Edmonton Notes for 10/11/2008

Here are some Edmonton-related things I found interesting this week:

• More than 1500 people attended Homeless Connect Edmonton last Sunday. The positive response means the event will be happening again in the future, hopefully with even more services.
• The city budget was released Monday, and calls for a 10.7% tax increase. Mayor Mandel said he’ll never support such a large tax hike.
• The City of Edmonton’s planning department has been recognized by the International Downtown Association with a Special Achievement Award in Planning for its Downtown North Edge Plan and the Urban Design Handbook. I think this happened a couple weeks ago, but just came across it yesterday.
• Syncrude has donated $1 million to NAIT, the majority of which will go to the NAIT Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology.
• The City has been running public information sessions on the draft Municipal Development Plan and the draft Transportation Master Plan. The initiative, collectively called Transforming Edmonton, also includes the City Vision for 2040, the 10-year strategic plan, and other things. Todd Babiak has a nice article on everything here.
• You probably heard that popular Italian Restaurant Il Portico was sold to Alberta Blue Cross to make room for a parking lot. Now city planners are proposing that standalone parking lots be prohibited in parts of downtown, which could save the restaurant.
• City Council approved the construction of a new Queen Elizabeth Pool. The new location is beside the Kinsmen, and the approved budget is $5.5 million, though it could end up costing much more.
• International design firm Kasian has been chosen to lead the $356 million rejuvenation project of the Federal Building.
• Edmonton Transit is running an eConsultation site until October 20th. This is an opportunity for you to provide feedback on public transportation.