Edmonton Notes for 10/28/2012

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• And you thought Daryl Katz was done making headlines! It came to light this week that he may have donated as much as $430,000 to the PC Party of Alberta during the recent provincial election. The maximum contribution limit allowed during an election is $30,000. Maybe he really was just worried about the Wildrose.
• The public hearing for the Food & Agriculture Strategy will continue on Friday morning. Elise has a good breakdown of what happened so far.
• Just ahead of the snow this weekend, the City of Edmonton wrapped up its 2012 construction season, with $146 million invested in bridges, paving, and other infrastructure projects.
• The President of CUPE Alberta is joining the fight against Council’s decision to move ahead with the SE LRT line as a P3 project. “Edmonton Council is giving up without a whimper," said Marle Roberts. "Instead, the Mayor and Council should be raising hell about what the Harper government is up to.”
• There’s an effort afoot to recognize, preserve, and enhance Edmonton’s corridor of churches, which runs along 96 Street between 105 Avenue and 111 Avenue.
• Is a better alignment of money really the problem hampering Edmonton’s image problem? I’m not so sure.
• Syncrude has invested $250,000 in MacEwan University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Transfer program. The investment underscores the need for highly skilled workers in our province.
• Voting in the 2012 Jellybean Internet Voting Election opened on Monday. You have until Thursday to register, and until Friday to vote.
• Congratulations to the winners of the Muttart Conservatory’s Shutterbug Contest.
• Suburban-style front garages could be on the way for mature neighbourhoods if a series of bylaw changes are approved.
• Eight local teachers were among 94 educators across the country honored with the 2012 Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.
• Bring on smart fares for transit! If it happens at the regional level, all the better.
• I haven’t been over there yet, but a pop-up Microsoft Store opened at West Edmonton Mall on Friday.
• Don’t miss Sharon’s recap of Mercury Opera’s Fiamma.

Food & Agriculture Public Hearing

Here are some upcoming events:

• Marianas Trench plays Rexall Place tomorrow evening!
• The inaugural Exchange.js meetup is happening on Thursday evening at Startup Edmonton.
• Food Secure Canada is holding its 7th National Assembly here in Edmonton from Thursday through Sunday at NAIT.
• The Eskimos lost to Montreal today, which makes their next game against Calgary on Friday night their last chance to make the playoffs.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• River City Round Up kicks off this weekend! On Friday, head down to Churchill Square for the 22nd Annual Chili Cook Off. All day Saturday, the square will be full of activities for the kick off party.
• Farmfair International gets underway on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Fall sure didn’t last long, did it?

Don’t forget to fall back next weekend! Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 4 at 2:00 AM.