Edmonton Notes for September 2, 2018

Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Hangar 11 has been saved – for now. Council voted to maintain the facility while additional study for both use and partner funding is underway.
• Council has decided against turning Accidental Beach or another of five proposed locations into permanent urban beaches. At up to $1.3 million per location, the cost was just too high.
• Swoop announced it is adding direct service four times weekly between Edmonton and Winnipeg starting October 11. “This is a welcome addition to our western base of Edmonton,” said Steven Greenway, President of Swoop.
• Karen Wichuk, who was most recently the first Executive Lead for Health City, has been appointed CEO of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) effective November 1, 2018.
• A development group “comprised of Limak Investments and Urban Capital, working with Dialog Design and Lemaymichaud Architecture” is looking to build a 33-storey building (combo hotel and residential) on 104 Street where the Blue Plate Diner currently exists.
• The Fringe wrapped up last weekend with a record 133,276 tickets sold. Check out Taproot’s Fringe Roundup Review for more on the numbers and Fringe ‘O’ Saurus Rex.
• The City will “increase flexibility and cut red tape around funding for neighbourhood playgrounds, community gardens, tennis courts and other amenities,” reports Elise Stolte.
• Here are 20 questions with new EEDC CEO Derek Hudson.
• The plan for City Plan got a thumbs up at Council this week. “Instead of focusing on specific time frames like previous plans did, this one will look at population thresholds.”
• Edmonton Transit’s fall service changes started today. “Changes include restoring seasonal trips that were reduced in July, such as school specials and post-secondary routes.”
• EdmontonCommercial.com argues that the Trans Mountain pipeline issue, minimum wage increases, rising interest rates, and increasing municipal taxes all make Edmonton’s economic recovery challenging.
• Dr. Kristopher Wells has joined MacEwan University’s Faculty of Health and Community Studies.
• The City of Edmonton Youth Council is accepting applications for Edmonton’s next Youth Poet Laureate. The deadline to apply is October 1, and the term runs November 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019.
• Nominations are now being accepted for the City of Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence Citation and Performance Awards. The deadline for nominations is September 14. The awards ceremony will be held at City Hall on November 26.
• Nuit Blanche returns to Edmonton on September 29 featuring “huge-scale interactive exhibits from across the country and 75,000 art-lovers spanning the entire downtown core.” The organizers are looking for volunteers to help with the event.
• For the second year in a row an Edmonton woman has been crowned Miss Wheelchair Canada. Bean Gill won the pageant in Vancouver.
• Check out the latest editions of the Tech Roundup and the Music Roundup for all the local headlines and happenings in those industries.
• Coming up at City Council this week: a deep dive on financials with big mid-year updates on the Operating and Capital budgets.
• Also, check out the latest episode of Speaking Municipally for a discussion about Accidental Beach and Hangar 11.

Where Will You Go? photo by Isabell Hubert

Upcoming Events

• The Local Good presents Green Drinks: YEG Climate on Wednesday evening at Yellowhead Brewery.
• Edmonton Global is opening its new office on Thursday from 4-7pm.
• Rapid Fire Theatre will launch its 2018/2019 season with a party on Thursday night at Zeidler Hall inside the Citadel Theatre.
• Thursday is your last chance to see the Museum of the Moon feature pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory.
• The Alberta North chapter of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) is hosting an end of summer block party at the new Timbre CoWork space at 5420 82 Avenue NW on Friday.
• K.O. Boxing’s next event takes place Friday evening at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Bike Edmonton is hosting a launch party & fundraiser at Dirtbag Cafe on Saturday evening. In case you hadn’t heard: the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society is rebranding as Bike Edmonton.
• The Eskimos host the Stampeders on Saturday at 5pm at Commonwealth Stadium. The City of Edmonton is celebrating Commonwealth Stadium’s 40th anniversary with an after party.
• The Strathearn Art Walk takes place on Saturday!
• Also taking place Saturday is the Blue Quill Party in the Park.
• Heads up: The Good Fight‘s first conference takes place September 14-16. “The goal of The Good Fight is to build the local, grassroots capacity to counter fascism and white supremacy and grow a culture of justice, inclusivity, and equity in our diverse community.”
• Don’t forget that Community League Day is coming up on September 15.
• There are still a few weeks of listings left on Taproot Edmonton’s 2018 guide to summer festivals and events! It includes 75+ happenings this summer in and around the city.

Shirtless banjo guy, photo by Robert

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