Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Mayor Don Iveson announced on Thursday afternoon that Council “made the difficult decision to relieve Simon Farbrother of his duties as Edmonton’s City Manager.” Community Services GM Linda Cochrane will step into the role until a replacement is found.
• Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing this week. Expect to hear a lot about Uber, and probably quite a bit about infill too.
• Both NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau campaigned in Edmonton this week. Check out Dave’s preview and David’s recap.
• A rally was held in Edmonton on September 8 to show support for welcoming more Syrian refugees into the country. You can see more photos here. The Province announced this week that it would provide $75,000 in immediate funding in support of the Canadian Red Cross and that it would match donations by Albertans to a maximum of $75,000. They’re also pledging an additional $100,000 to Alberta-based settlement agencies.
• The Metro Line LRT passed its first real test this past week as students went back to school and drivers got a taste for the delays they’ll experience around the tracks.
• The new Mill Woods Seniors & Multicultural Centre celebrated its grand opening this week. The $10.3 million centre is located above the new Mill Woods Public Library.
• Making Tracks, the 2015 Edmonton & Region Household Travel Survey, launched this week. More than 200,000 households have been invited to participate.
• Here’s the story behind local street artist Adrian A.J.A. Louden’s postcard-style mural on the Tirecraft Open Source Street Art wall.
• The 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards are being held in Edmonton at the Citadel Theatre in November! Here’s a preview from Gig City.
• Three new traffic patrol officers are now working in Southwest Edmonton “in an effort to address increased traffic issues in the city’s fastest growing area.”
• Here is the Edmonton Police Service’s second quarter report to the community.
• Earlier this year, local startup Empire Avenue was acquired by PeopleBrowsr. As of this week, the site redirects to Empire.Kred. I wrote about Empire Avenue back in early 2010.
• This season hockey fans will be required to walk through metal detectors, which have now been installed at Rexall Place.
• I know they’re controversial but vandalizing the Talus Dome? Not cool.
• From CBC Edmonton here’s a look at West Edmonton Mall, “the mall that had it all” back in 1985.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• If you haven’t already subscribed to After the House Lights, you should. Here is Jenna’s latest roundup of local theatre news, called Edmonton downstage.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Fall is definitely here

Upcoming Events

• The Gotta Minute Film Festival kicks off on Monday and runs through Sunday. It is “Western Canada’s first film fest for Commuters.” Watch for it during your daily commute!
• Latitude 53’s Visualeyez starts on Tuesday and runs through the 22nd.
• ATB Financial is hosting its Boostr live pitch event at the Citadel Theatre on Tuesday.
• In the mood for art? Late Night Wednesdays is on every week at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• Western Canada Fashion Week returns on Thursday at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
• Thursday is the return of Nerd Nite Edmonton with a back-to-school theme to kick off the fourth season.
• Over at David Morris Fine Cars, the annual Italia with Gusto fundraiser for Meals on Wheels is taking place.
• Also Thursday is Pecha Kucha Night 23.
• The Oilers are holding their 2015 Training Camp at the Leduc Recreation Centre from Friday through Sunday.
• The 2015 edition of DECL’s CornFest takes place on Saturday at Beaver Hills House Park!
• The City is hosting another Big Bin Event on the weekend, this time at the Southwest District Yard.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Friday was proclaimed What the Truck Day in Edmonton!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• As I wrote about earlier this evening, the Metro Line LRT extension from Churchill to NAIT opened today!
• The new Late Night Owl Service also started today! The service extends the hours of four existing bus routes and adds one new one. You can learn more about it here. ETS also restored full seasonal bus service today, and on Tuesday another 10 new and extended routes will start service.
• On Friday, a new draft Vehicle for Hire Bylaw was announced that aims provide a legal way for “technology-based dispatchers” like Uber to operate in Edmonton. The bylaw will be presented at a non-statutory public hearing on September 16. You can read the bylaw here and you have until September 10 to provide your feedback here. Mayor Iveson wrote about the draft bylaw here and is encouraging discussion using the hashtag #yourYEGride. Neither Uber nor the taxi drivers like the proposal.
• The City announced this week that for the fourth consecutive year, Standard & Poor’s has awarded the City of Edmonton a credit score of AA+. That’s the second-highest possible rating.
• Edmonton Spaces is a new project by Beverley Jackman that aims to “to catalog and record awesome office spaces and creative studios in Edmonton.” You can learn more about the project here.
• The Province unveiled its first quarter results and forecast this week. The forecast includes an increase of $4.1 billion in operating expenses, as well as a $1 billion increase in revenue. Good new for Edmonton though, as the proposal regional smart fare system is getting a $28 million boost in GreenTRIP funding.
• Edmonton’s requirement of one parking space for every 3.6 square metres of dining space is the second highest in the country, but that could soon be changing thanks to a new pilot project.
• Edmonton has been selected as the host city for the Commonwealth Games Federation’s 2016 General Assembly. It is expected the conference will bring up to 300 delegates to Edmonton, with the dates to be confirmed.
• The City has begun installing safety barriers on the High Level Bridge, which are intended to help prevent suicides. They should be fully installed by next summer.
• On Wednesday, the Eskimos traded Matt Nichols to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in exchange for a conditional 7th round pick in the 2017 CFL Draft.
• Richard (Dick) W. Wilson will serve as acting chair of the University of Alberta Board of Governors, effective September 1. He takes over for Doug Goss, who stepped down on August 31.
• From the Edmonton City as Museum Project, here is the story of Sylvancroft.
• The lineup for Pecha Kucha Night 23 was released this week. The event takes place on September 17 and tickets are on sale now.
• Congratulations to Jason Blower on surpassing the $7,000 goal for HelloYEG, an inspirational Edmonton colouring & activity book.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The rain couldn’t stop this wedding party!

Upcoming Events

• Tomorrow is Labour Day but it’s also Stage 6 of the Tour of Alberta! The leg starts and ends at Churchill Square.
• The Ignite Edmonton Festival, formerly E-Town, takes place on Wednesday and Thursday this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• On Wednesday evening The Yards is launching its fourth issue at Iconoclast Koffiehuis.
• YEGfest, “a celebration of the local music, visual arts, and a variety of other performance arts,” takes place on Friday evening at Hawrelak Park.
• I hope to see you down at Churchill Square on Friday night for our final What the Truck?! event of the season! You can check out the lineup and menus here.
• From Friday through Sunday, the Kaleido Family Arts Festival takes place on Alberta Avenue.
• The Eskimos host the Stampeders on Saturday evening at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The City is hosting another Big Bin Event this weekend at Jasper Place Jubilee Park. It’s an opportunity to get rid of household waste that can’t be set out for regular pickup.
• On Sunday the Red Shoe Crawl is taking place at locations along 124 Street.
• Also Sunday, FC Edmonton hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Clarke Stadium.
• If you fancy a drive out to Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm in Bon Accord on Sunday, you can check out the Edmonton and Area Land Trust’s 3rd annual celebration dinner.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

World Triathlon Series Tour 2015, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council approved the Jasper Place ARP on August 24. The 105-page document was “an intensive effort that involved almost a dozen community engagement sessions and extensive collaboration with multiple City departments.”
• The Downtown Business Association’s latest research report looked at the hotel industry downtown and found that more are needed. You can download the report in PDF here.
• Former Lethbridge mayor David Carpenter has been named the Official Administrator of Alberta Health Services. He replaces Dr. Carl Amrhein, who is now the Deputy Minister of Health.
• Episode 8 of the Legends of Edmonton show from SONiC features Mayor Don Iveson.
• Thanks to drifting smoke from wildfires in Washington State, AHS issued an air quality advisory for Edmonton on Wednesday. As of tonight, most of the province is back to “low risk” on the AQHI scale.
• Local artist Jason Blower has launched Hello#YEG, an Edmonton educational activity book. “Alberta Curriculum based, designed to inspire little ones to learn about their city, it’s people and culture in order to love it more!” You can learn more and support the project on Kickstarter here.
• ETS is now sharing real-time information on Google Transit for the 300 Smart Buses currently outfitted with the technology. “By March 2016, another 500 buses – totalling nearly 90 per cent of the ETS bus fleet – will be equipped with the Smart Bus technology.”
• Council rejected a proposal on Tuesday to do something about our city’s aging entrance signs. Make no mistake, this issue will return to Council before long.
• Do you want to live in a 500 square foot house or perhaps one even smaller than that? You might be interested in YEG Tiny Home, a new community for tiny house enthusiasts here in Edmonton.
• For the last two weeks, ETS has been piloting a bike patrol unit. It’ll run through the end of October and includes 12 Transit Peace Officers.
• The latest column from David Staples argues that Edmonton is failing cyclists.
• On Thursday the Edmonton Oilers announced a partnership with Aramark for food and beverage services at Rogers Place. The five year agreement will have Aramark running all the concessions, suites, restaurants, and catering. The news release talks about “a focus on fresh, healthy and local food” but we’ll have to wait to see just how local it is. I have hope it won’t be as bad as it sounds, if only because of the success MacEwan has had with local offerings, even though it is an Aramark institution.
• Good news downtown! Burrow in Central Station is back up and running thanks to efforts by ETS to deal with safety concerns.
• Sandra Sperounes reports that the owners of Bohemia, an 84-person music venue on 97 Street, want to sell it for $25,000 by September 20. She notes that “if a buyer isn’t found, Bohemia will be the fifth small venue to close this year.”
• Coming up on September 16, the Edmonton Oilers rookies will take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Rexall Place.
• There’s a new DJ school in Edmonton called Night Vision Music Academy.
• The City of Edmonton is running an online survey on its affordable housing strategy. You can learn more about the strategy here. You have until September 4 to provide your input.
• There’s also a survey underway on the area locally dubbed as “The End of the World”. You have until September 21 to fill it out.
• Here’s my look at what’s coming up at Council this week.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Legislature Fountain, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• The Government of Alberta is hosting an open house on climate change on Wednesday evening at the Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre. If you can’t make it but want to provide your input, you can do so here.
• Diner en Blanc returns for its second year here in Edmonton on Thursday.
• Also Thursday evening is the 124 Street Grand Market!
• The ITU’s World Triathlon Series Tour returns to Edmonton from Friday through Sunday, the penultimate stop before the 2015 Grand Final in Chicago.
• On Friday, Symphony in the City is taking place in Churchill Square featuring Disney’s Fantasia.
• SONiC BOOM 2015 takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Borden Park.
• The second annual Edmonton Reggae Festival takes place on Saturday at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park.
• FC Edmonton hosts Minnesota United on Sunday at Clarke Stadium.
• The Tour of Alberta takes place all week with Stage 6 closing the event right here in Edmonton.
• Don’t miss our final What the Truck?! event of the season, taking place at Churchill Square on September 11. Here’s the lineup!
• Save the date: the launch of the EndPoverty Edmonton strategy will take place on September 18 with a presentation to Council on September 22.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

“The End of the World” in Edmonton

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The Fringe ended this weekend and despite less than ideal weather, the 34th annual edition of the festival broke its 2014 record of 118,280 tickets sold. Final numbers will be announced early this week.
• Edmonton’s own Tom McGrath won the Edmonton Marathon this weekend with a time of 2:28:49!
• It sounds like the Edmonton Airshow was a big success this weekend with about 25,000 spectators! Sounds like it’ll be back next year.
• Friday was the 3rd annual Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day, which “recognizes Edmonton’s connection with the First peoples of this land.” This year was the 138th anniversary of the signing of the treaty at Fort Edmonton.
• I love the ETS bus ad, called ETS Cool Bus, but was definitely surprised to see how similar it was to this one by Denmark’s Midttraffik. Here’s the BuzzFeed article on Edmonton’s ad. In an interview with AdWeek, ETS acknowledged they took inspiration from that video but claim it is still different enough. You can learn more about the ETS campaign here. Here’s the video:

• ETS has also launched a zero-tolerance for sexual harassment campaign. It involves a public awareness advertising campaign, training of frontline employees, updating passenger assistance decals on all 94 LRT cards, and conducting a survey.
• The Edmonton Insight Community now has more than 3,200 members with a goal of reaching 5,000 by the end of 2015. “We’re proud of the success of this new approach, which enables Edmontonians to provide input to their City at a time that is convenient to them, using devices they prefer, and about issues that are important to them,” says Cory, Manager of the Office of Public Engagement.
• The City has added property information to the Open Data Catalogue. You can now see municipal address, lot size, zoning, and year built for primary buildings, among other things.
• There was a lot of discussion about the photo site Still in Edmonton this week. “We love it. We hate it. We’re still here,” is all the site says alongside the photos. You can learn more about the collaborative website in this CBC feature.
• The Edmonton Arts Council is looking for professional Aboriginal artists from across Canada to submit portfolios and letters of intent to the Aboriginal Art Park call for Expressions of Interest. The park will be located in upper Queen Elizabeth Park, north of the former Queen Elizabeth Pool site.
• I’m not sure why they did this, but Wireless Edmonton has been renamed “Open WiFi”. That’s a sketchy looking SSID to me and it’s a wasted opportunity to build Edmonton’s brand.
• Speaking of Wi-Fi, the new network at Commonwealth Stadium was unveiled on Friday at Social Media Night. “All visitors, regardless of service provider, can connect to the internet on a mobile device from their seat and throughout the stadium concourse during Eskimos home games.”
• The new General Manager of Rogers Place is Susan Darrington, the Oilers announced this week. She’s Edmonton-born and started her career at Northlands Coliseum as an usher. She was most recently General Manager of Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.
• From Vintage Edmonton: Winston Churchill comes to Edmonton, August 23, 1929.
• The latest Big Ticket Event saw 2,534 violations issued, 2,046 of which were for speeding. Overall the numbers are down 5% from August 2014.
• Have you checked out Explore Edmonton’s series You Think You Know Edmonton? Good stuff!
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• Here’s my look at what is coming up at Council this week, and here are some thoughts on the Auditor’s report looking at the Metro Line LRT delays.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Premier Rachel Notley, Mayor Don Iveson, Treaty 6 First Nation Grand Chief Tony Alexis, and Chiefs representing the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations

Upcoming Events

• The final Movies on the Square of the summer is set for Tuesday. Head down to Churchill Square to see Pitch Perfect 2.
• Head over to the Legislature grounds on Tuesday at lunch for the final Zumba session with Fitness Fanatics of the season.
• The next meeting of 100 People Who Care takes place on Tuesday evening at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre.
• Symphony Under the Sky is back in Hawrelak Park for its 20th anniversary from Thursday through Sunday!
• The Eskimos host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
• Friday is the final Night Market Edmonton downtown at Beaver Hills House Park.
• Nuit Blanche is coming up on September 26 but on Friday they’re hoping to set a world record by taking a “dronie” of the world’s biggest map market made out of people in Churchill Square. Be there at 5:30pm!
• Wanderlust 108 is “a triathlon unlike any you’ve ever known” and it’s taking place at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park on Saturday.
• The City is hosting another Big Bin Event on the weekend, this time at the Kennedale Financial Services & Utilities facility in the northeast.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Neat shot of a crane downtown by Dennis Cambly

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• On Friday the City announced that the Metro Line LRT will open on September 6, just in time for the start of the school year. It’s a modified service and approach, but I guess it’s better than nothing. I wrote a bit more about the news in my review of what’s coming up at Council this week.
• We’re about halfway through the 2015 construction season (cue the jokes) and the City says 92% of the 176 projects underway are “either already complete or on track to finish on time and on budget.” Road projects in 2015 are receiving $451 million in investment.
• The City held a ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday at Blatchford. Construction began on August 8 on the first phase of residential development and part of the new district park. It is hoped that the first residents could be living in Blatchford by late 2016/early 2017.
• Congratulations to all of the winners of the Apps for Alberta competition. The award for Best Overall App went to Make the Grade, by Edmonton’s own Darkhorse Analytics. You can check out all the apps here.
• Festivals that need police services could be facing a 50% increase in fees by 2016. Apparently EPS had not raised rates since 2007.
• Congratulations to Gene Smith and everyone else at nForm on the acquisition by fellow Edmonton-tech company iomer. Great to see two local companies getting together.
• Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan has won the federal NDP nomination for Edmonton-Centre.
• The North Saskatchewan River is at its lowest levels since 2009, which is affecting wildlife and river-users and has forced the Edmonton Queen to end all sailings this season.
• The Golden Bears and Pandas tennis teams both finished with silver medals in today’s national championship games. This was the first year that titles were awarded for both men’s and women’s teams.
• I doubt it would affect attendance much, but the idea of celebrating New Years Eve a few hours earlier seems wrong. It’s not the new year until midnight!
• For its second entry in a series on ethical eating, The Local Good interviewed Slow Food Edmonton members Chad & Thea Moss.
• The possible birthplace of the green onion cake, Happy Garden Restaurant, is closing its doors in October because the landlord has given them notice to vacate.
• This video called Town Facts: Edmonton by Dopestick Tv made the rounds recently. Kinda funny.
• Jay Smith says Edmonton should plan around the new car-less youth.
• Here’s a feature on the “Big E” that has popped up around downtown.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Downtown at 6am, photo by Rogie 09

Upcoming Events

• Sharon and I took in our first Fringe show of the year today! SupercaliFRINGEilistic continues all week at venues throughout Old Strathcona and elsewhere in the city.
• The next Movies on the Square event takes place on Tuesday with a screening of Big Hero 6.
• Tuesday evening at The Common is interVivos’ #girlbossyeg event.
• Capital Ideas Edmonton’s next event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal on forming strategic alliances.
• On Wednesday evening, Rocks and Fossils is the theme for Family Nature Nights.
• Thursday is the final patio at Latitude 53 of the season, don’t miss it.
• The Edmonton Blues Festival kicks off on Friday at Hawrelak Park.
• The Edmonton Eskimos host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The 23rd Edmonton Marathon takes place this weekend!
• Also taking place Saturday and Sunday is the Edmonton Airshow, out at Villeneuve Airport.
• Alberta Farm Days takes place throughout the province on the weekend.
• 4th Street Promenade is hosting Al Fresco on 104 Street downtown on Saturday.
• I hope to see you on Saturday evening at TELUS Field for our next What the Truck?! event. Here are the menus.
• If you’ve got some large waste items to get rid of, the City is hosting another Big Bin Event on the weekend at Terwillegar Rec Centre.
• FC Edmonton hosts the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Sunday at Clarke Stadium.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Murder, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Folk Fest took place this weekend and as usual it seemed to take over the city. Here’s a taste from Gigcity and here’s a history of the festival, which “came close to the brink of failure a number of times.” There were dozens and dozens of photos posted this week, but perhaps my favorite came from Mike Morrison (aka Mike’s Bloggity).

• With the federal election now officially underway, Edmonton candidates say they’re ready for the long campaign. Councillor Amarjeet Sohi will be stepping away from City Hall while he runs in Edmonton-Mill Woods.
• EPCOR has announced that Stuart Lee has been appointed as the company’s new President and CEO. He was most recently a Senior Vice President at Capital Power Corporation. His term at EPCOR officially begins on September 1, 2015.
• The Edmonton Public Library is the first Canadian library to become a global chapter for littleBits, which makes easy-to-use electronic building blocks.
• The City is piloting a new traffic technology system called Advisory Driving Speed on Whitemud Drive which uses signage to inform drivers about the recommended speed they should be going. The pilot will run for four weeks between 111 Street and 159 Street starting Tuesday.
• Last year hundreds of volunteers worked to plant Edmonton’s first river valley food forest and on August 15, you can help expand it!
• The president of NAIT’s Students Union has called the Metro Line LRT delays a “growing disappointment”.
• There has been a lot of discussion lately about public art and cultural appropriation. Here’s Paul Giang’s take on the issue.
• Linda has contributed a Top 10 list of restaurants in Edmonton’s Chinatown to YellowPages Canada.
• If you have feedback on land use and zoning in McKernan-Belgravia, fill out this online survey which will be open until August 21. You can learn more here.
• From Make Something Edmonton: Make your city, don’t just live in it.
• Here’s a literary city guide to Edmonton, courtesy of Eat This Poem.
• Be advised the City now has a zero-tolerance policy when enforcing the pet license bylaw. The fine for having an unlicensed pet is $250.
• Urban beekeeping is now allowed in Edmonton, so the City has launched a campaign to dispel some of the myths surrounding bees!
• Just another Edmonton mommy reminds us that our city has a Telephone Historical Centre at the Prince of Wales Armouries.
• Sarah Chan is helping to build an army of young people to end poverty in Edmonton.
• Can’t wait for hockey season? The Oilers and Sportsnet have revealed broadcast details for the upcoming campaign, which will be all about “Connor, Connor and more Connor.”
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

City of Edmonton tower rising, photo by Jason Woodhead

Upcoming Events

• The next Movies on the Square night is Tuesday: Cinderella!
• The Edmonton International Fringe Festival kicks off on Thursday! This year’s theme is SupercaliFRINGEilistic.
• Really unique event taking place on Wednesday night at Commonwealth Stadium called Feast on the Field.
• There are just three Fridays left for Night Market Edmonton.
• The Edmonton Rock Music Festival kicks off at Hawrelak Park on Friday evening! The lineup includes Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo.
• Also taking place this weekend is the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival, down at Louise McKinney Park.
• The City is hosting a Big Bin Event for household items that are too big for regular waste collection on Saturday and Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The Edmonton Latin Festival takes place at Churchill Square on Saturday and Sunday.
• On Sunday FC Edmonton hosts the Carolina RailHawks at Clarke Stadium.
• Save the date for our next What the Truck?! event: August 22 at TELUS Field! Here’s the lineup.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Animethon 22, photo by IQRemix

Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• On Friday the City announced it has initiated an independent safety audit of the Metro Line LRT signalling system. They’re also considering some sort of manual signalling in an attempt to open the line. The next update is slated to come mid-August when Council next discusses the line.
• The latest Rogers Place update was again “on time and on budget” with the structure now more than halfway done. Here are some photos of the construction taking place inside.
• CBC’s Edmonton AM spent Friday morning discussing the hidden gems of Edmonton – everything from restaurants and buildings to blogs and podcasts.
• A total of 55,587 babies were born in Alberta last year, with Liam and Olivia proving to be the most popular names. If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out the Alberta Baby Name Explorer too.
• The Province is partnering with Bell Media, Facebook, and TELUS to expand distribution of Emergency Alerts.
• The Eskimos extended their winning streak to four on Friday night, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 30-5.
• The Yards has a big discussion on bike lanes in Edmonton on its podcast. “Is there enough political will to deliver on this key element of the city’s active transportation strategy?”
• And speaking of cycling, there are three new artistic bike racks at MacEwan and two at NAIT.
• Alberta’s Superintendent of Insurance has weighed in on ridesharing services like Uber: “Albertans are at risk of not having access to insurance protection and accident benefits under Alberta law if using Uber’s ride sharing services, and potentially other ride sharing services as well.”
• The Local Good has a feature on the Electronic Recycling Association, an organization that can collect your old equipment and either refurbish or recycle it.
• You’re no doubt familiar with the terms hipster and yuppie, and hey, you might even know about the yuccie. Well David Staples felt those weren’t adequate to categorize Edmontonians, so he came up with some new terms.
• Dead Venues is a documentary series featuring defunct live music venues in Edmonton. Sounds like a pretty interesting project. It’ll be online for a year, then will be available at EPL.
• K-Days attendance was up nearly 45,000 this year to 785,290. Here’s the festival by the numbers.
• It’s August, and that means the Edmonton International Fringe Festival is coming up! Get prepared with previews at After the House Lights.
• Want to speak at Pecha Kucha Night 23? Edmonton’s NextGen is now accepting presentation submissions. The event is slated to take place on September 17 at the Citadel.
• Looking for a coworking space in Edmonton? Check out Cowork Edmonton.
• An upcoming MOOC (massive open online course) from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies called Indigenous Canada aims to provide a basic understanding of aboriginal history and issues. I’ll definitely be checking it once it launches in September 2016.
• The federal election campaign officially kicked off today. This time around, Edmonton has 11 ridings instead of 9. Here’s an overview.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• This year is the 40th anniversary of the Heritage Festival. If you haven’t made it down to Hawrelak Park, there’s still one day to do so!
• Rock’n August starts on Tuesday in St. Albert.
• Also Tuesday is the return of Movies on the Square! The first one is Jurassic Park.
• FC Edmonton hosts Indy Eleven on Wednesday at Clarke Stadium.
• Ladies on the Green takes place on Thursday at Victoria Golf Course!
• The Edmonton Folk Music Festival starts Thursday and runs through Sunday at Gallagher Park.
• Thursday night is also a great opportunity to check out the 124 Grand Market!
• The 22nd Animethon takes place this weekend, Friday through Sunday, at MacEwan’s downtown campus.
• Cariwest also kicks off on Friday, with the parade taking place on Saturday at noon, ending in Churchill Square.
• The City is hosting a 9km bike ride and hike in the river valley on Sunday called the Tour des Trees. It gets underway at 10am at Rundle Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Panamerican Junior Athletics Championships, photo by Don Voaklander

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• As of June 30, 2015 the City has issued $2.365 billion worth of building permits this year. That’s a 14% increase over the same period last year and a 33% increase compared to the five-year average.
• On Thursday the Province announced that previously allocated MSI funding will now start flowing to communities across Alberta. Edmonton has been allocated an additional $202 million on top of the March 2015 amount of $81 million.
• It was a sad week for Rush fans like myself as the team made it official and are relocating to Saskatoon. They’ll now be known as the Saskatchewan Rush. I’d link to the news release, but they have completely broken the site and all of its history. Owner Bruce Urban was very public about his apparent need to move the team, but both Mayor Iveson and Northlands said this week that efforts were made to work with the team and that Urban never returned their calls or messages.
• Another year of Taste of Edmonton has come and gone, but not without a bit of controversy. Lots of people were talking about the review by Graham Hicks which called it “awful”. Twyla Campbell also left unimpressed. But on the flip side, Linda and Sharon had positive experiences this year. Can’t please everyone!
• Does the Valley Line LRT provide an opportunity to expand High Level Bridge Streetcar service? Jaron Williams says, “if an agreement could be reached for the Edmonton Radial Railway Society to use ETS tracks, the High Level Streetcar could expand to Churchill Square or West Edmonton Mall.”
• For the first time ever the City’s Sustainable Development department has released the City Planning Annual Report. You can check it out in PDF here.
• The Bissell Centre’s Drop Your Gonch campaign met its goal this week of raising 1000 pairs of underwear for those in need. Of course, you can still give online!
• Treaty Six Recognition Day 2015 is coming up on Friday, August 21. The City and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations have launched a call for submissions for an art contest in honour of the annual celebration.
• Is Edmonton still in the middle of an existential crisis? That’s the question posed by Robin Mazumder in a new blog post.
• The new Rogers Place Presentation Centre opened to the public on Saturday. If you go to the second level, you can see what all of the seats and options look like complete with some pretty sweet digital screens. The centre is open on weekends to the public but if you’d like to go Monday through Thursday you can schedule an appointment.
• Now we just need a good team to play in the new barn! Let’s hope that 2015-2016 really is a reset year.
• Think the North Saskatchewan River is dirty and polluted? Think again, says David Staples. He even swam in the river to prove it.
• The Edmonton Police Service welcomed 30 new officers on Friday, members of recruit training class number 131.
• Good news for KidSport Edmonton recently as Press’d sold over 2,100 sandwiches and raised $7,000 for the charity.
• Cindy has the scoop on Rogue Wave Coffee Co., one of Edmonton’s newest roasters and cafes.
• Very disappointing to hear that Burrow in the Central LRT Station is having safety problems and has cut back their hours as a result. I really hope something can be done – it would be a shame to see them close.
• The City reports it has been able to divert over 1.1 million tonnes of sand over the past 11 years since it started a recycling program.
• University of Alberta board of governors chairman Doug Goss is stepping down effective August 31.
• It’s all about the upcoming federal election, yes, but with Calgary receiving $1.5 billion for its LRT expansion plans last week, Councillors and other Edmontonians are rightly asking where Edmonton’s handout is.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

yeg stormy, photo by Paul

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Corn Maze opens on Monday at 10am! This is the 15th season and the design is a giant John Deere tractor. (h/t Just another Edmonton mommy)
• Take in a baseball game on Tuesday evening as the Edmonton Prospects host the Okotoks Dawgs at Telus Field.
• Thursday evenings are always busy! Your options include the 124 Street Grand Market, Latitude 53’s Patio Series, and this week the Prospects host the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Telus Field.
• On Friday evening your options include Park After Dark at Northlands Park and Night Market Edmonton downtown in Beaver Hills House Park.
• The Eskimos host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
• This weekend Edmonton hosts the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. The games get underway on Friday at Foote Field.
• The 40th annual Servus Heritage Festival takes place Saturday through holiday Monday at Hawrelak Park. Don’t miss it!
• On Sunday be sure to check out the French Quarter Grand Market at La Cite Francophone!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton K-Days Exhibition, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton Arena District is now officially known as Ice District. “Ice District is the perfect reflection of the type of energy and feeling this area will bring to anyone who sets foot here,” said Daryl Katz. I shared a few initial thoughts here. Here is Omar’s take. Also be sure to check out Linda’s write-up of the unique marketing campaign that led to the announcement.
• Also unveiled this week were three public art concepts for Rogers Place: Essential Tree by realities:united (Berlin), Skater’s Arch by Douglas Bentham (Saskatoon), and Figures in Motion by Al Henderson (Edmonton).
• A new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives revealed that Edmonton is the second worst region in Canada to be a woman. The study ranks Canada’s 24 largest metro areas “based on a comparison of how men and women are faring in five areas: economic security, leadership, health, personal security, and education.”
• Edmonton is on the shortlist to become a host city for the International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) World Series. The event would feature BMX, skateboarding, wakeboarding, and more. A decision is expected before the end of the year.
• After 12 seasons in charge of the Heritage Festival, executive director Jack Little is stepping down. He says it is time for “some fresh thinking.”
• Here is Lindsey McNeill (aka Screen Queen B) on how Edmonton did at the Banff World Media Festival: “What I’m really proud of is how Edmonton’s filmmakers have become a competitive force in our national industry.”
• The annual K-Days Parade took place on Friday. It was a soggy affair though considering just how much rain fell the turnout was still pretty good. This year Northlands recognized six Honorary Parade Marshals.
• Can’t say I am shocked about this: research by Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety shows that drivers engage in behaviour they deem dangerous.
• Like coffee? In Edmonton? Here’s a coffee lover’s guide to Edmonton.
• University of Alberta researchers have developed a supplement that will apparently help individuals suffering from gluten intolerance enjoy foods they currently have to avoid. It must still undergo human clinical trials and receive Health Canada approval.
• Wunderbar will stay open a little longer thanks to a crowdfunding campaign that raised the $4,500 goal in just two hours.
• If you’ve been thinking of adopting a cat, now’s the time according to the Edmonton Humane Society. They’ve joined the Million Cat Challenge to manage cat populations across North America.
• The Oilers agreed to terms with defenceman Justin Schultz this week. They also announced that University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach Ian Herbers will become an assistant coach with the team.
• Be like Mayor Iveson, leave your clippings on the lawn:

• Service Alberta is hosting an online competition called Apps for Alberta to show how open data can be used. You can vote for your favorite app until July 24. If you spent any time online this week, you probably saw Ranek’s Alberta Baby Name Explorer. I was one 4 boys named Mackenzie born in 1983 (there were 3 girls born that year with my name). Today it appears to be predominately a girl’s name, with 61 girls and 0 boys named Mackenzie in 2013.
• Speaking of apps, the Edmonton 311 App celebrated its first birthday this week. In that time it was downloaded 17,000 times with more than 9,000 reports filed.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton, highlights edition!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

100 Fountains, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Taste of Edmonton continues this week in Churchill Square! We went twice this weekend.
• New to Taste of Edmonton this year is the Canadian Food Championships which starts on Tuesday, with most activity taking place behind the Milner Library.
• Also continuing all week is K-Days over at Northlands. Can’t wait for my annual corn dog. When you go, be sure to share your experience. And to get you in the mood, here is some Ex history from Vintage Edmonton.
• Family Nature Nights is back on Wednesday at Gold Bar Park, this time with Forest Fables.
• Don’t miss the Latitude 53 Patio on Thursday evenings throughout the summer!
• Interstellar Rodeo kicks off on Friday night at Hawrelak Park.
• The Eskimos host the Blue Bombers at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday evening. So far this season the Esks are 2-1, but have won their last two games.
• On Sunday, FC Edmonton hosts the Atlanta Silverbacks.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Slide The City, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It was a rough week for the City and Council as we learned the Metro Line LRT has been delayed again and that the project may have major deficiencies. They’re hopeful it’ll be open by the fall, but don’t hold your breath.
• Council also dealt with bike lanes this week, voting to remove them from 95 Avenue and 40 Avenue. Though he remains concerned about mixed signals, Mayor Iveson says “all is not lost for cyclists in Edmonton.”
• The other big topic this week was a proposal to require vegan catering for Council meetings. With very little discussion, Council decided to delay the item until the October 19 Council Services Committee meeting.
• I know the market is going to be very different than it is today, but saying the increase in downtown office space will lead to “a bloodbath” of vacancies seems a little dramatic to me.
• Corporate and union donations have been banned at the provincial level and now Council would like to see them banned at the municipal level too.
• From Jason Foster: The Past, Present, and Future of Craft Beer in Edmonton. He notes that Alley Kat won beer of the year!
• This list of 26 reasons why Edmonton might be the next great Canadian city was shared far and wide this week. And from Emil, here are The ABCs of Why You Should Move to Edmonton.
• About 130 schools registered for the Schoolyard Cleanup program this year, and 12 of them won $500 for their efforts to keep their schoolyards clean.
• Take a tour of public art in Edmonton with Brittney and The Local Good!
• From Making Something Edmonton, here’s an interview with Andrew-David Jahchan of MADSOFT Games on building the game development community in Edmonton.
• If you haven’t already done so, make sure you remove any blue ribbons that may still be up in your neighbourhood.
• A total of 2,808 tickets were issued during the June 2015 Operation 24 Hours event, which is up from the April 2015 event.
• The alley beside Tutti Fruitti on Whyte Avenue has been turned into a pedestrian-friendly plaza, complete with a fancy new paint job.
• We may have Connor McDavid now, but the Edmonton Oilers brand finished last among 10 ten teams when people across Canada were asked who had the most loyal fans. The waiting list for season tickets would beg to differ.
• Speaking of McDavid, many fans got their first look at the young phenom in an Oilers jersey on Monday night at the Billy Moores Cup. He scored five goals.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Metro Line still isn’t open

Upcoming Events

• This is your last week to catch the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal.
• Five Hole for Food is back in Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon behind the Stanley Milner Library downtown.
• Also Wednesday evening is the 100menYEG Summer Meeting.
• Taste of Edmonton kicks off on Thursday at Churchill Square. This year will the event will also feature the Canadian Food Championships.
• The annual K-Days Parade takes place at 10am on Friday morning! K-Days itself starts later that day.
• One of the things I’ll be checking out on Friday evening is The Culture Collective’s 1st annual fundraiser at Latitude 53.
• On Saturday and Sunday, Slide the City is coming to Edmonton. Grierson Hill will be transformed into a giant slip & slide!
• The annual Steampunk Carnival Photoshoot takes place on Sunday at Fort Edmonton Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, photo by IQRemix