Edmonton Notes for November 24, 2019

Just a month to go until Christmas!

We’ve had a busy month, with a trip to Chicago, Sharon’s recognition as a Top 40 Under 40, and a bunch of other stuff. Time to get back into it though.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• This week’s big debate on transit fares and ridership resulted in Council deciding against free transit and looking for service improvements to boost ridership. Troy and I discussed this in the latest episode of Speaking Municipally.
• According to the latest update from the City, the Valley Line Southeast LRT continues to trend behind schedule and is currently about 30% behind where it was expected to be.
• The final edition of StarMetro Edmonton will be published on Dec. 20, Torstar announced this week. The company plans to launch a digital bureau.
• In other media news, Harvard Broadcasting has lost its fight to use the POWER 107 branding for CJNW-FM.
• Mayor Don Iveson says the provincial government is "not doing enough to support ending homelessness in our communities" and says it is partially responsible for Edmonton’s "tent city" problem.
• A new report says that while the number of street checks conducted by Edmonton police is down, officers "need to be better educated on how to describe race and physical descriptors."
• Our city now has three indoor farmers markets. Can they all thrive?
• According to a new report, insolvencies in Edmonton have increased 23% since 2018, ahead of the provincial average of 19.9% and nearly twice the rate in Calgary.
• A new exhibit called Sketching History, which "uses the visual impact of art to draw attention to the importance of preserving Edmonton’s architectural heritage and green spaces," is now on display at the City of Edmonton Archives.
• The CRA is investigating the Ghermezian family "alleging one family member in Toronto was wired millions of dollars in unreported income around the time she was collecting unemployment insurance benefits."
• The 2019 ETS Stuff a Bus campaign runs November 27 to November 30. This year is the campaign’s 25th.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• The Enjoy Light Festival continues this week at The Enjoy Centre.
• Rainforest Edmonton is hosting the 4th Rainforest Summit on Tuesday at Polar Park Brewing.
• EFCL and the City of Edmonton are hosting a workshop on Thursday for community leagues on climate adaptation at DECL.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market starts on Thursday at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• The Mighty Mo’ Social, a Movember wrap-up party, takes place on Thursday evening at Mercer Tavern.
• The 2019 Festival of Trees runs Thursday to Sunday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Christmas Glow kicks off on Thursday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. It runs until Jan. 4, 2020.
• This year’s Zoominescence gets underway on Friday evening at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
• Collective Christmas, organized by YEG Boss Babes and The Virtual Effect, takes place on Saturday at the Nook Cafe.
• The Hand2Hand Christmas Market is at the Terwillegar Community Church on Saturday.
• A Very Indigenous Holiday Market runs Saturday and Sunday at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall.
• Let’s Find Out: How We Make Nature takes place on Sunday at 2pm at The Almanac on Whyte.

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