Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• We increasingly hear about amazing and scary advances in artificial intelligence, but did you know Edmonton “is now viewed as a world leader in the field”? There is some truly incredible work happening at the University of Alberta.
• Slowly but surely, Edmonton businesses are embracing winter. “It’s part of a transformation taking place across Edmonton, the northernmost big city in North America.”
• I am absolutely in favor of charging construction companies a fee for on-street construction permits, so long as it applies to sidewalk closures as well.
• “The seven trustees on the Catholic school board oversee a $480-million budget and the education of 40,000 Edmonton children in Alberta’s fourth-largest school district.” And it’s a complete mess.
• Edmonton could soon have four safe injection sites, pending federal approval. This is great news. But a Journal editorial argues they “are not a silver bullet in the battle against substance abuse.”
• Is this real? The Oilers are “in such a good position that it would take a historic collapse to miss the playoffs,” writes Jonathan Willis at OilersNation.
• A new City report says 24% of all new housing last year was built in mature and core neighbourhoods. That’s up significantly from 2015, so let’s hope it continues.
• The City is looking at ways to make the North Saskatchewan River safer and quieter as it encourages more people to take advantage of the river.
• Paula Simons has the story of Joseph Lewis, Edmonton’s first black voyageur.
• The City of Edmonton and United Way are looking for an Executive Director for EndPovertyEdmonton. The deadline to apply is March 8. Here’s their blog post about the position.
• The results of the 2016 Litter Audit “show the average amount of large litter, such as food wrappers and cigarette packages, decreased from 11.6 items per site in 2015 to 11 items in 2016.”
• The City’s new service centre is now open at the Edmonton Tower downtown.
• Are more people really cycling in the winter? Maybe in the mild years, like this year. Is it a trend, though?
• There’s no denying the relatively mild weather is good news for gardeners, however! Dustin recently took a look at what grows here.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Intact Insurance Building, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The Alberta Gift Fair takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre through Wednesday.
• The next ATB BoostR Stage event takes place on Tuesday at the Shaw Theatre at NAIT.
• On Tuesday evening, EPL hosts A Conversation about Reconciliation at The Ramada on Kingsway.
• Head over to Yellowhead Brewery on Wednesday evening for Green Drinks: Green Economy.
• Thursday & Friday is the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The Body Soul & Spirit Expo takes place from Friday through Sunday at The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert.
• The Oilers host the Red Wings on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The Harlem Globetrotters are in Edmonton on Saturday at Rexall Place.
• International Women’s Day is coming up on March 8 and there’s a rally taking place here in Edmonton on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Pink Shirt Day, photo by Premier of Alberta

Have a fantastic Family Day tomorrow! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• We have seen plenty of crowds along our street and throughout the downtown this weekend as Garth Brooks kicked off his nine-shows-in-ten-days stretch here in Edmonton. It remains to be seen if the Brooks Bump really will help local businesses, though. Here’s more on the concerts from Gig City.
• And hey if you’re downtown for the Garth Brooks concerts, why not stop by the brand new Alley of Light Art Boxes? They’re located on the south wall of the Armstrong Block building.
• The Metro Line LRT finally started running at full speed today. It’s still not operating 100% as planned, but this is an important milestone.
• According to Dave Cournoyer, there are now 40 candidates running in the municipal election taking place later this year.
• Edmonton is among the seven finalists for a global Intelligent Community of the Year award, in part for “offering innovative programs through the Edmonton Public Library”. The winner will be announced in June.
• A partnership between the Edmonton Public Library and Edmonton Public Schools means more kindergarten students are receiving free library cards! “EPL has provided over 13,000 EPSB students with free library cards through the School Library Card program. Since this initiative began at the start of the 2016/2017 school year, 1,065 Kindergartners have signed up for their very own library card – a total of 59% of EPSB Kindergarten students. The goal is to reach 70% by the end of summer 2017.”
• Work on removing the Harbin Gate at 102 Avenue and 97 Street to make way for the Valley Line LRT will begin this week and is slated to be complete by April. Its new home is yet to be determined.
• A new report suggests the Edmonton Police Service is facing a $2.93 million revenue shortfall due to “a decrease in the volume of tickets paid and collected despite an increase of tickets issued by police members.”
• Five new “landmark sculptures” have been commissioned for Capital Boulevard in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
• Here’s the scoop on efforts to “remove, restore, and reinstall a 50-year-old, 1600 square foot, 10,000lb mural…created by Alberta artist Norman Yates in 1967.” It’s painted on a semi-loadbearing wall in the Stanley Milner library.
• The Oilers are in second place in the Pacific Division! In February!
• interVivos is looking for new board members. The deadline to apply is Tuesday at noon.
• The City of Edmonton is seeking input on a review of the Pedestrian Commercial Shopping Street Overlay. There are events taking place on Wednesday and Saturday this week.
• Looking for a new podcast? Check out The Well-Endowed Podcast produced by the Edmonton Community Foundation.
• The Ice Castles at Hawrelak Park have closed due to all the rain. They say to check the websites for updates, but the attraction seems unlikely to return this season.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Posing – Valentine’s Day, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Monday is Family Day! There are events happening all around the city, like the annual celebration at the Legislature. Here’s a listing of events from CBC.
• There’s still time to check out the Silver Skate Festival at Hawrelak Park! Wear your rain boots, though.
• Billy Talent is performing at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday evening.
• Head over to EPL’s Whitemud Crossing branch on Wednesday evening for the latest installment of the Amiskwaciy History Series.
• Also Wednesday evening is Edmonton Opera’s Opera 101 for Elektra, taking place at CKUA downtown.
• If you’re interested in open data and technology, be sure to check out the next Beta City YEG Meetup on Wednesday at Startup Edmonton.
• The United Way’s 2017 Red Tie Gala takes place on Thursday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Startup Edmonton is hosting another Founders & Funders event on Thursday at the Mercer Warehouse.
• The second annual TEDxUAlberta takes place Saturday at the Citadel Theatre.
• Northlands is hosting a volunteer fair on the weekend at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Sunday is the 2017 Great Edmonton Book Swap taking place at The Aviary.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Flare, photo by Jeff Wallace

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The ceiling of the pedestrian walkway on the new Tawatinâ LRT bridge will feature 400 paintings by Métis artist David Garneau.
• Transcend Coffee is closing its Mercer Warehouse location as of February 26, blaming a lack of traffic from Rogers Place for the failure of the cafe.
• A new video series features Edmontonians sharing their experiences with infill. The videos are part of the Everyone’s Edmonton campaign from the City and can be watched on YouTube. They were recorded last year.
• The City is looking for input on the need for public washrooms in central areas of Edmonton. Fill out the survey here by February 8.
• Mayor Don Iveson has joined the big city mayors’ national fentanyl task force which aims to share best practices for combatting the opioid crisis while lobbying the federal and provincial governments to invest.
• Edmonton now has a Women’s Quality of Life Scorecard and the first version found “that Edmonton women are above or on par with Canadian women in the three indicators of finance and economy, education, and health and wellness” but we rank lower “in the two indicators of safety and leadership, and political empowerment and participation”.
• Yellow Pencil is the firm behind the City of Edmonton’s new website and they recently posted an interesting deep dive on the project.
• Our latest Taproot Edmonton story explores the value of putting Edmonton’s Indigenous past and present on the map by explaining why place names matter.
• Though fire destroyed the Italian Bakery last year, they’re bouncing back with a larger space on 118 Avenue and a new location in St. Albert.
• I had to miss the Cultivating Connections event this weekend but it sounds like there was lots of great discussion about sustainable food in Alberta. Be sure to check out the Edmonton Food Council blog for more.
• If you know a deserving Edmontonian who has “enhanced the quality of life in Edmonton through their participation in arts and culture, sports, or community service” then consider nominating them for a Salute to Excellence Hall of Fame Award. The deadline for nominations is February 16.
• Great to see this feature on City Hall School which an estimated 5,000 students have attended over the last decade or so.
• Edmonton’s NextGen has released the speaker lineup for the winter-themed Pecha Kucha Night 27, which takes place in a couple weeks. Get your tickets here.
• Make Something Edmonton recently launched a redesigned website.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Winter, photo by IQRemix

Upcoming Events

• February is National Responsible Pet Ownership Month so the City has shared some responsible pet ownership principles.
• Tuesday this week is Homeward Trust’s fundraising event Toque Tuesday. Watch for volunteers selling toques at LRT stations, shopping centers, and other locations.
• The Oil Kings host the Broncos on Wednesday, the Pats on Friday, and the Hitmen on Sunday.
• Nerd Nite Edmonton #32 takes place on Wednesday at The Needle Vinyl Tavern.
• The Edmonton RV Expo takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• The Silver Skate Festival kicks off on Friday at Hawrelak Park.
• Also starting Friday is the Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival with events taking place throughout the Edmonton region.
• The Oilers host the Blackhawks on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The annual Hypothermic Half Marathon takes place in Edmonton at the Highlands Golf Club on Sunday.
• If you’re looking for things to do on Valentine’s Day, be sure to check out Linda’s post.
• Save the date for the Winter Cities Shake-Up Conference, taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre from February 16-18.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Ice Castles, photo by Bo Lu

Hoar frost and fog made for a very beautiful winter weekend here in Edmonton (minus the collisions I guess). I hope you had some time to enjoy it. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• A new poll from Mainstreet and Postmedia found increasing approval ratings for Mayor Don Iveson, while Council as a whole ranked dead last out of the 10 Canadian cities polled.
• Thousands of Edmontonians marched on the Legislature grounds on Saturday, one of the thousands of Women’s March on Washington events that took place around the world this weekend to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Alberta Premier Rachel Notley reconfigured her cabinet and split the human services department into two ministries this week.
• Population growth in Edmonton means we should have another seat in the Alberta Legislature, probably in the southwest, which would increase the number of local seats to 20.
• The City has shared an update on its Infill Roadmap. “The City has made significant progress on all of the 23 action items identified in the plan, with 15 completed and the remaining 8 in the process of being implemented.”
• City Council will consider letting Northlands defer payments on its Expo Centre loan until March 2018.
• Commonwealth Games Canada has not approved the City’s request to extend the “First Right of Acceptance” deadline to bid to become Canada’s candidate city for the 2026 games. So if Edmonton goes ahead with a bid, it may be in competition with other Canadian cities.
• Downtown Proud has five new cleaning carts thanks to a donation from the Building Owners and Managers Association. The crew does such a great job, I’m happy to see they’re getting proper equipment to help make the work easier.
• Compost heaps could be helping to attract coyotes to backyards in the city, according to a new study by the Urban Coyote Project.
• Local racer Stefan Rzadzinski defeated Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi and former F1 driver Scott Speed in the Race of Champions Nations Cup before being knocked out in a later round.
• Some daytime parking rates near Rogers Place have been reduced recently thanks to changes in the amount of construction and a resulting impact on demand.
• Cindy has decided she’s going to cook through the book Edmonton Cooks this year. That’s 75 recipes! I look forward to following along.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Frozen Raspberries, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• There are 2017 Neighbourhood Reconstruction Open Houses taking place this week for Strathearn, Montrose, Kilkenny, Belgravia, and McKernan.
• The Edmonton Career Fair & Training Expo takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
• Hope to see you on Tuesday evening at CCIS on the University of Alberta campus for DemoCamp Edmonton 34.
• The first weekend of Ice on Whyte kicks off on Thursday at End of Steel Park!
• The Edmonton Renovation Show takes place Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Also taking place this weekend (Saturday & Sunday) at the Edmonton Expo Centre is the Pet Expo.
• The Oil Kings host the Prince George Cougars on both Saturday and Sunday.
• Startup Edmonton and the U of A’s Computer Engineering Club are hosting a 24-hour hackathon on the weekend.
• The 2017 Alberta Student Leadership Summit takes place on Saturday at the University of Alberta.
• Grab your skates and head over to City Hall on Sunday for Swing ‘n Skate Sundays.
• Save the date for the next Green Drinks event – February 1 at Yellowhead Brewery.
• Cultivating Connections, a forum on regional food systems, is coming up in Edmonton from February 3-5.
• Be sure to check out my Guide to Winter Festivals & Events in Edmonton! There are still lots of great winter events to come.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Ice Castles Edmonton

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• So much for being a winter city. Edmonton’s main tourist information centre has been closed since mid-December and won’t reopen until April. Edmonton Tourism plans to pilot mobile tourism kiosks though, to meet tourists in high traffic areas.
• Should we require new businesses to have parking? This could be a really interesting debate.
• Busy weekend for provincial politics in our city. The Alberta PC’s held a leadership debate while the Alberta Liberals launched their own leadership race.
• Most of Edmonton’s existing transit centres are “20th-century city building” according to Mayor Iveson. It would be great to see more integrated facilities that are friendlier to pedestrians.
• After nine months, the digital announcement boards are finally back online along the LRT. Let’s hope it’s for good, this time.
• According to a new study, Southgate Mall rounds out a list of top five malls with most revenue per square foot in Canada at $1,155/sq ft. “There is actually no question that Edmonton is a retail mecca,” said Diane Brisebois, president of the Retail Council of Canada who conducted the study.
• The University of Alberta is getting ready to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. “Over the next year, in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary, we are proudly celebrating the people, achievements and ideas that contributed to the making of a confederation.”
• Team Blue handily won the 2017 Oilers Skills Competition today.
• The Province is seeking input as it prepares Budget 2017. You can share your comments here until February 3.
• If you want to learn how to produce your own solar electricity, mark your calendar for one of these upcoming workships hosted by the City and Social Energy Society of Alberta.
• YEGbyYouth is now accepting submissions for stories!
• The Toronto Blue Jays made a stop in Edmonton this weekend! Here’s a photo gallery from the event.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Lots of hockey at Rogers Place this week! The Oilers host the Coyotes on Monday, the Panthers on Wednesday, and the Predators on Friday. The Oil Kings host the Victoria Royals on Thursday, the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, and the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday.
• Of course the big hockey event taking place this week is Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week, which wraps up on Sunday.
• Opera 101 is coming up on Wednesday at CKUA. Learn all about Edmonton Opera’s upcoming production of Rossini’s Cinderella!
• The Edmonton Whisky Festival takes place on Wednesday at the Delta Edmonton South.
• DECL is starting a book club and the first meeting is Wednesday to discuss the first two chapters of Happy City!
• Dark Matters returns to the TELUS World of Science on Thursday evening. This edition’s theme is GAME ON!
• Briday Fantasy takes place Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Save the date for the next Green Drinks, coming up on February 1.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City mailed property assessment notices this week and most properties will see “a modest decrease” in value due to the slowing economy. “Overall, the City’s total taxable assessed value decreased slightly from $172.3 billion in 2016 to $170.3 billion in 2017.” A typical single-family, detatched home decreased by 2.7% while the typical condo decreased by 2.3%.
• St. Albert mayor Nolan Crouse announced this week he is not planning to run again in October. “It has been said that one should leave the stage while the crowd is still clapping and while I am not certain if indeed the crowd is still clapping, I know it is my time to leave this stage.”
• Have a Christmas tree to get rid of? The City is collecting natural trees starting on Tuesday, January 10. They’ll be picked up for recycling within three weeks. If you live in an apartment or condo, you can take your tree by January 30 to an Eco Station or Recycling Depot. “In 2016, more than 12,000 trees weighing 137 tonnes were collected for recycling.”
• The latest “throw it at the wall to see if it sticks” move by Northlands is a longshot proposal to build a new horse racing centre near the Edmonton International Airport, despite saying last year it would get out of the business.
• ETS fares are increasing an average of 3% starting in February. AISH, U-Pass, and Route 747 fares are not changing, but monthly adult passes are increasing $2.75 to $94.25. “ETS operates 929 buses, 97 DATS vehicles and 94 Light Rail Transit vehicles on more than 200 routes and delivered over 87 million transit trips in 2016.”
• Edmonton’s new creative lighting pilot project will see the exterior of the World Trade Centre brightened in the coming months. The program provides up to $50,000 in matching funding and is intended “to support exterior creative lighting that enhances and highlights the visual presence of Edmonton’s historic resources, adding to our sense of place, identity and pride.”
• Sharon posted her 2016 review of food in Edmonton this week, Epicureous in Edmonton.
• The Edmonton Arts Council is hiring an artist-in-residence to work in Edmonton’s cemetaries. The deadline to apply is February 1.
• Gordon Kent has a good roundup of the ongoing development you can expect to see around town in 2017.
• Edmontonian Stefan Rzadzinski is looking to compete in the Race of Champions, which takes place in Miami later this month. You can vote for him to represent North America here! He’s currently got a big lead. You can learn more here.
• Elise reports that the Mill Creek Daylighting project could have major benefits for the local fish population.
• Whoa, wait a minute, an active NHL hockey player actually misses Edmonton?!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Ice District – Flag Wavin’, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The Oilers host the Sharks on Tuesday, the Devils on Thursday, and the Flames on Saturday.
• Mayor Don Iveson is speaking at the West Edmonton Business Association’s next luncheon on Wednesday at the Chateau Nova Yellowhead.
• And that evening you’ll find the mayor at the Citadel Theatre for Rapid Fire Theatre’s Mean Tweets.
• Nerd Nite is back for Year of the Nerd at The Needle Vinyl Tavern on Wednesday evening.
• The Motorcycle & ATV Show takes place Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• There’s a celebration of life potluck for Gail Hall taking place on Saturday evening in Pleasantview.
• Big winter weekend coming up! The Southeast Winter Fun Festival takes place near the Kenilworth Community Hall.
• Over on Alberta Avenue, Deep Freeze is on both Saturday and Sunday!
• Sunday is World Snow Day and you can celebrate at City Hall with Swing ‘n Skate Sundays.
• You can celebrate Lunar New Year on Saturday and Sunday at the Ice Palace inside West Edmonton Mall.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Alberta Legislature Grounds

Happy New Year! I’ve had a nice blogging break over the holidays, but I’m ready to get back into it.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Alberta’s new carbon tax took effect today, adding roughly 4.5 cents per litre to the price of regular gasoline. The Journal has a good overview of how the tax works and how to figure out what you’ll end up paying. “Around 60 per cent of households will get a rebate,” they note. CBC has an interactive calculator too. You can learn more about Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan here.
• Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman says the tax is all about the long game. Mayor Don Iveson thinks the tax will ultimately create more jobs for Edmonton. Paula Simons wrote last week that “a tax on carbon is a more efficient, rational, transparent way of encouraging behavioural change than many other more baroque forms of social and economic engineering.”
• Edmonton’s New Years baby this year was Joy Lol Duop, born at 12:01am at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women.
• Here’s a 2 minute look back at 2016 in Edmonton from Urban YEG.
• Fish captured Edmonton’s arts scene in 2016, while Twyla wrote about the year in food.
• Our latest Taproot Edmonton story is a follow-up to last month’s feature on pedestrian deaths. What will it take to protect people from dying on Edmonton’s streets?
• Ken Cantor’s Primavera Development Group is buying the Brighton Block at 9666 Jasper Avenue. It’s a heritage building so it can’t be torn down without Council approval.
• The Dying Light Collective is raising money to open a community workshop. They “want to provide a space for the people of Edmonton to learn new skills and to pursue creative projects.”
• The City is reminding Edmontonians to “reduce, reuse and recycle this holiday season to help keep waste out of landfill.” They even created a hashtag to promote the #wastelessholidays.
• Four Edmontonians were appointed to the Order of Canada this week. In addition to being Canada’s 150th birthday, 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Order of Canada.
• Mayor Don Iveson has floated the idea of naming Northlands Coliseum after Wayne Gretzky.
• The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) could be coming to Edmonton in 2017. OEG CEO Bob Nicholson is reportedly “negotiating with UFC owners WME-IMG to bring a pay-per-view (PPV) card to Edmonton.”
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Ice Castles is now open at Hawrelak Park! It’s closed on Tuesdays, but otherwise should be open until mid-February.
• Fort Edmonton Park’s winter day camp takes place Tuesday through Friday this week for kids 6-10 years of age.
• The Oil Kings host the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday at Rogers Place. Then after one game away, they’re back at home on Sunday to host the Medicine Hat Tigers.
• The Best of YEG Fitness Awards are taking place on Wednesday evening at Central Social Hall.
• After a brief break, the City Market Downtown is back at City Hall on Saturday.
• Swing ‘n Skate Sundays is back starting this month! Check it out every Sunday at City Hall.
• Be sure to check out my Winter 2016/2017 Festival & Event Guide for even more holiday & winter related events!
• Save the date: EEDC’s annual Impact Luncheon is coming up on January 10.
• From Edmonton Tourism, here’s a look at what’s coming up in January!
• 2017 is Canada’s sesquicentennial so stay tuned for a variety of Canada 150 events throughout the year!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Just a week to go until Christmas! While I hope it snows, this tweet pretty much sums up the weather right now. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The 2016-2018 supplemental budget adjustment was officially approved by Council this week. “The 2.9 per cent tax rate increase is down from 3.1 per cent originally proposed at the November 29 Council meeting.”
• City Council has approved the Winter Design Guidelines and a new policy aimed at “making Edmonton more comfortable and beautiful during the winter.”
• Yellowhead Trail is going to receive a $1 billion upgrade that will turn it into a proper freeway, but construction won’t begin until 2021 and won’t be complete for another 10 years after that.
• Don Braid on the big provincial rivalry right now: “The truth of 2016 is that Edmonton is not only running nearly everything, but that Calgary really needs the government to do it with exceptional skill and sensitivity.”
• The City is putting together a committee “operating at arm’s length” to “examine the opportunities and challenges of pursuing large-scale single and multi-sport events” for Edmonton. The group is expected to submit a report by June 2017.
• Councillor Bryan Anderson suggested at Council this week that naming officials reconsider the use of Indigenous names, asking “if we look through a usability lens, can we accomplish the same kind of acknowledgment with a more usable name?” He rightly received a lot of criticism for the remarks, including a petition asking him to change his name to something more usable.
• Scott Messenger wrote in The Guardian about West Edmonton Mall. Love it or hate it, the mall is still a big part of Edmonton.
• I haven’t read this one yet, but it came out around the same time: The American Dream Mall Is a Nightmare for New Jersey. It’s about the Ghermezians and the $5 billion project that has been in the works for 15 years.
• Here’s more on the EndPovertyEdmonton Action Plan that Council chose to support in the latest budget updates.
• ETS Stuff a Bus had another great year! “In 2016, 25,669 kilograms of food and $19,846 in cash were collected from participating Save-On-Foods, transit centres and on the LRT.” Now underway is the 2017 Donate A Ride campaign.
• Mayor Iveson looks like he’s having some fun in the latest Edmonton Tourism campaign! I look forward to seeing it unfold.
• The next Pecha Kucha Night is going to be winter themed and will take place on February 16, 2017. If you want to submita presentation you have until January 13, 2017.
• I missed the Best Bar None tour last month, so I was glad to see Jerry’s write-up. “If an establishment is willing to meet these requirements, then I think they are worthy of our patronage because they take our safety seriously,” he wrote.
• Make Something Edmonton was on CTV Edmonton recently to share some Edmonton Made gift ideas!
• Yesterday was the unique graffiti-themed send-off for the Stanley Milner library downtown. It will close on December 31 for upgrades that won’t be complete until 2020.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

City of Edmonton logo now up on the Edmonton Tower

Upcoming Events

• The warm weather might make a stroll down Candy Cane Lane or through the Legislature grounds to enjoy the holiday lights a little more comfortable!
• The longest night of the year is coming up this week! Wednesday, December 21 is the winter solstice. Be sure to share how you spent it with #YEGlongnight.
• Friday night at Metro Cinema there’s a Die Hard double feature! Best Christmas movie ever.
• Be sure to check out my Winter 2016/2017 Festival & Event Guide for even more holiday & winter related events!
• Get a jump on your New Years Eve planning with Linda’s great listing of events!
• Save the date! The Ice Castle in Hawrelak Park will open December 30. Assuming this heat wave does’t last too long, that is.
• Sunday is of course Christmas. Happy holidays everyone!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Make Your Mark on Milner, photo by jasonwoodhead23

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The originally proposed 3.1% tax increase for 2017 has been trimmed by City Council to 2.85%, which includes 1.5% for neighbourhood renewal and 0.6% for the Valley Line LRT. The budget and tax increase will be finalized by City Council on Tuesday this week.
• One of the successfully funded projects was End Poverty Edmonton which will get $1.265 million next year and $1.178 million in 2018.
• City Council has approved the framework for a Renewable Energy Utility for Blatchford as well as $19.4 million to fund the initial stages of the system.
• Police chief Rod Knecht says he supports the plan for four safe-injection sites in Edmonton.
• It was incredibly cold this weekend so Edmonton Transit kept LRT stations open throughout the night for people to take shelter. More than 50 people did on Friday and Saturday nights. There’s also the Boyle Street Community Services warming bus stocked with hot meals and outerwear.
• The Grand Hotel at 103 Street and 103 Avenue has been completely renovated and will reopen on New Year’s Eve as the Crash Hotel with 25 rooms each featuring a different design. When the project is complete, there will be 71 rooms.
• Congratulations to Calder Bateman on being awarded a Grand Clio, “the highest honour from one of the world’s most prestigious international advertising awards”.
• The Edmonton Police have laid their first drone-related charge against a man operated an UAV “in a dangerous manner in downtown Edmonton in the area of 105 Avenue and 104 Street.”
• Here are five design ideas to cure Edmonton’s winter blues. I think looking at “sneckdowns” is a really interesting idea. Sneckdowns are “the patches of snow left untouched on the side of the road after a storm.”
• In less than an hour on Friday morning, Garth Brooks sold more than 51,000 tickets for his upcoming shows at Rogers Place. As a result, additional shows were added and he’s now playing five nights!
• YouTube has released its top trending videos of 2016 for Canada which includes Edmonton’s Ruth B with the song Lost Boy.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Walterdale Bridge, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• I still haven’t made it down to the Legislature grounds to see the lights yet, but there are still a few weeks to go!
• Also open now for your holiday light viewing pleasure is Candy Cane Lane.
• Zoominescence: Festival of Light takes place on Monday night at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
• Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton (RISE) is celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the release of the TRC Report on Thursday at City Hall. They’re also launching their very own Zine.
• This year’s edition of the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree gets underway on Thursday at the Jubilee.
• Christmas Reflections kicks off on Friday at Fort Edmonton Park.
• This is really cool! On Saturday from 10am-6pm, you can leave your mark on the Stanley Milner library at the Graffiti Open House.
• Be sure to check out my Winter 2016/2017 Festival & Event Guide for even more holiday & winter related events!
• Get a jump on your New Years Eve planning with Linda’s great listing of events!
• Tis the season for holiday parties, so please plan ahead and get to your destination safely.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

2016 Krampusnacht, photo by Robert

The deep freeze has arrived. After hovering just below the freezing mark for a few weeks, temperatures in Edmonton are dropping fast and are expected to be as low as -30 on Friday. On top of that, we’ve got some fresh snow which means City crews are clearing & sanding roads. Better bundle up and give yourself more time this week!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City of Edmonton and Leduc County have agreed to collaborate on future growth with a reduction in Edmonton’s proposed annexation area. The Edmonton International Airport could still be included in the annexation but that “will be determined over the next several months through a collaborative exercise between Leduc County, the City of Edmonton and the EIA.”
• Preliminary numbers from the 2016 Homeless Count show a 24% decrease from 2014 even though Edmonton’s overall population increased 2.5% in that same period. Of the 1,752 individuals counted as homeless, 70% were identified as chronically homeless. Boyle Street Community Services said the numbers were too good to be true and “don’t reflect what we’re seeing on the ground.”
• Our latest Taproot Edmonton story is a rumination on what Edmontonians can do to make streets safer for those on foot. A big part of the problem is that when it comes to safety, we put “the same onus on drivers, cyclists and pedestrians when only one of those three has the power to kill.”
• I don’t see how anyone could consider the proposed $150,000 donation to Central McDougall from the Katz Group anything other than a straight up bribe to get their desired parking lot. Council will discuss the proposed on December 12.
• The provincial and federal governments have announced another $500 million worth of transit projects for Alberta, but Edmonton isn’t on the list. St. Albert, Strathcona County, Leduc, and other municipalities in the Edmonton region will receive funding, however.
• A new initiative called Women & Money aims to “address a variety of financial topics” through “social media, videos, events and activities.” It’s a volunteer committee associated with City Council’s Women’s Initiative.
• From The Yards: Meet Mrs. Hut: The Teacher Who Teaches “Downtown”.
• Edmonton has a new recording studio called Velveteen Audio. It took over most of the former Powersound Recording space and officially opened in October just north of Oliver Square.
• FC Edmonton announced on Friday that they’ve re-signed head coach Colin Miller to a multi-year contract extension. This was his fourth year with the club.
• Council will be looking at the idea of safe injection sites this week. A new report says the sites could be opened within three existing agencies.
• Three Edmontonians along with the UNITE HERE Local 47 were recognized in the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Awards yesterday for International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
• According to the stats, the Oilers are a much better team this year. Definitely more entertaining to watch when they have a decent chance to win every night! See also: The Edmonton Oilers With and Without McDavid.
• The Edmonton Police have a new mobile app called eCruiser that will enable officers to create electronic collision reports on scene. Electronic reports will be available to motorists here.
• Note that winter bus schedule changes took effect today for 12 routes!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Viewpoint, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The lights at the Legislature look great! Check them out until December 23, and note there are some new ones in the Federal Building plaza as well!
• From YEG Date Night: 10 Edmonton Christmas Lights Displays That Will Make You Feel Like You’re in a Winter Wonderland.
• TEC Edmonton is hosting another edition of the TEC Venture Angels Forum on Wednesday over lunch.
• interVivos is celebrating its 10th birthday on Thursday at Central Social Hall! The party runs from 7-10pm.
• Also Thursday is The Yards Winter Salon taking place at CKUA in the Alberta Hotel.
• Royal Bison returns for another weekend at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre, Friday through Sunday.
• Another season of Candy Cane Lane gets underway on Friday!
• Head over to the Valley Zoo on Friday for the kickoff of Zoominescence: Festival of Light. The event runs through December 18.
• The Carrot is hosting a Christmas Arts Bazaar on Friday and Saturday.
• The Oilers are on the road this week, but they’re back at Rogers Place on Sunday to host the Winnipeg Jets.
• Be sure to check out my Winter 2016/2017 Festival & Event Guide for even more holiday & winter related events!
• Get a jump on your New Years Eve planning with Linda’s great listing of events!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Crossing the street after a game at Rogers Place