Happy Lunar New Year/Super Bowl 50! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
Headlines
- Advance Voting in the Ward 12 By-Election starts tomorrow, Monday, February 8. Eligible voters who are unable to vote on Election Day (February 22) can cast a ballot at the Meadows Community Recreation Centre through Thursday this week. About a third of the 32 candidates running don’t actually live in the Ward.
- Edmonton gained about 1,000 new jobs last month, though the unemployment rate rose from 6.3% in December to 6.5% in January. Alberta’s unemployment rate rose to 7.4% during the same period, the highest rate since February 1996 and the first time it has been higher than the national rate since December 1988.
- Premier Rachel Notley announced a cabinet shuffle this week, adding six new ministers and making Health Minister Sarah Hoffman the Deputy Premier. Here’s the full list of cabinet ministers and changes.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Rachel Notley issued a joint statement after their meeting in Edmonton this week, which focused on “jobs and the economy, clean growth and climate change, and energy infrastructure and market access.”
- Mayor Don Iveson is the new chair of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus, replacing outgoing chair Gregor Robertson, mayor of Vancouver.
- It’s great to such an increase in attractive architecture here in Edmonton! City Architect Carol Belanger has created a driving tour that you can take to check it all out.
- Starting today, ETS schedule changes for routes 8, 9, 39, 100, 117, and 125 took effect.
- UAlberta North launched on February 1 and replaces the Canadian Circumpolar Institute with a refreshed mandate.
- Sherbrooke Liquor Store has been chosen as Alberta’s best bottle shop at the RateBeer awards show.
- From The Local Good, here’s a recap of the winter-themed Green Drinks that took place recently.
- The Province is gathering input on Budget 2016. You can fill out the online consultation until March 4.
- The final regular season Oilers game at Rexall Place will take place on April 6 and to celebrate the team has invited “every player who has ever donned the Oilers sweater back to Rexall Place for a very special celebration of the franchise’s time in the building.”
- Designs for the planned $40 million expansion and renovation of the Telus World of Science are expected to be released this week.
- For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.
Edmonton Chinese New Year 2016, photo by IQRemix
Upcoming Events
- Don’t forget you can still check out Ice Castles at Hawrelak Park!
- Head over to City Hall on Tuesday evening for the launch of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s 5th annual Top 30 Under 30 Magazine.
- The Creative Practices Institute is hosting a Relief Printing Workshop on Wednesday evening.
- It was not a great weekend for the Oilers as they lost 5-1 to Montreal on Saturday and 8-1 to the Islanders today. Their road trip wraps up Tuesday in New Jersey, then they return home to host the Maple Leafs on Thursday and the Jets on Saturday.
- The Edmonton RV Expo & Sale takes place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
- Winefest Edmonton takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
- The Silver Skate Festival kicks off another year at Hawrelak Park on Friday! But due to the lack of snow, this year’s edition of the Birkebeiner Ski Festival has been cancelled.
- Friday is Winter Bike to Work Day! If there was ever a winter in Edmonton to do it, this is the year. Here’s a feature on winter cycling in Edmonton from Transforming Edmonton.
- The Oil Kings host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at Rexall Place on Saturday afternoon.
- Sunday is Valentine’s Day! Looking for a date idea? Check out Linda’s list of 30 ideas in Edmonton!
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
Rogers Place under construction
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