Edmonton Notes for May 20, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City’s Office of Traffic Safety has published Motor Vehicle Collisions 2017, “an annual account of collisions and related deaths and injuries of people who use the streets in Edmonton.” From 2016 to 2017: total collisions rose 3.3%, fatal collisions rose 23.8%, injury collisions rose 2%, pedestrian collisions fell 7.5%, bicycle collisions fell 16.4%, and motorcycle collisions fell 19.4%.
• The federal government has committed $39.8 million toward a road improvement project aimed at improving traffic flow along 50 Street between 76 Avenue and 90 Avenue by widening the road to 6 lanes and “addressing traffic delays related to the current at-grade Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway crossing north of Sherwood Park Freeway.”
• “Due to prolonged dry, hot and windy conditions and a lack of rainfall,” a fire ban was issued for Edmonton this week. There are currently 16 fire bans across Alberta.
• Another $4 million in joint federal-provincial funding was announced this week for the revitalization of the Stanley A. Milner Library downtown, bringing the total raised to $80 million out of a total budget of $84.5 million.
• I haven’t been down to see it yet myself, but “an internationally loved pixel art installation” known as “Happy Wall” has been installed in Churchill Square to help keep it “a hub of activity for people while it is impacted by Valley Line LRT development and other rehabilitation projects.” Created by Copenhagen artist Thomas Dambo, the Happy Wall will remain in place until May 2019.
• The Edmonton Police Service has said the total cost of policing pot in 2018 will be $1.4 million, about $300,000 of which will be for roadside saliva testing.
• Edmonton is better positioned than Calgary for economic recovery and growth thanks to “a more diverse economy, a massive downtown rejuvenation, a growing health tech cluster and throngs of young grads streaming from its colleges and universities.”
• On the other hand, new figures show that inflation in Edmonton is above the national and provincial averages at 2.5%, thanks to increasing gasoline prices and the rising cost of utilities.
• The City has flagged six sites as potential permanent urban beach locations, including last year’s Accidental Beach in Cloverdale (if it reappears this year, the City plans to put more garbage cans, portable toilets, and bike racks around the area). Incredibly, Louise McKinney Riverfront Park is not one of the six locations.
• A total of $238,412 was raised in this year’s DONATE A RIDE campaign. “As a result, 71 social agencies in Edmonton will receive 93,330 Edmonton Transit Service tickets to distribute to Edmontonians who require assistance to get to and from school, work, social services and other appointments.”
• The Edmonton Journal reports that the Oilers Entertainment Group has laid off 30 workers as it aims to focus on its existing sports & entertainment operations rather than build toward global expansion.
• Summer is here! The Fred Broadstock and Queen Elizabeth outdoor pools opened this weekend, with three other outdoor pools set to open in June.
• The City has announced it is already tackling dandelions by applying iron chelate and increasing mowing.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

NAIT, Kingsway LRT Stations

Upcoming Events

• Looking to volunteer at an upcoming festival? The Edmonton Festivals Volunteer Fair takes place on Monday at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
• The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton’s 5th annual fundraising and awareness gala will take place on Wednesday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Visual Arts Alberta-CARFAC is hosting Re-Imaging Normal on Wednesday, a panel discussion that “will address aspects of LGBTQ+ history in Alberta and foster a re-evaluation of what ‘normal’ can mean in the 21st century.”
• Walterdale Theatre will launch its 60th anniversary season on Wednesday evening!
• Head over to MacEwan University’s new Allard Hall on Wednesday evening for a screening of the documentary Bag It.
• The Mayor’s 2018 State of the City Address takes place on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The Thousand Faces Festival starts on Thursday.
• Both the NUOVA Opera & Music Theatre Festival and the TALES Storytelling Festival kick off on Friday.
• The first annual UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday.
• I hope to see you at What the Truck?! on Saturday, May 26 from 3-8pm at Capital Boulevard! Here are the lineup and the menus. You can RSVP on Facebook.
• Also taking place on Saturday is the Edmonton International Cat Festival from 10am-5pm at MacEwan University!
• This year’s Festival of Health takes place at the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy at the University of Alberta.
• The second annual Edmonton Fibre Frolic takes place Saturday at the Terwillegar Community Church.
• The RISE Reconciliation Film Festival starts Saturday and runs to June 2.
• The Alberta Fire Chiefs Annual Conference & Trade Show starts at the Edmonton EXPO Centre on Sunday.
• The Edmonton Eskimos will play their first preseason game at home on Sunday against Saskatchewan.
• Plan your calendar with Taproot Edmonton’s 2018 guide to summer festivals and events! It includes 75+ happenings you can look forward to this summer in and around the city.

Ice District Edmonton, photo by jasonwoodhead23

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