Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
Headlines
- At a news conference featuring Daryl Katz himself, the City and Oilers announced the guaranteed maximum price for the downtown arena was met and that construction can move ahead.
- Following on from the arena news, PCL announced that a groundbreaking will take place in March with construction scheduled to complete in time for the 2016-2017 NHL season.
- Here’s a look at a couple of other projects being built nearby – the RAM and the new City office tower.
- The Federal government announced the new Building Canada Fund this week, and Mayor Iveson thinks it could help Edmonton build the Southeast LRT extension.
- Mayor Don Iveson used a pair of scissors delivered by a small robot to cut the ribbon on the Edmonton Public Library’s Makerspace. Open during regular hours at the Stanley A. Milner library, EPL Makerspace “offers incredible technology and equipment for the public to create on.”
- Here’s the latest Council Roundup. The City of Edmonton was named one of Alberta’s top employers for 2014!
- On Monday, the Province announced it will invest in three new schools in Edmonton, plus an expansion to Lillian Osborne High School. Premier Redford said: “One of the cornerstones of our Building Alberta Plan is education and preparing our kids for their future. Last spring, I committed to building 50 schools and modernizing 70 others and that is exactly what we are doing. Before the month is over, all of those projects will be underway.”
- Here’s an interactive map of Edmonton schools from the Edmonton Journal. Great visualization!
- Starting Tuesday, dozens of trees will be removed from the ravine above Groat Road to make way for the construction of a new bridge. The new bridge is expected to cost $32.2 million and is slated to open in October 2015.
- Sobeys as forced to sell a number of grocery stores in Western Canada in order to proceed with its purchase of Safeway’s Canadian locations, including four here in Edmonton. All four were purchased by Federated Co-operatives and will remain open.
- I’m still not convinced that the proposed Downtown Academic & Cultural Centre is a good idea, but it’ll be before Council again this week to discuss a potential land sale.
- The Edmonton Rush defeated the Minnesota Swarm on Friday night to improve to 7-0 on the season. It’s looking like it’ll be a great season!
- Congrats to local startup LoginRadius on securing another $1.3 million in financing. The company has also opened an office in Sunnyvale, California.
- Will we have more local beer choices in the future thanks to recent provincial policy changes? Beer Revolution’s general manager Luke Sifk thinks so.
- The Edmonton Eskimos have announced their 2014 season!
- Edmonton will soon be home to four Bitcoin ATMs, two of which will be at Remedy Cafe, one at West Edmonton Mall, and one in Sherwood Park.
- Applications are open for the Edmonton Youth Forum, taking place on March 28 at City Hall. The deadline to apply is March 7.
Here’s a different way to see Edmonton: from above!
Upcoming Events
- The Silver Skate Festival started on Friday and continues through February 23 at Hawrelak Park.
- Looking for something fun to do on Family Day? Check out activities at Churchill Square and the Legislature between noon and 4pm!
- Broadway Across Canada presents West Side Story at the Jubilee Auditorium this week beginning on Tuesday.
- The next speaker series event organized by The Way We Green will take place at City Hall on Wednesday during the lunch hour, focused on water conservation.
- Saturday is International Open Data Day, and the Edmonton Public Library is hosting a hackathon to celebrate.
- Also Saturday is the Online News Association Edmonton’s first conference.
- Latitude 53’s popular Parka Patio Party returns on Saturday evening.
- Tickets are on sale now for Pecha Kucha Night 18, coming up on March 6.
- Heads up on an interesting event taking place from March 5 to 8 at Characters restaurant: Taste of Iceland. It’s another creative way to promote the new direct flight to Reykjavik.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
Great long exposure of the skyline from Jeff Wallace
MasterMaq's Blog 