Here are my weekly Edmonton notes!
Heavy Users of Service Project
A two-year initiative called the Heavy Users of Service project will “monitor some of the city’s most frequent users of social, medical, criminal and justice services with the goal of identifying and bridging gaps in service provision and treatment.” It was launched on Friday by EPS and is a collaboration between fourteen organizations. Here are a few quick thoughts on the project:
Headlines
- The winter storm watch from Friday has turned into a snowfall warning for the Edmonton area. Heavy snow is expected through Monday, as well as strong cold winds. Bundle up this week! Already snow is wreaking havoc, with a 21 vehicle pileup on Highway 16 about 60 kilometers east of the city. Also, the next dump of snow means that neighbourhood blading won’t be finished anytime soon.
- Speaking of winter, the City has setup a winter bike route maintenance pilot on 106 Street between 29 Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive. The pilot includes dedicated bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and shared-use lanes.
- Another winter story that caught my eye was this one about the Winter Emergency Response Bus.
- Also, Mayor Iveson blogged about all the snow we’ve been getting. He says “there’s no such thing as a perfect snow policy.”
- In the latest episode of Mack & Cheese, we discuss the Edmonton region and the recent interest in regional governance. See also these changes to Bill 28 that the provincial government announced on Thursday.
- Edmonton’s collision rate has decreased by 9.2% in the last two years according to Allstate’s fifth annual Safe Driving Study. We’re still ranked 44th out of 50 Canadian communities though, and last in Alberta.
- Though the Oilers have been on an upswing lately, I still found it shocking that the value of the franchise has increased 78% in just one year to $400 million USD, according to Forbes. I suspect the Oilers would say the numbers are inaccurate, but assuming Forbes is consistent in its methodology from year-to-year, the relative increase or decrease is still interesting.
- Chris Jones has been named head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. He was most recently with the Toronto Argonauts where he served as defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and assistant general manager.
- Here’s some good news for supporters of the Light the Bridge project – estimates now peg the cost at about half a million less than originally anticipated!
- Congratulations to the six Edmontonians recognized at the 2013 Salute to Excellence Citation and Performance Awards.
- Thinking about LRT funding? David Staples has summarized recent funding: the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s. He says to expect disappointment.
- The winners of the Urban Design Awards were announced at City Hall on November 22. Great to see Dirt City, Dream City and the LIVINGbridge recognized! Oh, and also the Talus Dome!
- EPSB has ratified a new contract for the district’s teachers and principals. The four year agreement allows for small salary increases beginning next year.
- Heading out shopping? Don’t forget to lock your doors and keep your valuables out of sight.
- One of the most recent grant recipients from the EPCOR Community Essentials Council is the Edmonton Do Likewise Society. They run a community canteen program to service the needs of marginalized people in south Edmonton.
- Today was the DBA’s annual Jingle On Santa Claus parade. As usual it took place indoors, but that could change in future years. Maybe it could be done half and half?
The City Centre Airport is now officially closed. The lights on runway 12-30 went off just before 5pm on Saturday, November 30, with crews installing giant white Xs shortly after. I’ll have more on the closure in an upcoming post. In the meantime, you can check out a few more photos here.
Upcoming Events
- Phoenix is in town on Tuesday to take on the Oilers. Colorado visits Thursday, and the Flames take on the Oilers on Saturday.
- The Google Developer Group meets on Tuesday evening, while the Physical Computing Meetup‘s next event is Wednesday evening. Both take place at Startup Edmonton.
- Starting Thursday you can Celebrate the Season at the Alberta Legislature.
- The Edmonton Valley Zoo’s newest event called The Festival of Light kicks off on Friday. The artistic light installations will illuminate the zoo through December 15.
- This weekend is the Butterdome Craft Sale! The event kicks off on Thursday.
- Head over to Vacancy Hall on Saturday for the Mercer Collective Makers Market!
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
MasterMaq's Blog 
As someone who sees/deals with these heavy users almost everyday (our business is in McCauley), this is a great idea, and why stop at 50 people?
Yes, we need to deal with the root cause, but you still have to treat the symptoms, because dealing with the root cause isn’t going to help the heavy users that much. They have already grown up in a lifestyle that results in addiction, abuse and terrible decision making skills.
We had a women at our building who asked us to call her an ambulance. Did she need one? I don’t think so. Could we say no? Of course not. Was it a colossal waste of time and money? Very much so.
No doubt, there are efficiencies to be found, and certainly we need to continue treating the symptoms. But I don’t think we have historically put enough emphasis on root causes, and I think we should keep that in mind, that’s all.