Edmonton Notes for 6/22/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• “What once was a city struggling with identity and self-esteem is transforming quickly into one filled with aspiration and conviction.” Here’s how you can help.
• The City of Edmonton broke ground on its new office tower on Thursday. Slated to open in the fall of 2016, the 27-story tower will allow the City to consolidate much of its staff into one location (the City will lease about 60% of the building).
• Congratulations to TEC Edmonton on being named “Incubator of the Year” at the 2014 Startup Canada Awards. Edmonton’s Randy Thompson was named Investor of the Year, and a number of other local organizations and individuals received honourable mentions.
• The City released its 2012/2013 Report on the Environment this week. Last year, approximately 15% of the City’s electricity came from green sources.
• From Frugal Edmonton Mama, here’s a list of the Top 10 Playgrounds in Edmonton.
• A new report shows a 4% drop in fatal and injury collisions in Edmonton between 2012 and 2013. Following too closely was the most common cause of collisions last year.
• The University of Alberta’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the establishment of a land trust to leverage land assets as a funding source for academic and research activities. There’s still a lot of work to do, but this decision paves the way for the U of A to follow in UBC’s footsteps.
• Former mayor Stephen Mandel and his wife Lynn were among the Edmontonians inducted into the City of Edmonton Hall of Fame for 2014.
• The Government of Alberta has released Alberta’s Economic Development Framework to outline our province’s future economic growth.
• Nominations are now open for the second Edmonton Music Prize. The deadline is September 29.
• A new report from KPMG shows that businesses pay lower taxes in Edmonton than in any other city in Canada.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference was named this year’s recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and office the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
• Barry Travers is the new board chair at EEDC. Former chair Peter Silverstone is retiring from the board, and Angela Fong and Maria Holowinsky are joining.
• The Devonian Botanic Garden has been named Botanical Garden of the Year as part of the Canadian Garden Council’s Garden Tourism Awards.
• If you’re looking to learn more about the original plans for Blatchford, check out this radio documentary from Lana Cuthbertson.
• In the mood to create a video? Why not record a clip for Adam!
• The Oilers have announced their 2014-2015 season schedule. They’ll start the regular season at home against the Calgary Flames on October 9. They have also announced the 2014 Pre-Season Schedule.
• What are you doing on July 19? You could help to plant a food forest!
• I was very sad to hear that a fire has once again destroyed the Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe.

Edmonton-Strathcona MLA Rachel Notley launched her campaign to become leader of Alberta’s NDP this week

Upcoming Events

• Edmonton is hosting the CityAge Western Cities Summit on Monday and Tuesday this week.
• The Works continues all week at locations throughout the downtown. The main festival site is Churchill Square.
• Also continuing this week is the Edmonton International Jazz Festival and Improvaganza. From The Local Good, here are the top ten reasons to check out Improvaganza.
• Join the Edmonton Food Council on Tuesday night at Northlands Park (in the Paddock Theatre) for a panel discussion on community gardens featuring Travis Kennedy, David Prodan, Rachel Feroe, Brad Armstrong, and Carla Meyer.
• The Edmonton Centre federal Liberals are hosting a Pints & Politics event at The Druid on Wednesday.
• Thursdays are always busy nights in the summer. This week, check Latitude 53’s Patio series, the 124 Street Grand Market, Dark Matters at the TELUS World of Science (plus the Yelp Party), and the Edmonton Grads International Classic, among other events!
• Kicking off on Thursday is the 2014 Found Festival.
• Head over to Beaver Hills House Park on Friday for Night Market Edmonton.
• Saturday is Family Day at Northlands Park from 1-4pm.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Cool shot of the train at Fort Edmonton Park by Paul