Edmonton Notes for 11/23/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• NorQuest has launched its most ambitious fundraising initiative ever, with the goal of raising $20 million by 2017. It also announced that thanks to a $2.5 million investment from Dr. Prem Singhmar and Dr. Saroj Singhmar, the new academic building will called the Singhmar Centre for Learning.
• Dr. Carl Amrhein is leaving his post as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at the University of Alberta to be the new Official Administrator for Alberta Health Services. Graham and I discussed that news and other topics in our latest episode of Mack & Cheese.
• The City of Edmonton is the first municipality to receive Waterstone Human Capital’s designation for Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. The program’s Magazine Director cited the Citizen Dashboard as one of the reasons the City received the award.
• This was not a great weekend for Edmonton sports. The Bears were swept by the Calgary Dinos. The Oilers were spanked on Saturday night, losing 7-1 to Chicago (incredibly this is only the 2nd worst start of the post-Pronger era). And today the Eskimos lost to the Stampeders by a score of 43-18 in the Western Conference Final.
• TEC Edmonton and Innovate Calgary both received new federal funding this week to expand their programs and services. TEC is launching the TEC Health Accelerator to “assist promising startup health-care companies throughout Alberta.”
• After a decade of success, Guru Digital Arts College announced a rebranding this week! They are now Edmonton Digital Arts College. Here’s a great recap of the announcement event.
• The amazing Neon Sign Museum will soon feature more signs and could even expand to additional locations in the future!
• Have an opinion on the City of Edmonton’s proposed annexation of land in Leduc County? You have until December 5 to fill out the online survey.
• Effective November 18, 2014, Darcy Trufyn is the new Chair of the Art Gallery of Alberta Board of Directors. Past-Chair Barry Zalmanowitz served from 2011, after first joining the board in 2009. Trufyn has served on the board since 2010.
• Catalyst Theatre’s extremely popular NEVERMORE will be playing off-Broadway starting in January!
• Tim Yakimec, general manager of Edmonton Opera, has also taken over as artistic director for the organization.
• In business news, long-time investment industry executive Kevin Uebelein has been named to replace Leo de Bever as CEO of AIMCo.
• In a new report to the Capital Region Board, economist Jeremy Heigh says the Edmonton region is being outcompeted by countries like Norway and Scotland.
• Is the new public washroom in Borden Park the most beautiful such facility in Canada? Maybe! Without question it is “a sign of outstanding design to come” in our city.
• Have you heard about the Sexy Men of YEG Food calendar? It’s a project that is raising money for the Edmonton Food Bank. Sharon and I picked up a copy on the weekend and even got it signed by Mr. June and Mr. July!
• Looking for winter date ideas in Edmonton? Frugal Edmonton Mama has 50 of them!
• There’s an exciting number of condo projects either happening or slated to happen downtown. How many condos are too many?
• The Edmonton Police Service wants 100 new officers fully trained by the summer of 2016. Should be some interesting budget discussions this week at Council!
• It’s only a matter of time until we cast our ballots online. Councillor Knack is hoping to revisit the idea here in Edmonton, with a new report from Edmonton Elections due in late February.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.

Arena District by Jason Woodhead

Upcoming Events

• The City is hosting an open house on downtown bike routes on Monday night. A similar session on bike routes in Old Strathcona takes place on Thursday at Lister Conference Centre.
• The next edition of Edmonton Girl Geek Dinners takes place on Tuesday evening.
• Ready for Christmas trees? The Festival of Trees begins on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre and runs through Sunday.
• Rock your stache at the Movember Edmonton Gala on Thursday evening at Central Social Hall.
• I’ll be at Yellowhead Brewery on Thursday for the launch of The Yards, a new magazine focused on central Edmonton.
• The Oil Kings are in action at home a couple of times this week. On Tuesday evening they host the Prince Albert Raiders, on Wednesday they host the Swift Current Broncos, and on Friday they host the Vancouver Giants.
• Social Media Breakfast Edmonton is holding its 38th event on Friday morning at Startup Edmonton.
• Royal Bison is happening twice this season! Shop for unique arts and crafts from Friday through Sunday at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

A look at the Walterdale Bridge project, by IndustrialAndrew