Edmonton Notes for 4/12/2015

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• As if the last couple of months weren’t already rough enough for the City, they had to announce on Wednesday that the opening of the new Walterdale Bridge has been pushed back a year to fall 2016. The reason? “Steel required to build the new bridge was delivered months later than planned and put the project behind schedule.” At least the old bridge is still present and operational.
• Some good news though as Groat Road was reopened Tuesday. It’s still unknown what the plan is for the 102 Avenue bridge or how long that project might be delayed.
• Premier Jim Prentice announced on Tuesday that Albertans will go to the polls on May 5. Fixed election date legislation would have had us voting sometime next spring, but Premier Prentice says he needs a mandate to put the budget into effect. Dave has some highlights from the first week of the election.
• I don’t know about you, but my allergies have been awful to deal with lately because of all the dust that keeps flying around. Thankfully the City will begin cleaning up with the first street sweepers arriving in neighbourhoods tomorrow. You can see the schedule here.
• Edmonton Public School Board trustees voted against a motion to support a 50 cent per litre tax on soft drinks and other sugary beverages. Chair Michael Janz supported the motion and said such a tax could bring $158 million to the provincial government and would support better health outcomes.
• Get ready for the $24 million funicular that aims to improve access to the river valley – the City says construction could begin this year. Here is Paula’s take. Her editor is awesome and says “you can’t spell funicular without fun.” Love it.
• In case you missed it this weekend, I wrote about the history of Edmonton’s entrance signs and also why we should remove “City of Champions” from them.
• The University of Alberta has been awarded four new Canada Research Chairs worth a total of $5.2 million. “The U of A now lays claim to 48 Tier 1 and 39 Tier 2 CRCs worth $13.5 million annually.”
• Another Oilers season has come to a close. They finished the season in 28th place with a 24-44-14 record and lost their final game to the Canucks 6-5 in overtime. Captain Andrew Ference says the acceptance of mediocrity has to stop. Incredibly, the average attendance this season was still 16,839.
• The City has put out the call for public art for the new Northeast Transit garage worth $1 million, the largest in Edmonton’s history.
• The new Dovetail Delicatessen from the folks behind Drift is opening this week. Go check it out!
• Here are 20 questions with Amy Shostak, artistic director at Rapid Fire Theatre.
• The final opening night ever at the old Varscona Theatre took place on Friday evening. The new theatre should open in just over a year.
• Here’s an update from Phil (aka Baconhound) on the YEG Pizza Odyssey so far. “Now that I have eaten 14 different pizzas across the city I feel that I am ready to sit down and give you my thoughts on the state of pizza in Edmonton.”
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• I was asked to share some thoughts on the City’s website recently for the Edmonton Examiner. Here’s to hoping we see a responsive, mobile-friendly one soon!
• With spring here and hopefully to stay, the City is encouraging Edmontonians to visit one of our city’s four Eco Stations.
• A press conference has been called for Monday morning about a casino announcement in the Edmonton Arena District. Metro says the Baccarat Casino will be replaced with a more upscale casino.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The dust storm that hit Edmonton on Saturday

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is hosting federal Industry Minister James Moore for a lunch keynote on Monday at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. Special guest Rona Ambrose will be introducing him.
• The Sage Awards celebrate the contributions and achievements of seniors in Edmonton. The ceremony takes place on Wednesday during lunch.
• The City is hosting an information session on the 90 Avenue Reconstruction on Wednesday evening.
• On Thursday they’re hosting an open house on the 142 Street Rehabilitation project at Dovercourt School.
• Thursday is National Meetings Industry Day with the celebration taking place at Northlands Park.
• The Dare to Dream Dance Festival takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• The Edmonton Rush host the Colorado Mammoth at Rexall Place on Saturday evening.
• The Edmonton Woman’s Show takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• I hope to see you on Saturday at Mount Royal School for the 4th Annual Culinary Arts Cook Off, where Sharon and I are excited to be judges!
• Love beer? The Edmonton Heritage Council has organized Brew Curious: YEG’s Brewing History for Saturday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

MacEwan Station, photo by Dave Sutherland