Heðer YL on Instagram: "#DarrenMarkland #TributeToAGreatMan Darren Markland was a Renaissance man with a moral compass truer than Polaris. He loved science, and he also loved art. As everyone knows, he was a physician, a champion for public health, a storyteller and an athlete who lived car-free in the city. He also enjoyed working with his hands. He built his own bicycle out of bamboo. He figured out the electronics and weight ratios to turn his cargo bike into the well-known 'Handlebarista' bike. He built the family getaway cabin — off the grid and accessible only by hike or ski, but with essential comforts and even a wheelchair access route to the water. He split and stacked his own firewood. He enjoyed learning gourmet cooking, and he roasted his own coffee beans so that the Handlebarista could serve coffee the way people should be able to enjoy it. I met Darren when I was feeling fairly lost in Edmonton’s urbanity. It was about a year after moving from Jasper. Darren befriended me the first time I went to Coffee Outside. We discovered mutual interests — bicycles, mountains, working in ICUs, DIY projects, political philosophy. He took me canoeing-by-bike so we could hide one of Slavo Cech’s art hunt sculptures. He helped me learn how to winter bike so that I could become the all-season cyclist I am today. But, more significantly, he brought me into a community. And the Coffee Outside people have been my family in Edmonton for at least a decade. Darren was the soul of generosity and kindness. But that kind soul could slay you with a light-speed quip or deadly pun. When Darren spoke out, it was because he cared. He was mindful of the influence he wielded as a public figure, and intentional that he should use his platform and considerable public presence as a force for good. I mourn the loss his death represents to the world. And I grieve for the unbelievable pain that his wife and sons and close friends are experiencing. Even as his memory will forever be a blessing, even as we know this was a man who knew how to live life, and did it very, very well, this truly hurts. That this lodestar is gone just plain hurts."

19 likes, 3 comments - hylbikes on September 25, 2025: "#DarrenMarkland #TributeToAGreatMan Darren Markland was a Renaissance man with a moral compass truer than Polaris. He loved science, and he also loved art. As everyone knows, he was a physician, a champion for public health, a storyteller and an athlete who lived car-free in the city. He also enjoyed working with his hands. He built his own bicycle out of bamboo. He figured out the electronics and weight ratios to turn his cargo bike into the well-known 'Handlebarista' bike. He built the family getaway cabin — off the grid and accessible only by hike or ski, but with essential comforts and even a wheelchair access route to the water. He split and stacked his own firewood. He enjoyed learning gourmet cooking, and he roasted his own coffee beans so that the Handlebarista could serve coffee the way people should be able to enjoy it. I met Darren when I was feeling fairly lost in Edmonton’s urbanity. It was about a year after moving from Jasper. Darren befriended me the first time I went to Coffee Outside. We discovered mutual interests — bicycles, mountains, working in ICUs, DIY projects, political philosophy. He took me canoeing-by-bike so we could hide one of Slavo Cech’s art hunt sculptures. He helped me learn how to winter bike so that I could become the all-season cyclist I am today. But, more significantly, he brought me into a community. And the Coffee Outside people have been my family in Edmonton for at least a decade. Darren was the soul of generosity and kindness. But that kind soul could slay you with a light-speed quip or deadly pun. When Darren spoke out, it was because he cared. He was mindful of the influence he wielded as a public figure, and intentional that he should use his platform and considerable public presence as a force for good. I mourn the loss his death represents to the world. And I grieve for the unbelievable pain that his wife and sons and close friends are experiencing. Even as his memory will forever be a blessing, even as we know this was a man who knew how to live life, and did it very, very well, this truly hurts. That this lodestar is gone just plain hurts.".