Edmonton Notes for 7/12/2015

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It was a rough week for the City and Council as we learned the Metro Line LRT has been delayed again and that the project may have major deficiencies. They’re hopeful it’ll be open by the fall, but don’t hold your breath.
• Council also dealt with bike lanes this week, voting to remove them from 95 Avenue and 40 Avenue. Though he remains concerned about mixed signals, Mayor Iveson says “all is not lost for cyclists in Edmonton.”
• The other big topic this week was a proposal to require vegan catering for Council meetings. With very little discussion, Council decided to delay the item until the October 19 Council Services Committee meeting.
• I know the market is going to be very different than it is today, but saying the increase in downtown office space will lead to “a bloodbath” of vacancies seems a little dramatic to me.
• Corporate and union donations have been banned at the provincial level and now Council would like to see them banned at the municipal level too.
• From Jason Foster: The Past, Present, and Future of Craft Beer in Edmonton. He notes that Alley Kat won beer of the year!
• This list of 26 reasons why Edmonton might be the next great Canadian city was shared far and wide this week. And from Emil, here are The ABCs of Why You Should Move to Edmonton.
• About 130 schools registered for the Schoolyard Cleanup program this year, and 12 of them won $500 for their efforts to keep their schoolyards clean.
• Take a tour of public art in Edmonton with Brittney and The Local Good!
• From Making Something Edmonton, here’s an interview with Andrew-David Jahchan of MADSOFT Games on building the game development community in Edmonton.
• If you haven’t already done so, make sure you remove any blue ribbons that may still be up in your neighbourhood.
• A total of 2,808 tickets were issued during the June 2015 Operation 24 Hours event, which is up from the April 2015 event.
• The alley beside Tutti Fruitti on Whyte Avenue has been turned into a pedestrian-friendly plaza, complete with a fancy new paint job.
• We may have Connor McDavid now, but the Edmonton Oilers brand finished last among 10 ten teams when people across Canada were asked who had the most loyal fans. The waiting list for season tickets would beg to differ.
• Speaking of McDavid, many fans got their first look at the young phenom in an Oilers jersey on Monday night at the Billy Moores Cup. He scored five goals.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Metro Line still isn’t open

Upcoming Events

• This is your last week to catch the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal.
• Five Hole for Food is back in Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon behind the Stanley Milner Library downtown.
• Also Wednesday evening is the 100menYEG Summer Meeting.
• Taste of Edmonton kicks off on Thursday at Churchill Square. This year will the event will also feature the Canadian Food Championships.
• The annual K-Days Parade takes place at 10am on Friday morning! K-Days itself starts later that day.
• One of the things I’ll be checking out on Friday evening is The Culture Collective’s 1st annual fundraiser at Latitude 53.
• On Saturday and Sunday, Slide the City is coming to Edmonton. Grierson Hill will be transformed into a giant slip & slide!
• The annual Steampunk Carnival Photoshoot takes place on Sunday at Fort Edmonton Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, photo by IQRemix