Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
Headlines
- The Government of Alberta and representatives of Alberta’s municipalities signed a Memorandum of Understanding this week that will see a revised Municipal Government Act in place in 2016.
- The City announced another delay to the Metro Line LRT extension this week. Watch for it sometime in May, hopefully. We also learned that construction on the Valley Line LRT will close a portion of 102 Avenue for four years.
- Another big discussion this week was of course about Uber and Edmonton’s taxi industry. Here’s my recap of the Council meeting and next steps.
- More details about the Outlet Collection at EIA were announced this week. Developer Ivanhoé Cambridge has increased the shopping centre’s retail area to 415,000 square feet and plans to welcome more than 100 outlet brands when it opens in 2017.
- EIA also announced a new 210,000 square foot facility for Rosenau Transport Ltd. too. Together the projects will bring $225 million in investment to the region and will create approximately 1000 jobs.
- Some potentially big news for City Council as Councillor Amarjeet Sohi has confirmed he is considering seeking the federal Liberal nomination for Edmonton-Mill Woods.
- More big news in provincial politics too. Doug Horner announced he’ll be leaving the public sector, and then Fred Horne also announced his departure. And of course, rumors have started about who else may run.
- Retailer La Maison Simons announced it will open its second Edmonton location at Londonderry Mall in the fall of 2017. It’s a big win for the mall which is undergoing a $130 million overhaul right now.
- Congratulations to Michael Janz who became the new chair of the Edmonton Public School Board this week.
- Cineplex announced this week that it plans to open a 35,000 square foot theatre complex in the new arena district in 2018.
- In case you missed it: here’s my look at what’s coming up at Council this week.
- Here’s a great read from Ken Bautista on the Full-Stack Entrepreneurial Community here in Edmonton.
- The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra may need to find a new music director in the summer as Bill Eddins’ contract ends in June. He would certainly be missed!
- Via Sharon, here’s a study on food deserts in Edmonton. “Only a few neighbourhoods in Edmonton have supermarkets within reasonable walking distance…”
- Paula Simons argues that Edmonton needs new tools to save old places, like McKay Avenue School and St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
- New evidence from Statistics Canada suggests that Canada’s prairie cities are growing even faster than we thought.
- Interesting to hear that CP Railways is planning to redevelopment their south Edmonton yard, located between 82 Avenue and 63 Avenue along Gateway Boulevard. The site is 92 acres and they’re opening to redevelop it into a mixed-use development.
- If the Oilers could trade captain Andrew Ference, should they?
- Here’s a great piece on Alex Decoteau and the impact he had on Edmonton during his short 30 years.
- For more headlines from the past week, check out ShareEdmonton.
Mayors Iveson & Nenshi talk with Premier Prentice
Upcoming Events
- Ice on Whyte got underway this weekend. Head over and check it out before everything melts!
- Also taking place this week is the Winter Cities Shake-Up, a gathering of urban planners, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and all other people who want to take advantage of everything that winter has to offer.
- The Oilers host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at Rexall Place. They host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
- The Oil Kings are in action on Wednesday against the Kelowna Rockets.
- IllumiNITE is back! Check out the outdoor gallery of light installations and sculptures on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the pocket park behind the old Sobey’s on 104 Street.
- NextGen is hosting an event called #YegIdeaXchange on Thursday at Startup Edmonton.
- Also taking place Thursday is the next Culture Collective Variety Show.
- Friday night is the annual Chamber Ball at the Shaw Conference Centre.
- I’ll be at Rexall Place that night for the Edmonton Rush game against the New England Black Wolves.
- Head over to Latitude 53 on Saturday night for Parka Patio: Fort YEG.
- The U of A’s Alumni Association’s celebration of its 100th anniversary is starting on the weekend with the Green & Glow Winterfest.
- Planning for Valentine’s Day already? Here are some ideas from Edmonton Tourism.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
All Eyes on the Big Build! by Jeff Wallace
MasterMaq's Blog 
I glanced at that food desert study link, and concluded that it’s a load of bull. Supermarkets – given their size – are located near major roads that normally form the boundary of a neighbourhood. By counting distances from the center of a neighbourhood, some neighbourhoods with supermarkets withing their boundaries are counted in the >2km range. I see at least Oliver, Downtown, and West Jasper Place in this category, and there’s probably others. So the 109 St Save-on, which is walking distance for many people in Oliver and Downtown apparently provides neither with a walking-distance supermarket.
Really, it’s a great example of how you can manipulate your methodology to arrive at a desired conclusion.