Edmonton Notes for April 3, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City is conducting another municipal census this year and you can count yourself in online. You have until the end of the month to fill out the census. All you need is a Secure Access Code that will come in the mail. The door-to-door census will begin April 15 and for the first time, will be completely paperless.
• Limitless sprawl is not only expensive for Edmonton it also means we’re losing farmland “at a rate three times as fast as the Calgary region.”
• You’re going to hear a lot this week about the end of Oilers hockey at Rexall Place. “The circular concrete rink in the city’s north end hosts its final Edmonton Oilers hockey game Wednesday.”
• Paula Simons wrote about MacEwan’s new Centre for the Arts and Culture this week. “At $180 million, it’s a genuine bargain, compared to the bloated $850-million price for the proposed downtown Galleria,” she wrote.
• The City has published two new discussion papers as part of a series supporting the development of The Way We Finance. The plan is slated to be approved by Council later this year. One idea put forward is to introduce distance-based fares and tolls for LRT and roads.
• As if things couldn’t get worse for the Walterdale Bridge project, it turns out that “Capitol Steel Corporation, a subcontractor on the $155 million project, is suing the prime contractor Acciona / Pacer Joint Venture (APJV) for more than $16 million claiming the company delivered steel that was inadequate to the job.” The City says that despite the lawsuit, they are confident in the new bridge’s construction.
• Thanks to some gorgeous weather, bike corrals are returning to five Old Strathcona locations, with a sixth to be added in the coming months.
• The Government of Alberta has appointed Stan Magidson as Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission. He will begin in his new role in July.
• Edmonton Events announced this week that our city will host an event in the FISE World Series 2016 in September. More details are expected on Thursday.
• ICYMI: It seems that Edmonton was featured as the backdrop in a recent episode of the anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans”. We’re on the map now!
• Connor McDavid was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for March as he “led all rookies with 11 assists and 16 points in 15 games.”
• As of April 1, new development permit notification signs are now required in mature and established neighbourhoods for infill projects.
• There is just under a month left to nominate someone for the 2016 Top 40 Under 40.
• The Edmonton Police are warning car buyers to “look out for stolen cars masquerading as legitimate vehicles for sale, which are also known as ‘car clones.’”
• If you like maps and Edmonton, you’ll want to check out the two new interactive building age maps that have recently been developed.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton At Night – Building Up and Over, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Mayors from across the country will be in Edmonton this week for the Cities Reducing Poverty conference, taking place at the Chateau Lacombe.
• Rapid Fire Theatre’s Bonfire Festival gets underway Tuesday at the Citadel theatre.
• Learn about Naming Edmonton and Open Data on Wednesday at lunch at the Stanley Milner Library.
• Wednesday is going to be a memorable day in Edmonton! A tribute to Rexall Place will take place during the lunch hour at Churchill Square. The Oilers have said that “over 100” alumni will be there. That evening, the Oilers will host the Canucks for their last ever game at Rexall Place.
• Also Wednesday evening is Green Drinks: Local Resilience taking place at Yellowhead Brewery, and a tribute to the print edition of The Gateway, taking place at the Telus Centre.
• The Edmonton Motorshow kicks off on Thursday and runs all weekend at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The next Culture Collective Arts Market takes place Thursday evening at Yellowhead Brewery.
• I am looking forward to the latest installment in the Last Lecture series at the University of Alberta, taking place Thursday evening.
• Make it Edmonton takes place Friday through Sunday at the Enjoy Centre.
• Head over to Variant Edition Comics on Sunday afternoon for the next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.