Edmonton Notes for January 20, 2019

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• An investment of $2.5 million from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund will support the rebuilding of the Roxy Theatre. “This funding will support the construction of a new 14,639-square-foot Roxy Theatre, which will be rebuilt in its original location on 124th Street. The new facility will include a 200-seat black box theatre, an 80-seat studio theatre, a rehearsal hall and a gallery in the lobby. It will also be fully accessible for audiences and artists with disabilities.”
• J.C. Sherritt has announced he is retiring from professional football after spending eight years with the Edmonton Eskimos. “Just to get to call myself an Edmonton Eskimo for the rest of my life means a great deal,” he said.
• Council will be discussing the snow & ice program this week and there will be tough questions about the memo on calcium chloride that recently surfaced. “Councillor Scott McKeen, who reviewed the memo, previously said he plans to make an inquiry as to why city administration did not share it with councillors.”
• David Edey, who served as Edmonton’s City Clerk from 1997 to 2008, passed away on January 10. “David’s work paved the way for Council to do their best work,” said City Manager Linda Cochrane. “He was an unwavering supporter of staff and his community, always believing that a helping hand could make a meaningful difference.”
• The Hyatt brand is returning to Edmonton with a new hotel in the former Enbridge Tower (the one on 102 Street with the peaked roof).
• The suicide barriers that were installed on the High Level Bridge a few years ago are failing to prevent crisis calls according to a new Edmonton Police Commission report. “It’s very troubling that we still have these numbers,” said Councillor Scott McKeen.
• The new Edmonton Opera Centre is located inside a 22,000-square-foot brick warehouse in the northwest part of Edmonton. “The opera centre is also home to the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, set builds for Opera Nuova and rehearsals of The Singing Christmas Tree, among other groups.”
• According to Environment Canada, the rest of the winter is likely to have above normal temperatures.
• Information sessions on upcoming Neighbourhood Renewal work are taking place over the next few weeks at Royal Gardens, Highlands, Alberta Avenue, Inglewood, and Strathcona.
• The LRT will be completely shutdown on Sunday, January 27 to accommodate testing of the Thales signalling system. “Customers will still see trains running on the tracks, but will not be permitted to board.”
• The Edmonton Arts Council anticipates adding 11 new public artworks to the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection in 2019, five of which are by Edmonton-based artists.
• From Linda Hoang: 10 Vietnamese Edmonton Entrepreneurs Worth Following.
• Episode 21 of Speaking Municipally covers the bike share, calcium chloride, and everything else that City Council was discussing this past week. The latest Council Roundup has everything you need to know about the week ahead.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Health Innovation, Music, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups. We’re back at it this week!

High Level bridge and North Saskatchewan River, photo by rjbeeswax

Upcoming Events

• Chinatown Dining Week continues until January 27 with 8 participating restaurants! Here’s a feature on Chef Fuqing Qin who makes hand-pulled noodles at his restaurant Fuqing Lanzhou Noodles.
• Cybera presents The Nuts and Bolts of Data Science for Entrepreneurs on Tuesday at Startup Edmonton.
• The Oilers host the Red Wings on Tuesday evening at Rogers Place.
• Alberta Music is hosting Download YEG: The Art of Conversation on Tuesday evening at the ATB Branch for Arts and Culture.
• TEDxMacEwanU takes place on Wednesday at the Betty Andrews Recital Hall.
• The Edmonton Business Association is hosting its AGM & Luncheon on Wednesday at the Sawridge Inn with ATB Financial’s Todd Hirsch.
• Premier Rachel Notley is speaking at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday at The Westin Edmonton.
• Ice on Whyte kicks off on Thursday!
• The Alberta Student Leadership Summit runs Friday to Saturday at the Students’ Union Building at the U of A.
• Organic Alberta is hosting its annual central conference in Fort Saskatchewan from Friday to Saturday.
• The Edmonton Renovation Show takes place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from Friday to Saturday.
• The Edmonton Pet Expo takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• EFCL is hosting Community Engagement 101 on Saturday at the EFCL offices.
• The Harlem Globetrotters are at Rogers Place on Saturday afternoon.
• The 5th annual South West Ski Fest takes place on Saturday in Blue Quill.
• Ice Castles Edmonton opened up in Hawrelak Park for the new year! It runs until March, weather permitting.
• 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!

Legislature Lights Segway Tour

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