Edmonton Notes for August 12, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City has had a number of PR disasters this summer which led to some colorful language from Mayor Iveson. “But it’s Iveson and the councillors who get blamed when middle managers make “bone-headed” decisions without giving council a heads-up,” wrote Paula Simons.
• We covered the baffling Admin decisions in the first episode of Speaking Municipally, Taproot’s new weekly municipal politics hosted by Troy Pavlek and myself.
• Another thing we mentioned was the upcoming budget, which the City is now starting to talk about with citizens. You can share your thoughts on the 2019-2022 Capital and Operating budgets by filling out this online survey.
• Derek Hudson has been named President and CEO of EEDC. He was the organization’s COO before being appointed Interim CEO on April 1, 2018.
• We’ve had some incredibly hot and smoky weather this week. Edmonton Weather Nerdery has the details. The heat, smoke, and this weekend the rain and cold have hurt the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
• “For the seventh consecutive year, international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has awarded the City of Edmonton a score of AA+.” That’s the second-highest possible rating.
• Edmonton, unfortunately, was home to the Flat Earth International Conference last week. “Many flat-Earthers believe the Earth is a disc, despite overwhelming scientific and photographic evidence that it is spherical.”
• A new report says livestock operators are pulling out of the Edmonton area and large-scale grain farmers could be next.
• Rust Magic is back, sort of. “So for a low-cal Rust Magic 2018, no programming, no party — and just 10 project-by-project murals happening in succession instead of a big heap of simultaneous spaghetti.” There’s also a GoFundMe for the PichiAvo Mural.
• Edmonton-based Flair Airlines has joined Aeroplan as a preferred partner.
• “Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists are invited to participate in an online survey about Edmontonians’ attitudes and behaviours regarding traffic safety.” The survey closes on August 21.
• Heading to Accidental Beach this summer? Here’s what you need to know.
• Heads up LRT riders: both the Capital and Metro lines will be suspended temporarily on the morning of August 18 “as Thales conducts tests on its signalling system.” Replacement bus service will run ever 7 to 8 minutes until 1pm when LRT service is scheduled to resume.
• City Council returns from its summer recess this week! Here’s what you need to know about the items they’ll be discussing.

Deep Purple Intensifies, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• The next McCauley Neighbourhood Garden Crawl takes place Tuesday evening starting at Giovanni Caboto Park.
• Join Linda Hoang for Instagrammable Walls of 124 Street on Tuesday evening!
• The Local Good’s Green Drinks Garden Party takes place Wednesday evening at Little Brick.
• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival starts on Thursday! Be sure to check out the Fringe Roundup for all the latest buzz, reviews, and more.
• Nerd Nite Edmonton is hosting a field trip to learn about urban agriculture in Edmonton on Thursday evening.
• The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival takes place at Telford Lake in Leduc from Friday to Sunday.
• The Edmonton Rock Music Festival takes place Friday and Saturday in Hawrelak Park.
• The Green Room, in partnership with the City of Edmonton’s Beautification and Greening Initiative Team, is hosting an afternoon of tree planting on Saturday at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park.
• The Eskimos host the Alouettes on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The Edmonton Airshow runs Saturday and Sunday at the Villeneuve Airport.
• YEGO, Edmonton’s Lego festival, takes place at Mill Woods Town Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Edmonton Marathon takes place on Sunday.
• Sunday is Ukrainian Day at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.
• 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.

Don’t Panic!, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

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