Happy Thanksgiving! Here are my weekly notes:
- Wondering why it smelled smoky in the city today? The most likely cause was forest fires in BC.
- According to a new study, the University of Alberta’s impact on the Alberta economy is estimated to be $12.3 billion.
- The deadline to complete the survey on the draft Food & Agriculture Strategy is tomorrow. That’s right, just a week for a 94-page document.
- Fire Prevention Week kicked off today. Between 2009 and 2011, there were 973 home fires reported in Edmonton resulting in 173 injuries and 18 fatalities. Be prepared!
- If you can get 60% of the residents in your neighbourhood to agree, you can get the speed limit lowered by 10 km/h. If every community took advantage of the opportunity, it could cost the City about $12 million.
- “If you have the courage to make something, Edmonton is your city.” Great stuff from Todd Babiak.
- Parking fines could go from $35 to $50 if you stay past the expiry time. That’s on top of the fourth highest parking fees in Canada.
- Here’s the latest Council Roundup.
- The Hope Mission’s #TweetForHope challenge raised $5400 in just an hour and a half. Nice work everyone!
- It was a busy week for the Edmonton Rush. They have named Dave Jamieson as the new Team President, and in the draft they had the first overall pick and three of the top fifteen picks. The Rush selected consensus top pick Mark Matthews with the No. 1 overall pick.
- Yesterday was the final day of business for Greenwoods’ Bookshoppe. The end of an era.
- Edmontonians affected by flooding during severe storms in July 2012 can apply for assistance under the Government of Alberta’s Disaster Recovery Program.
- This is pretty funny: Original draft of Katz apology letter revealed.
- The Edmonton Valley Zoo has been awarded the top honour for outstanding achievement among Canada’s accredited zoos and aquariums for the new Arctic Shores exhibit.
- EPSB continues to see growth in its five-year high school completion rate. From 2006-2007 to 2010-2011, the District saw a 2.3 per cent increase in this rate, rising from 73.8 per cent to 76.1 per cent.
- Pottery Barn opened its first store in Edmonton yesterday at West Edmonton Mall.
- Voter registration for the 2012 Jellybean Internet Voting Election opens tomorrow!
- Wednesday’s forecast calls for flurries. Let’s hope it is wrong.
Foggy Morning in Edmonton by Darren Kirby.
Here are some upcoming events:
- Edmonton’s first Nerd Nite is happening Wednesday evening at the Gogo Lounge.
- Don’t miss TEDxEdmonton Education, taking place all day Saturday.
- This year’s edition of the Scarecrow Festival runs from Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
- Very cool event coming up on Friday evening: The Subsequent Fall.
- The Eskimos host the Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
- The third annual Bossy Mama Flaunt happens on Sunday at the Enjoy Centre.
- The next Refinery late-night art party is coming up on November 17: The Monstrous Baroque Refinery.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
Rainbow Ramp by trav