Edmonton Notes for 10/17/2009

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Don’t forget there is no LRT service south of Health Sciences Station this weekend as crews are performing track maintenance. Also transit-related this week: you might soon be able to pay to reserve a park-and-ride spot, City Council approved a new three-year U-Pass deal, and the City is looking at adding public washrooms to LRT stations.
• At $149 per month it’s not cheap, but if you crave fast Internet (100 Mbps) you can now get High-Speed Nitro from Shaw. Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver are the latest cities to get the service.
• Hooray for open data! Councillor Don Iveson submitted a formal inquiry on the topic to City administration this week.
• Citing rising costs, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce announced this week that BrightNights will no longer take place.
• The two pilot programs to cleanup cigarette little have been deemed successful: “Results showed an 87 per cent reduction of litter at monitored sites on Jasper Avenue, while ashtray use more than doubled between the start and finish of the pilots.” I’m still a little surprised (but pleased) every time I see smokers using the ashtrays.
• Roland Pemberton (Cadence Weapon) gave his first official reading as Edmonton’s poet laureate to City Council this week.
• The Alberta Ballet has moved to Whyte Avenue – the edmontonian has the story.
• Apparently the Community Services department at the City wants to survey panhandlers and then educate them about services offered in Edmonton. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually agree with Councillor Caterina! I’m not sure the idea would provide much value.
• The Valley Zoo is getting a makeover – a $43 million makeover, to be more precise.
• The first ever Miss dEdmonton was crowned this week!
• On Tuesday, President George W. Bush will be in town to share his thoughts. Also that evening – the “George Bush Go Home” rally (PDF), sponsored by the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism.
• LitFest 2009, the Edmonton International Literary Festival, kicks off on Wednesday the 21st.