Edmonton Notes for August 21, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Mayor Iveson and Treaty No. 6 Chiefs commemorated 140 years since the signing of Treaty No. 6 on Friday (it was actually signed on August 23). “Edmonton was founded in Treaty No. 6 territory. The Treaty No. 6 flag will fly outside of City Hall for the next week, however it is permanently displayed inside City Hall as an acknowledgement that Edmonton is on Treaty No. 6 territory.”
• Rogers Place will open to the public on September 10 which is before any concerts or games. Tickets for the open house will be released on August 29. And be advised that 104 Avenue from 101 Street to 105 Street will be closed starting Tuesday until August 29 for roadway work related to the arena.
• The City is extending EPark’s hours of operation from 6pm to 10pm on Rogers Place event nights as of September 1. “The hourly extension is intended to help balance the limited amount of on-street parking spaces with the high demand for parking by businesses, residents and visitors, as well as to encourage event-goers to use alternate means of transportation, such as transit.”
• Final numbers are yet to come but it appears that this year’s Fringe festival sold more than 121,400 tickets to 213 indoor shows, breaking last year’s record.
• Nearly 4,500 people took part in the 25th Edmonton Marathon this weekend, with Camrose’s Brendan Lunty crossing the line first (on his birthday) with a time of 2:35:21.
• The City has released detailed plans and new renderings for the first residential phase of Blatchford. Roughly 250 townhomes and low to mid-rise condos and apartments will be built during the first phase. Check out the new BlatchfordEdmonton.ca website for more information.
• Primary building construction on the new Royal Alberta Museum is now complete, though work continues inside. The museum is slated to open in late 2017.
• In his latest data-driven post, Michael Ross takes a look at bike safety in Edmonton. You shouldn’t be surprised by his conclusions!
• Mayor Iveson thinks a new promenade similar to Vancouver’s seawall could help with congestion on the trails along the river. “I actually think there’s a phenomenal opportunity to do a promenade, a seawall kind of experience,” he said.
• A new pilot project will match funding “for creative lighting installations on heritage buildings” up to $50,000. “A maximum of three large projects will be approved, requiring the full $50,000 support, with the remainder supporting smaller projects.”
• The Naming Committee has designated 101A Avenue between 99 Street and 100 Street as Judy Padua Way in honour of the Edmonton-born philanthropist who died in 2008.
• The Edmonton Police Commission is looking for a new Executive Director. The deadline to apply is September 9.
• Here’s a feature on Edmonton’s love-hate relationship with the pedway at the Edmonton City as Museum Project. “By 1968, a pedway plan was approved by the city. It is important to note, though, that this plan was never a unified one—clarity never seems to have been reached regarding exactly what our pedway would look like or encompass.” I wrote a series on the pedway back in 2013.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Five Towers and a Pyramid, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The Vally Zoo is hosting Pokemon Go Safari on Tuesday.
• Movies on the Square returns on Tuesday evening with a screening of Kung Fu Panda 3.
• There are always fun things to do on Thursday night, like the 124 Street Grand Market and the Latitude 53 Patio.
• The Eskimos host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday.
• Head over to the Union Bank Inn on Friday night for Style in the City.
• The Vixens of Vintage Summer Bazaar Market takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Prince of Wales Armouries.
• There’s another Big Bin Event taking place on the weekend at the Clareview Community Recreation Centre.
• Don’t miss the Secret Alley Gallery taking place on Saturday in the alley beside the Fox Towers.
• Next week is the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton and Tour of Alberta so to celebrate the folks at Yardstick have planned a Raceweek Street Party taking place on Saturday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Rogers Place on August 20, photo by jasonwoodhead23