Edmonton Notes for August 11, 2019

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton’s living wage is now $16.51 and 42% of Edmontonians living in poverty identify as a visible minority, according to the latest report from the Edmonton Social Planning Council and EndPoverty Edmonton. Here’s the full report.
• Edmonton’s 2015 Community Energy Transition Strategy is insufficient to reduce carbon emissions to an internationally acceptable level. "The city says its new report reflects changes in the way climate change is understood since they created their original plan."
• Fat Franks, founded in 1995 here in Edmonton, has been sold.
• The Bonnie Doon Traffic Circle has been permanently converted into a 4-way intersection to accommodate the Valley Line Southeast LRT.
• I always enjoyed browsing (yep, I know) at the Chapters on Whyte Avenue, which will be shutting down in January and turning into a Winners. Apparently a video game studio is also moving in!
• The police say that already this year 93 incidents of online employment fraud have been reported with a total impact to victims of more than $240,000, a big jump over the 37 incidents with a total lost of just over $90,000 that Edmonton saw last year.
• If you’re looking to buy in the Edmonton region now is the time, as average sale prices hit a five-year low in July. "Drooping prices and a July record for days on the real-estate market ignited a booming increase in the number of sales last month show monthly housing statistics released on Friday by the Realtors Association of Edmonton."
• The Edmonton Heritage Festival says 360,000 people attended this year, up from the 345,000 that attended last year but far below the record-breaking 480,000 from 2017.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have named Chris Presson as the club’s new president and CEO. He was most recently president of the Arizona Rattlers in the Indoor Football League.
• Faced with declining profits, Stantec has accelerated a plan to reduce headcount among higher level staff.
• The Edmonton International Airport is recommending that travellers arrive an extra hour early this month because August is actually the busiest month of the year for EIA.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Asleep At The Wheel at Interstellar Rodeo, photo by Levi Manchak

Upcoming Events

• Heads up! The Edmonton Airshow, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, has been cancelled!
• The next Edmonton Career Fair and Training Expo takes place Tuesday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• The 5th annual Feast on the Field takes place on Wednesday evening at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival starts on Thursday and runs until August 25.
• Business Link is hosting a workshop on entrepreneurship and self employment on Thursday afternoon.
• DevelopEd is happening Friday and Saturday at Startup Edmonton.
• The Edmonton Rock Music Festival is on Friday and and Saturday at Hawrelak Park.
• YEG.Date is hosting the Hot Summer Nights Pool Party on Friday evening at Queen Elizabeth Pool.
• The Edmonton Marathon takes place Saturday and Sunday.
• The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, this year at Telford Lake in Leduc.
• Head over to the Edmonton EXPO Centre on Saturday for the Canadian Jewellery Expo.
• Sunday is Ukrainian Day at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.
• Check out Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event guide for 2019 for more upcoming events!

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