Edmonton Notes for January 6, 2019

Happy New Year! It was nice to have a break, but now I’m ready to get back down to business.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Former Edmonton-Mill Creek MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Gene Zwozdesky has died of cancer at the age of 70.
• The City has mailed 2019 property assessment notices. “Overall, the residential market experienced a 1.7 per cent decrease in assessed value.” Call 311 if you have any concerns with your assessment. March 11 is the deadline to file formal complaints with the Assessment Review Board. Property tax bills will be delivered in May.
• A report issued by the Civic Service Union 52 before Christmas says the City could cut management positions to save $100 million over a four-year budget cycle. “Micro-management in an organization this complex can cause gridlock,” wrote Elise Stolte.
• China stopped accepting 24 kinds of waste at the beginning of 2018, including paper and plastics. Now Edmonton-area municipalities are struggling to manage the increased recycling costs. “It has increased the competition across the board,” said Mike Robertson, contract manager for Edmonton’s Materials Recovery Facility.
• Could this be the year of the bike in Edmonton? Elise Stolte argues that a “cheap, easy, bike share can make the millions Edmonton invested in bikes lanes a benefit to the masses.”
• According to Statistics Canada, Alberta lost nearly 17,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate in Edmonton was 6.3%.
• Councillors Cartmell, Hamilton, and Paquette spoke about their concerns with the Valley Line West LRT in year-end interviews. All three “voted in favour of the route and design for the 14-kilometre stretch of the Valley Line between downtown and Lewis Farms in the west end.”
• The City of Edmonton’s urban hen program is capped at 50 sites and there are currently 12 applicants on the waiting list.
• SkyriseEdmonton has a look at the proposed Stadium LRt Station redesign. “Stadium Station, according to 2017 passenger counts, has the third-lowest utilization of any station on the LRT system, still only being primarily used for a handful of stadium events every year.”
• Edmonton’s first baby of 2019 arrived 21 days ahead of schedule, weighing in at five pounds, seven ounces. She was born just eight minutes into the new year.
• Put your Christmas tree out next to your garbage bags by 7am on Wednesday and the City will collect it for recycling. “For Christmas trees to be acceptable for composting, all ornaments, tinsel, garlands, nails, screws and tree stands must be removed.” You can also take natural Christmas trees to an Eco Station for free until January 31.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Health Innovation, Music, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups. We’re back at it this week!

Edmonton 2019, photo by IQRemix

Upcoming Events

• Ice Castles Edmonton opened up in Hawrelak Park for the new year! It runs until March, weather permitting.
• The Indigenous Health Initiatives Program in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is hosting the Indigenous Health Lunch & Learn Series on Wednesday at the University of Alberta.
• EEDC’s 2019 Impact Luncheon takes place on Tuesday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Tony Robbins is speaking at the Edmonton Convention Centre all day Thursday.
• IDEA is hosting its 2019 Winter Bash on Thursday at The Pint downtown.
• The Oilers host the Panthers on Thursday and the Coyotes on Saturday.
• The Edmonton Motorcycle Show runs Friday to Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• SYC Brewing is holding its grand opening on Saturday in the west end.
• Deep Freeze: Byzantine Winter Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday along Alberta Avenue.
• West Edmonton Mall’s Lunar New Year Extravaganza takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Ice Palace.
• The Oilers Skills Competition takes place on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Place.
• The Edmonton Arts Council is hosting Swingin’ City Sundays at City Hall every Sunday in January and February.
• Plan your winter calendar with Taproot’s guide to festivals and events taking place in the Edmonton area this 2018/2019 winter season!

NextGen City Jam 2018, photo by Edmonton’s NextGen

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