Edmonton Notes for 1/3/2009

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

• First of all, happy new year! Don’t miss my Edmonton in 2008 recap post. Also – I posted a few photos and video of the downtown celebration (you can see the countdown below). It was freaking cold!
• Anna Angela Samu was Edmonton’s first baby of 2009. She was born at 12:01am at the Misericordia Hospital.
• This year, 2009, marks the 30th anniversary of Boyle McCauley News! Congratulations!
• On Friday morning the LRT was shutdown due to an electrical problem. Not good news for commuters considering it was –30 C outside! Service was restored at about 5:30pm.
• In 2008, Epcor paid the City of Edmonton roughly $190 million from dividends, franchise fees, and property taxes. City taxes would have to go up 25% to replace lost revenue if Epcor didn’t exist. Really great article on Epcor in the Journal this week.
• The next Donate-a-Ride campaign started on December 31st and runs until January 31st. You can learn more at their website.
• Our fifth DemoCamp is coming up on Wednesday, January 7th – don’t miss it!
• Thursday, January 8th is the start of Winter Light 2009, Edmonton’s new winter festival. The opening ceremonies get underway at 6pm in Churchill Square. The Free WiFi Project is happy to be providing access to Ice on Whyte, which starts January 15th.