Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Winter is back! Oh well, the warm weather was nice while it lasted. The forecast for this week doesn’t look so good, bundle up!
• The community hearings on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project start in Edmonton on the 24th. The arithmetic on the pipeline adds up to big numbers.
• This was the right call: Jimmy Quinlan is the new captain of the Edmonton Rush!
• One of the city’s “most historically significant” lampposts has been restored to its former glory at the south end of the High Level Bridge.
• According to Pollster’s annual report, Rexall Place was the 27th busiest venue on the planet in 2011, up from number 31 in 2010!
• It’s pretty hard to argue with Paula’s take on Metropolis.
• The McElheran’s Fine Furniture clearance centre on 124 Street will soon become a chocolate shop, pastry café, and gelato bar, under the Bernard Callebaut banner.
• This is kind of a neat story: a former sniper is now protecting the streets as a night beat cop.
• Here are the Curb the Danger results for 2011. There was a total of 749 impaired charges.
• Cubic Security Systems are providing the “advanced fare media-based real-time threat detection technology” that will be piloted at Churchill Station in late March.
• More than 3 million text messages were sent last year for bus route and schedule information!
• The Oilers are having another tough season, but Taylor Hall is “making a bold statement about his willingness and ability to lead at a time when the Edmonton Oilers need him most.” Gagner is also playing fairly well lately. Speaking of the tough season, is it time for Katz to speak out?
• According to the newest Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast, the average house price in Edmonton is expected to increase by 2.6% in 2012. Unit sales are also expected to rise by 5%.
• CMHC figures show a 6% drop in total starts for the Edmonton area in 2011, from 9959 units to 9332.
• Edmonton’s economy is expected to grow 3.4% this year, thanks in large part to a strong energy sector.
• First & Jasper signed its first tenant this week – Williams Engineering will move into the renovated building when it opens in 2013.
• In case you missed it, here’s my recap of a very busy week for 104 Street!

This has to be one of the most awesome LRT station photos ever, taken by Alison Poole!

Here are some upcoming events to look forward to this week:

• Ice on Whyte continues all week at End of Steel Park!
• The 49th annual Minor Hockey Week also continues this week, with the finals taking place on Sunday!
• The Canoe Theatre Festival kicks off tomorrow.
• It’s a busy week for the tech community. YEGRB’s monthly meetup takes place on Tuesday, DemoCamp Edmonton 17 takes place on Wednesday, and the next Edmonton Girl Geek Dinner takes place on Thursday.
• The 3rd annual Edmonton Whiskey Festival takes place on Wednesday evening!
• The Oil Kings are in action at home on Wednesday against Prince George, while the Oilers host the Flames on Saturday.
• The Edmonton Rush play their first home game of the season on Friday against the Colorado Mammoth.
• The City of Edmonton is hosting a WinterCity Strategy Symposium at City Hall on Friday morning. Everyone is invited to the Kick-Off Party the night before, also at City Hall.
• Rapid Fire Theatre’s DATE NIGHT sounds like fun!
• Leadership Edmonton is hosting a networking and information event on Saturday evening.
• This year’s Pet Expo takes place all day Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Bridal Fantasy takes place on Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• The next Big City Sandwich kitchen takeover is Sunday at The Billiard Club!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

We should have visited Ice on Whyte yesterday – it was so cold today! More photos here.

I ended up taking quite a bit more time away from blogging in December than originally intended, but it was nice to have a break. Sharon and I went to Yellowknife for Christmas, and the time away was just what we needed! Then January hits, and things go back to normal 🙂

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Still have your Christmas tree up? Put it out unbagged with your garbage on Tuesday and the City will pick it up. You can also take it to a community recycling depot until January 20, or to an Eco Station until January 31.
• It happens every year: a number of charities are still behind on their holiday fundraising targets.
• Edmonton is warm and brown at the moment, and that has meant icy roads and other challenges. It’s hard to complain with above zero temperatures in January, however! What goes up, must come down, however. The lack of snow won’t mean budget savings either.
• Edmonton Next Gen’s next Pecha Kucha Night is scheduled for February 2. Tickets go on sale Monday morning at 10am!
• Also on sale tomorrow morning: tickets for BlogWest 2012, taking place in Edmonton March 8-10.
• Canada didn’t win the gold medal, but Edmonton could “easily” see more than $45 million in net benefits from co-hosting the World Juniors.
• Blatchford Field celebrated its 85th anniversary this weekend! It was the first licensed airport in Canada on January 8, 1927. Additional events to celebrate the milestone will take place throughout the year.
• This weekend was the first for the City’s Night Ride Pilot. A total of 80 people took advantage, 27 on Friday and 53 on Saturday. The Journal interviewed a few of the patrons.
• The Edmonton Police Service will now undergo a national search for a pair of deputy chiefs. Darryl da Costa retired this month, and Neil Dubord resigned in December.
• The opening line says it best: “Once a gas station, then for years a barren brown field, the vacant lot at Whyte Avenue and 105th Street will finally be reincarnated in 2012.”
• Well look at that, it’s January 8 and the year is basically over for the Edmonton Oilers.
• A new pedway is under construction that will cross 114 Street at the Health Sciences LRT Station.
• CBC’s Edmonton AM is running a series called Downtown at a Crossroads. Worth a listen!
• I was very happy to see Edmonton leading the way in Alberta Venture’s Fast 50 Growth list for 2011. Dynamic Manufacturing Solutions was ranked #1.
• New data from Statistics Canada shows that Edmonton’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in December, third-lowest among Canadian municipalities.
• Sirens for Life, the annual Blood Donor Challenge for Police, Fire, and EMS teams, runs until February 4. This is the 10th anniversary!
• Don’t miss Sharon’s 2011 in Review post! Lots of great local food tidbits in there.
• Emil has an interview with Mayor Stephen Mandel.
• Dave has an update on Alberta election candidates. Keep an eye on his blog for additional updates as we get closer to the next provincial election.
• Remembering a great Edmontonian: Don Wheaton.
• The Edmonton Poetry Festival is looking for a new Executive Director!
• The new Edmonton Remand Centre is scheduled to open in January 2013 at a cost of $568 million.
• Apparently Occupy Edmonton plans to return on February 4 at an undisclosed location. The group plans to meet at Ezio Faraone Park and then march to the new occupation site.

“Eight Degrees” by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are some upcoming events:

• YEGRB’s monthly hackup is taking place Monday evening.
• Also Monday is the launch party for Indigo Drinks Edmonton – “a monthly conscious lounge, shindig and mixer of folks who work in the holistic field.”
• The Oilers are finally back in town after a lengthy roadtrip to make room for the World Juniors. They host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
• Jocelyn Brown, the Edmonton Public Library’s new Writer in Residence, is hosting tripLit on Thursday evening at The Artery.
• Ice on Whyte kicks off on Thursday and runs through the 22nd. Note the festival has moved to a new location this year – you’ll find it at End of Steel Park on 103 Street and Tommy Banks Way.
• Metropolis of course continues on the weekend in Churchill Square.
• To celebrate this week’s Friday the 13th, DEDfest is showing The Shining at the Garneau Theatre.
• On Saturday, head over to the AGA for The Gallery, a showcase of creative expression for youth of diverse multicultural backgrounds.
• The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is performing at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre on Sunday.
• And an early heads up: save the date for Eat Alberta 2012, scheduled to take place on April 14!
• Check out ShareEdmonton for more upcoming events!

Winter really arrived over the last week with lots of snow and icy cold temperatures. Looks like it’ll turn around this week though! Here are my Edmonton notes:

• MP Laurie Hawn announced early this week that the Government of Canada would indeed commit $122.5 million to the Royal Alberta Museum project. A design-build contract must be signed by January 31, 2012 and construction must start no later than November 30, 2012, otherwise the funding will be made available for other projects.
• The Grey Cup run ended for the Eskimos today as they lost to the BC Lions 40-23.
• It was mayhem on the streets on Monday evening as the snow fell and the roads turned to ice. There were dozens of accidents and it took hours for people to get home. I was more than a little happy that I didn’t have to drive!
• The first parking ban of the season started Friday morning and was not lifted until 7pm tonight. More than 500 vehicles were ticketed on Friday. A reminder that you can sign up for email notifications here.
• The slippery conditions caused trouble for Mayor Mandel, as he had a slip and fall resulting in some broken and bruised ribs. Let’s hope he’s feeling better soon!
• Earlier in the week, Mayor Mandel failed to find support for the Walterdale Bridge, which means it will likely be demolished to make way for a replacement in 2015.
• It looks like transit service to the International Airport might finally come to Edmonton. The plan will be considered by Council as part of the budget deliberations.
• Edmonton has been awarded the Olympic men’s water polo qualifying tournament which will take place at the Kinsmen in April 2012.
• As I mentioned earlier in the week, the Mayor’s Arts Visioning Committee released its recommendations.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo’s newest Red Panda cub, Qiji, is doing “extremely well.”
• I no idea there was a local company with a two-letter domain name! Virtual Universe Corporation has sold vu.com for $700,000 USD.
• Here’s a blog post on Edmonton’s Intelligent Transportation Systems initiative.
• Regency Developments remains optimistic about the opportunity for condos in central Edmonton, and held a VIP launch this week for its new 35-story Pearl condo project. The condos will range in price from about $300,000 to $2 million.
• Occupy Edmonton was issued an eviction notice on Saturday, but the Edmonton Police Service has said it will not intervene. I wish the Occupy Edmonton folks would leave the park.
• Here’s a fun microsite from The Christmas Bureau in support of its annual campaign.
• I think Don Iveson should run for mayor. That said, 2013 is still far enough away that I wouldn’t place any bets on what he’ll do just yet. When asked on CJSR, he said he had no plans to run for a third term as Councillor.

The view on Monday evening

Here are some upcoming events worth noting:

• DemoCamp Edmonton 16 is taking place at the Telus Centre on Tuesday evening.
• The Santas Anonymous Wrapping Tweetup is happening on Friday evening. It’s a lot of fun, for a great cause!
• Also Friday – Mercury Opera’s 104-Underground. I’m very excited to experience opera in an LRT station!
• Gordon Lightfoot is at the Jubilee on Friday evening.
• The City of Edmonton’s Youth Council Transit Ninjas are holding a dance party on the LRT on Saturday! I had the opportunity to experience an LRT dance party earlier this year.
• Craft season continues with Royal Bison on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Handmade Mafia is also happening Saturday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Great winter shot of the Alberta Legislature building by Dave

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• The headline says it best: “We should be more like Edmonton.” Great to see our city getting some well-deserved recognition from the east!
• The Edmonton Eskimos have made it to the Western final with a victory today over the Calgary Stampeders. More than 30,000 people attended the Eskimos’ first home playoff game since 2004.
• It’s budget time at City Hall right now. The proposed 2012 Operating Budget would see a 4.5% tax increase overall – 3% for civic services and 1.5% for Neighbourhood Renewal. Councillor Iveson blogged a great preview of the 2012 budget. A public hearing will take place later this month, with Council discussions on the budget taking place in early December.
• Congratulations to the winners of the 2011 Edmonton Urban Design Awards. I’m happy to see the Alley of Light getting some recognition!
• Edmonton’s loss would appear to be Winnipeg’s gain. Art Gallery of Alberta Executive Director Gilles Hébert announced his resignation from the AGA effective December 31, 2011 to accept a new position at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.
• Twenty drivers won awards at the 8th annual Vehicle for Hire Driver Appreciation Awards. Four drivers also received special awards for their outstanding contributions: Bill Dhanoa, Balraj Manhas, Gord Beatty, and Ian Lee.
• As if we needed any more proof that most people don’t understand how the arena funding model works, the City had to clarify the borrowing bylaw this week. And I’m not sure that release helps at all.
• Planning a visit to the Muttart Conservatory? Make sure you take your phone! Visitors can now access walking tours of the pyramids using QR codes posted throughout the facility. I’ve got to go and check that out.
• As I blogged about the other day, City Council data is now available in the City of Edmonton’s open data catalogue.
• According to a new report sponsored by Re/Max, Edmonton has been the second-strongest-preforming market in Canada over the last decade. The average price of a home has climbed from $124,203 in 2000 to $328,803 in 2010.
• Sharon has a nice write-up about Saturday’s Olde Time Fair on the Square.
• Here’s a good profile of Edmonton’s little known Tea & Coffee Company.
• In local business news, Clark Builders sold a majority stake to US construction giant Turner Construction this week.
• Speaking of construction, all lanes on Scona Road and 99 Street are now open.
• Edmonton has landed a new “red-eye” flight to Houston, our second daily non-stop flight on Continental Airlines.
• It had to happen sooner or later: we received our first snowfall this weekend. Stay in the know about snow, with the City of Edmonton’s new email notification system and more. Lots of people took photos, but Brian went the extra mile and made a video!

• Crews were busy early this week decorating the Christmas Tree, located on 102A Avenue between City Hall and Churchill Square. The light up event will take place on Saturday.

Photo by Mike Friel

Here are some upcoming events to note:

• The Canadian Red Cross is holding a tweetup to celebrate CPR month on Wednesday evening!
• The next Edmonton Girl Geek Dinner is taking place on Thursday evening.
• The Oilers are back in town after a long road trip. They host the Senators on Thursday, and the Blackhawks on Saturday.
• WordCamp Edmonton takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
• Saturday is the annual Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up! Head down to Churchill Square to see the lights on the tree turned on!
• Make It Edmonton returns on Thursday at the Alberta Aviation Museum. The show runs through Sunday.
• Also Saturday – The Handmade Mafia! They’re running every weekend for the next few leading up to Christmas.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton. Don’t miss the calendar view!
• And a heads up for next week: Mercury Opera’s 104 Underground event is coming up on November 25. Don’t miss it!

Here’s a great shot of Edmonton from afar by NateD2009:

Did you make the most of your extra hour? Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• On Monday afternoon, we found out the details surrounding the land purchase for the downtown arena. The final amount? $41.3 million. A good investment by the City, except for the fact that the Katz Group’s land purchase will count as investment in the surrounding area.
• The funding debacle surrounding the new Royal Alberta Museum got a little more interesting on Wednesday, when Rona Ambrose issued a confusing release suggesting that LRT funding would be bumped to make way for the project. Turns out that is not the case, but there are still questions about where our LRT funding is going to come from. Perhaps toll roads?
• With a victory on Friday night, the Eskimos clinched a playoff spot and will now take on Calgary at their first home playoff game in seven years.
• In case you missed it, the City is gearing up for winter with new ways to stay in the know about snow. So far we haven’t seen any of the white stuff, but you can bet it won’t be long until we do.
• Speaking of winter approaching, the City is celebrating a successful construction season that saw the completion of work on the Quesnell Bridge, 23 Avenue/Gateway Boulevard interchange, and Scona Road/99 Street, among others.
• City Council appointed Melcor’s President and CEO Ralph Young to the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority board of directors, effective January 1.
• Don Iveson blogged about the cell tower issues that have sprung up in the Greenfield neighbourhood recently. Along with Councillor Leibovici and Councillor Diotte, he submitted a formal inquiry through Executive Committee on the matter.
• Public consultation is starting on two new projects proposed for Fort Edmonton Park: The Indigenous Peoples Experience, and the 1920’s Midway Expansion.
• Construction on the controversial 500-kilovolt Heartland transmission line will begin later this year. The Alberta Utilities Commission approved the 65-kilometre project on Tuesday.
• The Journal has a story on Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht, assessing his first few months on the job.
• EFCL says the City has to find a way to get more family friendly housing in central neighbourhoods if it is serious about curbing urban sprawl.
• Edmonton’s NextGen is looking for presenters for Pecha Kucha Night 12, slated to take place in February. Submissions are due December 16.

Here are some upcoming events:

• All day Monday and Tuesday, the Christmas Tree is being decorated on 102A Avenue in front of City Hall.
• Farmfair International takes place all week at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Take your lunch to City Hall on Tuesday for a session on transforming business culture, part of The Way We Green series of lectures.
• On Tuesday afternoon, the City is celebrating the recent success of the Capital City Downtown Plan.
• Starting Wednesday, Canadian Finals Rodeo will be filling Rexall Place.
• Edmonton’s NextGen is hosting another DIYalogue event on Wednesday evening.
• STOMP is at the Jubilee this week.
• On Saturday, Olde Time Fair on the Square returns to Churchill Square.
• On Sunday, playoff football returns to Commonwealth Stadium as the Stampeders take on the Eskimos.
• For more River City Round Up events, click here.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

I really liked this ETS video featuring Colleen Brown:

River City Round Up got underway Saturday in Churchill Square! More photos here.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• It was a big week for the downtown arena. After meetings in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, Council received an update on the status of the negotiations on Friday. The Katz Group agreed to drop its requirement for a non-compete clause with Northlands, and Council voted to purchase the land for the proposed arena. The issue will be back before Council next week.
• Alison Redford has been busy making people happy lately, announcing $18.6 million in new money for Edmonton’s school boards on Friday.
• Solid piece by David Staples: Listen up, Ottawa: Transit is our No. 1 need. Great quote from Councillor Iveson: “There’s no freeway in the world that gets less congested. They all get more congested over time.”
• John Rose, our city’s Chief Economist, says that “looking throughout North America, one would be hard-pressed to find a jurisdiction doing as well as Edmonton.” He says our economy continues to do very well.
• Todd Babiak wants you to call Anthony Henday Drive by a nickname: “The Tony”.
• The City Market moved to City Hall this weekend, where it will remain throughout the winter. Sharon’s recap is here.
• Congratulations to Randy Marsden, CEO of Cleankeys Inc. and one of the recipients of last week’s Manning Innovation Awards.
• Just a reminder that parking at the Belvedere LRT station may be limited while landscaping takes place over the next few weeks.
• Daryl Katz is the only Edmontonian to make the list of the wealthiest people in Canada. He landed at number 18 with a net worth of $2.8 billion.
• It’s clearly a marketing piece, but it’s nice to see something pro-Edmonton in the Globe and Mail for a change!
• I have to agree with the Mayor on this one: $60 million to transform the Hawrelak Park lake into a filtered swimming pond with a beach is “ludicrous.”
• Red Arrow is launching a new cheaper alternative called ebus this week. They start taking reservations Monday, and the coaches start running Thursday.
• Khosla Ventures has closed a new $1.05 billion fund, one of the biggest new funds this year. Edmonton-based Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) has invested in the new fund.
• A new report says that while installing turnstiles at LRT stations would cut down on free rides, the devices still aren’t worth the expense.
• Occupy Edmonton took place on Saturday, with hundreds of Edmontonians marching in protest. More than 1400 cities across the globe took part in Saturday’s movement. It must have been cold this morning, as some protesters spent the night in tents.

Occupy Edmonton marches down 102 Street. More photos here.

It’s another busy week coming up for events:

• The Anti Graffiti Symposium is at The Westin this week, hosted by Capital City Clean Up.
• This week is Small Business Week, and it kicks off Monday with an after business mixer. The Small Business Owner of the Year Awards Luncheon takes place on Friday.
• Thursday is the Downtown Business Association’s AGM and Luncheon. There’s a focus this year on the Downtown Vibrancy Task Force, of which I am a member.
• The first annual Edmonton Comedy Festival starts on Wednesday evening at the Citadel.
• Halloween is fast approaching! This year’s Farm of Fear starts on Thursday evening.
• Guru’s fall party takes place on Thursday at Yellowhead Brewery.
• The Oilers are in action at home twice this week – Thursday against Minnesota, and Saturday against The Rangers.
• Edmonton Opera’s Storm the Stage takes place on Friday evening. Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci begins its run on Saturday evening.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is taking place on Friday and Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Premier Alison Redford’s Cabinet is sworn-in at Government House, in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

Great weather, great colors.

Welcome to October! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Congratulations to Alison Redford on winning the PC leadership race. She’ll become Alberta’s first female premier. Dave has mapped a breakdown of the vote.
• Council discussed the arena issue again on Tuesday but made little progress. Administration will be providing an update sometime before October 31, the Katz-imposed deadline. Though a statement issued by the Katz Group this week makes it seem as though we’re as far as ever from a final agreement. Certainly Mandel no longer sounds confident. In other arena news, Northlands this week released a 2007 report prepared by HOK Sport that looks at revitalizing Rexall Place.
• Councillor Linda Sloan has been elected President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA).
• Final landscaping and clean up will take place over the next few months, but the final phase of construction on the Quesnell Bridge is now complete! The new multi-use trail is completely open to motorized, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic.
• It was potentially the most talked-about news of the week: the Lingerie Football League is coming to Edmonton next fall. Yes, for real.
• The City of Edmonton and Northlands have joined forces to host this year’s River City Round Up, a 10-day celebration of Edmonton’s agricultural and western heritage.
• I was really happy to learn about the Yield program, which aims to move illegal street racing onto legal tracks. You get to race an RCMP officer!
• Edmonton Transit has a new Trip Planner available for beta testing!
• A late-night bus from Whyte Avenue to Southgate will start in January. The pilot was scheduled to being September 2 but was delayed to discuss with neighbouring communities.
• Sylvancroft will be saved, but it will be turned into four or five different luxury flats.
• EIFF, the Edmonton Arts Council, and the Edmonton Film Commission launched The Edmonton Film Prize, a $10,000 cash award acknowledging the work of an Edmonton film-maker. The first will be presented during next year’s film festival.
• Here is TSN’s look at the Edmonton Oilers for the upcoming season. They said: “The sooner that Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark and Nugent-Hopkins hit their full stride, the sooner the Oilers can climb back into relevant discussion in the West.”
• Most residents like the reduced speed limits, but not in Westridge, Wolf Willow, or Oleskiw. The Office of Traffic Safety will provide an analysis of their findings early next year.
• It sounds like Edmonton made a good impression on representatives of FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association, though any role our city might have in the 2015 Women’s World Cup of Soccer won’t be determined for quite some time.
• Construction has begun on the new Meadows Recreation Centre, library, and park located at 17 Street and 23 Avenue in Silver Berry is set to open in 2014.
• It appears the long-sought neon sign museum may soon find a home in the Telus equipment building at 104 Street and 104 Avenue.
• Malltip, a new daily deal service based in Edmonton, launched this weekend. The twist is that they bring daily deals to shopping malls, and have a partnership with West Edmonton Mall.
• The Whitemud Equine Learning Centre is looking to raise $15 million to build a new facility on city land in the river valley.

Here are some upcoming events:

• meshwest is taking place on Tuesday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• On Wednesday, Edmonton NextGen is hosting Up{date} at the Art Gallery of Alberta, an opportunity to reconnect with City Councillors a year after the election.
• The City of Edmonton’s budget consultation events continue this week. Terwillegar is Tuesday evening, Central McDougall is Wednesday evening, and MacEwan South Campus as Thursday.
• On Thursday at lunch time, come on down to City Hall for the first ever Truck Stop, presented by What the Truck?!
• Movies on the Square returns on Friday and Saturday in Churchill Square!
• Rise Against is at Rexall Place on Saturday evening.
• The 24 Hour Comic Challenge sounds like a fun event taking place on Saturday!
• Don’t miss the City Market on Saturday – it’s the last weekend outside on 104 Street. It’ll move to City Hall after that. Here is Sharon’s latest City Market Report.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Beautiful fall colors! Photo by Sherwood411 in St. Albert.

Edmonton’s two biggest employment centres, downtown and the U of A. Photo by cowtowncor.

The grand opening of EPCOR Tower was this week, and the bear was finally unveiled! You can see the rest of my photos here and also check out Darren’s photoset.

Hope you enjoyed Free Admission Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• This article by David Thompson, Director of Sustainable Communities for Sustainable Prosperity, was widely retweeted and read this week. The article very plainly lays out the price of sprawl: “Suburban sprawl will cost the City of Edmonton and its taxpayers much more than it provides in revenues.”
• I love this thought from Todd Babiak, writing about the GoMedia Conference that took place in our city: “The opportunity, for a city like Edmonton, is that it doesn’t yet suffer from 100-year-old stereotypes. We haven’t yet invested much in our story, though others in Canada have had a jolly time telling it for us: industrial, mall-oriented, car-oriented, unimaginatively conservative.” Sounds like opportunity to me!
• Small business owners: you have until September 30 to enter the City of Edmonton’s Small Business Eco Challenge. First prize is $500 cash!
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo announced the birth of a new red panda this week. Qiji was born on August 1.
• Here is Sharon’s latest City Market Report. It’s cool to see how many other things happen around the market.
• A new report released by Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association recommends busing construction workers to work sites in the northeast of Edmonton.
• WMC Digital Media Inc. is installing three video walls on the City Centre bridge. The largest is 2.5 metres tall and more than 4 metres wide. I find this hard to believe, but the Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau says that pedway bridge sees more than 4.5 million pedestrians a year. Maybe Sharon’s right – that Tim Horton’s must be the reason! For more on the bridge, check out this post.
• TD Canada Trust has opened a swanky new concept branch in Southgate. Have you checked it out yet?
• The Charrette is still keeping an eye on bike lanes.
• Could a funicular railway between Jasper Avenue and Rossdale be just what that area needs for redevelopment?
• City Council’s Executive Committee decided this week that councillors will continue to sit on the Edmonton Police Commission, despite raising concerns about time commitment.
• I still have an Atari with a bunch of games. Cool to see local company Fluik Games working with Atari to bring Asteroids to the iPhone.
• Plans to raise the franchise fees charged to Edmonton power and gas companies will cost the average resident $22 next year, a new report says.
• In case you missed it: the new EPCOR Tower light up took place this week, with the open house set for Tuesday.
• The Brintnell Park Society is looking for your help in the Picnic Anywhere competition! “Embracing the Schneiders Country Naturals vision, we are targeting Brintnell Park to be the first Eco-Friendly park project in Edmonton. From sidewalk to playground to picnic tables, environmentally friendly materials & equipment will be used to build the park!”

Here are some upcoming events:

• The City of Edmonton is hosting a series of public consultations on the 2012 Budget Process. There are three this week – Monday evening at Clareview Arena, Wednesday evening at Lessard Community Hall, and Thursday evening at Ukrainian Youth Complex.
• The Oilers have another preseason game at Rexall Place on Tuesday, against the Phoenix Coyotes.
• TED Talks@Lunch returns on Wednesday at Enterprise Square.
• The fifth Tower Renewal Summit is being held on Thursday at lunch time. I wrote about the last event here.
• Western Canada Fashion Week wraps up on Thursday at the TransAlta Arts Barns.
• DemoCamp Edmonton 15 is happening on Thursday evening at the Telus Centre. I’m demoing!
• We’re already at #10?! Social Media Breakfast Edmonton #10 takes place on Friday morning. Note the location has changed to D’Lish.
• Alberta Arts Days is getting underway on Friday! There’s lots to do, such as a Winspear Centre Tour.
• The Handmade Mafia returns on Saturday at the TransAlta Arts Barns, first from 10am until 4pm, and then again from 6pm until 11pm.
• On Saturday night, Kings of Leon are at Rexall Place.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Here’s the latest Community Crime Update from EPS:

Fall is definitely upon us, despite the heat wave we had this week.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Probably the biggest news of the week was the announcement that Ledcor’s $340 million design for the new Royal Alberta Museum was chosen as the winner. Ledcor Group, Dialog Designs, and Toronto-based Lundholm Associate Architects are all on the winning team. Asked to comment after decision, Mayor Mandel said: “This will begin to change downtown like nothing ever has.” Well, at least until that other project happens, right?
• And this is the news that too many people thought was the biggest news of the week: Daryl Katz owns a home in Vancouver and it has reportedly become his “home base”.
• Early this week the City of Edmonton received approval from the province for The Quarters CRL. The City plans to use the $56 million to improve infrastructure and public amenities in the area.
• The City and Perkins+Will officially kicked off the City Centre Redevelopment master planning process this week, which is slated to be wrapped up by November 2012. Three major workshops will take place the week of October 11, with more to come next year.
• Construction is wrapping up on 21 new kilometers of reserved bike lanes and shared-use lanes. As The Charrette reports however, it has been a bumpy start.
• Also: check out The Charrette’s recent roundup of downtown news.
• Happy 30th birthday to West Edmonton Mall! It officially opened on September 16, 1981.
• Edmonton born and based sculptor Katherine Sicotte has been awarded $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase three painted welded steel sculptures in an exhibition entitled "Point of View" in the niches of the DREAM.big Plaza of the Shaw Conference Centre for one year.
• With kids back at school, the City is cracking down on illegal parking around schools.
• On Saturday, the Edmonton Police Service celebrated the ten year anniversary of Air-1.
• Ryan Smyth received a warm welcome back to Edmonton today at the Joey Moss Cup. The Sun has photos here.
• I received a lot of feedback about this story when I tweeted it: Kunitz steps out in city centre with new shoe shop. They’re a great addition to Jasper Avenue!

Here are some upcoming events:

• The Oilers play their first home exhibition game on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. They’re also at Rexall Place on Thursday against Vancouver, and Saturday against Calgary.
• On Wednesday evening, the Alberta Party is hosting an information night called Talk of the Town at Enterprise Square.
• Also Wednesday night, Keith Urban is at Rexall Place.
• This year’s Sizzling Twenty Under 30 Gala takes place on Thursday at Lexus of Edmonton.
• The Doctors Without Borders Run Without Borders is happening Saturday Emily Murphy Park.
• Sunday is Free Admission Day at City of Edmonton facilities and attractions!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

I was really happy to take part in YWCA Edmonton’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on Tuesday! Here’s a shot of me and Councillor Henderson sporting heels:

Decommissioning of the Rossdale high-pressure plant has progressed to the point where crews took down the first of three boilers on Friday. This procedure will be completed in stages over the next few weeks.

I’ll write more about it later, but for now, thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! 2 on Friday night – it was a big success!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• People around the world gathered to mark September 11th, and here in Edmonton it was no different. Brittney has a great recap and collection of photos from the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial. The Edmonton International Airport also held a memorial today. The Journal has a good collection of coverage here.
• The City of Edmonton has secured external counsel and expert analysis as part of a process to ensure due diligence in the pursuit of an agreement on the downtown arena. In total over the course of 2010 and YTD 2011 the City has spent $1.1 million on consultants related to the arena project, with another $500,000 budgeted.
• The Alberta Liberals chose former Tory MLA Raj Sherman as their new leader yesterday.
• The Capital Region Board approved a $10 billion public transit plan on Thursday.
• Could it be true? Is the end in sight for the empty lot on the corner of 104 Street and Whyte Avenue? Apparently the final phase of the remediation process is now set to get underway.
• More than 113,000 students are now back at school. How are you handling the increased traffic volume?
• The Capitals lost on Sunday but still lead the best-of-seven NAL final 3 games to 1. They square off again on Tuesday evening! Go Caps Go!
• Elise Stolte’s summer series Living on the Edge wrapped up this past week. Here’s the Journal’s summary and closing thoughts.
• Edmonton’s resale housing market saw higher sales but constant prices in August compared to a year ago. The average selling price last month was $370,438, down about 0.2 per cent from $371,187 a year ago.
• According to new stats, the City is receiving fewer complains about aggressive panhandlers this year than it did in 2010.
• On Tuesday the City Auditor released a report describing a joint investigation into the sale of counterfeit ETS monthly transit passes. Approximately $29,000 in revenue was lost as a result of the counterfeit passes.
• Tens of thousands of Edmonton poplar trees are in danger of being wiped out by bronze leaf disease.
• The Edmonton Police Service is going to be changing the look of its police cruisers. The mostly white and blue cars will now be a retro black and white.
• City Council recently shifted $5 million from its financial stabilization fund into an Edmonton filmed entertainment fund, which some people are really not happy about. The idea is to lure more movie makers to the city.
• Here’s a link from September 1 that I wanted to capture: City Council Advances Downtown Revitalization and City Safety.

Let’s look at some events coming up this week:

• On Tuesday at lunch time, YWCA Edmonton’s second annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event takes place at Churchill Square. If you’d like to sponsor me, you can do so here!
• Inside City Hall at the same time, the City is hosting another discussion on The Way We Green, this time about the success and municipal opportunities of German renewable energy policies.
• If you’re downtown later that evening, don’t miss the Patio Flash Mob happening at 105 Street and Jasper Avenue!
• The 11th edition of Pecha Kucha Night takes place on Wednesday evening at the University of Alberta.
• Thursday is the kickoff for the 2011 United Way Campaign.
• On Thursday evening Edmonton Girl Geek Dinners returns with S2E2 at Lux!
• Friday evening is the grand opening of the Capital Theatre at Fort Edmonton Park.
• But you’ll be downtown at What the Truck?! 2 right? Our second food truck extravaganza takes place on 102 Street south of Jasper Avenue. Don’t miss it!
• Saturday is of course Community League Day all across the city. DECL is hosting its 6th annual CornFest at Beaver Hills House Park.
• There are Big Bin events taking place on Saturday and Sunday!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton. You might like the calendar view too.

Photo by Jonathan Janke