Edmonton Notes for January 27, 2019

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• According to the latest employee engagement survey, 24% of City of Edmonton employees report being harassed at work and about 26% say they’ve witnessed harassment or descrimination taking place. That’s an increase from 2016. “I’m not happy with the results,” said city manager Linda Cochrane.
• This is How We Work is a new workforce initiative at the City of Edmonton that aims to ensure staff are “trained, productive and happy on their first day, their last day, and every day in between.”
• It finally happened! Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli was fired this week. “But ousting one or two employees or benching a player will not fix what ails this franchise,” wrote the Edmonton Journal’s editorial team. Also be sure to check out this incredible piece from Oilers Nation: Doing nothing would have been better than following Chiarelli’s plan.
• With more than 8.2 million passengers served, 2018 was the best year ever for the Edmonton International Airport. That’s a 5.8% increase over 2017.
• The results of the second Edmonton Women’s Quality of Life Scorecard were released on Friday. “After two years progress appears mixed, with improvements in some areas, little change in others, and ongoing areas of concern.”
• The City says making collision data available in the open data catalogue would violate provincial privacy laws, though Calgary is able to make their data available every ten minutes. I’ glad for Conrad Nobert’s work on this file, and I really hope Council pushes back.
• The Government of Alberta, in partnership with the City of Leduc and the Edmonton International Airport, is building a new $33 million interchange to connect 65 Avenue with EIA’s Perimeter Road. Somehow this interchange, which unless I’m missing something is a road for vehicles to travel on, is expected to generate “$600 million in investment growth” and “4,300 permanent, multi-sector jobs”.
• The Edmonton Shift Lab is now recruiting its 2.0 Core Lab Team to address the question, How might we create better anti-racism interventions that acknowledge everyone’s humanity and create behaviour change? The Lab starts in March and runs until September.
• The City has launched the Home Energy Plan program to enable homeowners to receive an extra 20% money back on home energy evaluations and retrofits.
• From the Government of Alberta: “Calgary-based Value Creation Inc…is on track to invest $2 billion in an upgrading facility in the Alberta Industrial Heartland, just east of Edmonton, which will create more than 2,000 construction jobs and another 200 full-time positions once the facility is up and running.”
• CBRE Canada’s Q4 2018 report says Edmonton’s office market has seen the highest demand since 2012 thanks in part to three “trophy” buildings. The downtown office vacancy rate was 18.2% at the end of 2018.
• Ryan Smyth’s home is on the market and it can be yours for just $7.75 million. Smyth and his family have moved to a suburb just outside Nashville.
• Council voted to keep going with the calcium chloride pilot until the end of the winter.
• Are you ready for electric scooters and e-bike share programs in Edmonton?
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Health Innovation, Music, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups. We’re back at it this week!

New interchange to create jobs, attract investment, photo by Premier of Alberta

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Career Fair & Training Expo takes place on Tuesday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is hosting Your Future in Energy Efficiency on Tuesday afternoon.
• The FarmTech Conference runs Tuesday to Thursday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• RECOVER, Edmonton’s Urban Wellness Plan, is hosting a community workshop on Tuesday evening at Trinity Lutheran Church.
• Ice on Whyte‘s second weekend runs Thursday to Sunday in Old Strathcona.
• Carissa Halton is speaking at the St. Albert Public Library on Thursday evening about her book, Little Yellow House: Finding Community in a Changing Neighbourhood, and “what one of Edmonton’s oldest, most notorious neighbourhoods can teach us about community development and making our communities thrive.”
• The Arkells are playing Rogers Place on Thursday evening.
• The City is hosting an Imagine Jasper Avenue Information Session on Thursday night at Oliver School.
• ATB presents Tech on Tap: Disrupt or be Disrupted on Thursday evening at Situation Brewing.
• Flying Canoë Volant runs Thursday to Saturday at Mill Creek Ravine and La Cité Francophone.
• Rogers Hometown Hockey is at the Leduc Recreation Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
• The 2019 Chamber Ball takes place Saturday evening at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Paul Brandt performs at Rogers Place on Saturday evening.
• Terry Crews has been announced as a special guest speaker for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters upcoming event on Feb. 20 at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• 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!

Inside Rogers Place

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