Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It finally happened! The Oilers have made some big changes to their management team. CEO Bob Nicholson has appointed Peter Chiarelli President of Hockey Operations and General Manager effective immediately. Kevin Lowe remains Vice Chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group but will be transitioning out of hockey operations. No word on what’s next for Craig MacTavish. Also, Patrick LaForge has stepped down as President and COO.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have extended Ed Hervey’s contract through 2017. Hervey has also added Vice President of Football Operations to his title. The upcoming season will be Hervey’s 17th with the green & gold and his third as General Manager.
• Pretty much everyone agrees: Rachel Notley won the debate on Thursday evening. Can she bring it home?
• We’re just over a week away from election day and this weekend I challenged myself to build an election site! The first version is now up which lets you browse candidates, electoral districts, and more. I’ve integrated some of the 2012 results data too and will be launching an update this week to support the 2015 results. My goal is to build the best online results dashboard for election night.
• From David Staples: all four major parties support heavy investment in city infrastructure, including the LRT. “It makes for a more boring election, but it’s good news for Edmonton.”
• On a similar note, the federal budget announced on Tuesday includes a transit funding commitment which takes effect in 2017. It’s not clear year how much will come to Edmonton, but it’s a positive sign.
• If you haven’t already watched the Legislative Assembly of Cards video do it now! It’s an amazing shot-for-shot recreation of the opening credits for House of Cards, but set here in Edmonton. It was created by Calgary cinematographer Alex Robinson.

• At least one of the bent girders on the 102 Avenue bridge project will need to be repaired and possibly replacing which means the bridge opening is being pushed back into 2016.
• Edmonton received a total of 7,864 votes during the We Love Cities Challenge placing our city first in North America and 7th overall. Nice work Edmonton!
• EPCOR has announced that President and CEO David Stevens is retiring. He will remain with the company while the Board searches for his replacement.
• A new Statistics Canada report found that Edmonton ranked 5th lowest out 32 cities in Canada when it comes to how residents rate their quality of life. That’s surprising to me!
• Congratulations to the Shaw Conference Centre on becoming the first conference venue in Canada to receive a 5 Green Keys rating from Green Key Global. The designation “demonstrates their commitment toward a more responsible and sustainable business event industry.”
• Will proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw put Edmonton on the urban agriculture map? I’m not sure about that, but they changes are welcome and positive.
• Edmonton’s NextGen has put out the call for presenters for Pecha Kucha Night 22, slated to take place on June 11 at Louise McKinney Park.
• If you hate traffic circles you may not be happy to hear that so-called “turbo roundabouts” may be coming to Edmonton. I like the circles myself (well not the one on 118 Avenue and St. Albert Trail…that’s an abomination).
• Be advised that ETS service adjustments took place today and some major routes are affected including the 1, 2, and 5.
• In case you missed it: here’s the wonderful poem that Poet Laureate Mary Pinkoski performed at the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.
• Here’s my overview of what City Council will be discussing this week.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Under the LRT Bridge, photo by Jason Dorn

Upcoming Events

• Mayor Iveson will deliver his 2015 State of the City Address at the Shaw Conference Centre on Monday at lunch.
• Head over to Haweye’s Too on Monday evening for the next interVivos event, this time focused on the provincial election.
• The International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety takes place this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Check out some exciting new businesses at the 2015 VenturePrize Awards on Wednesday evening.
• Jim Prentice and other PC leaders will gather on Thursday evening for the PC Alberta Edmonton Leader’s Dinner.
• It looks like Passport Post, the newest initiative from the Edmonton Journal, is hosting a meetup on Thursday evening to talk about family travel.
• The Butterdome Spring Craft Sale gets underway on Friday and runs all weekend at the Butterdome!
• I’ll be at NAIT all day Saturday for the fifth annual Eat Alberta conference! Looking forward to learning some new cooking skills. If you want to join there are still tickets available.
• The Walk So Kids Can Talk fundraiser in support of Kids Help Phone takes place at Hawrelak Park on Sunday.
• Heads up: The Yeggies return on May 9! Get your tickets now!
• Oh and save the date: we’ve announced that the first What the Truck?! event of the season will take place in Churchill Square on May 23!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Kelly Ramsey Tower – April 25, 2015, photo by Jason Woodhead

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Thanks to savings and increased revenue, City Council was able to reduce the tax increase from the 5.7% projected in December to 3.3%. They also gave in to EPS requests and approved the hiring of 49 new officers for the downtown arena area.
• Another big announcement for the Edmonton Arena District: the Baccarat Casino will be torn down after a new $32 million casino opens right next door in the summer of 2016. The new building will also house the offices for the Oilers and Katz Group.
• ICYMI: The final report from the Northlands Arena Strategy Committee was released on Wednesday. The recommendation? Find a way to collaborate with and complement Rogers Place, or tear it down and develop something new.
• As you’ve no doubt heard by now, the Oilers won the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery, which means it’s almost a certainty that star Connor McDavid will start his NHL career in Edmonton. It’s their fourth #1 pick in six years.
• In other Oilers news, the team has agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with Nail Yakupov.
• We’re now just a little over two weeks from the provincial election, and unsurprisingly the PCs have the most money. What is surprising though are the polls, which show the PCs in third place!
• Nice work Edmonton! The 2015 DONATE-A-RIDE campaign raised a record-breaking $242,685 which will be used to provide 101,136 transit tickets to passengers in need.
• We might be in the midst of an economic slowdown but you wouldn’t know it from Edmonton’s downtown where development continues unabated.
• Michael Ross dug into the news that Edmonton’s air quality is worse than Toronto’s. “Edmonton definitely does seem to have a problem” he found, but there’s some nuance to that which you might have missed if you just scanned the Edmonton Journal article.
• The Art Gallery of Alberta has launched a new initiative called the Poole Centre of Design, a “series of design-centred programs is made possible by a generous donation from the John and Barbara Poole Family Fund, through the Edmonton Community Foundation.”
• ETS is making changes to many downtown bus routes to “accommodate downtown revitalization and development of the Valley Line LRT.” There are both bus stop location changes and schedule adjustments.
• The City has amended its southeast annexation application to add four quarter sections based on research from engineering studies.
• Congratulations to PCL Construction on being named Alberta Contractor of the Year.
• Have you seen the large drilling equipment on site at Blatchford? It’s there to dig two holes approximately 150 meters deep to help evaluate whether a district energy system is feasible.
• Duchess Bake Shop made it onto a new list from Buzzfeed of the “23 bakeries around the world you need to eat at before you die”. Clickbait for sure, but still neat to see an Edmonton success story getting some international attention!
• The results of the 2014 Graffiti Audit show “an overall decrease in the number of incidents and locations of graffiti vandalism.”
• The Edmonton Rush held on to defeat the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday night, which means Edmonton has clinched first place in the west!
• Did you know the Oilers had trademarked the phrase “battle of Alberta” back in 2002? They did, and they’re now trying to get the Rush to stop using it. That’s of course their prerogative (and indeed responsibility as owner of the trademark) but it still rubbed many the wrong way.
• This is really cool: Brewmonton – a YEG brew history primer. Edmonton’s brewing history began way back in 1894!
• I saw my first mosquito today. Fortunately the City is already on the case.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

River Valley Sunset, photo by Jordan Vollrath

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Poetry Festival started today and runs through Sunday at various locations around the city.
• The Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts takes place at the Winspear Centre on Monday evening.
• There’s a public workshop on downtown bike routes taking place on Tuesday, and a workshop on the Strathcona bike routes takes place on Thursday.
• Edmonton Opera’s Lucia Di Lammermoor opened last night at the Jubilee. The next shows take place on Tuesday and Thursday.
• The Walrus and Enterprise Edmonton present The Walrus Talks Aboriginal City on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Edmonton’s 41st Social Media Breakfast takes place on Friday morning at Startup Edmonton, with a focus on foodies.
• The Game Discovery Exhibition (GDX) takes place at the University of Alberta on Saturday.
• Also taking place on Saturday is the 30th Mad Hatter’s Gala which raises funds for student scholarships and bursaries.
• Earth’s General Store is hosting Edmonton’s Earth Day Festival on 104 Street on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Federal Building

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• As if the last couple of months weren’t already rough enough for the City, they had to announce on Wednesday that the opening of the new Walterdale Bridge has been pushed back a year to fall 2016. The reason? “Steel required to build the new bridge was delivered months later than planned and put the project behind schedule.” At least the old bridge is still present and operational.
• Some good news though as Groat Road was reopened Tuesday. It’s still unknown what the plan is for the 102 Avenue bridge or how long that project might be delayed.
• Premier Jim Prentice announced on Tuesday that Albertans will go to the polls on May 5. Fixed election date legislation would have had us voting sometime next spring, but Premier Prentice says he needs a mandate to put the budget into effect. Dave has some highlights from the first week of the election.
• I don’t know about you, but my allergies have been awful to deal with lately because of all the dust that keeps flying around. Thankfully the City will begin cleaning up with the first street sweepers arriving in neighbourhoods tomorrow. You can see the schedule here.
• Edmonton Public School Board trustees voted against a motion to support a 50 cent per litre tax on soft drinks and other sugary beverages. Chair Michael Janz supported the motion and said such a tax could bring $158 million to the provincial government and would support better health outcomes.
• Get ready for the $24 million funicular that aims to improve access to the river valley – the City says construction could begin this year. Here is Paula’s take. Her editor is awesome and says “you can’t spell funicular without fun.” Love it.
• In case you missed it this weekend, I wrote about the history of Edmonton’s entrance signs and also why we should remove “City of Champions” from them.
• The University of Alberta has been awarded four new Canada Research Chairs worth a total of $5.2 million. “The U of A now lays claim to 48 Tier 1 and 39 Tier 2 CRCs worth $13.5 million annually.”
• Another Oilers season has come to a close. They finished the season in 28th place with a 24-44-14 record and lost their final game to the Canucks 6-5 in overtime. Captain Andrew Ference says the acceptance of mediocrity has to stop. Incredibly, the average attendance this season was still 16,839.
• The City has put out the call for public art for the new Northeast Transit garage worth $1 million, the largest in Edmonton’s history.
• The new Dovetail Delicatessen from the folks behind Drift is opening this week. Go check it out!
• Here are 20 questions with Amy Shostak, artistic director at Rapid Fire Theatre.
• The final opening night ever at the old Varscona Theatre took place on Friday evening. The new theatre should open in just over a year.
• Here’s an update from Phil (aka Baconhound) on the YEG Pizza Odyssey so far. “Now that I have eaten 14 different pizzas across the city I feel that I am ready to sit down and give you my thoughts on the state of pizza in Edmonton.”
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• I was asked to share some thoughts on the City’s website recently for the Edmonton Examiner. Here’s to hoping we see a responsive, mobile-friendly one soon!
• With spring here and hopefully to stay, the City is encouraging Edmontonians to visit one of our city’s four Eco Stations.
• A press conference has been called for Monday morning about a casino announcement in the Edmonton Arena District. Metro says the Baccarat Casino will be replaced with a more upscale casino.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The dust storm that hit Edmonton on Saturday

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is hosting federal Industry Minister James Moore for a lunch keynote on Monday at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. Special guest Rona Ambrose will be introducing him.
• The Sage Awards celebrate the contributions and achievements of seniors in Edmonton. The ceremony takes place on Wednesday during lunch.
• The City is hosting an information session on the 90 Avenue Reconstruction on Wednesday evening.
• On Thursday they’re hosting an open house on the 142 Street Rehabilitation project at Dovercourt School.
• Thursday is National Meetings Industry Day with the celebration taking place at Northlands Park.
• The Dare to Dream Dance Festival takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• The Edmonton Rush host the Colorado Mammoth at Rexall Place on Saturday evening.
• The Edmonton Woman’s Show takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• I hope to see you on Saturday at Mount Royal School for the 4th Annual Culinary Arts Cook Off, where Sharon and I are excited to be judges!
• Love beer? The Edmonton Heritage Council has organized Brew Curious: YEG’s Brewing History for Saturday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

MacEwan Station, photo by Dave Sutherland

Happy Easter! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Groat Road is scheduled to re-open to traffic by 6am on Tuesday, April 7. The City will be evaluating the 102 Avenue bridge girders and will have a new schedule for the project in the weeks ahead. You can learn more here.
• If I see the phrase “cautiously optimistic” one more time…that’s again the latest from the City on the Metro Line. Thales, the signalling system contractor, handed over most of the documentation on March 23, but the City has asked for additional information.
• The Province says it is keeping its promise to follow through with building new schools across Alberta, and it has launched a new website to let you see the progress that is being made. It’s part of the Innovation and Advanced Education open data catalogue.
• It sounds like the McDougall United Church will be around for a while longer, as the Province has pledged $750,000 with another $500,000 coming from the City to support conservation efforts. Now a fundraising campaign will need to take place in order to win the historic resource designation and to preserve the building.
• Here is the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce’s response to the Province’s Budget 2015. “The budget that was tabled shows prudence in the face of current fiscal uncertainties, but will require discipline in order to reach long-term objectives.”
• Catherine Keill will run for the PCs in Edmonton-Centre and Harman Kandola will run in Edmonton-Ellerslie. Kandola was going to run in Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview but he agreed to move to make way for Councillor Tony Caterina.
• The Edmonton Rush are currently 9-4 in the standings and with their most recent victory over Vancouver, the Rush have clinched a playoff berth.
• The new Kennedale Eco Station is now open at 53 Street and 127 Avenue. The facility also has a Reuse Area, where you can pickup large reusable items for free.
• The City’s attempt to get an injunction against Uber to stop it from operating was unsuccessful. Now the Edmonton Taxi Association is calling on the City to issue stiff fines and impound cars working for Uber.
• Big news in Edmonton: the beloved West Edmonton Mall whale is back! You’ll find it in front of Sears in phase one.
• Applications are now being accepted for Edmonton’s first ever Youth Poet Laureate. The position is a one-year term, open to Edmontonians between the ages of 13 and 23. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 24.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• What is Edmonton’s best street? 104 Street, according to Metro.
• Here is University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera on new revenue streams for the university: “We have to be more thoughtful about how we bring in more revenue. Other places have done it, south of the border. We have simply not had disruptive discussions, disruptive thinking. Why can’t we be the destination for every citizen in Alberta who wants to take courses in the summer or on weekends?”
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Photo taken with a DJI drone, by Paul, here’s another great one

Upcoming Events

• The Oilers host the Kings on Tuesday evening, and the Sharks on Thursday.
• DemoCamp Edmonton 28 takes place on Tuesday evening at the U of A.
• The 104 Street Steering Committee is hosting a community meeting on Wednesday evening at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel.
• Also Wednesday evening, NAIT’s Hatch Startup Challenge is hosting a reception showcasing the winning teams.
• An open house on streetscape improvements in McCauley is taking place on Thursday.
• The Edmonton Motorshow takes place Thursday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The 2015 Edmonton Volunteer Fair takes place on Saturday at West Edmonton Mall.
• The Calgary Roughnecks are in town on Saturday to take on the Rush at Rexall Place.
• #TasteofIceland in Edmonton takes place on Saturday and Sunday. For more details, follow @IcelandNatural on Twitter.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Credo Coffee, photo by Dave Sutherland

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Thursday was budget day here in Alberta. Here’s my look at what Budget 2015 means for Edmonton.
• Here is the latest update on the 102 Avenue Bridge Project: “Through a series of gradual, orchestrated movements, five cranes are being used to shift the weight of the girders from the bridge onto the cranes.” The City is preparing to install a 7th girder, which should allow Groat Road to re-open on or before April 7.
• The latest on the Metro Line Signalling System is that the City has received handover materials from Thales, and “remains cautiously optimistic for a spring 2015 opening” of the line. So I guess that means the handover is still ongoing and there’s at least six weeks of work left.
• The Rogers Place Winter Garden will feature artwork by Alex Janvier. His painting will appear on a 150 m2 tile mosaic to be inset into the Winter Garden floor. It was commissioned for $700,000 and “is one of the largest to date in Edmonton.”
• Yesterday was Earth Hour and during the one hour event Edmonton’s energy usage dropped by 6.3% over the same time the week prior.
• This is really neat, from Spacing Edmonton: where else in the world can you find Edmonton?
• Here’s an update on the Centre for Arts and Culture at MacEwan University. The project is on schedule with roughly 70% of the foundation poured. The new look features a piano motif. The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.
• Roughly 17,000 of Edmonton’s 100,000 street lights have been converted to LED technology so far, and the goal is to replace all of them within five years. The City says there are plenty of ‘LED-vantages’ to the new lights.
• Hold up Toronto, you’re not the only ones with a mysterious tunnel! Edmonton also has one, under The Hat Resto Pub, site of Edmonton’s oldest restaurant.
• It seems like everyone is talking about Little Brick, the newest member of the Elm family located in Riverdale. Even OilersNation! Here’s the Metro article.
• The March “big ticket event” saw Edmonton Police hand out 2,300 traffic tickets, 1,799 of which were for speeding violations.
• Will anyone else do a better job as head coach of the Oilers than Todd Nelson?
• It sounds like ticket sales are going well for the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer! The opening game takes place on June 6.
• Here is Karen’s blog roundup from last week.
• Future Shop is closing 66 stores across Canada, and converting 65 others into Best Buy stores. So the Future Shop brand is no more. The Edmonton North, Edmonton West, and South Edmonton Common stores will be closed while the Downtown, Northeast Edmonton, and St. Albert locations will remain as Best Buy stores. Here’s what I wrote about the 2008 launch of the South Edmonton Common location.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

This was just one week ago, photo by More Bike Lanes Please

Upcoming Events

• There’s still another week to go for Western Canada Fashion Week!
• The next Green Drinks takes place on Wednesday evening, with a “Greening Your Closet” theme.
• The Culture Collective’s Spring Arts Market takes place on Thursday at Yellowhead Brewery.
• The Edmonton Rush host the Vancouver Stealth at Rexall Place on Friday.
• The Oilers host the Flames on Saturday night.
• Head down to High Street on Saturday for Edmonton’s eleventh Cash Mob! “Remember when Bender got a little crafty with the Groat Road girders?” Support the local businesses in the area!
• The Northern Lights Music Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Good Friday is coming up on the 3rd and Easter Monday makes it an extra long weekend for many of you. Enjoy!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Western Canada Fashion Week

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• On Monday the City advised residents that Groat Road would remain closed through Tuesday due to several steel girders that buckled during installation for the 102 Avenue Bridge Replacement project. The debacle quickly became known as #girdergate. Then on Tuesday, the City said that Groat Road will remain closed for up to three weeks while they work to repair or remove the girders. Here are four questions on the issue. The City has rerouted buses and adjusted traffic signals accordingly. They’ve hired bridge experts. In the latest update released on Friday, the City said it had met its first-week goals for stabilizing the project.
• The Province has tabled amendments to the Municipal Government Act, another step in the review process that began in 2012. Bill 20 will see another round of discussions and then more amendments, with proclamation of all updates to the MGA expected by the end of 2016.
• The LRT was down again all weekend fueling speculation that the new signaling system will indeed be handed over to ETS on Monday. Given the way this project has been going though, I wouldn’t hold my breath!
• Have you see the new Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre at the University of Alberta? It features a striking design and a bronze Alberta Bear statue created by Canadian artist Cathryn Jenkins. As is trend these days, they’ve got a timelapse of the construction too.
• The media were given a fresh look at the construction of Rogers Place this week. The project is both on time and on budget, according to the City. The first public art installation will be announced Monday.
• See! Winter festivals in Edmonton aren’t so bad! Here are some highlights from Stu.
• According to the Music Industries Index, Edmonton ranks third out of six mid-sized Canadian cities when it comes to the music industry.
• Apparently there is more than $225 million of repairs needed for Edmonton’s hospitals.
• Here’s a Q&A with Simon O’Byrne, the Dr. Charles Allard Chair in Business for 2015 at MacEwan University. “Everyone in Edmonton feels that tomorrow will be even better than today,” he says.
• Over at the Edmonton Commons blog Elise asks, won’t someone please think of the trees? Is a policy for protecting mature trees in Edmonton on the horizon?
• Are you an ETS Hero? If you’re a considerate bus or LRT rider, you could be given a button to show that you practice good transit etiquette. ETS is planning to distribute 10,000 of them.
• In Episode 53 of Mack & Cheese, we discuss River Valley Oleskiw Trail, live updates with Transit App, and the topic that won’t go away, welcome to Edmonton signs.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing this week.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Metro Line MacEwan Station, photo by Jason Woodhead

Upcoming Events

• Downtown Dining Week continues all week long!
• The Oilers host the Jets on Monday evening, the Avalanche on Wednesday evening, and the Stars on Friday evening.
• The World Heavy Oil Congress is in town this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Join us at 7:30pm on Tuesday evening at abvote.ca for the next #abvote hangout, with special guests Drew Barnes, Brian Jean, and Linda Osinchuk.
• The Northlands Farm & Ranch Show takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Saturday.
• Western Canada Fashion Week returns on Friday night and runs through April 4.
• Northern Lands gets underway on Saturday, Edmonton’s newest wine show.
• Saturday is the 2015 edition of Earth Hour between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Is it winter or spring? Photo by Bill Burris

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• An estimated 70,000 people filled the river valley on Saturday night for the Red Bull Crashed Ice finals. It was quite the spectacle! Here’s a time-lapse of everyone arriving at the event. The City is hopeful that the big event will return.
• A new loose coalition of businesses calling themselves ‘Celebrate Edmonton’ are looking to share a more positive view of Edmonton. They used the hashtag #yegcitement and hosted a VIP area at the Crashed Ice event.
• The Province has passed an amended Bill 10 that allows students to setup GSAs in their schools. For more, check out Dave’s post.
• Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman announced that she has accepted the nominations to be a candidate for the Liberal Party, Alberta Party, and Green Party. It’s an unusual move that has people talking. We’ll be talking to Laurie during our next #abvote hangout on Monday, March 16, at 7pm MDT.
• Does Edmonton need a new brand? I don’t see why we need a slogan or tagline.
• The City and Pogo are working to agree to a new parking deal based on actual data. I hope they are able to get something fair sorted!
• Do you have an idea on how the Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium could be used? The City is inviting all kinds of groups to apply to use the space.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton. They’ve also got the scoop on a project by planning students at the U of A on re-imagining downtown.
• Here is the Edmonton Police Commission’s 4th Quarter Report to the Community.
• Congratulations to the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team on winning their 15th CIS University Cup!
• The Venue at the River Cree Resort & Casino has been shut down due to building codes. I’m surprised it has stayed open this long!
• Edmonton loves their dogs, says the Edmonton City as Museum Project.
• Heads up if you’re in Leduc: the new traffic bylaw goes into effect on April 1, 2015.
• Apparently three men have been charged by police after they were caught base jumping off a construction crane downtown.
• Here’s an update on CITYlab, a new initiative of Sustainable Development focused on placemaking.
• Did you know Edmonton is going to have its very own board game festival? Learn more in the latest episode of The Unknown Studio about GOBFest, coming up on March 28 and 29.
• If you were planning to take Groat Road on Monday morning, you’ll have to find another route: it’ll remain closed until Tuesday morning.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Red Bull Crashed Ice in Edmonton, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The AAMDC Convention takes place this week at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The Oilers host the Maple Leafs on Monday evening, the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, and the Flyers on Saturday.
• Capital Ideas Edmonton is hosting its next event on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal.
• The next interVivos event takes place on Thursday evening about the economic benefits and environmental concerns of pipelines.
• Also Thursday is the next #YegIdeaXchange event as well as the next Dark Matters at the Telus World of Science.
• The Global Woman of Vision celebrates 20 years at its luncheon on Friday.
• Downtown Dining Week kicks off on Friday!
• The Home & Garden Show runs from Thursday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Looks like there’ll be great weather on Saturday for The Downtown Defrost, an outdoor, winter music and dance event in Churchill Square.
• Saturday night is the Back to the Future Refinery at the AGA.
• Don’t miss the spring Edmonton Pop Culture Fair at the Alberta Aviation Museum on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

70,000 Strong, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Red Bull Crashed Ice, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The Government of Alberta will release Budget 2015 on March 26. The government has also announced $400 million in MSI funding, of which Edmonton should see about $80 million.
• The trending topic this week was #PrenticeBlamesAlbertans. Dave has all the details.
• The City has launched a new mobile app called My Rec Guide to help you find and use City of Edmonton recreation centres. It’s available for free on iOS and Android devices. Councillor Knack is questioning why the City is releasing so many apps.
• Edmonton International Airport reports that air cargo volume grew 3.9% last year, the fifth consecutive year of cargo growth.
• City Council has approved the River Valley Oleskiw trail to link Terwillegar Park with the Fort Edmonton Foot Bridge.
• March is Fraud Prevention Month and to help kick it off, the Edmonton Police Service has premiered a new video to “help bring awareness to the investigative work that is done behind the scenes on police files.”
• The old Sobey’s space on 104 Street and Jasper Avenue is available immediately for sublease. “The sublease does not prohibit another grocery store from operating in the space but potential grocers who have been approached do not find the space the right size for their needs.”
• Here is another update on Blatchford called building the neighbourhood of the future. The City is running an online survey right now to learn more about the types of units people want to live in.
• Organizations won’t be able to move in for at least two more years, but the City is already looking for prospective tenants in the MacEwan West Campus building.
• Registration is now open for the 2015 Planning Academy spring course series. More than 1,500 people have taken the courses since 2006.
• The Oilers traded defenceman Jeff Petry to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two picks. GM Craig MacTavish said he has no interest in trading Yakupov or Eberle.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• Frustrated with the state of transit apps in Edmonton? You deserve better, says TransitApp.
• Did you miss Green Drinks last week? Here’s a Storify of the event.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Skyline (41 image composite) by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• This week is YEG Coffee Week!
• The Oil Kings host the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday evening.
• The Expanse Festival takes place this week, from Wednesday through Sunday.
• The Edmonton Boat & Sportsmen’s Show takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• The Farewell to Winter Patio Party takes place from Friday through Sunday at participating patios around the city (including at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald), just in time for double-digit temperatures!
• iMEDIA kicks off on Friday evening, with the conference taking place Saturday.
• On Saturday evening the Rush host the Vancouver Stealth.
• Saturday is the big event – the Red Bull Crashed Ice final!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Icy Snakes (Crashed Ice) by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The Artery will close its doors on March 31 after the City determined its foundation isn’t structurally sound. The City bought the building and will be demolishing it to make way for the Valley Line LRT.
• Do you want to save the McDougall Church? There’s a petition at Change.org that currently has 793 supporters. Council will be discussing the issue again this week, with a recommendation to ask the Province for assistance. Here’s a feature on the church from Vintage Edmonton. Jodine says the crisis at McDougall did not happen overnight.
• Taking the LRT to Southgate? There’s now free wifi at Southgate LRT Station, the first of a planned expansion throughout the network this year and next.
• The Freezeway was a hot topic of discussion this week, but not in Edmonton. Thanks to a BBC article, the idea was on the front page of Reddit and was also featured on Buzzfeed.
• Pothole season is here thanks to the warmer weather. The City filled 17,000 potholes in January alone.
• Representatives from the City and Leduc County met on Friday to further annexation negotiations. The next session is scheduled to take place on March 20, 2015.
• Avenue Edmonton’s Best Restaurants issue for 2015 is now available! Congrats to Rostizado, named Best New Restaurant!
• Council is starting to talk about where the next round of LRT funding is going to come from, and it sounds as though a PR campaign will be launched to help in that effort. Lorne Gunter says “the proposed lines simply won’t encourage enough people to get out of their cars and into transit.” He calls the proposed western leg of the Valley Line LRT “particularly insane.”
• Former Oilers captain Al Hamilton will be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame this year. Former Oilers assistant GM Bruce MacGregor and Oilers dressing room attendant Joey Moss will both be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Here are 20 questions with Joey Moss.
• This is a neat idea: a Twitter account that tweets suggestions from the Edmonton Public Library collection based on trending topics. Check out @edmontonreads on Twitter.
• Concerned about radicalization in Edmonton? “It is imperative we, as a police service and a society, look at terrorism and radicalization as extremist criminal behaviours,” says Insp. Dan Jones with the EPS Investigative Support Branch. “This criminal activity is not about placing blame on a specific race, religion, culture or community.”
• Did you miss Edmonton’s inaugural food fight? Here’s a recap from Cindy.
• Fewer young people are choosing to be entrepreneurs, but Edmonton may be bucking that trend.
• Former three-term City Councillor Una MacLean Evans died Tuesday morning at the age of 88.
• In case you missed it: Councillor Scott McKeen makes the case for a “wet shelter” for downtown.
• Edmonton is home to 347 bridges and overpasses currently, and each is inspected regularly by Senior Bridge Engineer Shiraz Kanji and his team. “This is a great time for bridges in Edmonton,” he says.
• One of the new bridge projects underway is of course the Walterdale Bridge. The 200-meter-plus arches were constructed in South Korea and are set to arrive in Edmonton at the end of March.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Hyatt Hotel Construction in The Quarters, photo by Darren Kirby

Upcoming Events

• Don’t miss the second Old Yeg Cafe on Monday evening, this time on historic neighbourhoods and the Mature Neighbourhood Overlay.
• The third annual Google in Education Alberta Summit takes place on Monday and Tuesday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• The Oilers host the Kings on Tuesday evening.
• Head over to the Yellowhead Brewery on Wednesday evening for the next Green Drinks themed Local Food DIY. Here are some of the featured guests.
• Pecha Kucha Night 21 takes place at Northlands Park on Thursday evening.
• The Oil Kings host the Regina Pats on Friday evening and the Calgary Hitmen the following night.
• Also Friday night, the Pedcrawl returns! Get lost in the pedway, learn something about wayfinding, and have some fun in the process!
• For 54 hours on the weekend, teams will work to turn their ideas for improving education into reality at Startup Weekend EDU Edmonton taking place at NAIT.
• Edmonton Coffee Week is coming up from March 7 to 15!
• The Edmonton Rush host the Calgary Roughnecks on Sunday afternoon.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Crashed Ice winds through the Shaw, photo by Darren Kirby

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• A terror threat against West Edmonton Mall was made in a recent video from Al-Shabab which encouraged action against shopping centres around the world. Here is the Edmonton Police statement, and here is a statement from Mayor Iveson.
• The City launched a new tool this week called 311 Explorer that lets you see 311 reports that have been filed around the city. There is open data for 12 categories of requests, including tree maintenance and potholes. Great to see!
• Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the Northlands Arena Survey. We received more than 26,000 responses! You can download the report in PDF here.
• From the Edmonton City as Museum Project, meet the father of Edmonton’s traffic circles, Noel Buckland Dant.
• Writing for Spacing Edmonton, Paul Giang has a list of 5 things ETS could improve for new users.
• Edmonton will be one of four Canadian cities to host the Magna Carta later this year as it travels the world to mark its 800th anniversary. It will be on display at the Alberta Legislature visitor centre.
• Shepherd’s Care Foundation can now begin construction on its Garden-Eden House facility for long-term care for seniors thanks to an Affordable Supportive Living Initiative grant.
• 104 Street is on its way to being Purple Flag accredited, the first area in North America to earn the designation for safety.
• Last year, more than 3,500 volunteers planted more than 40,000 trees and shrubs in Edmonton. Bookings for the 2015 Root For Trees program are now being taken.
• The Edmonton Catholic School District is facing $3.5 million shortfall for modernization projects.
• We’ve heard yet again that hockey players don’t want to come to Edmonton to play. But is that because of the city, or is it because of the team and its culture? Don’t miss this great piece from Wanye Gretz at OilersNation.
• The call for public art for the new downtown arena has closed, and more than 170 artists from around the world put their name forward.
• Our city’s very own clock tower moment has arrived: the Friendship Tower clock outside City Hall is losing time. (h/t Adam)
• In case you missed it, here is Karen’s family day edition of her local blog roundup.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Arena construction has crossed 104 Avenue, photo by Jason Woodhead

Upcoming Events

• Learn more about the proposed Healy Ford development on Wednesday at the DECL office.
• The Oil Kings host the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday evening and the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday.
• The 7th annual Mac ‘n Cheese Affair is coming up on Friday at the Faculty Club. The event supports the Campus Food Bank Society.
• The Edmonton Rush host the Toronto Rock at Rexall Place on Friday night. Go Rush Go!
• The Oilers host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
• Video Games Live is Saturday night at the Jubilee!
• Want to learn more about what you can do with an Arduino? Check out this event at Startup Edmonton on Saturday afternoon.
• Also taking place on Saturday is Not Enough Fest Edmonton, an event for women, queer, trans and non-binary people who want to jam.
• Pecha Kucha Night 21 is coming up on March 5. The presenter lineup was announced this week!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Lions, photo by Dave Sutherland