Edmonton Notes for October 29, 2017

I took a break after the election and spent a week on Vancouver Island with Sharon, so I skipped my notes last weekend. We had a great time, despite a few fairly wet days! Back in Alberta now, ready to tackle the rest of 2017. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• With the election results official as of October 20, the new City Council was officially sworn in at a ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday. You can read Mayor Don Iveson’s full speech here.
• Also new at City Hall? Increased security measures including metal detectors to enter Council chambers.
• Paula Simons has the scoop on the former Bank of Montreal building, now vacant as BMO is about to launch its new branch inside Enbridge Centre right next door.
• According to a new report from the Real Estate Investment Network, Edmonton has “more of a diversified economy than Calgary” and that makes it the top spot in Alberta to invest in housing.
• Michael Ross has looked at the stats from the 2017 municipal election. “Iveson’s support in general seems very solid in the center of the city, and a bit weaker in the north and southeast than the rest of the city,” he wrote. “All that being said, his support ranged from 59.5-85.9% so he has a strong mandate from every part of the city.”
• Edmonton is one of 238 cities that made pitches to land Amazon’s HQ2. Here’s how we stack up, according to the Journal.
• “After 80 years of screening foreign films and classics,” the Edmonton Film Society will show Casablanca as its last film on November 6 at the Royal Alberta Museum. The organization hasn’t been able to find a new home with the RAM’s move downtown, and “finding new volunteers to run the society has been a struggle.”
• That was fast: “After more than 100 years of service, the old Walterdale Bridge is coming down.” We drove by on Wednesday night and demolition work was well underway. “Major bridge demolition will be staged over the next few months, with completion anticipated for the end of 2017.”
• Just as fast? The Edmonton Prospects have already incorporated the new bridge into their revised logo.
• Could an international design competition be in the cards for Northlands? Council will be discussing it in a couple of weeks.
• Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were in town this week. Everyone is talking about how Ovie gave his winter jacket and hat to a homeless man on the street.
• West Edmonton Mall has developed a new market known as RAAS, or Retail as a Service, that “features tiny spaces where local businesses can quickly set up shop without the time and expense of creating their own stand-alone operation.” New name for an old idea, I guess.
• TD Insurance is closing its Edmonton call centre and moving operations to Halifax and St. John. “This is the third time in just over a decade TD has closed an Edmonton call centre.”
• I know this joke has been made before, but it still make me chuckle when it reappeared in response to the LED lights on the re-developed WSP Place building on 109 Street at Jasper Avenue.
• From CBC’s Rick McConnell: After 3 wins in October, it’s time to ask if the Oilers really are playoff contenders.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton, Meet Sky, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday night is Halloween! From Raising Edmonton, here are Halloween events for babies and toddlers. And from Just Another Edmonton Mommy, here’s a list of free haunted houses & Halloween decorated homes in Edmonton and area.
• Green Drinks returns on Wednesday evening at the Yellowhead Brewery. The theme is local art so you’ll “hear from some of the changemakers trying to beautify our city, inside and out.”
• Edmonton’s NextGen is hosting Leftover MEAET on Wednesday evening at the Prince of Wales Armouries. It’s a fundraising event for “local entrepreneurs doing cool stuff in our city.”
• The Oilers host the Penguins on Wednesday and the Devils on Friday at Rogers Place.
• The Oil Kings host the Seattle Thunderbirds on Thursday and the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association of Edmonton is hosting An Evening to Remember at the Muttart Conservatory on Friday night, “an annual gathering to honour and remember our loved ones who have died by suicide.”
• SPUD is hosting a free “Meet Your Farmers & Makers” open house on Saturday at the warehouse.
• JDRF’s 26th annual Denim & Diamonds Gala takes place on Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Happy first birthday to Northern Chicken! The popular 124 Street eatery is celebrating on Saturday night.
• It’s that time of year again: Movember kicks off on Wednesday! Check out @MovemberEdm for all the latest events.
• Heads up: Farmfair International and Canadian Finals Rodeo run November 8-12 this year at Northlands.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

View north side river, photo by Brian Davidson