Edmonton Notes for 4/17/2011

You can keep up-to-date with local news and more during the week at Edmonton Etcetera. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• The State of the City Report for 2010-2011 was released this week.
• Edmonton is one of eight Canadian cities to make McKinsey & Co.’s list of the top 600 cities. You can explore the report here.
• This year’s Donate-a-Ride Campaign raised enough funds to provide more than 80,000 transit tickets to Edmontonians in need. The program has distributed a total of 835,252 tickets worth $1.5 million over the last 15 years.
• Edmonton’s new Chief of Police, Roderick Knecht, will start his new role on June 1. City Council ratified his appointment this week.
• The winners of the competition to design five City parks were announced this week. It’s the first time the City has used a competition to solicit design concepts for infrastructure projects.
• I’m very happy to see the Federal Building finally getting some attention again.
• Construction on the north LRT is starting to ramp up, and that means changes and impacts on Kingsway Avenue, which the City has shared information on here.
• You wouldn’t know it based on this year’s disappointing 5-11 record, but the Edmonton Rush were nearly in the championship final last year. At least they finished the current season on a high note, defeating the Toronto Rock 18-14.
• The City has delayed closing Scona Road until May 3 due to the federal election.
• The Edmonton International Airport is looking for feedback on its new Master Plan for future development. You can email them by April 27.
• Residential speed limits were back in the news again this week, as a report on the speed limit reduction pilot made its way back to the transportation committee.
• City Council approved plans for a new $5.5 million recreation centre in Abbottsfield this week.
• Wendy Cooper has been named the first president and chief executive of Port Alberta. She was formerly chief executive of Consulting Engineers of Alberta.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Last week was National Volunteer Week! Thank you all volunteers!
• Earth Day has been cancelled in Edmonton. That’s the second time in three years.
• The Edmonton Public School Board is holding a series of School Closure Moratorium Committee meetings, and you’re invited.
• Coming up on April 29 – don’t miss the Tweetup Cleanup Challenge!
• Edmonton Next Gen and interVivos are hosting Candi(date) on Wednesday, a federal election forum.
• Creativity in the City sounds like a really interesting free lecture. It takes place Tuesday evening.
• The International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety started today and runs through Thursday.
• Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that you can vote for the Best of Edmonton 2011, SEE Magazine’s annual survey of local favorites. This blog is nominated in the best local blog category!

Nelson Webb captured this week’s return to snow quite well. Messy.

Great shot by SkepticRod.