Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
- Former mayor Cecil Purves didn’t hold anything back in his critique of the arena deal. “When I see a deal that is so blatantly bad for the citizens of Edmonton, and they’re giving it to a private guy who’s a billionaire, then I say to you, there’s no one in this city who’s going to back that up if they knew the facts.”
- What do you think about Edmonton making a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games? We hosted back in 1978.
- The communities around Edmonton are growing quickly according to the latest census results. Leduc posted a 43% growth rate, Spruce Grove saw 33% growth, and Beaumont led the way with 48%.
- In case you missed it, here’s my post on the local aspect of the 2011 Federal Census.
- The new terminal at the Edmonton International Airport officially opened on Saturday. The new Central Tower will open later this year.
- Six non-profit public projects are receiving funding through the Community Facility Partner Capital Grants Program. Among other things, Metro Cinema is getting digital projection upgrades and the Arygll Velodrome is getting track and drainage repairs.
- Hooray for this! Councillor Iveson submitted a formal inquiry to look at the possibility of an LRT stop between Southgate and Century Park.
- ETS is testing a prototype coins-only counting farebox on four buses this week.
- Employment in the Edmonton CMA slipped last month by 3500 jobs, as the unemployment rate rose from 4.9% to 5.0%.
- Edmonton has reclaimed the prize of Sirens for Life champion in the 10th annual inter-city blood donor challenge.
- The province intends to collect an extra $120 million from education taxes this year, which could boost the total average Edmonton property tax bill by 7.2%. On the other hand, the City is in line to received a $2 million MSI increase and more funding for policing.
- The Grierson Hill Bridge will be completely closed starting Saturday and will not reopen until the fall when a new bridge is built.
- I know you’ve all been waiting for this news: Walmart Canada plans to add five stores to Edmonton this year.
Such a cool shot of the Bay/Enterprise Square LRT Station by Alison Poole:
Here are some upcoming events:
- The next round of public consultation workshops for the City Centre Redevelopment takes place this week, with opportunities on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Avenue Edmonton’s 2012 Design Competition winner will be awarded on Thursday.
- This year’s edition of the popular Silver Skate Festival starts on Friday, and runs through Monday.
- I’m really looking forward to Latitude 53’s 1st Annual Parka Patio Party on Saturday!
- Monday is Family Day, which means the end of Metropolis.
- The Oilers have three games at home this week: Toronto on Wednesday, Colorado on Friday, and Vancouver on Sunday.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
MasterMaq's Blog 
Hey Mack,
What a great photo! Do you think Alison would like to submit it for the Sense of Place series in the Saturday Style section of The Journal?
Hmm, possibly! Her contact info is here: http://www.alisonpoole.ca/
I came across your mention this morning about ETS piloting new fare boxes and am curious if there has been any consultation with groups serving people with disabilities. I can see potential issues with this model since I personally (I’m a quad) have enough trouble dealing with coins as it is and can not use a vending machine (apparently the same mechanisms that these boxes will use) due to its set up.
As it stands, I can’t even put money into the current boxes as they are out of reach for me, but if they are going to make an expensive change, two things need to be considered:
a) people with reduced use of their hands–such as those with MS and spinal cord injuries– are likely to have difficulty inserting a coin at a time through a slot;
b) if the city is going to be spending significant money on these boxes, I hope that they take people of all abilities into account and make the boxes easier to access, not harder.
I agree with you – new boxes should take accessibility into consideration! Thanks for the comment, I have passed it along to ETS. I unfortunately am not sure if they have done any consultation already, or if that is intended to be part of the pilot.
I forwarded this info to the MS Society and the CPA. They have representatives on some sort of access committee run by the city so will likely know whether it has been brought up or not.
How typical your smug elitism is revealed by “I know you’ve all been waiting for this news: Walmart Canada plans to add five stores to Edmonton this year.”
Most would say – wow, looks like the business model is working pretty well – low prices and more secure jobs in retail.