Edmonton Notes for July 1, 2018

Happy Canada Day! It looks like the Legislature grounds had an amazing turnout today.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council is looking to hold tax increases to the rate of economic growth. Councillor Henderson told Elise Stolte that a series of zero increase budgets in the 1990s “ended up costing taxpayers more on items like neighbourhood renewal, he said, because infrastructure got so bad the roads had to be completely replaced.”
• The calls for tax relief are getting louder, though. “It’s time to take pity on the poor taxpayer,” writes David Staples. “City council should give it a rest when it comes to property tax increases.”
• Frances Olsen and Diane and Iving Kipnes were appointed to the Order of Canada on Friday for their contributions to Edmonton’s health and arts.’
• Alberta Avenue may not lose its funding after all as City Council sent the recommendation back to Administration for more work. That’s positive, but we need to have some clearly defined objectives and metrics for these projects. Funding “revitalization” for 40 years doesn’t make any sense.
• Predictably, the Katz Group’s pitch to City Council for funding for the Ice District plaza was met with alarm. But it is “part of the normal course of business for the city, which already has deals with other developers to build pedestrian-oriented streets in major infill projects.” Council voted to at least talk with the Katz Group about the proposal.
• Congratulations to everyone recognized at the 2018 Edmonton Music Awards last week!
• The new Quarters Skatepark is located just east of The Armature on 102A Avenue. “The skatepark will be assessed over the summer. If it’s successful, a youth committee will be formed to work with the City and partners on a permanent Quarters location and advise on the design, function and security of the park.” I went to see it today, and well, I expected more. I guess it’s a good start!
• The City’s first electric, driverless lawn mowers “are currently GPS mapping their assigned area” and will be cutting the grass sometime in the next couple of weeks.
• Automated parking enforcement, on the other hand, has been postponed “to allow for consultation with people affected by changes to courtesy parking, identify and create more accessible stalls, and explore technology options for enabling placard holders to continue using EPark zones free of charge.”
• Albertans continue to carry more consumer debt than residents of other provinces. Edmonton is the third most indebted city in the province, after Fort McMurray and Calgary.
• Edmonton’s safe injection sites have shown early signs of success with “a combined 112 medical emergencies — a large majority of which are reversed overdoses.” About 650 different people have used the safe injection sites for a total of 9,213 visits.
• The Oilers signed Kyle Brodziak, Tobias Rieder, and Kevin Gravel today. Here’s a recap of Peter Chiarelli’s free agency press conference. Meanwhile, the struggling Oil Kings have hired a new president/general manager and a new head coach.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Summer Cityscape, photo by IQRemix

Upcoming Events

• The 29th annual Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament takes place at West Edmonton Mall from Monday to Sunday.
• There are still two weeks left of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park.
• Sand on Whyte continues in Old Strathcona until Sunday.
• This year’s edition of the Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton starts tomorrow! The festival runs through Sunday.
• The Found Festival runs Thursday to Sunday in Old Strathcona.
• The City of Edmonton’s Urban Renewal team is hosting ArtTourYEG – Ice District to Jasper Ave on Wednesday at lunchtime. Want to do a self-guided tour instead? Check out ArtTourYEG.
• Lawn Summer Nights Edmonton is back for another season. The first event takes place on Thursday night at the Commonwealth Lawn Bowling Club.
• The Edmonton Radial Railway Society is hosting a one-hour tour of historic Old Strathcona on Friday night. “After crossing the world’s highest streetcar crossing, you will be treated to a commentary about the Grandin neighbourhood and Edmonton’s first French Quarter.”
• Southgate Centre is hosting a pop-up roller rink! Join YEGDate on Friday night for a Rollerdate.
• I hope to see you on Friday night at the Edmonton Valley Zoo for What the Truck?!. Here are the menus.
• Opera al Fresco is at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden on Friday night.
• The Whyte Avenue Art Walk takes place Friday to Sunday in Old Strathcona.
• Seven Music Fest takes place in St. Albert on Saturday.
• The Shaw Conference Centre and Meuwly’s are hosting Charcuterie Night with Canada’s Top Chefs on Saturday evening.
• The next Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Photo Walk takes place on Sunday in Old Strathcona. This one is a fundraiser for the Imagine Okuda Project!
• Savor Strathcona County 2018 takes place on Sunday in Sherwood Park.
• 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.

Thanks for reading! Want to support my blog? Buy me a coffee!