Edmonton Notes for 4/26/2015

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It finally happened! The Oilers have made some big changes to their management team. CEO Bob Nicholson has appointed Peter Chiarelli President of Hockey Operations and General Manager effective immediately. Kevin Lowe remains Vice Chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group but will be transitioning out of hockey operations. No word on what’s next for Craig MacTavish. Also, Patrick LaForge has stepped down as President and COO.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have extended Ed Hervey’s contract through 2017. Hervey has also added Vice President of Football Operations to his title. The upcoming season will be Hervey’s 17th with the green & gold and his third as General Manager.
• Pretty much everyone agrees: Rachel Notley won the debate on Thursday evening. Can she bring it home?
• We’re just over a week away from election day and this weekend I challenged myself to build an election site! The first version is now up which lets you browse candidates, electoral districts, and more. I’ve integrated some of the 2012 results data too and will be launching an update this week to support the 2015 results. My goal is to build the best online results dashboard for election night.
• From David Staples: all four major parties support heavy investment in city infrastructure, including the LRT. “It makes for a more boring election, but it’s good news for Edmonton.”
• On a similar note, the federal budget announced on Tuesday includes a transit funding commitment which takes effect in 2017. It’s not clear year how much will come to Edmonton, but it’s a positive sign.
• If you haven’t already watched the Legislative Assembly of Cards video do it now! It’s an amazing shot-for-shot recreation of the opening credits for House of Cards, but set here in Edmonton. It was created by Calgary cinematographer Alex Robinson.

• At least one of the bent girders on the 102 Avenue bridge project will need to be repaired and possibly replacing which means the bridge opening is being pushed back into 2016.
• Edmonton received a total of 7,864 votes during the We Love Cities Challenge placing our city first in North America and 7th overall. Nice work Edmonton!
• EPCOR has announced that President and CEO David Stevens is retiring. He will remain with the company while the Board searches for his replacement.
• A new Statistics Canada report found that Edmonton ranked 5th lowest out 32 cities in Canada when it comes to how residents rate their quality of life. That’s surprising to me!
• Congratulations to the Shaw Conference Centre on becoming the first conference venue in Canada to receive a 5 Green Keys rating from Green Key Global. The designation “demonstrates their commitment toward a more responsible and sustainable business event industry.”
• Will proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw put Edmonton on the urban agriculture map? I’m not sure about that, but they changes are welcome and positive.
• Edmonton’s NextGen has put out the call for presenters for Pecha Kucha Night 22, slated to take place on June 11 at Louise McKinney Park.
• If you hate traffic circles you may not be happy to hear that so-called “turbo roundabouts” may be coming to Edmonton. I like the circles myself (well not the one on 118 Avenue and St. Albert Trail…that’s an abomination).
• Be advised that ETS service adjustments took place today and some major routes are affected including the 1, 2, and 5.
• In case you missed it: here’s the wonderful poem that Poet Laureate Mary Pinkoski performed at the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.
• Here’s my overview of what City Council will be discussing this week.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Under the LRT Bridge, photo by Jason Dorn

Upcoming Events

• Mayor Iveson will deliver his 2015 State of the City Address at the Shaw Conference Centre on Monday at lunch.
• Head over to Haweye’s Too on Monday evening for the next interVivos event, this time focused on the provincial election.
• The International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety takes place this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Check out some exciting new businesses at the 2015 VenturePrize Awards on Wednesday evening.
• Jim Prentice and other PC leaders will gather on Thursday evening for the PC Alberta Edmonton Leader’s Dinner.
• It looks like Passport Post, the newest initiative from the Edmonton Journal, is hosting a meetup on Thursday evening to talk about family travel.
• The Butterdome Spring Craft Sale gets underway on Friday and runs all weekend at the Butterdome!
• I’ll be at NAIT all day Saturday for the fifth annual Eat Alberta conference! Looking forward to learning some new cooking skills. If you want to join there are still tickets available.
• The Walk So Kids Can Talk fundraiser in support of Kids Help Phone takes place at Hawrelak Park on Sunday.
• Heads up: The Yeggies return on May 9! Get your tickets now!
• Oh and save the date: we’ve announced that the first What the Truck?! event of the season will take place in Churchill Square on May 23!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Kelly Ramsey Tower – April 25, 2015, photo by Jason Woodhead