Edmonton Notes for 5/31/2015

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The cost to remove contaminants from the west side of the Blatchford redevelopment came in at $292,738 which is significantly less than the $1 million that was budgeted. “In the area remediated, crews removed 3,253 tonnes of petrochemical hydrocarbons (e.g. fuel, oil, grease, solvents) from a 6.53 hectare area.”
• The new park planned for The Quarters will be named Kinistinâw Park which means “us three” in Plains Cree. The park will connect the Armature (96 Street) to Louise McKinney and the river valley.
• I’m so thrilled for the Edmonton Rush! They won the first game of the NLL Champion’s Cup in Toronto on Saturday night 15-9.
• The Edmonton Catholic School Board has approved a $459 million budget which will be adjusted in the fall if the NDP’s budget makes unexpected changes. In an encouraging sign, the Notley government announced it will restore $103 million in education funding that was axed by Prentice.
• Congratulations to the 52 nominees and 8 winners of the 33rd annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.
• Congratulations to Edmontonians Dennis Erker, Fil Fraser, and Jacob Masliyah, three of the eight Albertans becoming members of the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2015.
• A proposed new park north of Whyte Avenue would mean the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market loses a bunch of parking space, which they’re obviously not happy about. Still, more green space is always a good thing for our city.
• Interested in joining the Environment Advisory Committee? The deadline to apply is June 10.
• A pilot project of 200 solar panels is now in operation at Queen Elizabeth pool. The panels will generated about 40% of the electricity the pool uses annually.
• Metro has obtained a copy of Edmonton’s Commonwealth Games bid booklet and has published a list of four things that remain secret about the now withdrawn bid.
• Congrats to Edmonton Fire Rescue Services on receiving international accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). Congrats also to the City of Edmonton Fleet Services Branch on winning first prize for excellence in safety from the NAFA Fleet Management Association.
• Long-time City Clerk Alayne Sinclair’s last day at the City was May 22 as she has switched jobs to work in Premier Notley’s office. Congrats Alayne!
• We finally got a little rain here in Edmonton this weekend, but the wildfire outlook in Alberta continues to be severe.
• From YegBall: the first professional baseball game in Edmonton was played on May 30, 1907.
• And from Vintage Edmonton, some Edmonton Ephemera, from Trading Post to Metropolis.
• It sounds like the Freezeway could actually happen!
• Know an Edmontonian who has gone above and beyond to make our city a better place to live, work, and play? Nominate them for the K-Days Local Hero Contest and they could become one of six honorary parade marshals in the 2015 K-Days Parade.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Found this while looking through Flickr for recent Edmonton photos. It’s not every day you see Edmonton on the side of a ship! I’m not sure why it was named “Edmonton” but I know it was built in 2011 (in South Korea as most of these ships are), navigates the Panama Canal, and is one of the 100 largest container ships in the world. Photo by Kees Torn.

Upcoming Events

• The City of Edmonton is conducting tours of the Waste Management Centre all week long for Environment Week! The 2 hour tours run twice daily at 2pm and 5:30pm.
• You can check out the Sacred Fire at City Hall until June 3. On the morning of June 2, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission will release its final report. There will be a number of viewing locations around Edmonton.
• Oliver is looking to kickoff the renewal process for the other end of Jasper Avenue with a public session on Monday evening.
• The final concept designs for the 102 Avenue and 83 Avenue bike routes will be shared at information sessions this week on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.
• The brand new Miller Crossing Farmers’ Market kicks off on Tuesday at 14339 50 Street.
• Wednesday is Clean Air Day in Edmonton so consider biking to work!
• This year’s Creative Age Festival kicks off on Thursday.
• CKUA’s 3rd annual Party in the Park takes place from 11am to 2pm on Friday.
• I’ll be at Rexall Place on Friday night to cheer on the Edmonton Rush as they host the Toronto Rock for game 2 of the NLL Champion’s Cup. How awesome would it be if we could win it at home?
• Also Friday night is the Mercer Summer Super Party! Check it out from 5pm to 10pm.
• The Edmonton Craft Beer Festival takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre on Friday and Saturday.
• The Edmonton Pride Festival starts Friday. The parade takes place on Saturday in Old Strathcona, finishing at Strathcona Park.
• Nextfest also starts on Friday.
• Saturday is for soccer! The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 kicks off at 4pm with the opening match between Canada and China PR.
• This year’s Heart of the City Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at Giovanni Caboto Park.
• This is just a fraction of the events taking place over the next week or so! Be sure to check out ShareEdmonton for even more.

There are only a couple weeks left for asparagus at the market, so don’t delay!