Edmonton Notes for September 29, 2019

I am thrilled to share that Taproot has been selected to participate in the first Edmonton cohort of ATB X, the business accelerator from ATB Financial!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Council has approved two more downtown towers this week – 9955 Jasper Avenue just north of the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald and The Clancey on 104 Street at 103 Avenue.
• Homeward Trust says the number of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton has been cut in half since a peak in 2008. "Of course, we still have a lot more work to do," said Homeward Trust CEO Susan McGee.
• The University of Alberta’s vice-president of university relations Jacqui Tam has resigned "over the school’s "beefier barley" billboards, which were slammed as promoting climate change."
• A German real estate investment firm has purchased the commercial space inside Stantec Tower for $500 million, "the largest office transaction in Edmonton’s history in terms of dollar value."
• In a Q and A on e-scooters with Postmedia, Dr. Bob Summers from the University of Alberta says that "in the long term, we really do have to look at transitioning our city to be more effective for different modes of transportation."
• The Oilers have continued to be terrible on the ice and it appears that is finally starting to be reflected in lower ticket sales, so the team is looking to shore up the game presentation this season, I guess to make attending in person worth it.
• Our city needs more publicly accessible washrooms! "Unlike cities such as Toronto that have passed bylaws requiring all retailers to offer customers washroom access, Edmonton has no current bylaw requiring public washrooms."
• The Edmonton Police Service is launching a new "dedicated, focused team to investigate gun crime" early next year called the guns and gangs investigative unit.
• Hundreds of students packed City Hall on Friday afternoon to take part in the city’s fourth Orange Shirt Day event to "share the history and impacts of residential schools and serves as a reminder that schools are respectful, inclusive spaces for all students."
• More than 2,000 motorcycle riders were expected to participate in the 36th annual Edmonton Toy Run, which benefits Santas Anonymous.
• In the latest episode of Speaking Municipally we talked about new downtown towers, the downtown farmers’ market, and the Aurum Road extension.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Autumn Edmonton, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton International Film Festival is on at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre until Saturday.
• DemoCamp Edmonton 46 takes place Tuesday evening at CCIS at the University of Alberta.
• The Mustard Seed presents the inaugural Office Chair Grand Prix on Wednesday morning behind Rogers Place. "Teams will compete in a relay and endurance event to find out which top teams will face off for ultimate office chair domination and bragging rights. All proceeds will go to The Mustard Seed employment program to help our community get jobs through employoment coaching, training, and placement."
• The next Edmonton Innovation Ecosystem Community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• LitFest Alberta runs Oct. 17-27, but there are already events taking place like the sold out evening with Malcolm Gladwell on Wednesday evening at the Winspear Centre.
• The Edmonton Oilers kick off their 2019-2020 regular season at home this week hosting the Canucks on Wednesday evening and the Kings on Saturday evening, both at Rogers Place, of course.
• FC Edmonton will host Forge FC at Clarke Field on Wednesday evening.
• Change for Climate Talks features nine community leaders who will "share why they act on climate change and inspire others to take action now" on Thursday evening at Allard Hall.
• The Spa Expo runs Friday to Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• MADE is hosting a panel discussion with the Edmonton Urban Design Awards judges on Friday night at the Phipps-McKinnon Building.
• The Pop Culture Night Market takes place Friday night at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.
• Just A Little Night Market runs Friday and Saturday at the Alberta Aviation Museum.
• The Edmonton Travel & Adventure Expo takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• Paths for People and the Edmonton Historical Board present E-scooter to the Past on Saturday afternoon starting at the Oliver Exchange Building.
• The NextStep Conference at the University of Alberta "provides experiential and hands-on education that will help transition students into adulthood."
• The next Homeless Connect Edmonton will be held on Sunday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Bridal Fantasy takes place Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.

Thanks for reading! Want to support my blog? Buy me a coffee!