Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Deputy Premier Dave Hancock was sworn in this evening as the interim premier of Alberta, replacing Alison Redford after she announced on Wednesday that she would resign effective today. Here is her final blog post as premier.
• I was very disappointed to hear on Thursday at the opening of the Metro Line LRT to NAIT has been delayed again, this time to “the end of 2014.” The City says the new signalling system is to blame (and more specifically, the contractor). I understand it would take longer to ditch this contractor and bring someone new on board, which is why the City has stuck with them.
• The University of Alberta has begun the search for its 13th president. Board chair Doug Goss will lead the committee charged with finding a replacement for President Indira Samarasekera, with the successful candidate taking over on July 1, 2015.
• Congratulations to the Golden Bears hockey team on earning a record-setting 15th national championship!
• Are you a student looking to do something incredible this summer? You’ve got until April 4 to apply to Startup Edmonton’s Startup Summer Program.
• MacEwan University has announced that all South Campus operations will relocate to the City Centre campus in time for September 2014.
• Pay attention the next time you ride the LRT through Grandin Station as 80 feet of painted panels depicting “sacred symbols and imagery that reflect 10,000 years of Aboriginal history in the city we now call Edmonton” are complete and on display.
• I was happy to have participated in the Mayor’s Symposium on Poverty last week. The event marked the start of the new task force. For some additional background, see this post.
• Yellowknife mayor Mark Heyck was in Edmonton back in January to meet with Mayor Iveson and other members of Council. For some reason they only wrote about this now!
• Remember the proposal to widen 75 Street? Here’s how it could negatively affect the Valley Line LRT.
• I was in Calgary this weekend which only made catching the end of the final meeting of the season between the Oilers and Flames that much more painful.
• Sounds like finding your way downtown as a pedestrian could start to get a little easier next month when the City unveils a prototype of Walk Edmonton.
• I don’t think I have ever heard of a street in Edmonton where bollards were installed that didn’t result in most of them getting knocked down (104 Street, Capital Boulevard, etc.). What gives?

The last troops returned home from Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Upcoming Events

• The next Girl Geek Dinners event takes place on Tuesday evening at The Common.
• San Jose is in town to take on the Oilers on Tuesday, the Ducks are here Friday, and the New York Rangers are in town Sunday.
• DECL is hosting its first quarterly general meeting on Wednesday night.
• NDP Leader Tom Mulcair will be in town on Wednesday to speak to supporters at the Winspear Centre.
• Edmonton is the last stop on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s national tour, with events taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre Thursday through Sunday.
• The fifteenth annual Taste of the Chamber takes place at the Jubliee Auditorium on Thursday!
• On Friday, the City of Edmonton Youth Council is hosting a YEG Youth Forum at City Hall.
• Saturday night from 8:30pm to 9:30pm, it’s Earth Hour!
• Also Saturday night, the sold out hot chefs cool bEATS event takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Heads up that Accelerate AB is taking plce in Edmonton in May. You have until Thursday this week to take advantage of early bird pricing.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Great shot of the Muttart Conservatory by Terry Lawson

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• On Tuesday the Province finally came to the table committing to $600 million in funding to enable the Valley Line LRT to move forward. Premier Alison Redford’s week was mostly downhill from there, however.
• The Province announced it will contribute $30 million over the next three years to help construct MacEwan University’s new academic building. A big piece of the City Centre Campus consolidation plan, the new building will allow the university to grow to more than 17,000 full-time equivalent students. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with the new building slated to open in Fall 2017.
• University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera announced this week that she will not seek a third term.
• In case you missed it, here is Paula Simons’ smart take on the Future Fund. Mad money indeed.
• The City is conducting a municipal census this year, with door-to-door collection beginning on May 10. But the cool thing is that for the first time ever, you’ll be able to complete the census online! Watch for a letter to arrive before April 10 with instructions.
• Walk Score has produced a list of the best Canadian cities for public transit, and Edmonton comes in at number 8. That’s slightly ahead of Calgary, but far behind Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
• Vickie Kaminski will take over as the new President and CEO of Alberta Health Services on June 2. She comes to the province from Newfoundland & Labrador.
• The City ended 2013 with a small $9.2 million surplus thanks to lower than expected staffing costs and higher revenue from photo radar.
• MoneySense magazine has produced its annual list of the best places to live in Canada, and St. Albert came out on top. Strathcona County was ranked third, with Edmonton coming in eighth. That’s great for St. Albert and Strathcona County but let’s be honest, a big reason they are great places to live is because of their proximity to Edmonton.
• With a 15-7 victory over Calgary, the Edmonton Rush have extended their NLL record start to 10-0, and have clinched a playoff spot now too.
• Will it ever be finished? The cost of the Federal Building renovation has now ballooned to $375 million. It should hopefully open by the end of the year.
• Did Edmonton’s labour market sputter in 2013? Enterprise Edmonton tackles that question.
• EPS has posted the results of Operation 24 Hours for March. Four speeders were clocked doing in excess of 50km/h over the posted limit and a total of 2069 tickets were issued.
• I haven’t yet listened to it, but Omar pointed out that the latest episode of This American Life talks about cheesy city theme songs and Edmonton and Calgary!
• Want to help fix Edmonton’s TripAdvisor profile? There’s a Make Something Edmonton project for that.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• The Mercer Warehouse will soon have a coffee shop again: Transcend plans to open a small cafe this summer!

Southwest view of MacEwan’s new Centre for Arts & Culture, by Alberta Innovation & Advanced Education

Upcoming Events

• Downtown Dining Week continues until Sunday!
• The Oilers host Nashville on Tuesday, Buffalo on Thursday, and Calgary on Saturday.
• The next Capital Ideas event is on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal, and the topic is making social media pay off!
• The Edmonton Rush are back at home on Friday, hosting the Buffalo Bandits at Rexall Place.
• Bust a Move for breast health at the Edmonton Expo Centre on Saturday!
• The Home & Garden Show runs all weekend long at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Mayor Iveson & Premier Redford on the escalator at Churchill Station

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It was a busy week for provincial politics! Monday saw the publication of a new poll showing a steep drop in support for the Alberta Progressive Conservatives as well as the throne speech, which was somewhat overshadowed by the airplane scandal. Thursday saw the release of the budget, which contained some good news for Edmonton but also showed a continued lack of investment in LRT by the Province.
• Mayor Don Iveson delivered his first State of the City address on Wednesday, and called on the Province to “show Alberta’s capital city that we are worth investing in.”
• Edmonton-Centre MP Laurie Hawn has decided to retire when the next election is called. He won the seat in 2006.
• The City is looking to take advantage of the warm weather and will begin blading neighbourhood streets just after midnight tonight. There is no parking ban in place, but residents are asked to move their vehicles wherever possible.
• Congratulations to the folks behind Light the Bridge. The $2.5 million needed to buy and install LED lights on the High Level Bridge has been raised! You can buy replacement bulbs until March 14.
• Edmonton has been named Canada’s Earth Hour Capital City for 2014. Earth Hour takes plce from 8:30-9:30pm on March 29.
• The Conference Board of Canada believes the prairie cities will once again lead Canadian metropolitan areas in economic growth in 2014. Edmonton is expected to experience growth of 3.4% this year, down from 4.6% in 2013.
• The latest building permits report (PDF) shows that Edmonton’s residential permits issued in January were worth $397.3 million, the highest value recorded since 1989.
• Iceland has been on a marketing blitz here in Edmonton, but we’re not doing the same thing in Reykjavik. Maybe we should be.
• The City may be looking into widening 75 Street. If the reason is to reduce congestion as Councillor Anderson suggests, then let’s hope the City does its homework on induced demand first. It may be that the upgrade is needed, but don’t dress it up in some fantasy about reducing congestion, because it won’t.
• Congratulations to Poppy Barley on some national attention in The Globe and Mail!
• Consulting service Gen Y Inc. recently featured 12 of Edmonton’s most accomplished young professionals. Look for part 2 to be published soon.
• Edmonton is going to be testing two electric buses this spring, the second Canadian city to do so. They run on batteries.
• Hungry? Then don’t click this link: The Second Annual Tomato Top 100 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton.
• ISBE Edmonton has decided to close its doors, saying “we built our art gallery in the wrong part of town.”
• The Oilers had a busy week, trading Ales Hemsky to Ottawa, acquiring Viktor Fasth from the Ducks, trading Ilya Bryzgalov to the Wild, trading Nick Schultz to Columbus, and signing Ben Scrivens to a two-year deal. Wayne Gretzky was also in town for the game against the Islanders, and he offered a vote of confidence in Craig MacTavish.
• Yesterday was International Women’s Day. Here in Edmonton, Mayor Iveson made the proclamation at an event at the Winspear Centre.
• The Edmonton Rush defeated the Vancouver Stealth on Saturday night to extend their winning streak to 9, setting a new NLL record for the best-ever start to a regular season.

A preview of what the High Level Bridge LEDs will look like?

Upcoming Events

• There are a number of meetups taking place this week at Startup Edmonton: the Edmonton Python Meetup is Monday night, the GameCamp Edmonton Meetup is Wednesday night, and the Physical Computing Meetup is Thursday night.
• Wednesday evening is the Every Woman Festival, taking place at Lexus South Pointe.
• Homeward Trust will present the 2014 ROOPH Awards during lunch on Thursday.
• The Edmonton Woman of Vision luncheon takes place on Friday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Like a challenge? Try not to get lost in the pedway on Friday night during Pedcrawl!
• iMEDIA 2014 takes place this weekend at the Fantasyland Hotel.
• Edmonton Tourism invites you to say farewell to winter on a patio this weekend!
• Head down to the Alberta Avenue community hall on Sunday for Edmonton Seedy Sunday!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The volunteers behind Pecha Kucha Night in Edmonton! Photo by Warren Fenton

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It’s cold out there! Beautiful, but cold. EPCOR said freezing temperatures contributed to nine water main breaks today across the city (they were working hard on my street all day). Fortunately it looks like temperatures will gradually rise this week.
• This is shaping up to be a big week for the Galleria project as rumors circulate that the Province has agreed to support the project, with details potentially arriving in Thursday’s budget.
• Google launched Maps Gallery this week, featuring public, map-based information and the City of Edmonton was selected as one of the featured participants. You can check out the Edmonton-based data here.
• Hungry? There’s lots to enjoy in Avenue Edmonton’s Best Restaurants of 2014.
• Have you checked out the City’s new website promoting LRT? The campaign is off to a good start.
• The City confirmed this week that construction on Rogers Place will begin on Monday. The north lane of 104 Avenue will be closed between 102 Street and 104 Street for the duration of the construction.
• Want to watch the construction of the new arena unfold? Check out Denis Lemire’s near real-time webcam view.
• Interested in joining the Edmonton Fire Rescue Services? They’re accepting applications for the firefighter recruit training class of 2015 until March 31.
• ATB Financial’s Dave Mowat has been named the 2014 Allard Chair in Business at MacEwan University.
• I was sad to hear that Notables Stationers is closing in May after almost 28 years in business.
• This year marks the 135th anniversary of Northlands, and to celebrate, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has collected some numbers behind the milestone.
• Inching a bit closer to its agricultural roots, Northlands announced a new program called Alberta Flavour. It will see Northlands help local agri-food companies field test their products and ingredients.
• The United Way of the Capital Region announced on Thursday that it raised a record $23.3 million during last year’s fundraising campaign.
• Former Councillor and mayoral candidate Kerry Diotte has announced he will run to become the federal conservative candidate in Edmonton-Griesbach.
• Don’t miss Gig City’s “where are they now?” feature on Diotte and the other mayoral candidates from last year’s election.
• There was a big turnout today in Churchill Square to protest the policies of the Redford government.
• Looking for great coffee in the 109 Street/Legislature area? Check out the brand new District Coffee Co.!

Cool shot titled ‘Precious Treasure’ by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• The second session of Alberta’s 28th Legislature will begin on Monday at 3pm with a Speech from the Throne (pdf).
• The Oilers host Ottawa on Tuesday evening, the Islanders on Thursday, and Los Angeles on Sunday.
• Wednesday at the Shaw Conference Centre is Mayor Don Iveson’s inaugural State of the City address.
• Head over to the Yellowhead Brewery on Wednesday evening for Green Drinks, this time themed local food.
• Pecha Kucha Night 18 takes place on Thursday at the Garneau Theatre. You can check out the speaker lineup here.
• Thursday is the day the Government of Alberta will table Budget 2014.
• The Edmonton Rush became just the second team in NLL history to open their season with an 8-0 record when they defeated the Toronto Rock on Friday night. They look to keep the streak alive and break the record when Vancouver comes to town on Saturday.
• This year’s edition of EPL’s Books2Eat Gala takes place at the Radisson South on Saturday.
• Also Saturday is a cool event organized by Slow Food Edmonton at Alley Kat: Hijacked!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Light by Jeff Wallace

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games wrapped up today, and like most of you I was up by 5am to watch the Canadian men’s hockey team defeat Sweden 3-0 to take the gold medal. In case you missed it, ATB Financial lit up its new building downtown every time Canada scored:

Canada finished 3rd in the medal standings with 10 gold and 25 medals total, one less than our haul in Vancouver four years ago. Edmonton-born athletes did well too. Now attention turns to the Paralympic games, with the opening ceremonies taking place on March 7.

And if you’re like me, you’re now counting down to World Cup 2014 – just 108 days to go!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Though he seems to be doing some great work behind-the-scenes, Mayor Iveson made it clear this week that he’s not afraid to get out and be vocal about important issues, launching a social media campaign to build support for funding of the Valley Line LRT. Here is the video he launched with:

• Citizens are encouraged to share their support for LRT expansion using the hashtag #yeg4LRT. It very quickly became one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter. Here is Dave’s take on the news.
• Speaking of Mayor Iveson, he sat down recently with Adam and Scott to talk about his first few months in office.
• The City has gotten a head start on filling potholes this year, though I expect the recent drop in temperatures has put that plan on pause. The budget for pothole repairs this year is $5.9 million, a little less than the $7 million that was spent in 2013.
• Here is Paula’s take on the proposed, $40 million pedway for the Galleria: “If you want an illustration of everything that’s wrong with the proposed Galleria arts campus in downtown Edmonton, you can find it in the special request that came before city council’s executive committee Tuesday.”
• I have been outspoken about the pedway and the larger project too, but David Staples says to not be so hasty to reject it. I remain unconvinced that the project is worthwhile.
• Think you can design a better flag for Edmonton? There’s now a community-wide design challenge that invites you to do just that. Dustin Bajer has already submitted his design, in both winter and summer versions, with an explanation here.
• Here is a good piece on Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, Mary Pinkoski.
• Residential infill in Edmonton shouldn’t be so difficult, says Tegan Martin-Drysdale.
• Congratulations to the City of Edmonton on winning an award for the Citizen Dashboard!
• Starting Tuesday, the ramp connecting Anthony Henday Drive and Wye Road in Sherwood Park will be closed to allow construction to take place. Another step closer to the completion of the ring road!
• In case you missed it: the lights are now on at Edmonton’s outdoor Neon Sign Museum! Spacing has some more great photos. You can learn more about the signs and history here.
• Don’t miss this feature on Edmonton’s lost Chinese Market Gardens. “Look carefully, and the urban landscape will reveal reminders of these gardens, and the people who once tended them.”
• Monday was Family Day, and with great weather there were lots of families outside enjoying winter activities! Here’s a look at Churchill Square:

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Public Library is celebrating Freedom to Read week through March 1. Monday evening they’re hosting a speaking event with Amanda Lindhout.
• The Google Apps for Education summit takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre on Monday and Tuesday this week. I’ve heard it is the second largest such summit in the world.
• The next UX Edmonton Meetup takes place on Tuesday evening at Startup Edmonton.
• The Oilers are back in action this week, hosting the Minnesota Wild at Rexall Place on Thursday evening. The Flames are in town on Saturday.
• Social Media Breakfast Edmonton returns on Friday morning with a session on defining, building, and managing your brand.
• On Friday evening, I’ll be down at Rexall Place cheering on the Edmonton Rush as they host the Toronto Rock.
• Heads up that the next Green Drinks event, focused on local food, is coming up on March 5. Here’s a preview.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Sharon getting a drink from the vodka ice luge at Latitude 53’s Parka Patio Party on Saturday night. More photos here.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• At a news conference featuring Daryl Katz himself, the City and Oilers announced the guaranteed maximum price for the downtown arena was met and that construction can move ahead.
• Following on from the arena news, PCL announced that a groundbreaking will take place in March with construction scheduled to complete in time for the 2016-2017 NHL season.
• Here’s a look at a couple of other projects being built nearby – the RAM and the new City office tower.
• The Federal government announced the new Building Canada Fund this week, and Mayor Iveson thinks it could help Edmonton build the Southeast LRT extension.
• Mayor Don Iveson used a pair of scissors delivered by a small robot to cut the ribbon on the Edmonton Public Library’s Makerspace. Open during regular hours at the Stanley A. Milner library, EPL Makerspace “offers incredible technology and equipment for the public to create on.”
• Here’s the latest Council Roundup. The City of Edmonton was named one of Alberta’s top employers for 2014!
• On Monday, the Province announced it will invest in three new schools in Edmonton, plus an expansion to Lillian Osborne High School. Premier Redford said: “One of the cornerstones of our Building Alberta Plan is education and preparing our kids for their future. Last spring, I committed to building 50 schools and modernizing 70 others and that is exactly what we are doing. Before the month is over, all of those projects will be underway.”
• Here’s an interactive map of Edmonton schools from the Edmonton Journal. Great visualization!
• Starting Tuesday, dozens of trees will be removed from the ravine above Groat Road to make way for the construction of a new bridge. The new bridge is expected to cost $32.2 million and is slated to open in October 2015.
• Sobeys as forced to sell a number of grocery stores in Western Canada in order to proceed with its purchase of Safeway’s Canadian locations, including four here in Edmonton. All four were purchased by Federated Co-operatives and will remain open.
• I’m still not convinced that the proposed Downtown Academic & Cultural Centre is a good idea, but it’ll be before Council again this week to discuss a potential land sale.
• The Edmonton Rush defeated the Minnesota Swarm on Friday night to improve to 7-0 on the season. It’s looking like it’ll be a great season!
• Congrats to local startup LoginRadius on securing another $1.3 million in financing. The company has also opened an office in Sunnyvale, California.
• Will we have more local beer choices in the future thanks to recent provincial policy changes? Beer Revolution’s general manager Luke Sifk thinks so.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have announced their 2014 season!
• Edmonton will soon be home to four Bitcoin ATMs, two of which will be at Remedy Cafe, one at West Edmonton Mall, and one in Sherwood Park.
• Applications are open for the Edmonton Youth Forum, taking place on March 28 at City Hall. The deadline to apply is March 7.

Here’s a different way to see Edmonton: from above!

Upcoming Events

• The Silver Skate Festival started on Friday and continues through February 23 at Hawrelak Park.
• Looking for something fun to do on Family Day? Check out activities at Churchill Square and the Legislature between noon and 4pm!
• Broadway Across Canada presents West Side Story at the Jubilee Auditorium this week beginning on Tuesday.
• The next speaker series event organized by The Way We Green will take place at City Hall on Wednesday during the lunch hour, focused on water conservation.
• Saturday is International Open Data Day, and the Edmonton Public Library is hosting a hackathon to celebrate.
• Also Saturday is the Online News Association Edmonton’s first conference.
• Latitude 53’s popular Parka Patio Party returns on Saturday evening.
• Tickets are on sale now for Pecha Kucha Night 18, coming up on March 6.
• Heads up on an interesting event taking place from March 5 to 8 at Characters restaurant: Taste of Iceland. It’s another creative way to promote the new direct flight to Reykjavik.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Great long exposure of the skyline from Jeff Wallace

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City announced on Thursday that it reached an agreement to lease a new building in the arena district starting in 2016. In consolidating approximately 2000 staff into a single building, the City hopes to save up to $5 million a year over the first five years. Here is Paula Simons’ take on the deal.
• You’ve probably heard the City and Mayor Iveson repeatedly say that the deal was the best for the City and that it was not a subsidy for Daryl Katz. I have no reason to question that aside from healthy cynicism, but I will say that discussing the proposal behind closed doors and then deliberately avoiding any mention of the Katz Group in both the news release and Mayor Iveson’s blog post does not look very good.
• Speaking of Mayor Iveson, he has now been in the position for more than three months. Vue Weekly asked me and Paula Simons to share our thoughts on his first 100 days in office.
• Edmonton has joined other Canadian cities and will fly a pride flag at City Hall for the duration of the Olympic Games.
• Capital Power has reached a new agreement with the City to keep its head office and senior executives here in Edmonton. I wasn’t aware this was up for debate, to be honest.
• Slow and steady wins the race? Let’s hope so. Two more routes – the 7 and 57 – have been added to Smart Bus, beginning today. It’s going to take a long time if ETS keeps deploying this two routes at a time. In other ETS news, smart fare technology will take another three years.
• The Province is reviewing the Municipal Government Act, with public meetings taking place over the next twelve weeks. Unfortunately the Edmonton dates were Wednesday to Friday, but you can view all the information and provide feedback online.
• I don’t know what the half-dozen or so loaders that have been on the site for the last few weeks were doing because they only just broke ground officially at the new Royal Alberta Museum site on Friday. I think the plans for the new building look good, so let’s hope they stay on track now.
• File this one under “finally!” – the Neon Sign Museum is set to open on February 21 at 7pm on 104 Street. “These signs were once icons of the avenues they lit up,” said David Holdsworth, a city planner who originated the idea. “We hope that the museum will draw people to enjoy the art, beauty and heritage preserved in these neon designs.”
• It seems like they just published last year’s, but already Avenue Edmonton is looking for your input into the 2014 Best Neighbourhoods issue.
• Here’s an update from the Province on construction of the Sherwood Park Freeway and Anthony Henday Drive interchange.
• Omar says he’s willing to take a chance on the Light the Bridge project.
• Did you check out the Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown? Sharon was disappointed, and highlights a number of challenges facing the area.
• High-speed rail in Alberta: a terrible idea that just won’t go away. Yup, let’s build out the LRT network first.
• Congratulations to Stantec, named one of Alberta’s Top Employers for 2014.
• Here’s a look behind-the-scenes at the City of Edmonton’s Fleet Services.

Beautiful shot of the historic McLeod Building by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Blithe Spirit continues at the Walterdale Theatre all week, wrapping up on Saturday.
• The Edmonton Python User Group meets at Startup Edmonton on Monday evening.
• GameCamp Edmonton meets at Startup Edmonton on Wednesday evening.
• Winefest Edmonton takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
• The 2014 edition of the Silver Skate Festival kicks off on Friday at Hawrelak Park.
• Of course, Friday is Valentine’s Day! And it’s not just a day for love – it’s the start of a long weekend as Family Day is Monday!
• Heads up that DemoCamp Edmonton 24 is scheduled for February 20!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Looks like the Flying Canoe Adventure was fun! Photo by Chris Gusen.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

No more bike lanes for you!

When it comes to bike lanes, enough Edmontonians have screamed “not in my backyard” that the City is now looking to delay further bike lane construction. This just after Council asked for more proof that shifting our city’s transportation modes is actually happening. Don’t hold your breath Councillors!

You know what other cities are doing? Building bike infrastructure. Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles were among the large American cities that pushed ahead with bicycle-related initiatives in 2013.

Headlines

• Pretty interesting and frank comments from former mayor Stephen Mandel on the likelihood that he might run for the PCs in Edmonton-McClung: “I wouldn’t run, not under the current leadership,” he said.
• On Tuesday, Edmonton Eskimos head coach Chris Jones announced the members of his 2014 coaching staff. All of the coaches come from other teams.
• Just when you thought the upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium were finished the City now wants to spend an additional half million dollars to upgrade the field in advance of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Couldn’t they have put all of the upgrades together in a single package?
• If you have used and like the Transit App, you’ll be pleased to hear that it now supports Edmonton Transit. It’s great to see another option available to riders.
• Here’s the story of Melody Du and her winning design for the International Week 2014 poster. She’s a fourth-year art and design student from China.
• Amelia Canto Ellis is MacEwan University’s new executive director of Fund Development. She comes to the school from Toronto, where she has been working in marketing for hospitals and universities.
• University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera’s term does not end until June 2015, but the U of A is already preparing to find a replacement in the event that she decides to step down from the position.
• Here are some thoughts from Omar on the Columbia Avenue plan (105 Avenue).
• Foodies may know that Phil Wilson, aka Baconhound, is on the search for the best burger in Edmonton. Nice to see him receive some media coverage!
• Did you know that Edmonton suffered a terrorist attack in 1965? “Despite the disbelief, it did happen in Edmonton. On a snowy morning on January 28, 1965, Harry Hubach snuck into the city’s downtown airport, carrying with him several bombs made with dynamite and a pack of matches.”
• Everyone was talking about Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens’ franchise record 59-save performance on Wednesday. The Oilers defeated San Jose 3-0.
• The U.S. State Department issued their final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL pipeline project. Here’s a statement from Premier Redford on the State Department’s support.
• Though Keystone XL is news, it is health that has been dominating the provincial headlines recently. Albertans have until March 3 to comment on the draft Health Charter and a proposed Health Advocate regulation.
• The City and Edmonton Heritage Council have awarded grants totaling more than $295,000 to 18 organizations as part of the Heritage Investment Grant program.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• Calgary has a new venue called the Sidetrack Stage and Grill and that has a few Edmontonians who still haven’t gotten over the Sidetrack Cafe crying foul. Yawn.
• Looking to attend a preschool/playschool open house in Edmonton? City and Baby has the definitive list.

“A child intervention roundtable held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton January 28 and 29 brought experts, policy makers and stakeholders together to discuss the best practices in reviewing all child deaths in Alberta, and striking a balance between transparency and privacy.”

Upcoming Events

• Walterdale Theatre’s Blithe Spirit kicks off on Wednesday and runs through February 15.
• The next Green Drinks Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at Yellowhead Brewery. The theme this month is Alternative Energy & Sustainable Homes.
• EEDC President Brad Ferguson will join Build Toronto President Lorne Braithwaite on Thursday for a talk called Build Toronto Build Edmonton.
• Get outside and enjoy The Flying Canoe Adventure on Friday and Saturday.
• The ESO’s Robbins Pops series continues on Friday with Life is a Cabaret!
• Don’t miss the Boyle Street Maker’s Faire at Boyle Renaissance Plaza on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Silver Skate Festival is coming up! It kicks off on February 14.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Waiting for Night by Jeff Wallace

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Big changes are afoot at Northlands, starting with the resignation of President and CEO Richard Andersen. He joined the organization in August 2010 after moving from San Diego. The news release says: “During his time here, Richard has been an instrumental part of strengthening Northlands. We will capitalize on this momentum as we continue making Northlands the sports and entertainment destination in the region.” I’m not sure the “sports and entertainment destination” is what Northlands really wants to be…
• I think Fish raises some great questions in his opinion piece, the dark side of Light the Bridge, but I don’t agree that the river valley should remain untouched. I do hope the lighting is tastefully done – I’m not a fan of the lights on ATB’s new tower.
• According to City Manager Simon Farbrother, the downtown arena appears to be on budget and should begin construction in March. We should know for sure in mid-February.
• The Province announced on Tuesday that it will “modernize” 9 schools in Edmonton. There is no word on how much money is being committed or when it will come.
• Another year, another letter from Daryl Katz to Oilers fans. “We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasn’t happened, and it hurts.”
• The best part about the Katz letter has been reading the responses. Here are some of my favorites: Edmonton Journal, Copper & Blue, OilersNation, Lowetide.
• In other Oilers news, Scotiabank is now the team’s Official Bank and the Oilers have purchased the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL.
• For the first time ever, Alberta is going to co-host a World Economic Forum event. A regional meeting on energy, climate change, and innovation will take place in Lake Louise on April 24 and 25.
• The City introduced a new toolkit called Measuring Up this week. It aims to shift attitudes around the needs of persons with disabilities.
• Back in December, the City announced that Shirley Serviss would be its first Writer-at-Work (though I think the role is similar to what Councillor McKeen was doing before the election). Here’s her first post. She’s in the role for six months!
• Don’t miss these hidden gems from 2013, chosen by EPL staff!
• Watch this video and see how the Edmonton Police Service Tractical Section prepares for a hostage crisis.
• Did you enjoy our mini heatwave? Poor Bob Dunford.
• TEC VenturePrize 2014 officially kicked off this week! The deadline for you to submit your business plan is February 24. Winners will be announced at the awards dinner on May 7.
• The City of Edmonton is looking for three new citizens to join the Environmental Advisory Committee.
• Interested in speaking at Pecha Kucha Night 18? You have until January 31 to apply.
• When Sharon and I were in New York last month, we saw The Book of Mormon. I really liked it, and now I see the show is coming to Edmonton via Broadway Across Canada, but not until 2015.
• Celebrities love Edmonton! We know Jessica Biel loves Transcend, and this week we discovered that Colin Hanks likes our airport and Keith Urban likes the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.

Hey Edmonton. You have a nice airport. Parts that I have seen at least. I meant that sincerely.

— Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks)

January 23, 2014

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Rarely stay at hotels – but when in Edmonton…… Love this place!!! – KU pic.twitter.com/7WcIndNhvf

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban)

January 20, 2014

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Here’s the 2013 Year in Review video that EEDC showed at the 2014 Impact Luncheon:

Upcoming Events

• This week is International Week at the University of Alberta! The theme for 2014 is “Creating Solutions for a Healthier World.” Events run all week.
• Ice on Whyte continues all week! I bet they are happy with the sudden drop in temperatures this weekend.
• Also continuing this week is the second iteration of the National Elevator Project. Sharon and I went last night and tonight – great fun!
• The Oilers host San Jose at Rexall Place on Wednesday. The Oil Kings host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday and the Tri-City Americans on Friday.
• On Saturday, Social Media Breakfast Edmonton presents SMBCamp 2014 taking place at Startup Edmonton. Should be fun!
• The Edmonton Rush play their next home game on Saturday, against the Rochester Knighthawks.
• This is the final week for Fork Fest Winter 2014!
• Heads up that the AGA has announced the first Refinery party of 2014! Cloud Nine Refinery will take place on February 15.
• Tickets are also on sale for Latitude 53’s third annual Parka Patio, taking place on February 22.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

UPDATE: I incorrectly stated that DemoCamp was taking place on Thursday, but it has been rescheduled for February 20.

Lunar New Year Extravaganza at West Edmonton Mall, photo by iqremix

Be green for more than an hour…

Edmonton is one of three Canadian cities chosen as finalists in WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge 2014.

The Earth Hour City Challenge initiative was created by WWF in 2011 to celebrate cities that are taking innovative actions towards creating greener, cleaner and more sustainable cities to live in, while inspiring other cities to do the same.

Edmonton was selected as a finalist based on The Way We Green, “which uses community-centric commitments and publicly engaging actions to achieve a carbon neutral future.”

The winner of Canada’s Earth Hour Capital will be announced on March 27. You can also vote for Edmonton until March 20 in the “We Love Cities” campaign (check out more details here). Earth Hour 2014 takes place on Saturday, March 29 at 8:30 PM.

Headlines

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• It’s like spring out there! And you know what that means: crappy roads.
• In a bit of a surprise move, the City announced it has contracted Calgary-based ENMAX to provide electricity to all of its properties over the next five years. In 2012, the City spent $38.4 million on electricity to run all City of Edmonton buildings, and the new deal is expected to result in savings of up to $1 million per year.
• The federal government announced on Friday more than $5 million in funding over five years for WrapED, a new crime prevention program run by REACH that will help at-risk youth.
• Here’s a crazy stat that helps explain why some of EPSB’s newest schools are overcrowded: “There have been 46 new neighbourhoods created in Edmonton since 2005, most south and west of Anthony Henday Drive. The children in those neighbourhoods now account for 20 per cent of the total public school population.”
• It was a busy week for the Edmonton Oilers as they traded Devan Dubnyk to Nashville in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks, among other moves. Check out the OilersNation take: Congrats, you’re going to Edmonton.
• Don’t miss Liane’s great story on the frightening amount of food Canadians waste each year ($27 billion worth). There’s a lot of great Edmonton-focused statistics in there too.
• TEC VenturePrize, now in its 12th year, is adding a new stream for information & communication technology (ICT) entrepreneurs. Sponsored by TELUS, a total of $22,000 in prizes will be shared by the top three finalists.
• Michael Ross has put together some statistics on neighbourhoods, complete with attractive maps!
• Could students at the University of Alberta soon have a fall reading week? Other universities have already added the time off, apparently.
• Jetpac City Guides “analyzed” Instagram pictures to determine the happiest cities in Canada – Edmonton came in at #9.
• In Where Edmonton’s Essential Edmonton issue, a group of local foodies shared “their top choices for must-eat cuisine.” No major surprises in the list!
• The Edmonton Eskimos announced this week that The Knothole Gang Kids Club will now be known as the Eskimos Kids Club.
• Actress Jessica Biel made not one but two visits to Transcend Coffee when she was here with husband Justin Timberlake last week. She tweeted it was her “favorite Edmonton coffee shop!”
• David Staples goes on the offensive in his latest column on Premier Alison Redford’s unwillingness to budge on LRT funding: “If Redford is saying she really can’t find a way to keep LRT expanding, we need to elect a government that can make it happen.”
• You’ve only got until midnight on Monday, January 20 to take advantage of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s $20 seat sale. Great deal!

Glass and Brick Edmonton by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The Canoe Theatre Festival kicks off this week. Also starting this week is Part 2 of the National Elevator Project!
• The Oilers host the Canucks at Rexall Place on Tuesday evening. On Friday, Phoenix comes to town.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal over lunch. The theme this time is “Looking back, looking ahead: Three Edmonton stories”.
• I’m really looking forward to the opening reception for the Edmonton Wayfinding Project at the Harcourt House on Thursday evening!
• Ever want to explore the Royal Alberta Museum after dark? On Friday you’ll be able to at the first signature event of the year. A guest speaker will also provide a look ahead at the new museum.
• Hopefully all the warm weather hasn’t impacted Ice on Whyte too badly. The annual winter festival kicks off on Friday.
• Saturday afternoon is the annual Edmonton Oilers Skills Competition at Rexall Place.
• Head down to the Edmonton Expo Centre on the weekend for the Edmonton Renovation Show.
• Students will be gathered at the U of A this weekend for the fourth annual Student Sustainability Summit.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Friday sunset over Whyte Avenue