Be sure to check out Edmonton Etcetera for updates throughout the week!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announced this week that he will not seek re-election. Dave has a good roundup of reaction.
• You can see the latest residential snow plowing status and schedule here. The snow, combined with warmer temperatures recently, has caused all kinds of problems, such as the roof collapse at the Northgate Lions Senior Centre.
• In case you missed them – here is my interview with City Manager Simon Farbrother, and here is my interview with CIO Chris Moore. Also, be sure to check out my profile of Joyce Tustian, who is retiring from the City this week.
• Happy Anniversary to the new Art Gallery of Alberta!
• It wasn’t as well attended as organizers had hoped, but Freezing Man still sounded like a great event.
• The City’s History is in Good Hands – the Transforming Edmonton blog visits the City Archives.
• At the Old Strathcona Farmers Market, I spotted a petition on the Walterdale Bridge replacement project. David Staples thinks the City should spend whatever it takes to build a signature bridge.
• Excavation is underway for the new Community Centre in Boyle Renaissance. The previous Boyle Street Community Hall will be demolished.
• Spend a few minutes with…Garner Andrews.
• Transcend Coffee is set to open its third location in the former Axis Café space. It’ll feature an expanded hot food menu.
• Here is the 2010 Fourth Quarter Report to the Community from EPS and the Edmonton Police Commission.
• Bombardier is interested in Edmonton’s rail projects, both LRT expansion and a possible high-speed rail link to Calgary.
• Edmonton designer Sid Neigum will be making his debut at LG Fashion Week this spring.
• Here’s the latest newsletter from the Edmonton Public Library.
• The City is looking for inspired designs for five LEED silver certified park pavilions.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Brittney has had some great features lately on City Councillors. Here’s Ben Henderson, Bryan Anderson, and Ed Gibbons.
• International Week starts tomorrow! You can see the event on ShareEdmonton here.
• Also tomorrow is the next Emerging Business Leaders meeting.
• Los Angeles is in town on Wednesday evening to take on the Oilers.
• On Thursday evening I am participating in Twitter Talks with a bunch of other local Twitter users. Should be fun!
• The Edmonton Renovation Show takes place next weekend at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The gun show is also at the Expo Centre next weekend.
• Saturday evening is the Showdown Showcase concert from The Bounce.
• Winter Light continues next weekend with Common Ground, which takes place at Giovanni Caboto Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Another shot of Winter Light’s Illuminations.

Fantastic winter shot of the Peter Hemingway Pool by Darren Kirby.

If you walked outside and proclaimed it to be April, I don’t think anyone would fault you. This mini heat wave has been a welcome change from the icy cold temperatures and piles of snow we’ve had! Especially since the City’s response to all of that snow was “effective, but still fell short” – whatever that means.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• City Council voted on Monday to enter formal negotiations with the Katz Group to develop a downtown arena, and on Tuesday, they conditionally approved the organization’s rezoning application.
• After nearly 30 years, West Edmonton Mall is finally getting a major overhaul. Phases 1, 2,  and 3 will be renovated mostly at night over the next 18 to 24 months.
• In 2010, the City of Edmonton issued building permits for nearly $2.73 billion worth of construction projects, an increase of 11% over 2009.
• One of the things on the agenda for Tuesday’s TPW meeting is the new Walterdale Bridge, which could cost $250 million. I wrote about the project and the open house back in November.
• Local tech company Cleankeys got a financial boost this week from AVAC Ltd.
• The City of Edmonton is looking for citizens interested in serving on one of three advisory committees.
• The Edmonton Capitals are joining the new North American League.
• Congrats to local startup TestFlight for getting some much-deserved love on TechCrunch. They showed off their solution to deploying iPhone apps at DemoCampEdmonton12 in September.
• From the long-overdue-dept: the University of Alberta is looking at the possibility of adding a civic planning program.
• The Edmonton Police said Friday that certain crime decreased 18% last year, though sexual assaults actually increased.
• The federal government announced funding on Friday for 21 arts, culture, and official languages projects in Edmonton.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Axis Café is closing, and they are holding a celebration on Thursday at 7pm.
• Tuesday night is the next UX Book Club meeting.
• Nerds Night Out is happening again on Wednesday evening at Ceili’s downtown.
• The Edmonton Rush will play their first home game of the season on Friday against the Calgary Roughnecks. The Rush are still looking for their first win in 2011.
• The Oil Kings are in action at home twice this week, on Wednesday against Saskatoon, and on Saturday against Prince Albert.
• Winter Light continues with Illuminations in Churchill Square on Saturday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
• On Tuesday, City Council will be talking about Smart Bus technology, which includes GPS location services. Let them know how badly you want it!
• Donate-a-Ride ends on January 31 – it’s not too late to give a ride to someone in need!

Ice on Whyte wrapped up today. This one was my favorite! Photo by Jennie.

Fantastic sunrise in Highlands, by Tre Photographic.

All week I post interesting Edmonton links, photos, videos, and more at Edmonton Etcetera. Check it out!

Have you dug yourself out of all the snow yet? Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Alberta Venture’s latest list of the fastest growing companies features an all-Edmonton top three.
• Here is my roundup of 2010 year-in-review articles for Edmonton.
• You can now get bus route and stop schedule information by sending a text message to 31100.
• Two Edmontonians are behind a new documentary that unlocks “the mystery of humankind’s migration into the Americas”.
• Some sad news for Edmonton’s music scene: Brent Oliver, a well-known musician, promoter, and former club owner, is moving to Winnipeg.
• Oil Country, meet “The Oiler”.
• Lucinda Chodan was named the new editor-in-chief at the Edmonton Journal this week.
• The host of CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM is moving on – Ron Wilson delivered his final morning broadcast on Friday. He’s now responsible for daily story assignment for all CBC News Edmonton platforms.
• Edmonton is getting a new comedy festival in October!
• The Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre is back in business! You can read about the completed upgrades and maintenance work here.
• There have been quite a few store closures lately, including the Gap at City Centre.
• Chris Mooney is the new president of the Realtors Association of Edmonton.
• It sounds like Japanese Village is opening another location in South Edmonton.
• Apparently Edmonton’s head-office sector continued to shrink in 2010.
• Cleankeys is a local company that has been very successful at making an easy-to-clean computer keyboard. Great story!
• Here’s how to look hot in winter shorts in Edmonton.
• SEE Magazine has an article on Building Our City Core.
• This letter discussing the recent back-and-forth between the Somali community and the police is worth a read.
• Rio Terrace, Parkallen, Sherbrooke, Fulton Place, Capilano, and West Jasper Place are the neighbourhoods that will be either starting or finishing the neighbourhood renewal program this year.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Making room for a downtown arena, from Chris.
• Here are the Digital Media People to Watch in Alberta in 2011 according to Techvibes.
• Edmonton Next Gen is looking for presenters for Pecha Kucha 9, scheduled to take place in early March.
• Here are some great photos of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, taken by Douglas Dollars for the organization’s 60th anniversary.
• January 14 is the submission deadline for two art project RFPs: Beverly Entrance (PDF), and Engineering Services Building (PDF).
• Quick plug for @sarahjanet – Daddy and Baby Time is starting again on Wednesday at the EPL Strathcona Branch.
• The Kootenay Ice are in town to take on the Oil Kings on Wednesday.
• Ice on Whyte starts on Thursday! You can see all dates and times on ShareEdmonton here.
• I’m looking forward to this event on Saturday – Meet, Tweet and Greet with EPL Writer-in-Residence Marty Chan!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Have an item I should include in my weekly notes? Let me know!

It’s both a great sunrise, and a perspective on downtown you don’t often see.

My favorite ice sculpture today, part of the festivities at Deep Freeze 2011. More photos here, and here is Sharon’s great recap.

Posting over the holidays has been fairly light as I have been enjoying a much-needed break, but I have posted a few things at Edmonton Etcetera and will get back to normal this week. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Happy New Year! It was relatively warm on Friday night for the fireworks at Churchill Square.
• Edmonton’s first baby of 2011 was born at 12:04 AM, and sadly, our first homicide of the year came just a few hours later.
• According to the City of Edmonton, the amount of waste processed at this time of year is double what it is normally. Be smart about recycling your holiday waste!
• The arena was back in the news this week, as the report on the Katz Group’s rezoning application was released. The Charrette has a nice overview here.
• The 2011 Donate-a-Ride campaign kicked off on Thursday at City Hall. Over the last 15 years, the program has donated 752,782 tickets worth over $1.2 million.
• Christmas might be over, but you can still help the Christmas Bureau by making a donation.
• Mill Woods Town Centre, built in 1989, has been acquired by Bayfield Realty Advisors and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust for $94,600,000. The deal includes the shopping centre, medical office building, and 6 acres of vacant land for future development.
• Here’s another video from Edmonton Tourism, this time showing off local attractions through the eyes of a runner.
• Should Councillors be tweeting? I thought Adam made some good points in his post on the issue.
• Sharon has a great recap post for the local food scene – Epicurious in Edmonton: 2010 in Review.
• Speaking of food, Valerie has been posting a fantastic Food Trends 2011 series. Here is the entry I’m included in!
• I never thought I’d see it, but the Edmonton Journal featured a tag cloud on its front page this week! I look forward to much more in 2011.
• The Edmontonian also has a tag cloud and a feature on 2010 Headlines.
• Georges Laraque had a letter published this week, once again urging the City of Edmonton to move Lucy the Elephant.
• Detroit is in town Tuesday night to play the Oilers, and the Islanders visit on Thursday.
• MacEwan’s Showcase Band Concert takes place on Friday evening.
• The Regina Pats play the Oil Kings on Saturday night.
• Next weekend, Deep Freeze takes place on Alberta Avenue. It’s the first of the Winter Light events.

Happy New Year!

Less than a week to go until Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• City Council passed the final part of Edmonton’s new Capital City Downtown Plan on Monday. One of the most exciting aspects of the rezoning is a five-year pilot enabling developers to building housing without any parking. For more, check out this wonderful guide to the rezoning.
• We’ve had a ton of snow this week. Can you believe that our police cruisers don’t have winter tires?
• Lots of people will be out and about this week, finishing shopping, attending Christmas parties, etc. The City is warning you to make sure you avoid bandit taxies. Though if you’re downtown between 11am and 11pm until Christmas you can take one of the free Telus taxis!
• At 6am tomorrow, the Dawson Bridge will re-open after a year-long rehabilitation that should ensure the bridge remains functional and safe for decades to come.
• Mayor Mandel said this week that a decision on the proposed downtown arena should be made by April. In case you missed it: I completed my three-part series on the community revitalization levy on Friday. The final installment looks at the proposed downtown arena.
• The Journal has been posting write-ups from a year-end interview with Mayor Mandel: Mayor’s can-do style has made him enemies is one example. In another article, Mandel suggested that Northlands and EEDC should merge.
• I love reading stories like this: Edmonton-based International Mascot Corp. is the world’s largest supplier of high-quality character costumes, such as the 100 colorful Smurfs they just produced for the launch of a new movie!
• Ex-Oiler Georges Laraque was in the news this week, after he offered $100,000 to the City of Edmonton in exchange for moving Lucy the elephant to a sanctuary in California.
• Speaking of the Oilers, their new cheer team debuted on Tuesday evening: the Oilers Octane.
• A new website launched this week that aims to make it easier to connect local non-profit organizations with landlords and property owners that have space available. Check out Edmonton SpaceFinder.
• Some of our Councillors tweet, and some even tweet during Council meetings. CBC interviewed Don Iveson and Kerry Diotte on their tweeting habits.
• Here’s an interview with Jack Michaels, the new voice of the Edmonton Oilers on 630 CHED.
• Ross Grieve, Executive Chairman and retired CEO of PCL Construction Holdings Ltd., has been appointed to AIMCo’s Board of Directors.
• Neat update from Dave: Edmonton housing first programs featured in the Huffington Post!
• A funny column from David Staples on the different types of LRT passengers.
• The battle of the University of Alberta’s plans for South Campus is heating up.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• The Edmonton New Technology Society (ENTS) is offering discounts on monthly memberships this holiday season! They’ve got a cool interactive floorplan at their website.
• Another interesting marketing approach from Edmonton Tourism: Discover the Edmonton River Valley with Two 17-Century Explorers.
• Looking to do some walking over the holidays? Check out the new Edmonton Walking Maps iPhone app.
• Check out what some creative University of Alberta students are up to: Personal Edmonton Planner.
• Have you checked out The Charrette yet? It’s a new local blog focused on urban planning. Check out their weekly news round-up here.
• If you’re looking to check out some of Edmonton’s free holiday attractions, consider using this handy guide from the Edmonton Journal. It even uses Foursquare!
• You can also see holiday events on ShareEdmonton.
• Saturday is Christmas Day!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

I’m still blogging Edmonton-related stuff throughout the week at Edmonton Etcetera!

Here’s a video from the City of Edmonton on the North LRT to NAIT.

A wonderful shot of the holiday lights at the Alberta Legislature!

You can watch the debut performance of the Oilers Octane here.

The Goodridge Building, at Jasper Avenue and 97 Street.

Be sure to check out Edmonton Etcetera for local stuff throughout the week. Here’s the archive so far for December. Enjoy!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• City Council passed the 2011 Operating Budget this week, keeping the increase to 3.85%. Here is Councillor Iveson’s post on the budget.
• Canadian Western Bank recently celebrated its 90th consecutive quarter of profitability, and CEO Larry Pollock says he’s just getting started. See also: my post on Edmonton’s FIRE (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate) industry.
• Apparently Edmonton’s Christmas charities are feeling the pinch this year. That’s a similar story to last year, when local charities were about $3 million short of targets.
• The City is reminding you to lend a hand this holiday season if you’re able to do so.
• Kavis Reed is the new head coach of Edmonton Eskimos. In other Esks news, does anyone know who the dancing worker is?
• In 2010, the province of Alberta set a new record for beverage container recycling with a return rate of close to 83%!
• A couple of people broke into Edmonton’s Free Store. You know, the store where you can take anything for free. Yes, really.
• The University of Alberta’s medical school is launching an inner-city health strategy.
• NAIT selected Glenn Feltham as their new President this week.
• FC Edmonton named its new head coach this week: Harry Sinkgraven.
• Nokomis is closing at the end of January, after eight years and three different locations. Todd has more on the story here.
• Sherwood Park’s new $106 million Community Centre opened this week. Construction on the project began in 2007, and it covers 3.3 hectares.
• The 2010 ETS Stuff a Bus campaign was a success, with 34,643 kg of food and nearly $14,000 in cash donations collected.
• Waterloo Ford Lincoln, located at 114 Street on 107 Avenue, is staying put and is planning a major green rebuild.
• Congrats to Lauren MacDonald, a third-year human ecology student at the University of Alberta selected as one of Canada’s Breakthrough Designers for 2011.
• The remaining hurdles appear to have been cleared in the University of Alberta’s plan to switch to Gmail for email. The shift will begin in January.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Are you as excited for La Poutine as I am? That’s right – a restaurant serving nothing but poutine, coming soon to Edmonton!
• Now available in the App Store, the Edmonton Journal iPad App.
• The Oilers are in action at home tonight against the Canucks. Toronto is in town on Tuesday evening, and the Blue Jackets will visit on Thursday.
• The Oil Kings are home to the Regina Pats tomorrow evening, on Wednesday to the Swift Current Broncos, and on Friday to the Chilliwack Bruins.
• The final Winter Market Downtown takes place next Saturday!
• Looking for something festive to do? There’s a growing collection of events here.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

I’m sure everyone in Edmonton has seen Linus Omark’s very entertaining shootout winner from the other night:

‘Tis the season!

Whyte Avenue

My Edmonton Etcetera blog got a little more official this week, with a new domain name: http://edmontonetc.ca/ (Tumblr has been experiencing downtime today)

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Edmonton Public School Board trustees voted 7-2 in favor of a two-year moratorium on school closures. The motion was introduced by vice-char Sarah Hoffman.
• I think a lot of people in Edmonton were feeling pretty good about themselves, after a very successful Grey Cup. Here’s a cool time lapse video of the Grey Cup from Ryan Jackson.
• Edmonton’s bike routes are now available on Google Maps.
• Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was in the news this week, blasting the feds for their decision on EXPO 2017. You can see the final notice to EXPO 2017 newsletter subscribers here.
• Could a ticket surcharge be part of the solution for funding LRT expansion? Funny, I don’t recall a toll or other surcharge on roads being proposed to fund road expansion.
• Congratulations to EPCOR CEO Don Lowry, Alberta’s Business Person of the Year for 2010.
• Former mayor Bill Smith added his voice into the chorus of people talking about the proposed downtown arena, saying “I do not understand.” The responses to Council’s questions were released this week in preparation for the December 10 council meeting.
• On Tuesday, a judge unsealed court documents related to Mayor Mandel’s lawsuit against Nathan Black. Also: Airco Aircraft Charters suffered another legal setback this week.
• The search is still on for a permanent replacement for outgoing police chief Mike Boyd, but it has been decided that Deputy Chief David Korol will fill the post in the meantime.
• Edmonton’s Silver Skate Festival received a shot in the arm this week, with the Government of Canada announcing funding of $35,900 for the festival.
• Congrats to everyone who participated in Movember in Edmonton this year. Over $20 million was raised across Canada! You can see photos of the Edmonton Movember Gala here, and photos of the MoCupcakeYEG challenge here.
• This is an interesting way to promote Edmonton – Sasquatch Gets Friendly With Edmonton Locals, Explores Popular Edmonton Attractions.
• An entrepreneur in California is cashing in on the antics of former AHS CEO Stephen Duckett with eatingmycookie.com. You can get a pin for $4.99 that reads “I’m eating my cookie.” On a related note, here’s a great photoset from Dave of Saturday’s Rally for Public Healthcare.
• FC Edmonton’s head coach is off to Japan, and he took an assistant with him as well. The club is set to announce a replacement tomorrow.
• Mayor Mandel wants to revive the idea of the local comedy festival, with $50,000 in funding coming from the City.
• You can now purchase reserved parking stalls at the Clareview, Belvedere, Stadium, and Century Park LRT Stations for $42 per month. The project begins January 1.
• Thanks to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, the Inner City High School has a new home.
• Here’s the final video installment in the City of Edmonton’s Heads Up campaign. You can take the campaign survey here.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• Free lunchtime concerts at City Hall are taking place this week!
• On the agenda for the special Transportation & Public Works Committee meeting on Wednesday: Southeast LRT Concept Plan, West LRT Concept Plan, and the Downtown LRT Connector Concept Plan.
• The Oilers are in action at home three times this week! Tuesday against Anaheim, Friday against Tampa Bay, and Saturday against Vancouver.
• Kelowna is in town on Saturday to take on the Oil Kings.
• The official light up of Candy Cane Lane is happening on Friday night!
• Another sure sign that Christmas is almost upon us – the Butterdome Craft Sale kicks off on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
• Next Saturday the Winter Market on the Square returns!
• Also Saturday, the Handmade Mafia are at it again.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

We’ve had some great weather recently, and lots of sunshine!

Fantastic shot of Whitemud Drive by Darren Kirby.

Impressive, isn’t it?

Today was the big day – the 98th Grey Cup took place at Commonwealth Stadium, and the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the second year in a row. You can see my recap of the kickoff party here, and my recap of the parade here. My photos of the festival are here.

I’m still posting Edmonton-related stuff throughout the week at Edmonton Etcetera.

Here are my weekly notes:

• The other big news this week was of course the federal government’s refusal to support Edmonton’s bid to host EXPO 2017. It was top of mind all week for many Edmontonians, especially as it became increasingly clear that the security budget wasn’t a strong reason to deny support.
• It’s not a done deal yet, but the Indy looks set to return next year after City Council agreed on Friday to a $3 million deal. There is some fundraising still to be done, and the feds have already said they’re out.
• Councillor Tony Caterina was released from hospital on Wednesday after suffering a minor stroke. He’ll be participating in meetings via telephone.
• With the proposed downtown arena consultation now finished, the City reported that more than 300 people participated in open houses and that the online questionnaire was completed 28,979 times.
• On Friday, City Council endorsed a board to oversee construction of future LRT projects.
• Congratulations to the more than 100 Edmontonians recognized at the Salute to Excellence Citation & Performance Awards.
• I haven’t written anything about the Stephen Duckett cookie debacle, but I quite liked Paula’s take on the issue.
• Here’s a nice profile of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre.
• The groundbreaking ceremony for phase 1 of the Boyle Renaissance project took place this week. The $42 million project includes affordable housing, a Family Resource Centre, a daycare, and other facilities.
• GlaxoSmithKline donated $5 million to the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta.
• EFCL is looking for help with some new functionality for its website.
• Lightside Photography is continuing with its 30 Days of Edmonton series – here’s a profile of Duchess Bake Shop.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• November has almost come to a close, and that means Movember is finishing up. The MoCupcakesYEG Challenge is taking place Monday night at Transcend Garneau.
• There are two information sessions on the West LRT taking place this week, one on Monday evening at the Fantasyland Hotel, and one on Tuesday at MacEwan’s City Centre campus.
• Also Tuesday evening is an information session on the 170 Street Planning Study.
• The Festival of Trees kicks off on Thursday the Shaw Conference Centre.
• There’s a public forum for The Way We Green on Thursday.
• The lights at the Alberta Legislature will be on for the season following the official light up on Thursday evening.
• The Oil Kings are in action at home twice this week – Wednesday against the Prince Albert Raiders, and Friday against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
• Friday night is the Let it Snow: Art Sale & Silent Auction to fundraise for the University of Alberta’s BDes and BFA final grad shows.
• The Oilers are home to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
• Neat event taking place Saturday evening – Barista Jam at Transcend Coffee.
• Two great markets return on Saturday: The Handmade Mafia, and the Winter Market Downtown.
• Next Sunday is the Alley of Light open house at Enterprise Square. My post about the project is here.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Sharon and I joined a bunch of other Twitter volunteers at the Santas Anonymous warehouse on Friday evening.

City Hall, all lit up for the Grey Cup festival kickoff.

Look at that, an event in the space behind the library! Why can’t we have more of those?

Though we definitely had some help from the milder weather, it was great to see so many people downtown this week.

Throughout the week, I’m blogging Edmonton-related photos, videos, quotes, links, and more at Edmonton Etcetera. Check it out.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• In case you missed it, we launched a new initiative called The Edmonton Champions Project this week. I wrote about it here. Watch for more on the project in 2011.
• The results of the 2010 Homeless Count were released on Monday. The number of homeless people living in Edmonton dropped 21% to 2421.
• With the temperature dropping, the City is reminding you to stay off the ice!
• Two more arena open houses took place this week, and the Oilers started phoning people encouraging them to fill out the online questionnaire. That action wasn’t received very well by Edmontonians. More on the proposed downtown arena here.
• At a luncheon this week, Mayor Stephen Mandel urged the business community to help Edmonton achieve its goals of hosting EXPO 2017, fighting homelessness, and redeveloping the City Centre Airport.
• It was a great week for the local film industry! Trevor Anderson’s The High Level Bridge won best live action short film at the American Film Institute’s awards, and Rosie Dransfeld won a Gemini for Broke.
• A new comedy show called E-Town will be part of the lineup on APTN starting next year.
• PCL CEO Paul Douglas said this week that Edmonton has one of the weakest construction markets in North America right now.
• An anonymous family has stepped up to purchase Edmonton’s historic Molson House.
• The University of Alberta is the first university in Canada to have a campus page on Foursquare!
• Thirty-eight of Edmonton’s top clubs, pubs, bars, and lounges were recognized this week at the Best Bar None Awards. The overall winner was Union Hall Nightclub.
• Congrats to the Shaw Conference Centre, for earning the Recycling Council of Alberta’s 2010 Corporate Leadership Award.
• The student paper at the University of Alberta, The Gateway, turned 100 years old this weekend.
• Update on the Alberta Hotel development. It’s coming along!
• On July 1, the City launched the Washing Machine Rebate Program, to encourage Edmontonians to purchase energy-efficient, front-load washers. That program was supposed to end on December 31, but has been so popular that it won’t last that long!
• The accrediting bodies that oversee the quality of medical schools in Canada and the United States have given the University of Alberta med school a solid A.
• You can now follow Capital Power and EPCOR on Twitter.
• Congrats to the winners of the 7th Annual Vehicle for Hire Driver Appreciation Day Awards (longest name ever!).
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• They big event this week is the 2010 Grey Cup Festival. You can see the full listing of events on ShareEdmonton, and you can subscribe to an iCal of all the events here. The kick-off party takes place on Wednesday evening at City Hall.
• The 2010 National Housing Day luncheon takes place on Monday at the Delta Centre Suite.
• AUMA’s annual convention takes place this week at the Shaw Conference Centre. The event kicks off on Tuesday morning.
• Green Drinks Edmonton is back on Wednesday evening.
• Also Wednesday evening: Girl Geek Dinners, trivia edition!
• There are two Southeast LRT information sessions taking place this week: Wednesday evening and Thursday evening.
• The Everyone’s Downstream conference starts on Thursday.
• For those of you interested in open data, the Open Spatial West workshop is taking place all day on Thursday at Enterprise Square.
• One of my favorite holiday events – the Wrapping Tweetup is happening on Friday evening!
• Next Saturday is Food4Fines, where you can get up to $25 in library fines wiped out in exchange for a food bank donation.
• The Oil Kings are in action at home on Wednesday against the Calgary Hitmen, while the Oilers are home to the Avalanche on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday.
• It’s craft fair season! Make It Edmonton starts Thursday, The Handmade Mafia takes place Saturday, the Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair takes place Saturday & Sunday, and the Shop Till You Drop Expo takes place Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The stacks were removed from the EPCOR plant on Friday. Here’s a video of the third stack being removed.

It might be cold outside, but you’ve got to admit, winter can be really beautiful.

I’ve been experimenting with another Edmonton-focused blog this week. I call it Edmonton Etcetera. As I come across Edmonton stuff online, I post it there. I see it as sort of in between Twitter and this blog. Check it out (here’s the archive of recent entries) and let me know what you think – I’ll write more about it later.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• The proposed 2011 Operating Budget would see a 3% tax increase for civic services and 2% to continue the Neighbourhood Renewal Funding Program. Council will discuss the budget until December 7 (and later if required).
• The Government of Canada announced an investment of $452,914 in the Grey Cup this weekend under the Marquee Tourism Events Program.
• I hope this doesn’t result in the lost of even more money, but it seems Council has decided to try to save the Indy.
• It’s not finished yet, but the end is in sight for construction on the Quesnell Bridge. Water-proofing and paving will happen next year.
• The City has won two Awards of Merit from the Alberta Professional Planners Institute for its Residential Infill Guidelines and its Secondary Suites program.
• The latest litter audit shows a 29% reduction in litter on city streets, and a big drop in the number of cigarette butts too.
• On both Monday evening and Tuesday evening, the LRT will be running on a 20 minute frequency from 8pm until end of service, while crews continue to upgrade the overhead power system.
• Canada’s first independent wine store, Edmonton’s own The Wine Cellar, celebrated its 25th birthday on Friday.
• EEDC reports that membership in the Edmonton Capital Region Tourism Partnership program has grown by more than 50% in the last year.
• Great post from Avnish on the anti-racism campaign and surrounding controversy.
• Here are the 2010 Christmas Checkstop Statistics for Week 1.
• Congrats to the Alberta Aviation Museum for winning a national award from the Canadian Aviation Preservation Association.
• You’ve got until Tuesday at noon to enter the 2010 Grey Cup Contest from EEDC.
• A new mobile carrier is gearing up to launch in Edmonton. Mobilicity will announce details on Tuesday.
• Surprising no one, the Edmonton Eskimos fired coach Richie Hall on Friday.
• Very thoughtful post from Alex: 15 Steps to a Better Edmonton.
• Congrats to the Edmonton Food Bank for being among 36 Canadian charities named as a “Top Pick”.
• Want to setup a free wireless hotspot at your business? Request one online from Edmonton-based Mesh Canada.
• Candy Cane Lane officially opens at 7pm on Friday, December 10.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• CFR wraps up today. It has certainly been an eventful week!
• Homeward Trust is hosting a conference on homelessness this week, called The Road Home.
• EEDC’s annual Economic Outlook Luncheon takes place on Tuesday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• There are two more downtown arena open houses this week: Monday evening, and Wednesday evening.
• The Oilers are in action at home this week, on Wednesday against Chicago and on Friday against Phoenix.
• Also Monday evening: an open house for the Boyle Renaissance & The Quarters redevelopment plans.
• Coming up on Wednesday – Launch Party 2. You can check out the preview here.
• The Oil Kings host the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.
• The 2010 Festival of Ideas kicks off on Tuesday.
• Next Saturday is the AGA’s Refinery party. Don’t miss it!
• Exposure: Edmonton’s Queer Arts & Culture Festival started Friday and runs until Sunday.
• Are you a fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead? Check out Edmonton Zombeers tonight!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

We’ve had great weather for November, and more than a few beautiful sunrises too.

Houses around the city are getting ready for the holidays!

If you’re looking to get into the Christmas spirit, check out the Green & Gold themed tree in Churchill Square.