Edmonton Notes for 8/28/2010

It’s the last weekend of August, and it certainly feels like it with the very cool wind. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• The deadline for the City’s Apps4Edmonton competition was last night at midnight. Roughly 84 ideas and 323 apps were submitted at last count. Check them out!
• Envision Edmonton delivered boxes of signed petitions to City Hall on Thursday (you can see it on YouTube here). The group claims to have gathered more than 90,000 signatures. Verification will happen over the next couple of weeks, and is expected to cost about $100,000.
• In other ECCA news, closing the airport could save the City up to $200 million when it builds the northwest LRT line. One of the finalists in the design competition, BNIM Architects, called the redevelopment a “stunning opportunity for North America.” The final environmental report is expected to arrive late next week, but so far the amount of contamination is being described as “very minor”. Former City Councillors Michael Phair and Patricia Mackenzie applauded Council’s decision to redevelop the airport lands.
• Homeward Trust received more than $12.9 million from the federal government this week, part of the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy.
• By the end of September, the 23 Avenue interchange will be completely accessible to traffic.
• Earlier in the week, everybody seemed to be talking about the dinosaur bones that were found during excavation at the Quesnell bridge project.
• Fifteen Edmonton communities are scheduled to get new sidewalks and roads over the next five years.
• Here’s a nice write-up of the downtown survey at iheartedmonton.com.
• The City of Edmonton and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 DATS reached an agreement this week that provides a 4.5% general wage increase for 2010.
• Stantec shows no signs of slowing down, acquiring San Francisco-based Anshen + Allen this week.
• With the school season approaching, the City is reminding you to brush up on bike safety!
• The Edmonton Police Service raised $41,854.86 for Special Olympics with its Free the Fuzz fundraiser at Walmart.
• Private developers won’t be forced to pay for public art after a proposal was killed at Executive Committee this week.
• Jack Michaels will be the voice of the Edmonton Oilers this season on 630 CHED.
• The Oilers aren’t the only pro sports team in Edmonton looking for a new home – FC Edmonton wants a new stadium.
• Local NAIT grad Corbin Tomaszeski will be the chef to impress on Food Network’s new reality show Dinner Party Wards
• Edmontonians magazine, which shut down in June, is being brought back to life by the controversial Cedar Publishing Corporation.
• Sharon wrote about the North Edge Outdoor Night Market. Hope to see more of this on 107 Avenue!
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Fort Edmonton Park’s 37th annual Harvest Fair takes place tomorrow!
• Also tomorrow is the grand opening of the Jackie Parker Recreation Area. It is 3-4 times the size of a normal neighbourhood park.
• East Meets West wraps up tomorrow in Little Italy with the Viva Italia Via Edmonton festival.
• Movies on the Square is back on Friday with How To Train Your Dragon. On Saturday they’re showing Toy Story 3.
• Also on Saturday is Sonic Boom 2010.
• Symphony Under the Sky kicks off on Friday evening!

It was another wild week of weather here in Edmonton. Dark clouds!

Edmonton Opera had a “flashmob” at the City Market today.