As of April 26 at 4:45pm, there are 4,480 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, including 479 in the Edmonton zone. There have been 73 deaths in Alberta due to the disease.

The Government of Alberta’s page on COVID-19 has the most up-to-date information for our province. Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• On Wednesday, the Emergency Advisory Committee voted 12-1 to renew the State of Local Emergency (SOLE) for another week. Only Councillor Jon Dziadyk, who had floated the idea of ending the SOLE, opposed the motion. We talked about that, as well as Councillor Mike Nickel’s antics, on the latest episode of Speaking Municipally.
• "The mass mobilization of citizens and governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has some Edmontonians wondering about parallels to the climate crisis," reports Taproot Edmonton.
• The City of Edmonton is proposing expense reductions to lower the municipal property tax increase to 1.4% from the previously approved 2.08%. Delaying the bus network redesign until early 2021 would save $3.7 million and delaying the new organics waste program would save $4.2 million in the utilities budget. Construction on the Valley Line LRT would go ahead.
• In addition, further layoffs at the City of Edmonton are expected to be announced as early as Monday. "The cuts frankly will have to be deeper on the staff side in order to stem the bleeding on the revenue side and that’s going to make it hard to relaunch and rebound from this," said Mayor Don Iveson.
• This was the week that the rest of summer in Edmonton was cancelled. K-Days, Taste of Edmonton, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, the Edmonton Heritage Festival, the Soundtrack Music Festival, and the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final all succumbed to the reality that they cannot go ahead in 2020. An announcement from Dr. Deena Hinshaw on Thursday that the restrictions on gatherings apply to all summer festivals certainly helped (but shouldn’t have been necessary).
• ATB Financial, CWB Financial, and Jobber are the Edmonton companies named to the 2020 list of Best Workplaces in Canada.
• Edmonton soccer star Alphonso Davies has signed for another two years with Bayern Munich, extending his contract through June 2025.
• Edmonton Catholic Schools has hired Robert Martin as superintendent and CEO starting May 1.
• "Edmonton appears to be the potential host with the most," wrote Terry Jones on the idea of Edmonton hosting NHL games this summer. He cites the "state of the art" Rogers Place and attached practice facility and the accessible-by-pedway J.W. Marriott as key reasons.
• The City of Edmonton has announced that while community gardens will operate this season with some guidelines, garage sales will not be permitted.
• Councillors are calling on police and bylaw officers to do more to stop drivers making excessive noise. "People are starting to take matters into their own hands," said Councillor Tim Cartmell. "We’re getting interactions between drivers and residents that are going to end up with very serious consequences."
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events (April 27-May 3)

The vast majority of upcoming events have been cancelled or postponed, though an increasing number are moving online. If you’re unsure, just stay home – especially if you’re feeling sick.

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As of April 19 at 4:45pm, there are 2,803 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta including 429 here in the Edmonton zone. There have been 55 deaths in Alberta from the disease.

The Government of Alberta’s page on COVID-19 has the most up-to-date information for our province. Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City of Edmonton faces an estimated $109.8 million shortfall by September due to the pandemic and will consider additional layoffs as a result. Delays in infrastructure spending are also on the table. “If things get really bad, we’re going to need significant support from senior orders of government to avoid deficits or huge tax increases or massive loss in service delivery or crippling infrastructure cutbacks,” said Mayor Don Iveson. Council will discuss the budget again on April 27.
• Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) has announced it began laying off nearly 1,100 hourly workers on March 12, and that a second round of temporary layoffs for full-time staff is coming. Cheryll Watson, VP of Innovate Edmonton, and Glen Vanstone, VP of Research and Strategy, have both "departed" the organization and other senior leaders have been impacted by salary rollbacks. See the latest edition of the Business Roundup for more.
• Mayor Don Iveson has asked Premier Jason Kenney to support $2.1 billion in infrastructure projects, which could create 6,400 jobs in Edmonton. “We’re hopeful we can advance some priorities that also advance some of the city’s goals,” said Iveson. The list contains the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre and the Downtown District Energy Initiative.
• Starting Monday, April 20, Edmonton Transit will end LRT services at 10pm every night and bus service will shut down at midnight. "The City is exploring options to assist essential services workers who may be impacted by this change."
• The City of Edmonton will suspend license agreements with e-scooter businesses like Bird and Lime until at least the end of June. "This decision was made with the safety of the public in mind."
• Edmonton’s hospitality industry should have been celebrating the NHL postseason, but thanks to COVID-19 there is just shared gloom, reports The Globe and Mail. “Our ultimate dream as bar owners in Edmonton was a matchup between the Oilers and Flames,” said Jerry Rota, co-owner of Central Social Hall. “Now, the restaurant industry is in a major crisis. It is very sad. We expected this to be a good time in our lives,” said Devin Pope of Mercer Tavern.
• The 39th annual Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival has been cancelled. "Sometimes it simply isn’t possible for the show(s) to go on," wrote festival organizers. "The decision to cancel is difficult, emotional, but necessary." Last year, a record 147,358 tickers were sold generating $1.4 million for participating artists, reports CBC News.
• Edmonton Public Schools is temporarily laying off 1,868 workers as of May 15, including 1,094 educational assistants who have been deemed non-essential.
• Edmonton Catholic Schools is temporarily laying off 708 staff as of April 30, including 479 educational assistants who have been deemed non-essential. The cuts will save $5.7 million. Board chair Laura Thibert said when schools reopen, "they will be back."
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is reminding Edmontonians to stay off the North Saskatchewan River and away from the river banks.
• According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, home sales in Edmonton declined 13.2% between February and March. "Home price trends have ticked downwards in Calgary and Edmonton to start 2020 but have generally been stable since the beginning of last year."
• "The aggregate price of a home in Edmonton decreased 1.4% year-over-year to $371,118 in the first quarter of 2020," according to the latest Royal LePage market forecast.
• The Edmonton Oilers have announced the creation of the Colby Cave Memorial Fund to "help carry on the memory and legacy of Oilers forward Colby Cave, who passed away suddenly and tragically on April 11."
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events (April 20-26)

The vast majority of upcoming events have been cancelled or postponed. If you’re unsure, just stay home – especially if you’re feeling sick.

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

As of April 5 at 6pm, there are 1,250 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta including 309 here in the Edmonton zone. That’s up from 661 provincial cases and 149 local cases just one week ago. Twenty-three Albertans have died from the disease.

The Government of Alberta’s page on COVID-19 has the most up-to-date information for our province. Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The economic impacts of COVID-19 are impacting the City of Edmonton which is facing a potential $28 million net loss by the end of April, reports CBC News. That equates to a 1.7% tax increase, and the loss could grow to $61.1 million if businesses remain closed until mid-June and $112 million if physical distancing continue until mid-September.
• The City of Edmonton has announced it will temporarily lay off 1,600 staff along with 489 Edmonton Public Library employees as a result of the closure of facilities and libraries. The City will be providing supplement pay "for eight weeks for provisional or temporary employees and 16 weeks for permanent staff," reports CBC News.
• City Council has renewed the State of Local Emergency for another seven days and the City has announced new restrictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Effective April 4, "four fenced dog parks will be closed and users of other off-leash areas must keep their dogs on-leash until further notice."
• City Council has approved the deferral of Business Improvement Area (BIA) Tax Levy payment penalties until September 30, 2020.
• The Edmonton Public School Board is facing a $17.5 million cut this school year as a result of the provincial government’s announcement of reduced funding for K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports CBC News. "These changes significantly impact our ability to support students, all of our students," said board chair Trisha Estabrooks.
• "Our community is in crisis and I think that’s really alarming because these are such early days," said Janet Riopel, president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. According to the Chamber, only 13% of local businesses surveyed expect they’ll be able to avoid layoffs.
• Fairmont Hotel Macdonald has closed its doors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a social media update from the hotel. "This certainly isn’t goodbye, it’s farewell for now."
• The Oilers Entertainment Group is temporarily laying off 139 workers effective April 13, reports CBC Edmonton. The organization will "create an employee assistance fund to ensure all non-executive employees who have been laid off, or who are working from home, will still receive 75% to 90% of their salaries."
• "Despite his complaint that there is no vision at the city, it’s never been obvious to me that he has much of one to offer himself," wrote Keith Gerein about Councillor Mike Nickel, who he says is politicking during a pandemic.
• Connor McDavid has decided to stay put in Edmonton rather than risk travelling home to Toronto, reports CBC News.
• "We gathered a panel of Edmonton fashion experts and combed through a wide, unsolicited array of local fashion mavens with style attitude for our first official celebration of our city’s style," writes Avenue Edmonton. The April issue features Edmonton’s Best Dressed.
• "With public gatherings in the province limited to just 15 people and the majority of public facilities closed to the public, Edmonton is looking a little bit like a ghost town," reports the Edmonton Journal.
• Ryan Reynolds has made a $4,000 donation to Edmonton’s Food Bank. “I happen to love Edmonton. This donation is in memory of Connor McGrath. Love, Ryan Reynolds,” the Deadpool star wrote.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events (April 6-12)

The vast majority of upcoming events have been cancelled or postponed. If you’re unsure, just stay home – especially if you’re feeling sick.

Gatherings with 15 or more people have been restricted in Alberta. "If you violate this public health order and proceed to hold an event with more than 15 attendees, you may be subject to a fine."

There are some online events taking place, however. The latest Music Roundup lists some of the online concerts coming up!

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