Edmonton Notes for September 3, 2017

Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council approved a plan to transition the Edmonton EXPO Centre to the City of Edmonton from Northlands. “This will facilitate the consolidation of the EXPO Centre and Shaw Conference Centre” and is expected to occur January 1, 2018.
• The eastbound right turn lane from Jasper Avenue to 109 Street southbound has been re-opened to traffic because apparently 34 seconds of delay for motorists was too high a cost for pedestrian safety. “Preliminary traffic data on the project has indicated a minimal delay,” the City news release says, noting that traffic volumes are expected to increase in the fall.
• Also this week, City Council approved Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy. The plan “will guide future planning for parks and open space, ensuring all neighbourhoods are supported by high-quality, accessible, connected open spaces.”
• BuzzFeed featured our beach this week: Edmonton’s New Hot Spot Is An Accidental Beach. It’s actually on Google Maps now. Here is Paula’s take on the beach and its ephemeral joy. On the other hand, high levels of E. coli have prompted a warning about water quality. The City has since placed extra garbage cans and porta-potties on the trails near the beach.
• City Hall’s 25th Anniversary was marked this week at a lunchtime ceremony featuring architect Gene Dub and former mayor Jan Reimer. “Home of our civic leadership and a ‘people place’ – this iconic building is a much-loved gathering place for the community.”
• The City is gearing up for fall and back-to-school with reminders for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians “to watch out for each other during their travels.” They’re focusing in particular around the new Downtown Bike Network.
• Fall service changes for Edmonton Transit start on Tuesday, September 5. “Changes include restoring seasonal trips that were reduced in July, such as school specials and post-secondary routes.” This month is the busiest time of year for transit users.
• Here’s the Globe and Mail on Trudeau’s latest cabinet shuffle: “Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault is charged with handling LGBT issues. Edmonton’s other Liberal MP, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, is virtually invisible. Albertans can rightly wonder how well their interests are represented in this government.”
• The Province is “moving very quickly” to get approval for Edmonton’s proposed supervised injection sites. The goal is to get them up and running by the winter.
• The Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board is calling for a central hub to offer better connections to other transportation options as well as the possibility of a seasonal ferry on the river.
• From the how-is-that-even-possible department, MacEwan University lost $11.8 million to scammers in a phishing attack. The money was owed to Clark Builders for work on the new Allard Hall.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

City Hall is 25 years young

Upcoming Events

• If you missed the Tour of Alberta today, you can catch the last day tomorrow (Monday) downtown.
• TEC Edmonton is launching a new accelerator program with Merck Canada on Tuesday at lunch.
• Alberta Together is hosting an event with former mayor Stephen Mandel on Wednesday discussing Alberta’s future in 2020 and beyond.
• High Level Lit, a collaboration between Eighteen Bridges magazine, LitFest, and the Edmonton Community Foundation, takes place on Wednesday evening.
• Rapid Fire Theatre is launching its 2017/2018 season with a party on Thursday evening at the Citadel Theatre.
• Metro Cinema is launching its 2017/2018 season on Friday night at the Garneau Theatre with a screening of Casablanca.
• What the Truck?! is taking place on Saturday at Capital Boulevard (by the Federal Building fountains) from noon until 7pm.
• Also Saturday is the Strathearn Art Walk and Latitude 53’s Homecoming party.
• Head over to City Hall on Saturday to celebrate Daughters Day.
• The next edition of the popular Edmonton Chinatown Walking Tour takes place on Sunday morning.
• Summer is not over yet! Check out Taproot Edmonton’s 2017 Summer Festival & Event Guide for more great upcoming events.

Edmonton, Alberta, photo by Jeff Wallace