Edmonton Notes for February 2, 2020

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton Transit has confirmed that rollout of smart fare will be delayed until 2021 rather than starting later this year as planned. A spokesperson said the City wants to be "extra cautious that everything rolls out as it is meant to."
• Council’s Urban Planning Committee has approved the recommendation to implement open option parking. We talked a lot more about this on the latest episode of Speaking Municipally.
• Prairie Sky president and CEO Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson says there are 18 investors on board for the proposed gondola project. Urban Planning Committee grilled the company but delayed any decision until tomorrow’s full Council meeting, reports the Edmonton Journal. “The next step for us is … to consider a motion next week to authorize and direct our city staff to have further discussions with the proponents,” said Mayor Don Iveson.
• The City of Edmonton has launched a survey to gather input on the new innovation authority. "We want to make sure a cross-section of the ecosystem has an opportunity to weigh in on what that organization will look like." The survey is open until Feb. 11 at 5pm.
• The City will explore whether the lake in Hawrelak Park could be turned into a swimming pool after Council raised the possibility in considering upgrades that could align with the 10-year rehabilitation project slated to begin in 2023.
• "Of all restaurant violations in the Edmonton area in 2018, almost one in five were related to cleaning cloths," reports CBC Edmonton. "More than 12,500 violations were found at restaurants between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2018, in the Edmonton zone."
• A report exploring how to replace SaskTel Centre with a new downtown arena in Saskatoon "reveals that city officials have been guided by the experience in Edmonton of building Rogers Place and establishing the Ice District around it."
• TransEd has installed the first suspension cables on the Tawatina Bridge, reports CTV Edmonton. "The bridge is scheduled to link up to the south bank in the fall, and tracks and the pedestrian walkway suspended underneath will be finished in 2021."
• Edmonton Public Schools is "moving to cut five school days in the next academic year in an effort to save about $2.7 million," reports the Edmonton Journal.
• "While there were a number of high profile closures in 2019, most notably Hardware Grill, Noorish, and Manor Bistro on the independent side, as well as Red Robin’s and several locations of Tony Roma’s on the chain end of things, the scale was still tipped in favour of new restaurant openings," wrote Sharon in her 2019 Year in Review.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday is Toque Tuesday which "sees hundreds of volunteers and supporters sell toques across the country, with proceeds benefiting Partner Agencies working directly with people experiencing homelessness."
• The 2019 Edmonton Music & Film Prizes Awards Reception takes place at Metro Cinema on Tuesday afternoon.
• Wednesday is Winter Walk Day! Be active outdoors in winter.
• ParityYEG is launching its 2021 Municipal Election goal of having 50% of all candidates be women on Wednesday evening at Ritchie Market.
• The next TEDxUAlberta event is a salon called 2020 vision on Wednesday evening at SUB. It’s "an opportunity to engage in the discussion about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the opportunities and challenges it’s emergence brings."
• The Oilers host the Sharks on Thursday and the Predators on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The 40th annual Edmonton RV EXPO & Sale runs Thursday to Sunday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• The Silver Skate Festival kicks off on Friday! It runs until Feb. 17.
• Dinner with Canada’s Top Chefs takes place on Saturday evening at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• The Strathcona Community League’s annual Winterfest takes place on Sunday.
• Swing ‘n’ Skate is on at City Hall every Sunday until Feb. 23.

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