Edmonton Notes for 8/30/2015

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council approved the Jasper Place ARP on August 24. The 105-page document was “an intensive effort that involved almost a dozen community engagement sessions and extensive collaboration with multiple City departments.”
• The Downtown Business Association’s latest research report looked at the hotel industry downtown and found that more are needed. You can download the report in PDF here.
• Former Lethbridge mayor David Carpenter has been named the Official Administrator of Alberta Health Services. He replaces Dr. Carl Amrhein, who is now the Deputy Minister of Health.
• Episode 8 of the Legends of Edmonton show from SONiC features Mayor Don Iveson.
• Thanks to drifting smoke from wildfires in Washington State, AHS issued an air quality advisory for Edmonton on Wednesday. As of tonight, most of the province is back to “low risk” on the AQHI scale.
• Local artist Jason Blower has launched Hello#YEG, an Edmonton educational activity book. “Alberta Curriculum based, designed to inspire little ones to learn about their city, it’s people and culture in order to love it more!” You can learn more and support the project on Kickstarter here.
• ETS is now sharing real-time information on Google Transit for the 300 Smart Buses currently outfitted with the technology. “By March 2016, another 500 buses – totalling nearly 90 per cent of the ETS bus fleet – will be equipped with the Smart Bus technology.”
• Council rejected a proposal on Tuesday to do something about our city’s aging entrance signs. Make no mistake, this issue will return to Council before long.
• Do you want to live in a 500 square foot house or perhaps one even smaller than that? You might be interested in YEG Tiny Home, a new community for tiny house enthusiasts here in Edmonton.
• For the last two weeks, ETS has been piloting a bike patrol unit. It’ll run through the end of October and includes 12 Transit Peace Officers.
• The latest column from David Staples argues that Edmonton is failing cyclists.
• On Thursday the Edmonton Oilers announced a partnership with Aramark for food and beverage services at Rogers Place. The five year agreement will have Aramark running all the concessions, suites, restaurants, and catering. The news release talks about “a focus on fresh, healthy and local food” but we’ll have to wait to see just how local it is. I have hope it won’t be as bad as it sounds, if only because of the success MacEwan has had with local offerings, even though it is an Aramark institution.
• Good news downtown! Burrow in Central Station is back up and running thanks to efforts by ETS to deal with safety concerns.
• Sandra Sperounes reports that the owners of Bohemia, an 84-person music venue on 97 Street, want to sell it for $25,000 by September 20. She notes that “if a buyer isn’t found, Bohemia will be the fifth small venue to close this year.”
• Coming up on September 16, the Edmonton Oilers rookies will take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Rexall Place.
• There’s a new DJ school in Edmonton called Night Vision Music Academy.
• The City of Edmonton is running an online survey on its affordable housing strategy. You can learn more about the strategy here. You have until September 4 to provide your input.
• There’s also a survey underway on the area locally dubbed as “The End of the World”. You have until September 21 to fill it out.
• Here’s my look at what’s coming up at Council this week.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Legislature Fountain, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• The Government of Alberta is hosting an open house on climate change on Wednesday evening at the Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre. If you can’t make it but want to provide your input, you can do so here.
• Diner en Blanc returns for its second year here in Edmonton on Thursday.
• Also Thursday evening is the 124 Street Grand Market!
• The ITU’s World Triathlon Series Tour returns to Edmonton from Friday through Sunday, the penultimate stop before the 2015 Grand Final in Chicago.
• On Friday, Symphony in the City is taking place in Churchill Square featuring Disney’s Fantasia.
• SONiC BOOM 2015 takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Borden Park.
• The second annual Edmonton Reggae Festival takes place on Saturday at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park.
• FC Edmonton hosts Minnesota United on Sunday at Clarke Stadium.
• The Tour of Alberta takes place all week with Stage 6 closing the event right here in Edmonton.
• Don’t miss our final What the Truck?! event of the season, taking place at Churchill Square on September 11. Here’s the lineup!
• Save the date: the launch of the EndPoverty Edmonton strategy will take place on September 18 with a presentation to Council on September 22.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

“The End of the World” in Edmonton