Edmonton Notes for March 11, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• In looking back at the Cities and Climate Change Science Conference that was held in Edmonton this past week, Mayor Don Iveson says “cities are where invention happens.”
• Scott Croxall finished fourth in the Red Bull Crashed Ice event here in Edmonton this weekend, but that was enough to put him on top as the Ice Cross Downhill World Champion. “This season marked the 14th year for the Ice Cross Downhill Championships, as athletes from 17 different countries descended upon the downhill track at Edmonton’s Louise McKinney Riverfront Park in front of an enthusiastic crowd.”
• Some VIPs were given a tour of the Raymond Block this week, the new building going up at the corner of 103 Street and 82 Avenue. Remedy Cafe is opening it’s seventh location in the building! Other tenants include Five Guys, Blaze Pizza, 7-Eleven, and Miniso. The building is slated to open in the fall.
• Edmonton’s Brenda Lucki has been named the RCMP’s new commissioner, “the first woman to take on the top post permanently.” She’s a 32-year veteran of the force.
• A new report says bus rapid transit to Griesbach and beyond would cost nearly as much as a full LRT line.
• In discussing Alberta’s economic recovery, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce CEO Janet Riopel says “things on the ground appear to be still as much of a struggle as ever.” She cited “increases to minimum wage, small business tax changes and property tax increases as barriers to growth.”
• Gene Dub has donated a $3-million building in the McCauley neighbourhood to Pregnancy Pathways. “Capital Region Housing will operate the building, while Pregnancy Pathways will offer the necessary supports.”
• The winner of the Edmonton Project is an eight-car, 3.2-kilometre-long gondola over the river valley.
• The City and the University of Alberta are working together on a pilot technology called “connected vehicles”. “Vehicles with the technology will be able to inform each other about road conditions, how long a green light will last or when pedestrians are about to cross the road.”
• City Council will be discussing the creation of its first LGBTQ2 advisory committee this week. “If approved, council will be asked to approve a draft terms of reference, a bylaw to allow for the committee and funding of about $100,000 to run it.”
• The Edmonton Ski Club has secured $1.1 million in grants from the City and the Province to ensure it can keep running over the next few years while the Valley Line LRT is built.
• You have until March 27 to fill out the City’s survey on the Edmonton Downtown Public Places Plan.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• The High School Culinary Challenge Awards Dinner takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Monday evening.
• VA Angels Edmonton is hosting its March 2018 Forum on Tuesday afternoon at the Royal Glenora Club.
• There’s a 2029 Arts & Heritage Engagement Session taking place at the Art Gallery of Alberta on Tuesday evening. You can see other upcoming engagement sessions here and be sure to check out some of the initial stories.
• ECVO is holding a Board to Board Networking event on Tuesday night at the Varscona Hotel.
• Startup Edmonton and the Undergraduate Association of Computing Science (UACS) are holding a Computing Science Industry Mixer on Wednesday afternoon at the Centennial Centre for Inderdisciplinary Science.
• DemoCamp Edmonton 40 follows immediately after the mixer in CCIS L2-200!
• Evolving Infill is hosting a drop-in conversation fair on Wednesday evening at the Chateau Louis Hotel.
• The 2018 Edmonton Boat & Sportsmen Show is at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday to Sunday.
• CPRS Edmonton is hosting a lunchtime event on PR and the news media on Friday at the Chateau Lacombe Hotel.
• Edmonton’s NextGen presents Pecha Kucha Night 30 at NAIT’s Shaw Theatre on Friday night.
• Latitude 53 is hosting Music in the Dark on Friday night. “Prepare to be blindfolded and swept away to a world of harmony and dissonance!”
• CBC Edmonton is holding an open house on Saturday.
• Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day, so enjoy all the green!

Crashed Ice Finish Line, photo by Kurt Bauschardt