Edmonton Notes for 2/21/2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Monday is Election Day for Ward 12! If you live in Ward 12, you can vote in the by-election from 9am to 8pm. You can find out where to vote here. I wrote about the issues candidates care about here, and ultimately endorsed Danisha Bhaloo. If there’s a tie, it’ll be solved by pulling a piece of paper from a jar.
• Northlands unveiled its Vision 2020 plan this week. Paula Simons called it a fantasy while Graham Hicks argues that maybe Northlands should shrink its operations, not expand them. You can fill out the Northlands survey on the plan until March 7.
• According to the Journal, Edmonton Public Schools is on track to accumulate a $1 billion backlog of school repairs within a decade.
• Monday is the final day that visitors will be able to check out the Ice Castle at Hawrelak Park, thanks to the warm weather. Looks like Sharon and I should have made an effort to visit sooner! Maybe next year – nothing is official, but the company is talking with City officials about a return in 2017.
• Lisanne Lewis has been appointed as the new General Manager of the Shaw Conference Centre. She has been the Director of Business and Community Development at the SCC since 2011. She wrote on Facebook about her vision for the facility: “where builders, makers and creatives come together, the Edmonton Way.”
• Mayor Iveson shared his thoughts on the latest City reorganization. “By no means have we solved all the problems just yet, and there are undoubtedly more challenges ahead. But Council is strongly committed to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of your local government.”
• EPS is back at Council, hat in hand, asking for another $2.7 million for the new chopper that Council previously approved $3.5 million for. We’ve been through this before.
• Policing costs are going up considerably this year which is having an impact on some festivals. Should the City have a contingency fund to help festivals deal with this sort of thing?
• Looks like Uber is going to have a new local competitor called TappCar. Watch for them to launch in March.
• Nominations are now open for the Edmonton Historical Board’s Historical Plaques and Recognition Awards. You can nominate an individual, group, or building online until April 15. The awards will be presented in February 2017.
• Drizly, a liquor-delivery app, has partnered with Liquor Depot and launched in Edmonton this week. “The service is currently offered anywhere within the Anthony Henday ring road.”
• The Province is reminding employers they can apply for STEP until February 29.
• Bob Nicholson, CEO and Vice Chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group, has been selected as a 2016 Distinguished Honouree of the Order of Hockey in Canada. “This year’s honourees will be celebrated as part of the 2016 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, June 20 and 21 in Halifax.”
• I was very sad to see that the Italian Bakery on 118 Avenue was destroyed by fire this weekend. I hope they are able to rebuild!
• Learn about the history of EPCOR’s founding facilities in this infographic.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton. STEP is the Summer Temporary Employment Program, which provides employers who hire students with a $7/hour wage subsidy.

The Rush Home, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Councillors Ben Henderson and Scott McKeen will join Global Edmonton’s Jennifer Crosby to choose the 2016 Winter Signature Drink winners at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on Monday at 4:30pm. You can learn more about the conference here.
• Adster is hosting a Think With Google Seminar at the World Trade Centre on Monday.
• The Oilers host the Senators on Tuesday evening and the Islanders on Sunday.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Journal on social media strategies that work.
• On Wednesday evening the Oil Kings take on the Portland Winterhawks at Rexall Place.
• Don’t miss the 9th and final installment of Jerry’s skating fundraiser Beards on Ice, taking place at City Hall on Friday evening. I hope the weather gets a bit colder!
• Mont Thirty, a new local photography magazine, is launching Friday at Latitude 53.
• The Local Love Wedding Pop Up takes place Saturday at the Foundry Room.
• The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup takes place on Sunday at Variant Edition.
• Edmonton Collector Con takes place on Sunday at the Italian Cultural Centre!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Talus Dome