Edmonton Notes for December 15, 2019

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Council approved a 2.08% property tax increase for 2020. While it wasn’t the 0% increase that some were hoping for, the City says it is the lowest rate in more than 20 years. Check out the latest Council Roundup for more on this.
• This week we witnessed the beginning of the end for EEDC as Council decided to create a new innovation-focused entity, move business retention & expansion work to the City, and move all remaining trade and foreign direct investment work to Edmonton Global. When the dust settles, EEDC will be left with tourism and convention centres, which means the consolidation that took place in the 90s has been completely undone.
• A revised construction schedule obtained by CBC News projects a six-month delay to the start of service for the Valley Line LRT. It was supposed to open on Dec. 15, 2020.
• The grand opening for the renovated Stanley A. Milner Library downtown has been pushed back from Valentine’s Day next year until sometime in the spring. "The complexities involved in a renovation project of this size have meant things are taking a little longer than anticipated," said CEO Pilar Martinez. Who could have seen that coming?! 😀
• ATB Financial is projecting growth of 0.9% in 2020 for the province. Royal LePage forecasts "modest home price gains" for Edmonton in 2020.
• Adam Laughlin has been named Interim City Manager at the City of Edmonton, effective Dec. 28. Council is actively recruiting a permanent City Manager to replace the retiring Linda Cochrane.
• The Oilers had not lost three games in a row this season, but that changed this week. Meanwhile, the crowds are looking thinner and thinner at Rogers Place.
• In other Oilers news, David Staples reports that the team’s value has gone up by $405 million USD since Daryl Katz bought it in 2008.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have named Scott Milanovich as the team’s 22nd head coach in franchise history. He’s currently the quarterback coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• I though it was pretty cool that Ryan Reynolds added captioning to his new commercial at the request of Crystal Jones, a local artist and deaf advocate.
• In Episode 66 of Speaking Municipally, Troy and I talked all about the EEDC decision and the BRT vs. LRT nonsense at City Hall.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• Celebrate the Season is on now at the Legislature grounds until Dec. 23. Here’s the performance schedule.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market is on at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• Christmas Glow continues at the Edmonton EXPO Centre until Jan. 4.
• Candy Cane Lane is now open! Check put the lights every evening until Jan. 1.
• This year’s Christmas Bureau Breakfast is being held on Tuesday morning at The Westin Edmonton.
• The final Edmonton Innovation Ecosystem Community meeting of the year takes place on Tuesday afternoon at the JW Marriott.
• The next Edmonton Job Fair takes place on Tuesday afternoon at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Alberta’s NDP Caucus is hosting a mix-and-mingle on Wednesday evening at the Federal Building.
• InstagramYEG is hosting a holiday celebration on Wednesday evening at Little Brick.
• Holiday movies continue at Metro Cinema! They’re showing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Thursday evening.
• Paths for People is hosting Solstice Coffee Outside on Friday morning at Constable Ezio Faraone Park.
• The Oilers host the Penguins on Friday and the Canadiens on Saturday at Rogers Place.

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