Edmonton’s Hot to Huddle 2010 Grey Cup Festival Parade!

Downtown Edmonton has been full of energy this week for the Grey Cup Festival, but today’s parade took it to another level! Here are some of the highlights.

I’d say green was definitely the dominant color in the crowds – they even brought chairs!

The Snowbirds criss-crossed the sky a few times!

Bryan Hall was the Grand Marshall for the parade.

Each of the teams had a Nissan Cube.

They also had cheer teams. The Eskimos cheer team even did some stunts!

A favorite from the Capital Ex parade returned – the West Jet plane!

I thought the Coast Hotels float was creative.

The CN float was really well done too.

These poor kids had the worst job, following the horses.

The Riders’ cheer team received a warm welcome!

As did the rest of the Roughrider supporters.

They even had pyrotechnics. How can you go wrong with that?!

It really was a sea of green for a while.

This one was my favorite of the parade:

This guy remarked “buying fans one Candy Cane at a time!” as he passed by.

I love that this guy is a Calgary fan.

There was loud applause as our Armed Forces passed by.

Attendance wasn’t as large as the Capital EX parade, but given the temperature, I’d say it was still a very strong turnout!

You can see the rest of my parade photos here (over 140 in all).

LRT Expansion was never just icing on the Edmonton EXPO 2017 cake

Allow me to begin with a passage from the executive summary of The Way We Move, the City of Edmonton’s current Transportation Master Plan:

We are building a 21st century city, shaping an Edmonton that will meet the needs of our diverse and growing urban and regional population. Growing environmental concerns, acknowledgment of the ongoing investment needed to maintain our transportation infrastructure and the rapid growth of our city demand a shift in transportation priority setting. It is a shift from single passenger vehicle use to more public transit; from building outward to a compact urban form. From an auto oriented view of transportation to a more holistic view of an interconnected, multi-modal transportation system where citizens can walk, bike, bus and train efficiently and conveniently to their desired location.

The City of Edmonton is working to achieve this vision through the LRT Network Plan, as well as other initiatives. This vision does not ignore automobiles, but it certainly places greater emphasis on public transit.

At the top of the list of benefits that EXPO 2017 could have brought to Edmonton was funding for infrastructure. Was it the best way to try to get higher levels of government to commit to funding something that Edmonton so desperately needs? Perhaps not. But make no mistake about it: funding for LRT expansion was never just icing on the EXPO 2017 cake. Expanding our LRT network is vital for Edmonton’s future. Here’s what Councillor Don Iveson wrote nearly a year ago:

Projects like this require the alignment of at least two and, properly, three orders of government. It will require the relentless pressure of citizens on Councillors, but more particularly on MLAs and MPs.

He was right then and still is today. Our quest to be Canada’s host city for EXPO 2017 might have failed, but we cannot allow our plans for LRT expansion to fail as well.

At a news conference yesterday, Transportation GM Bob Boutilier questioned why Edmonton had not received the same level of federal support as Toronto has when it comes to funding for public transit, saying “I just think we’re owed. It’s time.” But he also suggested that LRT expansion plans would be delayed by a year or two now that EXPO is no longer in the picture, something that would potentially save money.

This is unacceptable.

It’s unacceptable that the expansion is being delayed, and it’s unacceptable that it’s Boutilier and not Council questioning the federal government’s support.

Why would LRT expansion have been fast-tracked with EXPO 2017 but not without it? Back in April, Boutilier said that meeting the deadline of 2017 was “do-able” with some creativity, noting that “we cannot use the conventional approach to building transit that we’ve used in the city up to this point.” A few weeks later, he suggested a board of directors to oversee the construction as a way to speed up the project. At the time, the cost of the expansion was pegged at “more than $3 billion”. It has since been narrowed down to $3.4 billion. So either it was going to cost significantly more than Boutilier was letting on, or the cost savings of delaying by a year or two are negligible.

I think Boutilier has one of the toughest jobs at the City of Edmonton, overseeing one of the most vital and controversial parts of the business, so I don’t envy the tough decisions he has to make. Boutilier should definitely be willing to make noise about the lack of resources he has, but in the same week that we lost EXPO, I would have liked to have heard some Councillors speak up for LRT as well. Instead, that job has been left to Boutilier and to EXPO bid committee chair Tony Franceschini. I’ve seen only Councillor Ben Henderson comment, saying “I personally don’t want to see us slow down.” Councillor Kerry Diotte also remarked on funding, “With the feds these days, who knows?”

I want my City Council to stand up for The Way We Move. If there’s a window of opportunity with regards to the federal government as a result of the EXPO decision, take advantage of it. Ask Administration to keep going, not to slow down. Make some noise. Show some of the emotion that Mayor Mandel showed on Monday.

The loss of EXPO shouldn’t be an excuse for us to slow down with LRT expansion. It should be a catalyst for increased pressure to get the job done.

Reclaiming Edmonton’s Lost Spaces: Alley of Light

A couple of weeks ago I linked to the Edmonton on the Edge website, after I had come across their page on “reclaiming lost spaces”. The organization, which consists of members from the University of Alberta, Edmonton Design Committee, ISL Engineering, Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, and M.A.D.E. in Edmonton, among others, recently explored the idea of reclaiming two of Edmonton’s lost spaces: the alley behind Sobeys on 104 Street, and the alley behind the Melton Building on 103 Street. They settled on the alley behind Sobeys, and worked with around 40 individuals from the area to start imagining how the space could be transformed.

The project, led by former City Councillor Michael Phair and EIDOS Landscape Architect Peter Spearey, has been dubbed the “Alley of Light” and there’s an open house coming up on Sunday, December 5 for anyone interested to provide input. I live less than a block away from the alley, so I’m excited about the opportunity to help transform it into something more. Here’s what the alley looked like tonight:

You can see that it is dark, and not exactly inviting. Even during the day, the alley does not “create a sense of ownership and pride amongst community members”, one of the goals of the Reclaiming Lost Spaces project. Aside from the Christmas lights in the tree nearest to the street, there’s not much there. Though I wasn’t sure what to make of them at first, the red illuminated cones outside Lit are a welcome addition to the street. They add some color and, well, some light!

Aside from Lit, one of the first things that came to mind for me when I heard the name “Alley of Light” was the Illuminate Yaletown event that I went to in Vancouver last year. It featured some impressive light-as-art installations, like this one:

I’d love to see some improvements to the alley that would work both during the day and at night. Think of a water installation during the day that becomes illuminated at night, something like that. It’s a little difficult to see in this photo, but even during daytime events such as Al Fresco the space is underutilized at the moment. It would be great for the space to be welcoming both day and night.

Here’s one idea for the alley:

The main idea there is the beams of light extending from the Sobeys building, as well as getting rid of the fence and smoothing out the park. There are all kinds of opportunities, and if you’d like to see some more or even provide your own, I encourage you to come to the open house:

WHO: You and your friends!
WHAT: Alley of Light Open House
WHEN: Sunday, December 5 from 2pm to 4pm
WHERE: Enterprise Square, Main Atrium
WHY: To help reclaim one of Edmonton’s lost spaces!

Next steps and additional information will be provided at the open house. Anyone and everyone is invited, so spread the word!

Edmonton’s Hot to Huddle 2010 Grey Cup Festival Kick-off!

Tonight the 2010 Grey Cup Festival officially started here in Edmonton with a big kick-off party outside City Hall. Hundreds of people braved the cold to see the Grey Cup in person, to experience the flashmob and fireworks, and to get a first look at Huddle Town.

Purolator delivered the “special guest” that everyone was hoping to see.

There were fans of all teams on hand to celebrate!

With the Zipline in the background, everyone listened for the official kick-off of the festivities.

After the dignitaries had spoken, there was a big flashmob on the CN field (I suppose no one saw it coming, but the large group of people lined up on the field, with security preventing others from joining in, made it clear that something was up…not to mention the volunteer for the flashmob page on the website).

Fireworks quickly followed the entertaining dance number!

The trophy was so close you could almost touch it.

The end of the kick-off program meant the official opening of Huddle Town, the giant heated tent in Churchill Square.

Meanwhile, a Peewee football game was played on the CN field.

Here’s an overhead shot of City Hall and Huddle Town.

The festival is now officially underway!

You can see upcoming events at the official site (when it works) or at ShareEdmonton (and subscribe to the iCal here). You can see the rest of my photos from the evening here.

Ready, set, huddle!

Recap: Walterdale Bridge & West Rossdale Open House

Last Thursday the City of Edmonton held an open house to discuss and gather feedback on two projects that will have a big impact on our river valley. The Walterdale Bridge, which has served Edmonton for nearly 100 years, is reaching the end of its usable life and needs to be replaced. The bridge connects the south side to Rossdale, the western part of which has been “rediscovered” and for which a new urban design plan has been created.

Held at the TransAlta Arts Barns, I thought the open house was fairly well-attended. I stayed for the first half, and by the time I left, around 120 people had signed in. Unfortunately the Walterdale Bridge presentation went long, so I didn’t learn much about West Rossdale other than what was shared on the information display boards. You can learn more about the West Rossdale Urban Design Plan here.

The Walterdale Bridge Strategic Planning Concept Study of 2008 concluded that the bridge is now too old to be rehabilitated, and must be replaced. These images of the current Walterdale Bridge come from Bing Maps:

It may be old, but I think the current Walterdale Bridge is distinct and recognizable.

The concept design for the replacement bridge calls for a “functional signature bridge”. Key design considerations include:

Access/traffic accommodation from 82 Avenue to 97 Avenue.
Grades at south approach.
Detours and closure impacts, utility staging.
Aesthetics – signature bridge.
Traditional Burial Grounds and Fort Edmonton Cemetery Commemoration Site, historical resources.
North Saskatchewan River Valley plans.
Environmental policies and procedures.
Integration with West Rossdale Urban Design Plan, EPCOR Rossdale repurposing, ~~EXPO 2017 bid~~, and other area plans.
Pedestrian and cyclist accommodation.

To date, the City has conducted meetings/interviews with 14 key stakeholder groups, including twice with Aboriginal Elders with a pipe ceremony. As you might expect, a wide range of issues have been raised in those stakeholder meetings, but this comment nicely sums it up:

The challenge for this project is to achieve a balance between providing improved access for private vehicles to downtown Edmonton and protecting/preserving the character, safety and integrity of the communities that the roadways approaching the bridge replacement will be impacting.

There were four options presented at the open house, though they weren’t mutually exclusive (PDF, 3.9 MB). Attendees were encouraged to leave feedback using sticky notes, and if they liked the south side of one option but the north side of another, the City representatives wanted to hear that. There are four bridge types being considered: girder, arch, extradosed, and cable-stayed (PDF, 320 KB).

All four alignment options get rid of the hairpin at Saskatchewan Drive and Queen Elizabeth Park Road. The first three options shift the bridge to the east slightly, whereas option four would see the replacement built significantly further east than the current bridge. Of the four options, the first seems to have the smallest impact.

I’m encouraged by the lip service paid to pedestrians and cyclists during the open house, and I hope that translates into tangible benefits for those two important types of travelers once the replacement is built. It was also encouraging to hear that 1% of the total cost of the bridge will be allocated to public art.

In the presentation, a “signature” bridge was described as one that Edmontonians feel proud of. While that’s a fair definition, I really wonder why we’d build something we’re not proud of. It seems to me that what is meant by “signature” is something different, perhaps something more along the lines of the new Art Gallery of Alberta. I think a signature bridge is one that gets Edmontonians and others talking about it.

The next steps for the Walterdale Bridge project are as follows:

An interim plan, with three options, will go to the Transportation & Public Works Committee in January 2011.
Additional public information sessions will take place in February/March 2011.
A final recommendation will go to City Council in April 2011.

Even without EXPO 2017, we need to replace the Walterdale Bridge, so I’m not sure what impact, if any, that loss will have on the project. The Walterdale Bridge is an important, busy bridge here in Edmonton. If you have feedback on how the replacement bridge should look or function, let the team know.

Government of Canada denies Edmonton EXPO 2017

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, the federal government has announced that it will not support Edmonton’s bid to host EXPO 2017. A short note on the Edmonton EXPO 2017 website announced the news:

In a meeting with Mayor Stephen Mandel earlier today, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore announced that the Government of Canada will not support Edmonton’s bid to host EXPO 2017. The key reason given was the unknown future costs of security. This decision comes in light of November survey results that showed 79 per cent of Albertans supported the bid for EXPO 2017 with 46 per cent indicating strong support. Almost 1800 Canadians were surveyed. On behalf of the EXPO 2017 Bid Committee thank you to all Albertans and Canadians for their interest, effort and support of EXPO 2017.

Here’s the letter from James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages, courtesy of the Edmonton Journal:

Expo 2017 – Letter from Minister James Moore to Mayor Stephen Mandel http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=43676851&access_key=key-2h178gmnxgtm0wnv74ui&page=1&viewMode=list

This afternoon, Mayor Stephen Mandel held a press conference at City Hall to discuss the news. Here are some notes, including the ones I live-tweeted:

Mandel started by talking about the 2010 Grey Cup Festival, saying he was confident it would be a big success and that Edmonton would shine.
Flanked by members of City Council and members of the EXPO 2017 bid committee, Mandel confirmed that the Government of Canada will not support Edmonton EXPO 2017. Mandel was quick to praise the solid work of the bid committee and all EXPO 2017 volunteers.
Mandel said a recent survey of Albertans showed that 79% supported the project.
Mandel singled out MP Rona Ambrose as the specific reason that Edmonton failed to gain federal support. When pressed for a reason, he said others in the federal government looked to Ambrose for direction, and she just failed to commit.
MPs Laurie Hawn and James Rajotte were cited as supporters of the bid.
Mandel: “This [federal] government has far too easily ignored the needs of this province.”
The only immediate ask of the federal government was $10 million, to continue with the bid process.
Mandel said the federal government’s “apparent sincerity in exploring” EXPO 2017 was completely false.
Mandel: “When it comes to Edmonton’s growth and ambition, our federal government simply isn’t interested.”
Randy Ferguson, member of the bid committee, said “Albertans took a kick in the teeth today from the federal government.” In the media scrum afterward, Ferguson, a card-carrying Conservative, said “the prime minister is no longer my prime minister.”
Ruth Kelly, another bid committee member, was just as angry but said we’ll find other ways to showcase Edmonton.
Mandel made it clear that he feels the federal government decided not to support Edmonton because we’re in the west.
Ferguson was more to the point, saying that Edmonton is paying for the security budget overruns that happened at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, and the G8/G20 summits.
Mandel: “The proof is in the pudding, when it comes to delivering the goods in our city, [the federal government] failed.”
Mandel: “I’ve never been as mad at anything, I’m so disappointed in the lack of vision from this government.”
Asked about what this means for LRT, Mandel said “we’ll continue to push forward” and said “we have a strong partner in the province.”
Ferguson said that because of the way the due diligence worked, the federal government had already signed off on the budget and security plan for the Edmonton bid.

I’ve never seen Mandel so upset, his voice shaky as the passion and anger poured out. Afterward, when asked what was next, Ferguson said “cooler heads must prevail” and said the team will digest the news more fully before any other action is taken.

Technically, all Edmonton needs to move ahead with the bid is the federal government’s consent. If Edmonton could come up with another way to fund the project, there’s a chance that they could go back to the federal government to ask for just consent and no funding. That, obviously, is very unlikely to happen.

For some reason, there’s a big disconnect between the amount of money Edmonton is asking for, and the amount of money the federal government thinks they will have to spend. Moore specifically cited the cost of security in his letter, a point on which Ferguson was very blunt: “The cost of security ballooned for the Olympics and for the G8/G20 and Edmonton is paying the price.”

When pressed, Mandel said he didn’t think the lack of federal support was about money. It was clear that he feels slighted by the government. There are indications that the announcement was related to a decision to deny money for a Quebec arena. I’m sure it will all come out in the wash.

Edmonton needs to focus right now on making sure the 2010 Grey Cup Festival is a big success. Let’s remind everyone that we excel at hosting big events. We’ll find another way to showcase our great city. We’ll make it happen.

What’s less clear is how we’ll acquire the infrastructure funding that EXPO 2017 would have brought to this city. Mandel talked about this during the press conference as well, noting that Edmonton (and indeed Alberta) often gets the short end of the stick. I’m not sure what it’ll take, but we need to make a solid ask for funding. As disappointing as it is to lose EXPO 2017, it would be much, much worse to lose the ability to make our City Vision a reality.

You can follow the news with #expo2017 on Twitter.

UPDATE: Here is Mayor Mandel’s full statement.

Transforming Edmonton’s Downtown East: Boyle Renaissance & The Quarters

Last week I stopped by the open house for Boyle Renaissance & The Quarters, two projects that together will transform the eastern part of Edmonton’s downtown. The Quarters is a revitalization project made up of five distinct districts, extending east-west from 97 Street to 92 Street and north-south from 103A Avenue to the top of the river valley (approximately 40 hectares). Boyle Renaissance is a smaller redevelopment effort, focused on the area between 95 Street and 96 Street, from 103A Avenue north to the LRT tracks (essentially two and half city blocks).

There were maybe 20 people in attendance, not counting the City officials and representatives from the related architectural firms. In addition to the more than 25 information displays setup around the room, there were a number of small presentations on the plans.

An update on Boyle Renaissance:

Boyle Renaissance started with a Concept Plan in 2008, and is now an evolving Master Plan composed of two phases. The project will create a community that brings together affordable and market housing opportunities, along with services such as childcare, park space, and social space.
The first Boyle Renaissance Advisory Committee (BRAC I) started meeting in May 2008. Its final report was submitted to the City of Edmonton in October 2008.
Council directed that the concept continue to evolve, so BRAC II was formed in March 2009. Its final report was published in March 2010. You can see the recommendations to council here.
Phase 1 project partners include The City of Edmonton, Government of Alberta, YMCA, Boyle Street Community League, and the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC), among others. The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation is no longer involved in the project.
The YMCA Welcome Village is a key component of phase 1, and will include 150 affordable housing units, a family resource centre and a daycare. The City is contributing $3.5 million while the Government of Alberta has committed $24 million.
The City of Edmonton is also contributing $6 million towards a new Community Centre, a joint initiative with the Boyle Street Community League.
Though none have come forward yet, the City is actively looking for potential partners to occupy the York Hotel building.
Updated documents aren’t online yet, but you can see the information displays here.
“We’re not building buildings, we’re helping to build a community.”

Part of the current Boyle Renaissance site plan, facing north.

A ground breaking ceremony for phase 1 is taking place on Wednesday morning.

An update on The Quarters:

The revitalization project began in 2006, with the Area Redevelopment Plan being passed in April 2009.
The Quarters is one of the first areas in Edmonton to have a community revitalization levy (CRL). The boundary was approved in 2008. It is expected that final approval of the CRL from both Council and the Province of Alberta will come in 2011.
Once fully developed, it is anticipated that The Quarters could accommodate a population of nearly 20,000 people. The area is currently home to just 2400 residents.
The area is made up of five districts: four quarters, with a linear park corridor known as The Armature at the centre.
The Civic Quarter is envisioned as as an extension of the downtown and arts district. The Heritage Quarter is named for the location of Edmonton’s original downtown. The McCauley Quarter will contain smaller scale buildings and is largely residential. The Five Corners Quarter is named for the intersection at 95 Street and Jasper Avenue, and will feature taller buildings and a higher overall density.
The Armature itself is composed of smaller pieces, from north to south: Meridian Gateway, New City Park, The Promenade, Jasper Plaza, and River Gate Park. Principles identified in the presentation include: sustainable, accessible, green, seasonal, brighter, and creative.
The Armature was described as the “showpiece”.
The Twin Towers at Jasper Avenue and 95 Street will add to the density of the Five Corners Quarter.
Though each quarter will have a unique character, there are plans to “brand” the entire area, so you know when you’re in The Quarters.

Here are a few images I pulled from the Urban Design Plan (16 MB PDF).

Rendering of The Quarters.

Zoning for The Quarters.

Rendering of Five Corners.

Though some might say it has been in the works for too long, The Quarters is a very exciting project for Edmonton. The area east of downtown is definitely in need of revitalization, and this plan to bring thousands of residents into the area will help accomplish that.

It’s a shame that the beautiful information displays shown at the open house are not available online (at least not yet). Hopefully we’ll see more information about these projects online soon!

Edmonton Notes for 11/21/2010

Throughout the week, I’m blogging Edmonton-related photos, videos, quotes, links, and more at Edmonton Etcetera. Check it out.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

In case you missed it, we launched a new initiative called The Edmonton Champions Project this week. I wrote about it here. Watch for more on the project in 2011.
The results of the 2010 Homeless Count were released on Monday. The number of homeless people living in Edmonton dropped 21% to 2421.
With the temperature dropping, the City is reminding you to stay off the ice!
Two more arena open houses took place this week, and the Oilers started phoning people encouraging them to fill out the online questionnaire. That action wasn’t received very well by Edmontonians. More on the proposed downtown arena here.
At a luncheon this week, Mayor Stephen Mandel urged the business community to help Edmonton achieve its goals of hosting EXPO 2017, fighting homelessness, and redeveloping the City Centre Airport.
It was a great week for the local film industry! Trevor Anderson’s The High Level Bridge won best live action short film at the American Film Institute’s awards, and Rosie Dransfeld won a Gemini for Broke.
A new comedy show called E-Town will be part of the lineup on APTN starting next year.
PCL CEO Paul Douglas said this week that Edmonton has one of the weakest construction markets in North America right now.
An anonymous family has stepped up to purchase Edmonton’s historic Molson House.
The University of Alberta is the first university in Canada to have a campus page on Foursquare!
Thirty-eight of Edmonton’s top clubs, pubs, bars, and lounges were recognized this week at the Best Bar None Awards. The overall winner was Union Hall Nightclub.
Congrats to the Shaw Conference Centre, for earning the Recycling Council of Alberta’s 2010 Corporate Leadership Award.
The student paper at the University of Alberta, The Gateway, turned 100 years old this weekend.
Update on the Alberta Hotel development. It’s coming along!
On July 1, the City launched the Washing Machine Rebate Program, to encourage Edmontonians to purchase energy-efficient, front-load washers. That program was supposed to end on December 31, but has been so popular that it won’t last that long!
The accrediting bodies that oversee the quality of medical schools in Canada and the United States have given the University of Alberta med school a solid A.
You can now follow Capital Power and EPCOR on Twitter.
Congrats to the winners of the 7th Annual Vehicle for Hire Driver Appreciation Day Awards (longest name ever!).
For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
They big event this week is the 2010 Grey Cup Festival. You can see the full listing of events on ShareEdmonton, and you can subscribe to an iCal of all the events here. The kick-off party takes place on Wednesday evening at City Hall.
The 2010 National Housing Day luncheon takes place on Monday at the Delta Centre Suite.
AUMA’s annual convention takes place this week at the Shaw Conference Centre. The event kicks off on Tuesday morning.
Green Drinks Edmonton is back on Wednesday evening.
Also Wednesday evening: Girl Geek Dinners, trivia edition!
There are two Southeast LRT information sessions taking place this week: Wednesday evening and Thursday evening.
The Everyone’s Downstream conference starts on Thursday.
For those of you interested in open data, the Open Spatial West workshop is taking place all day on Thursday at Enterprise Square.
One of my favorite holiday events – the Wrapping Tweetup is happening on Friday evening!
Next Saturday is Food4Fines, where you can get up to $25 in library fines wiped out in exchange for a food bank donation.
The Oil Kings are in action at home on Wednesday against the Calgary Hitmen, while the Oilers are home to the Avalanche on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday.
It’s craft fair season! Make It Edmonton starts Thursday, The Handmade Mafia takes place Saturday, the Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair takes place Saturday & Sunday, and the Shop Till You Drop Expo takes place Sunday.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The stacks were removed from the EPCOR plant on Friday. Here’s a video of the third stack being removed.

It might be cold outside, but you’ve got to admit, winter can be really beautiful.

What’s new at Grant MacEwan University?

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend the MacEwan President’s Reception held at the Robbins Health Learning Centre. Hosted by retiring president Dr. Paul Byrne, the event was an opportunity for the roughly 50 people in attendance to get an update on what the university has been up to. One of the things that Dr. Byrne was very excited to talk about was MacEwan’s positive showing in The Globe and Mail’s Canadian University Report. We were reminded that John Day became Chair of MacEwan’s Board of Governors in July, and Dr. Byrne shared some of the achievements from the last year. Aside from that, the evening had three main areas of focus – new programs, the Bachelor of Music, and the Single Sustainable Campus Project.

One of MacEwan’s newest degrees is the Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS):

“The BCS prepares graduates for strategic roles in business, traditional and new media, not-for-profit and public sector organizations. Graduates of the BCS program will have a variety of career opportunities to choose from, including communications advisor, consultant, producer, writer, editor, journalist, reporter, or commentator.”

The BCS starts in September 2011 along with a new Accounting major in the Bachelor of Commerce program, and a new Arts and Cultural Management diploma. New programs have been a major area of focus for MacEwan lately, as evidenced by the broad array of “We have a [program] for that.” advertisements that have appeared around the city. They now offer around 70 programs.

Another new program is the Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music, one of the few music programs in Canada to focus on jazz and contemporary music. When the full program is up and running, it will have 350 students. MacEwan will continue to offer its Music Diploma program as well. Music students from the school kept us entertained throughout the evening!

Though officials in attendance didn’t spend much time talking about it, the Single Sustainable Campus Project was definitely a focus, with information displays and a looping video available for everyone to look at. This video is a great introduction to and overview of the project:

The project will occur in three phases over the course of 20 years. The Centre for the Arts and Communications, currently located in the west end, will move downtown first, to a new home at the corner of 112 Street and 104 Avenue. The programs at South Campus will move next, followed by Alberta College Campus programs. One of the driving forces behind the project is enrollment. MacEwan currently has around 32,000 students, and that number is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. Sustainability, student satisfaction, and the LRT expansion are some of the other key factors. MacEwan received a $1 million Knowledge and Infrastructure Program (KIP) grant last year to kickstart the project, and is continuing to explore logistics and additional funding opportunities.

Grant MacEwan University is an important part of Edmonton’s strong slate of education options, so it’s great to see the school growing and succeeding. You can follow MacEwan on Twitter and on Facebook.

Edmonton Champions: Connect. Do. Win.

Today I’m very excited to help launch The Edmonton Champions Project:

The Edmonton Champions Project is a new network dedicated to continually identifying and celebrating the work of visionary individuals wherever they are, in our city and around the world. Led by a group of young Edmontonians and grassroots nonprofits artsScene Edmonton and Startup Edmonton, it’s part of a plan to transform Edmonton into a creative and entrepreneurial hub that connects us with each other and the world. Because together, we will shape Edmonton as a formidable community of champions, built to connect, do, and win in the entrepreneur economy of the future.

This is about mobilizing our best – a new community of champions who are visionary, relentless, and unstoppable, and who together, will define Edmonton’s place in the new global economy.

The project’s three pillars – Connect, Do, Win – are key to making our vision a reality.

We do a lot of connecting already, but there’s always room for improvement. artsScene Edmonton is an excellent way for young creative and business professionals to connect with each other, and with our city’s established arts organizations, through events like Behind the Scenes and TEDxEdmonton. Startup Edmonton is connecting designers, programmers, tech entrepreneurs, and investors, through events like Startup Drinks and DemoCamp. And there are so many other organizations doing a great job of connecting – Edmonton Next Gen with Pecha Kucha, Emerging Business Leaders, interVivos, JCI Edmonton, M.A.D.E. in Edmonton, to name just a few. We connect over coffee, we connect at tweetups, and we connect online. Great things happen when we get connected and work together.

Entrepreneurs are doers, they get things done. Entrepreneurship is something all of us can embrace, whether we’re artists, engineers, or MBA’s. Ideas are useless unless you can execute them, and that’s the mentality we need to fully embrace here in Edmonton. With so many intelligent, creative people, we’re bound to have some amazing ideas. If we can also put those ideas into action, with mentorship, investment, and other supports, we’re going to be very competitive in the new global economy.

As we say on the website:

Edmonton has always been a city of winners – a city of champions. We believe that being a champion extends beyond the realm of sport. Champions achieve excellence, overcome adversity, and have the will to win and succeed.

We need not be shy about our successes! Instead, let’s tell Edmontonians and the world about all of the people and organizations that make our city great. This is what The Edmonton Champions Project is all about.

I’ve put a lot of thought into how we can take Edmonton forward, and there’s no doubt in my mind that The Edmonton Champions Project is going to help.

If Edmonton is going to make its mark in this new global economy, the time to act is now. This is why we’re asking you as young leaders to stand with us. To connect, do, and win. Be an Edmonton Champion.

Stay tuned for more on The Edmonton Champions Project in 2011. If you’re interested, let’s get connected! Fill out our simple form here, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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