Edmonton Notes for February 19, 2017

Have a fantastic Family Day tomorrow! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• We have seen plenty of crowds along our street and throughout the downtown this weekend as Garth Brooks kicked off his nine-shows-in-ten-days stretch here in Edmonton. It remains to be seen if the Brooks Bump really will help local businesses, though. Here’s more on the concerts from Gig City.
• And hey if you’re downtown for the Garth Brooks concerts, why not stop by the brand new Alley of Light Art Boxes? They’re located on the south wall of the Armstrong Block building.
• The Metro Line LRT finally started running at full speed today. It’s still not operating 100% as planned, but this is an important milestone.
• According to Dave Cournoyer, there are now 40 candidates running in the municipal election taking place later this year.
• Edmonton is among the seven finalists for a global Intelligent Community of the Year award, in part for “offering innovative programs through the Edmonton Public Library”. The winner will be announced in June.
• A partnership between the Edmonton Public Library and Edmonton Public Schools means more kindergarten students are receiving free library cards! “EPL has provided over 13,000 EPSB students with free library cards through the School Library Card program. Since this initiative began at the start of the 2016/2017 school year, 1,065 Kindergartners have signed up for their very own library card – a total of 59% of EPSB Kindergarten students. The goal is to reach 70% by the end of summer 2017.”
• Work on removing the Harbin Gate at 102 Avenue and 97 Street to make way for the Valley Line LRT will begin this week and is slated to be complete by April. Its new home is yet to be determined.
• A new report suggests the Edmonton Police Service is facing a $2.93 million revenue shortfall due to “a decrease in the volume of tickets paid and collected despite an increase of tickets issued by police members.”
• Five new “landmark sculptures” have been commissioned for Capital Boulevard in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
• Here’s the scoop on efforts to “remove, restore, and reinstall a 50-year-old, 1600 square foot, 10,000lb mural…created by Alberta artist Norman Yates in 1967.” It’s painted on a semi-loadbearing wall in the Stanley Milner library.
• The Oilers are in second place in the Pacific Division! In February!
• interVivos is looking for new board members. The deadline to apply is Tuesday at noon.
• The City of Edmonton is seeking input on a review of the Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay. There are events taking place on Wednesday and Saturday this week.
• Looking for a new podcast? Check out The Well-Endowed Podcast produced by the Edmonton Community Foundation.
• The Ice Castles at Hawrelak Park have closed due to all the rain. They say to check the websites for updates, but the attraction seems unlikely to return this season.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Posing – Valentine’s Day, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Monday is Family Day! There are events happening all around the city, like the annual celebration at the Legislature. Here’s a listing of events from CBC.
• There’s still time to check out the Silver Skate Festival at Hawrelak Park! Wear your rain boots, though.
• Billy Talent is performing at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday evening.
• Head over to EPL’s Whitemud Crossing branch on Wednesday evening for the latest installment of the Amiskwaciy History Series.
• Also Wednesday evening is Edmonton Opera’s Opera 101 for Elektra, taking place at CKUA downtown.
• If you’re interested in open data and technology, be sure to check out the next Beta City YEG Meetup on Wednesday at Startup Edmonton.
• The United Way’s 2017 Red Tie Gala takes place on Thursday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Startup Edmonton is hosting another Founders & Funders event on Thursday at the Mercer Warehouse.
• The second annual TEDxUAlberta takes place Saturday at the Citadel Theatre.
• Northlands is hosting a volunteer fair on the weekend at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Sunday is the 2017 Great Edmonton Book Swap taking place at The Aviary.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Flare, photo by Jeff Wallace