Edmonton Notes for 6/14/2015

Just got back from the Ed Sheeran concert with Sharon. “That story wasn’t going anywhere, I just wanted to tell you I went to the big mall,” he said after sharing that he visited West Edmonton Mall today. He also remarked on how far people drive here in Canada. Yup.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Terrible news this week as Constable Daniel Woodall was shot and killed while executing an warrant in the west end. Here’s the statement from Police Chief Rod Knecht, and here are additional statements from Premier Rachel Notley and Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley, from Mayor Don Iveson, and from Edmonton Fire Chief Ken Block.
• A full regimental funeral and celebration of Constable Woodall’s life will take place on Wednesday morning, with a funeral procession from the Legislature to the Shaw Conference Centre. EPS is inviting the public to share their condolences online using the hashtag #EPSstrong, or at one of the EPS Division Stations.
• The escalators at the Shaw Conference Centre are going to be modernized with a $12.3 million project underway from June 9 until the end of 2016.
• Edmonton Fire Chief Ken Block was named Fire Chief of the Year for 2015 by the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association.
• Congratulations to all the 2015 inductees into the Edmonton’s Hall of Fame. What a great group of people, including Marjorie Bencz and Sandra Woitas.
• The City has added new features to the Current Traffic Disruptions Map and has committed to updating it every 15 minutes by the City’s Traffic Management Centre. Time to build something cool and useful with that data!
• The new Mill Woods public library is open just a block away from the previous location. It is double the size of the old library, which makes sense as it was the second most-visited branch last year. You can learn more about the new branch here.
• You may have noticed the arrival information isn’t working on the LRT platform signs. The reason? Problems with the new signalling system, of course.
• Maybe the City was a bit too bold when it unveiled the latest funicular design earlier this year. It now sounds as though the project is going to cost more and come later.
• Borden Park’s beautiful Vaulted Willow was honored at the Public Art Network’s Year in Review in Chicago this week.
• If you have been meaning to visit the Royal Alberta Museum don’t delay any longer: “the next six months represent the final opportunity for the general public to visit the current building that has been part of Alberta’s landscape since 1967.” The current location will close on December 6, 2015 as the museum prepares to move to the new location downtown.
• The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! Here’s some heritage love for the landmark from Vintage Edmonton.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Feel the Wind, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• In FIFA Women’s World Cup action at Commonwealth Stadium this week, Switzerland plays Cameroon and Australia plays Sweden on Tuesday, and one of the Round of 16 games takes place on Saturday.
• On Monday at lunch, Mayor Don Iveson will proclaim World Elder Abuse Awareness Day at City Hall.
• Head over to the Edmonton Journal on Wednesday at lunch for the next Capital Ideas event, this time focused on fostering a culture of innovation.
• Wednesday is the start of the 15th annual Improvaganza theatre festival!
• Alberta Enterprise Group is hosting a networking reception with Uber on Wednesday at Yellowhead Brewery. Should be an interesting discussion on the impact that on-demand transportation is having on the way we get around.
• Vitalize 2015 takes place from Thursday through Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The TELUS World of Science is hosting its next Dark Matters event on Thursday evening.
• The Edmonton International Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday!
• Also starting Friday is the 30th annual Works Art & Design Festival.
• Friday is going to be a busy day. Head over to Borden Park for the 2015 edition of Porkapalooza on the weekend!
• Opera al Fresco returns for 2015 at the Devonian Botanic Garden on Friday evening.
• Night Market Edmonton of course runs on Friday night at Beaver Hills park downtown. Here’s a feature on the event from The Local Good.
• The City is hosting another Big Bin Event on the weekend, this time at the Woodcroft Community Hall. This is the last one until August.
• Sunday is of course Father’s Day, but it’s also National Aboriginal Day.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Pride, photo by Jamie Provencal

I had a rough week due to illness. Better now than the middle of summer I guess! Fortunately I was well enough today for What the Truck?! at Capital Boulevard. The rain held off and we had a solid event. Thanks to everyone who came out!