Edmonton Notes for 1/12/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

A Theme Song for Edmonton

Via Omar, I came across this intriguing “theme song” for Edmonton.

Does anyone know anything about it?

Headlines

• More ridiculous rhetoric from Alberta Premier Alison Redford on LRT funding this week. “At the end of the day, it’s not about me deciding whether the Southeast LRT is a priority for Edmonton.” Thing is, both Edmonton & Calgary have already decided that LRT is vital for their futures, and the reality is that having completed networks in both cities is vital for the future of the province too. But the cities can’t do it alone (or they would). When will the Province realize that?
• “We need to have a grown-up conversation and review about amalgamation.” That’s what Edmonton Chamber of Commerce CEO James Cumming said in a speech at the Realtors Association of Edmonton conference this week. The comments drew quite a bit of criticism. St. Albert mayor Nolan Crouse, who is also chair of the Capital Region Board, said “I think it’s totally off-side for him to be meddling in capital region business.”
• They’re back! Nominations are now open for the Edmonton New Media Awards, affectionately known as The Yeggies.
• Edmonton is starting to warm up to winter festivals, says The Local Good.
• EPS has released the Checkstop results for 2013: there were 1905 impaired driving charges and 848 roadside suspensions laid in 2013 by the Edmonton Police Service.
• Icelandair starts scheduled service from Edmonton this spring, and to celebrate they are hosting YEG Hunt, a ticket giveaway on the streets of our city. Watch for them starting January 21.
• This is neat: three solar lamps are going to be installed at the Stanley A. Milner library downtown to help those who suffer from a lack of sunlight exposure.
• Here’s another innovation from Edmonton Transit – you can now get bus schedule information via email. Simply send an email to ETSLive@edmonton.ca with your stop number in the subject line.
• Rough week to work for the Oilers organization (okay, okay, rough few years). First up, here’s an open letter to Mr. Katz at the Copper & Blue blog. “If your Pharmacy chain was consistently losing money, wouldn’t you reconsider who you had in your C-level positions?”
• Second link is from David Staples: “No National Hockey League team has won less often in the last six years, the Daryl Katz ownership era in Edmonton, than the Oilers.”
• Third we have a thoughtful piece by John MacKinnon: “And so, as the team struggles, the connection between the fans and the Oilers is not unlike the decrepit knee joint of an aged athlete, a bone-on-bone grating where the unkept promises of management meet the unrealized expectations of long-suffering fans.”
• The Edmonton Police Service conducts a bi-annual Citizen Survey, and the latest edition is happening right now via random phone calls. The results will be presented in late spring.
• Here’s a feature on Jaime Calayo, the graphic designer I linked to a few weeks ago that created the crests for each neighbourhood.
• I meant to link to this a while back. Tamara wrote a post about Make Something Edmonton at the start of the year, and it stirred up a bit of controversy.
• In case you missed it: lots of food news in Sharon’s weekly food notes!
• Speaking of food, the deadline to submit a favorite for the 2014 Tomato Top 100 is January 25, so get on it!
• Have someone to nominate for Avenue Edmonton’s annual Top 40 Under 40? Fill out the nomination form here!
• Nominations are also open for the City of St. Albert’s Community Recognition Awards. The deadline is February 15.
• As we approach the peak of the flu season, here’s an update from the Province: “nearly one million Albertans have been immunized at more than 1,800 locations, including pharmacies, doctors’ offices and influenza clinics.”

I love this photo of Jasper Avenue by David Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• Head over to Startup Edmonton on Monday evening for the next Edmonton Python Meetup.
• Justin Timberlake is in town with concerts both Monday and Tuesday evening!
• EEDC’s annual Impact Luncheon takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
• Wednesday is the 2014 edition of the Edmonton Whiskey Festival, supporting the MS Society of Canada, Alberta Division.
• After winning both their season and home-openers against the Colorado Mammoth, the Edmonton Rush look to make it three straight wins when Calgary comes to town on Friday night.
• The Edmonton Motorcycle Show kicks off on Friday and runs all weekend.
• Cool event taking place on Saturday evening featuring the Sailin’ On food truck and lots of great local music!
• Bridal Fantasy takes place on Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

There’s still a lot of snow out there!