Edmonton Notes for 12/23/2012

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Why Edmonton? Because if you have the courage to make something, Edmonton is your city.
• John and Barbara Poole certainly had that courage. I was sad to hear that Barbara passed away last week at the age of 83. She did great things for our city.
• Have some extra warm clothing you can donate? With icy temperatures this week, the shelters can use your support.
• While I am generally opposed to the use of a P3 to fund it, I’m happy to hear that expanding the LRT is Mayor Mandel’s top priority going into 2013.
• If our population and economic growth continue at their current pace, the Edmonton region could hit 1.5 million people within a decade. That has the promise of some real opportunities, but also major challenges.
• One such challenge? Debt. Municipal debt in Alberta has more than tripled since 2004. Edmonton is currently at 48% of its debt limit.
• Housing prices are expected to rise 2% next year, while sales are expected to grow 2.5%.
• I just can’t get enough of this headline: “Toronto’s best new retailer is gravitypope, and it hails not from New York but Edmonton”
• Who would you nominate as the Edmonton’s Person of the Year? GIGCITY wants to know: “There will be no boundaries, no “top 40 under 40” restrictions. Any local who made waves in 2012 is eligible.”
• Also from GIGCITY, here are Edmonton’s top 10 albums of 2012.
• Here’s some great news for those of you looking to travel to New York City! United will launch non-stop service between Edmonton and Newark in May. That brings the number of US non-stop flights from EIA to 13. Speaking of EIA, Friday and Saturday were the busiest days of the year.
• Do you have Deadmontitis, the plague of the second coldest place on earth? “Deadmontitis is a contagious endemic that targets Edmontonians and long-term visitors to the city.”
• From the Journal’s Gary Lamphier, here is a look at the winners and losers in local business in 2012.
• Some great news for the Downtown Edmonton Community League this week:  the federal government has provided funding of $16,264 to support the creation of a community league centre for the downtown.
• David Staples took a closer look at that Numbeo ranking on quality of life that Edmonton fared so well in.
• Ah, you gotta love it when the mayor is all fired up: “Danielle Smith will probably yell and scream. Brian Mason will yell and scream. They really don’t care about the City of Edmonton, I guess, but I would hope they would be wise enough to see it’s about Edmonton.”
• If you haven’t already seen it, check out this CBC feature on Edmonton’s neon heritage.
• Looking to check out City of Edmonton facilities this week? Check the holiday hours first.
• Metro asked some familiar Edmonton faces for their favorite holiday traditions. Thanks for including me!
• Did you know that Edmonton is full of doppelgängers? Well in name, at least.
• Though there are not currently any plans for a parking ban, the temperature isn’t going to budge much over the next week and we’ll continue to see some snow. Stay safe out there!

Frosty Sunset by Ian McKenzie

Merry Christmas!