Apologies for missing a couple of weeks of Edmonton notes, time to get back on track! It has certainly felt like one event after another this summer for Sharon and I, and we’re not done yet. Our next event is Blink: Urban Picnic, a pop-up restaurant taking place in Louise McKinney Park next Sunday. I’m really excited about it – read Sharon’s post for more details. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning!
Here are my weekly notes:
- Summer break is over for City Council, with committee meetings resuming this week at City Hall. Check out the upcoming meetings and agenda items here.
- I was very happy to see this piece from Graham Hicks. I too have been in touch with EEDC about Edmonton’s absence from The Economist’s annual report on the world’s most livable cities. The reason – that we are too close to Calgary – is ridiculous. If that’s the case, include us as a megaregion, don’t just pick one!
- Yes I realize that Avenue’s Best Neighbourhoods of 2012 came out a couple of weeks ago, but I’m going to tell you what I think anyway! First let me say that I love that Avenue has started this list. I think recognizing areas of our city and perhaps even encouraging the branding of those areas is a good thing. We need to do that. That said, with readers expressing “the highest desire for pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods”, I fail to see how Windermere made the list. Look at the ten neighbourhoods on the list and play “which of these things is not like the others” – Windermere stands out like a sore thumb. It is not pedestrian-friendly.
- I did not realize the City’s Percent for Art program could be used to design attractive garbage collection trucks, but I’m glad it can!
- Kasian Architecture and Edmonton-based HIP architects are merging. “We are committed to maintaining a large presence in Edmonton, the birthplace of our company. This merger allows two excellent organizations to better leverage their collective talents and address significant market opportunities” noted Don Kasian, President of Kasian.
- While I definitely like to see praise for downtown, let’s not forget the focus on residents. A dozen new commercial buildings will mean nothing if we don’t attract new residences too.
- No surprise here: Alberta will lead the country in economic growth this year and employment in Calgary and Edmonton is “expected to strengthen through 2016 with the addition of 120,000 new jobs…”
- Congratulations to all who were recognized in this year’s Edmonton in Bloom Awards!
- Good question: what do celiac patients in Alberta Health Services eat?
- The second round of public consultation on the future of Queen Elizabeth Park is now underway. You have until August 31 to complete the online survey.
- This is pretty cool: about a week and a half ago, archeologists uncovered the footprint of an old fur trading fort at the Rossdale Flats.
- Check out a sneak peek at the new Domestic International Departures Lounge at EIA.
- From a few weeks ago but worth linking to anyway: “When a city like Ottawa has fallen behind Edmonton, it ought to be a wake-up call.”
- Here is the latest Weekly Update from the Edmonton Real Estate Blog. Here is the latest housing start data from CMHC.
- Mark your calendars for the Edmonton Expo taking place in October. Our very own “Comic-Con”!
- In case you missed it: the winner of our Pulled Pork throwdown was The Act. The event raised more than $1800 for the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation!
- There are four new on-street bike parking corrals located in Old Strathcona as part of a three-month pilot project. Walking around today, they all looked full. More of this please!
Here are some upcoming events:
- The Fringe is on! Head over to Old Strathcona to experience The Village of the Fringed!
- Don’t miss Tuesdays on the Terrace at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
- Thursday is the final Summer Rooftop Patio Series event at Latitude 53!
- The annual Blues Festival kicks off on Friday at Hawrelak Park.
- The East Meets West festival takes place this weekend in Chinatown and Little Italy!
- Blink: Urban Picnic takes place on Sunday evening at Louise McKinney!
- Also coming up on Sunday are the Farming in the City guided bus tours of the northeast.
- It’s slightly more than a week out but I am going to plug Crafting Type because I think it’s totally awesome that this kind of an event is happening here in Edmonton. It’s a five-day workshop that teaches absolute beginners how to create a typeface (or font, though technically they are not the same thing). As you might expect, their website is beautiful.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
The Fringe grounds were packed tonight!
For my previous Edmonton Notes, click here.
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