Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
Headlines
- On Monday the City advised residents that Groat Road would remain closed through Tuesday due to several steel girders that buckled during installation for the 102 Avenue Bridge Replacement project. The debacle quickly became known as #girdergate. Then on Tuesday, the City said that Groat Road will remain closed for up to three weeks while they work to repair or remove the girders. Here are four questions on the issue. The City has rerouted buses and adjusted traffic signals accordingly. They’ve hired bridge experts. In the latest update released on Friday, the City said it had met its first-week goals for stabilizing the project.
- The Province has tabled amendments to the Municipal Government Act, another step in the review process that began in 2012. Bill 20 will see another round of discussions and then more amendments, with proclamation of all updates to the MGA expected by the end of 2016.
- The LRT was down again all weekend fueling speculation that the new signaling system will indeed be handed over to ETS on Monday. Given the way this project has been going though, I wouldn’t hold my breath!
- Have you see the new Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre at the University of Alberta? It features a striking design and a bronze Alberta Bear statue created by Canadian artist Cathryn Jenkins. As is trend these days, they’ve got a timelapse of the construction too.
- The media were given a fresh look at the construction of Rogers Place this week. The project is both on time and on budget, according to the City. The first public art installation will be announced Monday.
- See! Winter festivals in Edmonton aren’t so bad! Here are some highlights from Stu.
- According to the Music Industries Index, Edmonton ranks third out of six mid-sized Canadian cities when it comes to the music industry.
- Apparently there is more than $225 million of repairs needed for Edmonton’s hospitals.
- Here’s a Q&A with Simon O’Byrne, the Dr. Charles Allard Chair in Business for 2015 at MacEwan University. “Everyone in Edmonton feels that tomorrow will be even better than today,” he says.
- Over at the Edmonton Commons blog Elise asks, won’t someone please think of the trees? Is a policy for protecting mature trees in Edmonton on the horizon?
- Are you an ETS Hero? If you’re a considerate bus or LRT rider, you could be given a button to show that you practice good transit etiquette. ETS is planning to distribute 10,000 of them.
- In Episode 53 of Mack & Cheese, we discuss River Valley Oleskiw Trail, live updates with Transit App, and the topic that won’t go away, welcome to Edmonton signs.
- Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
- Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing this week.
- For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.
Metro Line MacEwan Station, photo by Jason Woodhead
Upcoming Events
- Downtown Dining Week continues all week long!
- The Oilers host the Jets on Monday evening, the Avalanche on Wednesday evening, and the Stars on Friday evening.
- The World Heavy Oil Congress is in town this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
- Join us at 7:30pm on Tuesday evening at abvote.ca for the next #abvote hangout, with special guests Drew Barnes, Brian Jean, and Linda Osinchuk.
- The Northlands Farm & Ranch Show takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Saturday.
- Western Canada Fashion Week returns on Friday night and runs through April 4.
- Northern Lands gets underway on Saturday, Edmonton’s newest wine show.
- Saturday is the 2015 edition of Earth Hour between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
Is it winter or spring? Photo by Bill Burris
MasterMaq's Blog 