for the Turkish Canadian Mosque presented to the community

On November 24, 2016 our volunteer project designer Mr. Suat Demirer presented the initial design concept for the Turkish Mosque to a packed audience at the Turkish Canadian Society. In addition to more than 100 community members Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Vancouver, Mr. Anıl Bora İnan and the Turkish Religious Affairs Attache Mr. Mahmut Demir attended the presentation. 

During the meeting members of the Turkish community showed overwhelming support to the project when the Turkish Canadian Society Board of Directors asked for members' approval to go forward with the development plans and the project as designed by Mr. Demirer. Only one member raised objections citing Mr. Demirer's Canadian qualifications. The Board assured members that they would be working with a licensed architect that will review and approve Mr. Demirer's design. In the end the project was approved with 2 nays and 127 yays.  Turkish Canadian Mosque project got its official kickstart on this day. 

First seeds for the TCS Construction Project Planted

TCS Board Members Muzeyyen Coskuner-Henriksen, Sinem
Senol and Zafer Koprulu host Councillor Andrew Knack at
the Annual Mahatma Ghandi Commemoration Reception
October 2, 2016

TCS President Ms. Muzeyyen Coskuner-Henriksen, Board Members Sinem Senol and Zafer Koprulu attended a charity dinner hosted by the Mahatma Ghandi World Peace Foundation in early October and hosted Councillor Andrew Knack at their table, along with Mr. Suat Demirer and Mr. & Mrs. Mustafa Kuyuk.

We used this reception as an opportunity to further discuss project ideas. Councillor Knack has graciously agreed to meet with us in the future once our project ideas materialized further.

During this meeting, our volunteer designer Mr. Suat Demirer had a chance to meet Chaplain Kuyuk, and started incorporating his feedback in to the project plans. Through the month of October Mr. Demirer started working on the initial plans for the #YEG Turkish Mosque as a stand alone building on the north west corner of our property.

Reviewing Design Options and Arrival of Turkish Chaplain

Mr. Mustafa Kuyuk
Muslim Chaplain for Edmonton
addressing the Turkish Canadians
October 8, 2016

During summer 2016, Mr. Suat Demirer, a Turkish architect who works as a manufacturing engineer in Edmonton, offered his services to the Board as a volunteer. Mr. Zafer Koprulu and Mr. Suat Demirer continued to evaluate various design options. Initial feedback from the community members for the cheaper construction solution of adding a second floor to the Gym was not positive. The Board abandoned that option in early August and focused on the arrival of Mr. Mustafa Kuyuk, the newly appointed Turkish Chaplain assigned to the City of Edmonton by the Turkish Directorate of Religous Affairs.

Mr. Kuyuk and his family arrived in Edmonton on September 3, 2016 for a 5 year appointment. Through the month of September the priority for the TCS Board was to ensure the smooth settlement of Mr. Kuyuk's family in Edmonton. TCS rented a residence for the family across the street from the Cultural Centre, and ensured that the Kuyuk children started school as soon as possible.

New TCS Board Starts Discussing Project Options

Andrew Knack,
Ward 1 City Councillor
addressing the Turkish Community
on July 1, 2016

Soon after the Annual General Meeting of the Turkish Canadian Society in late May 2016, the new Board of Directors determined that the demand and desire for a Turkish Mosque was high among the growing population of the Turkish Canadians in Edmonton. The Gym also needed many repairs as it had been sealed off by Alberta Health Services due to major problems with the roof and flooring.

The new Board of Directors made construction plans a priority for the current year and started evaluating options. Initial ideas considered were building a second floor to the Gym, or knocking down the stage area of the Gym to build a mosque. During this phase, Zafer Koprulu, Chair of the TCS Building Committee, visited the City Development office to confirm current zoning requirements and to determine what options we had for our building projects.

We discussed some of our development ideas with Councillor Andrew Knack, while he visited our Society for a Ramadan Dinner.