I hope you made the most of your extra hour this weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The Capital Region Board is officially becoming the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. Here’s the new website. Dr. Jodi L. Abbott is succeeding Nolan Crouse as chair of the board. “Dr. Abbott is the fourth Chair of the regional growth management board since its inception.” The first EMRB meeting is taking place on Thursday. Here is Paula’s take on the news.
• The snow appears here to stay so City crews are out in force. “Neighbourhood blading will not begin until a five-centimetre snow pack has built up on neighbourhood roads.” Check out Snow in the City for all the City’s snow-related info.
• Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht is using the City’s annexation of land from Leduc County as the rationale for a request to add 25 more officers at a cost of $4.3 million.
• The proposed rate increases for garbage collection, recycling, and other waste services for 2018 are “lower than projected in the City’s three-year approved budget.” This year’s increase is going to be 2.3% rather than the original 4.1%.
• Grayson Thate is Edmonton’s new Youth Poet Laureate. “Thate is a 19-year-old poet and tap dancer based in Edmonton whose art is largely influenced by the sociopolitical climate and his experiences as a queer artist.”
• New figures show “a slight rise in Edmonton’s downtown office vacancies since last year” to 17.7% but our city is still doing better than Calgary where downtown vacancies rose to 27%.
• The new security measures at City Hall have already been modified after councillors discovered that the water was prohibited.
• Congratulations to all the projects and individuals recognized in the 2017 Urban Design Awards. The Ritchie Market did well!
• The old MEC on 124 Street and 102 Avenue is going to become a flagship Evolve Strength facility that will feature “21 offices for chiropractors, massage therapists, dietitians and other health and welfare practitioners” as well as “a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio, physiotherapy, a vegetarian restaurant and a personal training space and gym featuring Olympic and power weightlifting equipment.”
• November is Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta. A number of events will take place in Edmonton throughout the month. “In 2016 approximately one-third, just over 825, of all calls to the City of Edmonton’s Individual and Family Well-being team were related to family violence.”
• Avenue Edmonton recognized its the 2017 Top 40 Under 40 on Monday night. Congrats to all!
• An upcoming bylaw change could make it easier for microbreweries to open up shop in Edmonton.
• I’m very excited about the third Credo Coffee location opening soon inside the Kelly Ramsey building!
• Both the old Walterdale Bridge and the Harbin Gate are partially dismantled right now. Quite a contrast to all the construction we’ve been witnessing.
• I know this won’t be popular, but…bring on the increased parking fines!
• “The new 102 Avenue bike lane was finished months ago but is blocked by barricades:”

102 Avenue Bike Lane Edmonton, photo by More Bike Lanes Please

Upcoming Events

• World Town Planning Day is being celebrated Monday evening at the Garneau Theatre with a screening of two short films.
• Homeward Trust is providing a community update on A Place to Call Home: Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness on Tuesday at the old Royal Alberta Museum.
• An open house for the Queen Elizabeth School Park and Glengarry District Park Master Plans is taking place on Tuesday at the Glengarry Community Hall.
• Open Minds 2017 takes place at the TELUS Centre on Tuesday and is “a celebration of Humanities and Social Sciences research at the University of Alberta.”
• Linda Hoang is hosting an event with ATB Financial on Tuesday called How to Adult: Investing at MKT. Tickets are $20.
• The Friends of Royal Alberta Museum Society (FRAMS) is hosting Ale-Beer-Ta on Tuesday at Yellowhead Brewery.
• The City is hosting a workshop “exploring options for how amenities and facilities, that were identified as priorities based on public feedback, could be arranged and fit on the Rollie Miles park site” on Wednesday at Strathcona Composite High School.
• Farm Fair International kicks off on Wednesday at Northlands! Canadian Finals Rodeo is also underway from the 8th through the 12th.
• National Philanthropy Day is coming up and there’s an awards luncheon taking place on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre to celebrate.
• On Thursday at the TELUS Centre, the United Way is hosting a screening of Us & Them, a documentary that “follows the lives of four individuals struggling with homelessness over a 10 year period.”
• The PBR Global Cup takes place at Rogers Place from Thursday through Sunday. The event “will feature the world’s best bull riders from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, all competing for their country and a Canadian-record purse of $1,000,000.”
• AFC is hosting its second Foodovation Summit on Thursday and Friday at NAIT.
• The Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival is on at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
• Saturday is Remembrance Day with many events happening throughout the city. The service at City Hall kicks off at 10:15am and the big Butterdome ceremony takes place from 10am until noon.

Morning to School, photo by ALLEN QIAO乔谦之

I took a break after the election and spent a week on Vancouver Island with Sharon, so I skipped my notes last weekend. We had a great time, despite a few fairly wet days! Back in Alberta now, ready to tackle the rest of 2017. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• With the election results official as of October 20, the new City Council was officially sworn in at a ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday. You can read Mayor Don Iveson’s full speech here.
• Also new at City Hall? Increased security measures including metal detectors to enter Council chambers.
• Paula Simons has the scoop on the former Bank of Montreal building, now vacant as BMO is about to launch its new branch inside Enbridge Centre right next door.
• According to a new report from the Real Estate Investment Network, Edmonton has “more of a diversified economy than Calgary” and that makes it the top spot in Alberta to invest in housing.
• Michael Ross has looked at the stats from the 2017 municipal election. “Iveson’s support in general seems very solid in the center of the city, and a bit weaker in the north and southeast than the rest of the city,” he wrote. “All that being said, his support ranged from 59.5-85.9% so he has a strong mandate from every part of the city.”
• Edmonton is one of 238 cities that made pitches to land Amazon’s HQ2. Here’s how we stack up, according to the Journal.
• “After 80 years of screening foreign films and classics,” the Edmonton Film Society will show Casablanca as its last film on November 6 at the Royal Alberta Museum. The organization hasn’t been able to find a new home with the RAM’s move downtown, and “finding new volunteers to run the society has been a struggle.”
• That was fast: “After more than 100 years of service, the old Walterdale Bridge is coming down.” We drove by on Wednesday night and demolition work was well underway. “Major bridge demolition will be staged over the next few months, with completion anticipated for the end of 2017.”
• Just as fast? The Edmonton Prospects have already incorporated the new bridge into their revised logo.
• Could an international design competition be in the cards for Northlands? Council will be discussing it in a couple of weeks.
• Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were in town this week. Everyone is talking about how Ovie gave his winter jacket and hat to a homeless man on the street.
• West Edmonton Mall has developed a new market known as RAAS, or Retail as a Service, that “features tiny spaces where local businesses can quickly set up shop without the time and expense of creating their own stand-alone operation.” New name for an old idea, I guess.
• TD Insurance is closing its Edmonton call centre and moving operations to Halifax and St. John. “This is the third time in just over a decade TD has closed an Edmonton call centre.”
• I know this joke has been made before, but it still make me chuckle when it reappeared in response to the LED lights on the re-developed WSP Place building on 109 Street at Jasper Avenue.
• From CBC’s Rick McConnell: After 3 wins in October, it’s time to ask if the Oilers really are playoff contenders.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton, Meet Sky, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday night is Halloween! From Raising Edmonton, here are Halloween events for babies and toddlers. And from Just Another Edmonton Mommy, here’s a list of free haunted houses & Halloween decorated homes in Edmonton and area.
• Green Drinks returns on Wednesday evening at the Yellowhead Brewery. The theme is local art so you’ll “hear from some of the changemakers trying to beautify our city, inside and out.”
• Edmonton’s NextGen is hosting Leftover MEAET on Wednesday evening at the Prince of Wales Armouries. It’s a fundraising event for “local entrepreneurs doing cool stuff in our city.”
• The Oilers host the Penguins on Wednesday and the Devils on Friday at Rogers Place.
• The Oil Kings host the Seattle Thunderbirds on Thursday and the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association of Edmonton is hosting An Evening to Remember at the Muttart Conservatory on Friday night, “an annual gathering to honour and remember our loved ones who have died by suicide.”
• SPUD is hosting a free “Meet Your Farmers & Makers” open house on Saturday at the warehouse.
• JDRF’s 26th annual Denim & Diamonds Gala takes place on Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Happy first birthday to Northern Chicken! The popular 124 Street eatery is celebrating on Saturday night.
• It’s that time of year again: Movember kicks off on Wednesday! Check out @MovemberEdm for all the latest events.
• Heads up: Farmfair International and Canadian Finals Rodeo run November 8-12 this year at Northlands.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

View north side river, photo by Brian Davidson

Monday, October 16 is Election Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• For the latest on the election, check out Taproot Edmonton’s election microsite. Here is our latest roundup of news from Wednesday. Bookmark our results dashboard to see how it all plays out Monday night!
• A total of 26,198 citizens marked a ballot in advance voting, which is a 13% increase over 2013. “This total includes votes cast at ward-based advance stations, senior accommodation facilities and post-secondary schools throughout the city.”
• There hasn’t been much to consider in the mayoral race, aside from the memes and funny forum moments. But that hasn’t stopped Don Iveson from running flat out. “I am programmed for one speed in these things, which is flat out, seven days a week,” Mr. Iveson said in an interview with the Globe & Mail.
• A group of Edmontonians recently launched a design proposal called High Level Line which “proposes a future where diverse neighbourhoods in central Edmonton are stitched together.” You can learn more in Elise Stolte’s article about the idea.
• Brent Oliver and Trevor Belsher are “two major players in Edmonton’s music scene” who say “the city isn’t doing enough to support musicians or venues in the downtown area.”
• Food Bank usage has been up in Edmonton every single month except April this year compared to 2016. Between 20,000 and 24,000 people have used the service each month.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services opened the city’s 30th fire station in Pilot Sound last week. “The new station is expected to serve the city for 50 years.”
• Deborah Saucier began her term as MacEwan University’s new president just a month or so before the large phishing scam that happened over the summer. “It was absolutely shocking to me that it happened,” she said last week.
• For the third year in a row, “Edmonton has secured the top spot in a comprehensive evaluation of open data programs in 61 Canadian municipalities.”
• The University of Alberta has received $18.6 million in funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation for research on permafrost, nanotechnology, and other projects.
• I meant to link to this one previously, by CBC Edmonton’s Janice Johnston: In downtown Edmonton, Rogers Place marks dividing line between ‘different worlds’.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Monday is Election Day! The polls are open from 9am until 8pm. Then check out our dashboard to see the results as they come in.
• LitFest is underway! There are events taking plce throughout the city all week. The festival wraps up on Sunday.
• Edmonton Startup Week takes place all week with events at various locations. Check out the schedule.
• Also taking place this week is Small Business Week.
• An event called Connect is taking place on Tuesday at the Shaw Conference Centre. It’s “a timely discussion on trade, investment and our future in the global economy.”
• John Rose, Chief Economist for the City of Edmonton, is speaking at the Economics Society of Northern Alberta’s next luncheon on Wednesday at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• Launch Party 8 takes place on Thursday evening inside Ford Hall at Rogers Place.
• AUPE is hosting its 41st annual convention at the Shaw Conference Centre from Thursday through Saturday.
• The Edmonton Rock & Gem Show is taking place at the Alberta Aviation Museum from Thursday through Sunday.
• If you hate networking but reocgnize the benefits of building social capital, check out this workshop featuring Nadine Riopel which takes place on Friday.
• DECL’s Urban Kids group is hosting its next event on Friday night “where kids can play, explore and make friends in their neighbourhood.”
• UX Edmonton’s UX Camp 2017 takes place on Friday and Saturday at MacEwan’s brand new Allard Hall.
• Leftovers for Dinner takes place on Saturday evening at Ernest’s at NAIT. “Student chefs will be cooking using only leftover food and event attendees will have a chance to tour the kitchens and watch the entire process.”
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Giant Arches, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• I don’t have much to say about the events of Saturday night, now being investigated as “acts of terrorism,” that hasn’t already been said elsewhere. Here’s the Journal article and here’s the CBC article. Here is Mayor Don Iveson’s statement and here is Premier Rachel Notley’s statement. There are more useful links in this megathread on /r/Edmonton. Sharon and I were home all night on 104 Street, having dinner with friends. We heard the fireworks at Commonwealth Stadium, presumably for Military Appreciation Night as the Esks lost their sixth straight game, and the usual sirens and revelers all night long. We hear sirens all the time downtown so most of the time I just tune them out, and Saturday night was no different. We didn’t realize anything had happened until we looked at Twitter late in the evening and read about the high-speed chase that took place down Jasper Avenue and ended just a few blocks away. I was up until about 3am watching the F1 race, and heard the usual random groups of revelers all night long, so evidently they didn’t know or care about the events of the evening either. And today? Just another day, as Omar has perfectly captured.
• Hundreds of Edmontonians gathered outside City Hall this evening to show support for victims of the attacks. “We stand together,” Iveson told the crowd. “All faiths, all cultures. We will not be divided.”
• The City has submitted an annexation application to the Municipal Government Board for land in Leduc County and Beaumont. “It is expected that a recommendation will be made by the end of 2018. The City and Leduc County have requested an annexation effective date of January 1, 2019.”
• On Monday, the shareholder group of Edmonton Global announced the company’s inaugural board of directors and board chair. John Day will serve as the organization’s first board chair. The first meeting is taking place on Monday, October 2.
• We received our Where to Vote notice in the mail on Friday.
• Check out Taproot Edmonton’s election microsite to find your wards, candidates, voting stations, and more all with just one click. Here is our latest Edmonton Election Update, a roundup of election-related news and events delivered to your inbox.
• Alberta’s minimum wage increased from $12.20/hr to $13.60/hr today, another step forward in the plan to raise Alberta’s minimum wage to $15.00/hr by October 1, 2018. According to the government, more than 292,000 Albertans earn less than $15 per hour.
• A new petition aims to give “Accidental Beach” an Indigenous name. “If Edmonton ends up keeping, maintaining and investing in the Accidental Beach, let’s create space for Edmonton’s Indigenous community to name it in accordance with local ceremony & protocol.” The goal is to get 500 signatures to take to City Council.
• All three lanes of traffic are now open on the new Walterdale Bridge, as is the west sidewalk. “Ahead of schedule” is a definite stretch, though. Quality spin indeed.
• Transforming Edmonton has a look at the River Crossing Heritage Interpretive Plan. “The River Crossing area in Rossdale is at the heart of our city and has borne witness to Edmonton’s evolution over the course of thousands of years.”
• ATB Financial and Boyle Street Community Services partnered last year to launch Four Directions Financial, which uses biometric identification technology to serve the underbanked. The community agency now has more than 500 clients.
• The [first edition of Gifted](https://www.edmontonmade.com/catalogue/, an annual collection of Edmonton Made products, is now available.
• Here is the updated listing for Cecil Place, home of the former Sobeys on 104 Street and Jasper Avenue. The space has been subdivided into five different units ranging in size from 715 sq ft all the way up to 5,450 sq ft.
• Yes, this really happened: “An Alberta judge has refereed a dispute over a pair of Edmonton Oilers season tickets.”
• Alberta Health Services has announced the 2017/2018 Influenza Immunization Program will begin on October 23. All Albertans six months of age and older can receive a free flu shot.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Biking in Yellow, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

• Wills Week from the Edmonton Community Foundation, “a series of free presentations that help Edmonton and area residents learn the value of creating and maintaining an up-to-date will,” takes place at various locations around Edmonton all week.
• The Weeknd is playing Rogers Place on Monday night!
• Advance Voting starts on Wednesday and runs daily from 1-7pm through October 13.
• There are plenty of election events taking place throughout the city this week! Get informed about your candidates and ask them your questions! If you don’t want to go to a forum, consider one of Edmonton NextGen’s pre-forum events.
• Leadercast Women, “a unique women’s leadership experience featuring top female leaders who are powered by purpose,” is coming up on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The Oilers kickoff the regular season on Wednesday evening at Rogers Place as they host the Flames. Game time is 8pm.
• What Comes Next? Political Afterlives of the TRC takes place on Wednesday at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. “This facilitated roundtable discussion brings together three outstanding scholars to engage with political challenges and possibilities emerging from the TRC calls to action.”
• The Bloom Festival takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• The Oil Kings host the Wheat Kings on Friday and the Silvertips on Sunday.
• Earth’s General Store is closing its downtown location on Sunday with a Thank You Sale.
• I hope to see you at Green Drinks: The Election on Thursday, October 12 at Yellowhead Brewery. The event is always popular, so be sure to get your tickets early!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The End of The World Panorama HDR, photo by ALLEN QIAO乔谦之

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The new Walterdale Bridge opened to traffic for the first time on Monday morning. Two of the three lanes are open with the third and the new pedestrian sidewalk both expected to open in October. I’m surprised to hear that the old Walterdale Bridge is already being taken down and is expected to be gone by the end of the year.
• Hanging Iron is a half-hour documentary that followed ironworkers at the Walterdale Bridge job site. Who knew!
• Looking for the latest municipal election news? Here’s my latest Edmonton Election Update. Monday was Nomination Day – there are a record 131 candidates running in this year’s election.
• Annual inflation rose to 1.1% in August in the Edmonton CMA, while unemployment rose to 8.7% despite the addition of approximately 2,000 new positions.
• Say goodbye to parking enforcement officers: they are being replaced by a new robo-parking patrol system. The City hopes to have it up and running by the spring.
• A parking stall in the 32-storey Ultima Tower has sold for $75,000 according to developer Westrich Pacific.
• This year the Edmonton Urban Design Awards has a People’s Choice Award. There are 44 submissions and you’ve got until September 26 to vote.
• A new economic impact assessment commissioned by the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton found that “arts organizations in Edmonton spent $98 Million last year, paying out just over $20 Million to artists.”
• The City of Edmonton Youth Council is accepting applications for the next Youth Poet Laureate. The deadline to apply is September 29.
• There’s a new game on Steam that lets you take the historic streetcar across the High Level Bridge!
• The results of Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton for 2017 are now available. Thanks once again for recognizing this blog in the Best Local Affairs Blog category, runner-up this year to the fantastic Daveberta.ca.
• The next application deadline for the Edmonton Community Foundation’s Young Edmonton Grants Program is coming up on October 15.
• We got an early peek at winter on Tuesday morning as wet snow fell throughout the city, but it didn’t last long, and the week ahead looks great with highs of 22 degrees!
• Did you take advantage of Free Admission Day today? If so, the City is looking for your feedback.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Walterdale Bridge, photo by IQRemix

Upcoming Events

• The City’s series of all-candidate forums kick off this week. “Open to all citizens, the forums give voters the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of the mayoral and city councillor candidates.”
• Edmonton Design Week is underway with events at various locations throughout the city. It runs through the end of the month.
• The Edmonton Urban Design Awards Jury is hosting a free talk on Monday night at the Art Gallery of Alberta, where each jury member will speak about a design project they have worked on.
• Edmonton Made is launching Gifted, a local gift catalogue, on Monday evening at the Hyatt Place Hotel.
• The Business Link is running a free Business Model Canvas Workshop on Tuesday afternoon.
• The next event in EPL’s Forward Thinking Speaker Series takes place on Tuesday evening at the Chateau Lacombe with Canada’s 19th Prime Minister, Rt. Honourable Kim Campbell, and former Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Anne McLellan.
• Learn about quantum computing with D-Wave at a free lecture at the University of Alberta on Thursday evening.
• The Harlem Globetrotters are in town on Friday and Saturday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Alberta Culture Days takes place on the weekend throughout the Province. There are plenty of local events happening, like the free public art walking tours being hosted by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
• Edmonton Oktoberfest takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The fall edition of the Edmonton RV Show takes place Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The Garden Brothers Circus is in town at the Shaw Conference Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
• Eileen Bell is launching her new book celebrating women’s softball at John Fry Park on Saturday afternoon.

New Walterdale Bridge, photo by Jeff Wallace

Fall is in the air – get out and enjoy the colors! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Northlands is disappearing bit by bit. The City will assume responsibility for Northlands Coliseum on January 1, 2018, at which point it will be closed. On the same date, EEDC will start operating the Edmonton Expo Centre. Northlands Park will transition to the City 30 days after the end of horse racing or by June 30, 2018. The Coliseum ARP, which “will support revitalization for the whole neighbourhood”, is slated to be presented to Council by the end of 2018.
• The City has announced that the Walterdale Bridge will partially open to traffic starting tomorrow morning.
• Icelandair currently flies six times per week between Edmonton and Reykjavik, but will be phasing those flights out in November and suspending them altogether between January and March. “Icelandair spokesperson Michael Raucheisen attributed the suspension to a drop in the number of passengers.”
• The City has agreed to amend its Edmonton Tower lease agreement with ICE District Corp., to drop the option to purchase a portion of the building if it is ever sold, in exchange for $5 million.
• For the latest election news, be sure to check out the latest edition of Taproot’s Edmonton Election Update.
• Edmonton won a battle against Beaumont this week over a proposed redevelopment plan. “Edmonton had hoped to collaborate with Beaumont to work out the issues with the land but was ‘rebuffed,’ said Iveson.”
• Though Council delayed a decision on the controversial Holyrood development until after the election, the City did sign a non-binding MOU with Regency Developments to allow them to proceed with the construction of underground infrastructure.
• Signs have started to go up around the city to reflect the new 30 km/h speed limit in playground zones. It is in effect from 7:30am to 9:00pm every day. “Traffic safety statistics show a marked reduction in pedestrian and cyclist injuries with the introduction of 30 km/h school zones in Edmonton.”
• I’m sure you’ve seen this tweet by now. Timing is everything, with the demise of Northlands and Calgary’s arena debate coming together to make Edmontonians smile.
• The historic Garneau Tree was taken down today. An evaluation showed it was rotting from the inside and was deemed a safety risk.
• Plenty of Albertans want to see Daylight Saving Time come to an end, but our major airports, WestJet, and both the Oilers and Flames are opposed to the change.
• Mayor Don Iveson is calling for the resignation of Senator Lynn Beyak, who wrote on her website that Indigenous people should “trade [their] status card[s] for a Canadian citizenship.”
• The Oilers Entertainment Group has a job opening for Hunter, the lynx mascot it introduced last year. “You would be expected to be Hunter in the suit for up to four hours at a time, never losing your non-verbal enthusiasm.”
• The Edmonton Police Association will elect a new president in December. Insp. Bob Walsh has been serving as interim president since August 2016, and will not seek the position.
• After an amazing 7-0 start to the season, the Eskimos have now lost 5 straight.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton, photo by Paul

Upcoming Events

• Monday is Nomination Day! After candidates file their paperwork, the race is officially on. Election Day is October 16.
• Pre-season Oilers hockey starts this week with games against the Flames, Jets, and Canucks.
• YEG BizBuzz, an informal networking get-together for entrepreneurs organized by Rainforest Alberta, takes place on Tuesday evening at The Nest Taphouse Grill.
• The Dreamspeakers Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday.
• This year’s FEASTival of Fine Chefs takes place Wednesday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The Yards is launching its fall issue with a salon event on Thursday evening at CKUA.
• The Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo takes place Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The 4th annual Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival takes place at City Hall and in Churchill Square on Saturday.
• Digital Alberta’s 2017 Ember Awards take place on Saturday at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• On the Spot Pop Ups and Etsy Canada are hosting the Made in Canada market on Saturday and Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre. Admission is $5 and kids get in free.
• Sunday is Free Admission Day at City of Edmonton attractions and rec centres across the city.
• We’re nearly at the end of our summer festival & event guide at Taproot, but stay tuned for the winter edition!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton added 2,000 full-time jobs last month but our unemployment rate actually rose to 8.7%, according to the City’s Chief Economist John Rose. He doesn’t expect it to drop much below that mark for the rest of the year. Alberta’s unemployment rate was 8.1% in August.
• Here’s the latest Edmonton Election Roundup from Taproot Edmonton.
• Accidential Beach now has a sign thanks to Alex Lakusta. #MakeSomethingEdmonton
• The federal government announced an investment of $26 million “to support fundamental research at the University of Alberta through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) 2017 competition for the Discovery Grants program as well as scholarships and fellowships.”
• A new shuttle will connect passengers between the Greyhound station near Yellowhead Trail and the Kingsway Transit Centre. It will start operating on September 17 and will run five to six times per day.
• Edmonton and St. Albert are working to establish a new entity that could eventually become a regional transit commission. The first step is a memorandum of understanding, followed by startup funding of nearly $4 million for the first two years.
• Rogers Place celebrated its 1st anniversary on September 8!
• The City has published an interactive map showing infrastructure projects across the city. “It is a snapshot of current major infrastructure projects in concept, design or being built by the City of Edmonton.”
• The 143-year-old tree known as “Garneau’s Tree” located on the University of Alberta campus will be removed for safety reasons.
• Two years after it was supposed to open, the City still won’t commit to a date for when the new Walterdale Bridge will finally open.
• Amazon announced it is looking for a second North American headquarters, kicking off a gold rush among cities across North America. Our city wants in, of course. Kendall Beleshko has outlined the reasons he thinks Edmonton could win here.
• Lonely Planet doesn’t seem to think Edmonton is a very appealing place though, calling our city “frigidly cold” while praising Calgary. Whoever wrote that clearly hasn’t been to Edmonton recently.
• I’m really happy that Alex Decoteau Park is now open at 105 Street and 102 Avenue!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Moon Scoop, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Have you got ideas about how a National Food Policy could help build a better food system? Share them at a workshop being held at Edmonton’s Food Bank on Wednesday evening.
• Also happening Wednesday evening is Rapid Fire Theatre’s MINI MEAN TWEETS featuring Mayor Don Iveson.
• Friday is PARK(ing) Day downtown. Check it out along 101A Avenue between 96 Street and 97 Street all afternoon.
• The 2017 Alberta Book Publishing Awards Gala is taking place on Friday evening at the Delta Edmonton South.
• I am really looking forward to Kaleido on the weekend over on 118 Avenue.
• Also taking place over the weekend is the new EPCOR RiverFest festival, presented by the River Valley Alliance.
• The big headline-grabbing event of the weekend will no doubt be FISE World Edmonton, taking place at Hawrelak Park.
• There are tons of great events happening on Saturday for Community League Day!
• Edmonton’s NextGen is hosting a Trash Mob on Saturday to clean up the Accidental Beach.
• The 26th annual AIDS Walk & Superhero Run takes place on Saturday at Wilbert McIntyre Park.
• Check out Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event guide for more upcoming events!

Alex Decoteau Park is now open!

Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council approved a plan to transition the Edmonton EXPO Centre to the City of Edmonton from Northlands. “This will facilitate the consolidation of the EXPO Centre and Shaw Conference Centre” and is expected to occur January 1, 2018.
• The eastbound right turn lane from Jasper Avenue to 109 Street southbound has been re-opened to traffic because apparently 34 seconds of delay for motorists was too high a cost for pedestrian safety. “Preliminary traffic data on the project has indicated a minimal delay,” the City news release says, noting that traffic volumes are expected to increase in the fall.
• Also this week, City Council approved Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy. The plan “will guide future planning for parks and open space, ensuring all neighbourhoods are supported by high-quality, accessible, connected open spaces.”
• BuzzFeed featured our beach this week: Edmonton’s New Hot Spot Is An Accidental Beach. It’s actually on Google Maps now. Here is Paula’s take on the beach and its ephemeral joy. On the other hand, high levels of E. coli have prompted a warning about water quality. The City has since placed extra garbage cans and porta-potties on the trails near the beach.
• City Hall’s 25th Anniversary was marked this week at a lunchtime ceremony featuring architect Gene Dub and former mayor Jan Reimer. “Home of our civic leadership and a ‘people place’ – this iconic building is a much-loved gathering place for the community.”
• The City is gearing up for fall and back-to-school with reminders for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians “to watch out for each other during their travels.” They’re focusing in particular around the new Downtown Bike Network.
• Fall service changes for Edmonton Transit start on Tuesday, September 5. “Changes include restoring seasonal trips that were reduced in July, such as school specials and post-secondary routes.” This month is the busiest time of year for transit users.
• Here’s the Globe and Mail on Trudeau’s latest cabinet shuffle: “Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault is charged with handling LGBT issues. Edmonton’s other Liberal MP, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, is virtually invisible. Albertans can rightly wonder how well their interests are represented in this government.”
• The Province is “moving very quickly” to get approval for Edmonton’s proposed supervised injection sites. The goal is to get them up and running by the winter.
• The Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board is calling for a central hub to offer better connections to other transportation options as well as the possibility of a seasonal ferry on the river.
• From the how-is-that-even-possible department, MacEwan University lost $11.8 million to scammers in a phishing attack. The money was owed to Clark Builders for work on the new Allard Hall.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

City Hall is 25 years young

Upcoming Events

• If you missed the Tour of Alberta today, you can catch the last day tomorrow (Monday) downtown.
• TEC Edmonton is launching a new accelerator program with Merck Canada on Tuesday at lunch.
• Alberta Together is hosting an event with former mayor Stephen Mandel on Wednesday discussing Alberta’s future in 2020 and beyond.
• High Level Lit, a collaboration between Eighteen Bridges magazine, LitFest, and the Edmonton Community Foundation, takes place on Wednesday evening.
• Rapid Fire Theatre is launching its 2017/2018 season with a party on Thursday evening at the Citadel Theatre.
• Metro Cinema is launching its 2017/2018 season on Friday night at the Garneau Theatre with a screening of Casablanca.
• What the Truck?! is taking place on Saturday at Capital Boulevard (by the Federal Building fountains) from noon until 7pm.
• Also Saturday is the Strathearn Art Walk and Latitude 53’s Homecoming party.
• Head over to City Hall on Saturday to celebrate Daughters Day.
• The next edition of the popular Edmonton Chinatown Walking Tour takes place on Sunday morning.
• Summer is not over yet! Check out Taproot Edmonton’s 2017 Summer Festival & Event Guide for more great upcoming events.

Edmonton, Alberta, photo by Jeff Wallace

I can’t believe August is coming to a close! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council will vote Tuesday on a pay cut for councillors and the mayor. An independent committee recommended reducing the mayor’s salary by nearly $18,000 and councillors’ salaries by about $3,300 annually.
• We’re a long way from Charlottesville but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from gathering at the Legislature to denounce hate and bigotry. Here in Edmonton, some activists are calling on the City to drop Frank Oliver’s name because he “was instrumental in forcing Indigenous people off their traditional lands.”
• According to a new report, EEDC is “willing and able” to take over the Edmonton Expo Centre from Northlands if the City decides that’s what is best. Deloitte Canada’s recommendation was to transfer the Expo Centre to EEDC.
• Have an idea for “a permanent place of attraction” here in Edmonton? Think of a physical structure of some kind that “shows what Edmonton is made of.” Submit it by October 25 to The Edmonton Project.
• The City is accepting member-at-large applications for the Capital Line South LRT Extension Community Advisory Council. The deadline to apply is September 18. The extension would take the existing Capital Line from Century Park south to 41 Avenue SW with four additional stops.
• A recent article in the Globe and Mail referred to Calgary as “Alberta’s capital”. I thought the City’s response on Twitter was great!
• Simons has opened a new store in Edmonton at Londonderry Mall and it features 1,700 solar panels that will produce over 50% of the location’s energy.
• According to a new poll on the public’s perception of safety by Mainstreet Research, Edmonton is the 6th safest city in Canada. “57 per cent of Canadians believed Edmonton was safe while 33 per cent of those surveyed said it was unsafe.”
• The new Edmonton Police Northwest Campus will feature a gun range, the first increase in capacity at EPS firing ranges since 1982.
• A sign has been installed on Whyte Avenue to mark “Spur Line Alley” which is the pedestrian space between 104 Street and 105 Street along Whyte Avenue.
• Feeling musical? Head over to 118 Avenue to play one of the eight pianos that have now been setup!
• Big loss for the Esks on Friday night as they hosted the Roughriders. We’re now 7-2 on the season.
• Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s Edmonton in Bloom Awards. The City received 6,226 nominations for front yards this year.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Cloverdale Beach

Upcoming Events

• Mayor Iveson and other special guests are celebrating City Hall’s 25th anniversary on Monday at lunch.
• Learn about starting a business in tourism on Tuesday at the Business Link. The event features Chris Szydlowski, owner of River Valley Adventure Co. and Brad Smoliak, owner of Kitchen by Brad.
• This week’s Movies on the Square film is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Don’t miss it Tuesday evening in Churchill Square.
• Guns N’ Roses are performing at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday evening.
• Eats on 118 is taking place on Wednesday evening. It’s the last one of the year but given how popular it has been I’m sure it’ll return!
• The Edmonton Burlesque Festival starts on Thursday and runs through Saturday.
• Symphony Under the Sky is back for another year from Thursday through Sunday in Hawrelak Park.
• The annual Edmonton Zombie Walk takes place on Saturday at Churchill Square.
• This year’s edition of the Tour of Alberta runs September 1-4, with the final two stages taking place here in Edmonton.
• For more great summer events, check out Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event listing!
• Save the date! Our final What the Truck?! event of the season is coming up on Saturday, September 9 at Capital Boulevard! Here is the truck line-up.

Edmonton Skyline from McNally, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City has received a credit score of AA+ from Standard & Poor’s for the sixth consecutive year. That’s the second-highest possible rating. However, “Standard and Poor’s revised its yearly outlook from stable to negative and cautions that Edmonton could face a possible downgrade in its credit rating at some point in the next two years if the City increases its debt significantly.”
• Should our city’s “secret downtown beach” be made permanent? David Staples argues the beach, which appeared as an unintended consequence of Valley Line LRT construction, “should become a major attraction and a game-changer for the city.”
• Due to the delayed opening of the Walterdale Bridge, the City’s Touch the Water promenade project is on hold. Maybe we’ll need that beach after all.
• Have you ever seen the motorcycles parked outside the Tim Hortons on Whyte and wondered, what’s their story? Plenty of Taproot Edmonton members were curious about that, so we went and found out. Ryan Stephens wrote our latest story about how that parking lot helps connect a community.
• The Edmonton Oilers signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year deal worth $68 million this week. “While everyone knew that the big centreman needed a contract this summer, I don’t think that any of us would have guessed that things would drag on for this long,” wrote Baggedmilk at OilersNation. But, it’s done!
• According to a recent memo posted for City Council, the Metro Line LRT upgrades likely won’t be ready in time for back-to-school and the new target date to have all deficiencies addresses is the “end of 2017”.
• New details were made available this week on how the Valley Line LRT could affect intersections and traffic when it opens. “Five minutes to get over Whitemud Drive, one or two extra minutes at intersections all along 66 Street — the picture for anyone hoping to commute by car beside the Valley Line LRT by on opening day is a bit grim,” wrote Elise Stolte.
• A tree planted by Laurent and Eleanor Garneau more than 140 years ago is being removed for safety reasons. “What happens to the tree after its removal is being discussed by Métis groups, members of the U of A’s faculty of Native studies and other university stakeholders.”
• Here is Gig City’s review of the Metallica concert that took place at Commonwealth Stadium last week in front of 45,000 fans.
• There’s a new coffee shop downtown called Monument and it features plenty of local food options including Moonshine Donuts, Meat Street Pies, and Chocolate Haven.
• Friday was Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day. Mayor Iveson said the treaty is “a commitment to shared prosperity”.
• The solar eclipse will take place in Edmonton on Monday, August 21 from 10:24am to 12:40pm. Here are some tips on how to experience it.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Stantec/Mariott, photo by Darren Kirby

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival continues all week! Be sure to check out the #YEGFringe Daily Digest for all the latest reviews. Sign up to have it emailed to you daily here.
• Ignite Change 2017, “a global gathering for human rights defenders, protectors, promoters, facilitators,” takes place this week at MacEwan University.
• Movies on the Square takes place again on Tuesday evening with a screening of Beauty and the Beast.
• Feast on the Field takes place at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday evening.
• The City of Edmonton’s 2017 Summer Student Conference takes place on Thursday at City Hall.
• There’s a Public Art Picnic taking place at Borden Park on Thursday.
• The Edmonton Lebanese Festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Churchill Square.
• The Edmonton Blues Festival starts on Friday.
• Zoobrew, adult night at the Valley Zoo, takes place on Friday evening.
• Head over to MacKinnon Ravine Park on Saturday for the 4th annual planting in Edmonton’s River Valley Food Forest!
• Beaumont’s Rural Roots Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
• Viva Italia Viva Edmonton is back and takes place on Sunday!
• If you missed Open Farm Days this weekend, you might try the Northlands Urban Farm Tour on Sunday to make up for it!
• Despite the chill in the air this weekend, there are still plenty of great summer events to go! See them all in Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event guide.

Northside, photo by Kurt Bauschardt