Edmonton Notes for 12/19/2010

Less than a week to go until Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

City Council passed the final part of Edmonton’s new Capital City Downtown Plan on Monday. One of the most exciting aspects of the rezoning is a five-year pilot enabling developers to building housing without any parking. For more, check out this wonderful guide to the rezoning.
We’ve had a ton of snow this week. Can you believe that our police cruisers don’t have winter tires?
Lots of people will be out and about this week, finishing shopping, attending Christmas parties, etc. The City is warning you to make sure you avoid bandit taxies. Though if you’re downtown between 11am and 11pm until Christmas you can take one of the free Telus taxis!
At 6am tomorrow, the Dawson Bridge will re-open after a year-long rehabilitation that should ensure the bridge remains functional and safe for decades to come.
Mayor Mandel said this week that a decision on the proposed downtown arena should be made by April. In case you missed it: I completed my three-part series on the community revitalization levy on Friday. The final installment looks at the proposed downtown arena.
The Journal has been posting write-ups from a year-end interview with Mayor Mandel: Mayor’s can-do style has made him enemies is one example. In another article, Mandel suggested that Northlands and EEDC should merge.
I love reading stories like this: Edmonton-based International Mascot Corp. is the world’s largest supplier of high-quality character costumes, such as the 100 colorful Smurfs they just produced for the launch of a new movie!
Ex-Oiler Georges Laraque was in the news this week, after he offered $100,000 to the City of Edmonton in exchange for moving Lucy the elephant to a sanctuary in California.
Speaking of the Oilers, their new cheer team debuted on Tuesday evening: the Oilers Octane.
A new website launched this week that aims to make it easier to connect local non-profit organizations with landlords and property owners that have space available. Check out Edmonton SpaceFinder.
Some of our Councillors tweet, and some even tweet during Council meetings. CBC interviewed Don Iveson and Kerry Diotte on their tweeting habits.
Here’s an interview with Jack Michaels, the new voice of the Edmonton Oilers on 630 CHED.
Ross Grieve, Executive Chairman and retired CEO of PCL Construction Holdings Ltd., has been appointed to AIMCo’s Board of Directors.
Neat update from Dave: Edmonton housing first programs featured in the Huffington Post!
A funny column from David Staples on the different types of LRT passengers.
The battle of the University of Alberta’s plans for South Campus is heating up.
For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
The Edmonton New Technology Society (ENTS) is offering discounts on monthly memberships this holiday season! They’ve got a cool interactive floorplan at their website.
Another interesting marketing approach from Edmonton Tourism: Discover the Edmonton River Valley with Two 17-Century Explorers.
Looking to do some walking over the holidays? Check out the new Edmonton Walking Maps iPhone app.
Check out what some creative University of Alberta students are up to: Personal Edmonton Planner.
Have you checked out The Charrette yet? It’s a new local blog focused on urban planning. Check out their weekly news round-up here.
If you’re looking to check out some of Edmonton’s free holiday attractions, consider using this handy guide from the Edmonton Journal. It even uses Foursquare!
You can also see holiday events on ShareEdmonton.
Saturday is Christmas Day!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.