Edmonton Notes for March 3, 2019

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• February was the 29th coldest month in Edmonton since 1880. “The last time that we had had a month this cold was January 1982, with an average temperature of -21.8°C.”
• According to ATB Financial, 79% of new homes were sitting vacant and unsold across Edmonton in January. “ATB says January was the fifth month in a row Edmonton saw a record high number of completed but unabsorbed homes.”
• Alberta’s deficit “remains well below projections with the third quarter forecast coming in at $6.9 billion” according to the provincial government. “Alberta employment grew by 1.9 per cent in 2018, adding almost 44,000 jobs, with unemployment dropping to 6.6 per cent.”
• In a new forecast, the Conference Board of Canada says that “economic growth in Alberta will slow markedly this year” but that it should accelerate again in 2020.
• MacEwan University president Deborah Saucier has resigned from her position effective July 3 to become president and vice-chancellor at Vancouver Island University. “The MacEwan Board of Governors will immediately begin to plan for an executive search to find a new president, and is considering the appointment of an acting president.” Saucier took over as president of MacEwan on July 1, 2017.
• The Chinatown and Area Business Association has lost its legal challenge of safe injection sites in Central McDougall and McCauley.
• New zoning bylaw changes allow garden suites on properties of any size, provide opportunities for tiny homes to be permitted as garden suites, and allow accessible units to be built without parking, among other things.
• Oxford Properties is reportedly close to an agreement to sell City Centre Mall and the adjacent Oxford Tower and TD Tower to a group led by LaSalle Investment Management.
• Some in the McCauley community feel the cluster of pharmacies that have popped up may be taking advantage of Edmonton’s most vulnerable. “You’d have to suspend disbelief to think that McCauley needs that many pharmacies,” said Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen, who represents the neighbourhood.
• Glass Bookshop will be Edmonton’s newest bookstore, co-founded by Jason Purcell and Matthew Stepanic. They’re looking at a space in The Quarters for the shop which “will be part bookstore, part wine bar, and all community space.” The Indiegogo campaign has currently raised 53% of the $25,000 goal.
• A new report from CBRE says the Edmonton International Airport, Valey Line LRT, and a proposed southwest hospital are driving long-range commercial real estate trends.
• DIALOG recently held the inaugural Youth Architecture Camp which saw 21 students from 8 high schools participate. Learn more here.
• The Province has announced that design work for widening all 8 km of Ray Gibbon Drive in St. Albert will start this year with construction beginning in 2020.
• Share your thoughts on residential winter road maintenance: the online survey is open until March 31.
• In the latest episode of Speaking Municipally, Troy and I discuss affordable housing, supertall towers, downtown safety, and fluoride.
• I was really happy to be the episode 65 guest for Shane Fennessey’s City of Champions podcast. We spoke about tech, Edmonton, and more.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, Music, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Grey Patch, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

• The Alberta Small Brewers Association is hosting the Alberta Craft Brewing Convention 2019 from Monday to Wednesday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• The Blockchain and Technology Symposium takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• EndPovertyEdmonton is hosting the Let’s Do This Initiative Launch on Tuesday at 11am at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
• The City is hosting a launch event for the Smart Cities Challenge Finalist Proposal on Tuesday at City Hall at noon.
• Head over to Roundhouse on Wednesday afternoon for the EndPovertyEdmonton Food Enterprise Meetup. “Meet people running food businesses that address food security, income, and other social issues in our community.”
• The next Green Drinks will focus on resilience and serves as a kickoff to the Edmonton Resilience Festival. It takes place Wednesday evening at Yellowhead Brewery.
• Rust Magic is hosting a panel discussion on Thursday evening at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Organizers will be sharing plans for Rust Magic 2019 too.
• The Oilers host the Canucks on Thursday and the Maple Leafs on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• DIALOG is hosting Cities From Her Perspective on Friday at noon.
• The University of Alberta’s Peter Lougheed Leadership College is filming a campus wide drone shot at the Main Quad on Friday afternoon at 1:30pm.
• The Women & Wealth Gala to celebrate International Women’s Day takes place Friday evening at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Kick It Up! 2019, iHuman Youth Society’s fundraising gala in support of programming for young moms, takes place Friday evening at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
• ParityYEG presents Political Campaigns for Newbies on Saturday morning at Roundhouse.
• The Edmonton Golf Show takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• This year’s Mom, Pop & Tots Fair takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• The Alberta Aviation Museum presents Take Flight with Dr. Shawna Pandya on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Women of Aviation Worldwide Week.

Expanding Ray Gibbon Drive in St. Albert, photo by Government of Alberta

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