Tag: edmonton

Edmonton Notes for May 22, 2016

It has been soggy, but I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Jasper & 104
Jasper & 104, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

Alberta Proud
Alberta Proud, photo by Dave Sutherland

Your Guide to Summer Festivals & Events in Edmonton: 2016 Edition!

It looks like summer is here to stay, and that means it’s time for my listing of summer festivals & events, powered by ShareEdmonton. Below you’ll find dozens of events with a website, dates, and links to social media for each. You’ll also find a link to the event at ShareEdmonton and a link to an iCal for the event. I hope you find this listing as useful as I do.

What the Truck?! at Churchill Square

Festivals

Here’s my list of 50+ festivals and events you can look forward to this summer in and around Edmonton!

Event Dates Links
NUOVA Opera & Music Theatre Festival May 21 – July 3 SE  
TALES Storytelling Festival May 26-29 SE
What the Truck?! May 28/29 & more! SE
Edmonton International Cat Festival May 28 SE
Oliver Community Festival May 28 SE
International Children’s Festival May 31 – June 4 SE
Bikeology Festival (Bike Month) June 1-30 SE
NextGen Month June 1-30 SE
Nextfest June 2-12 SE
Park After Dark June 3 – September 2 SE
Edmonton Craft Beer Festival June 3-4 SE
Edmonton Pride Festival June 3-12 SE
100In1Day Edmonton June 4 SE
Edmonton Pride Parade June 4 @ 11am SE
Bonnie Fest June 4 SE
eek! Comic & Pop Culture Fest June 4-5 SE
Heart of the City Festival June 4-5 SE
Sprouts New Play Festival for Kids June 4-5 SE
Edmonton Filipino Fiesta June 11-12 SE
Improvaganza June 15-25 SE
Latitude 53 Patio Series June 16 – August 25 SE
Mercer Summer Super Party June 17 SE
Beaumont Blues & Roots Festival June 17-19 SE
Porkapalooza BBQ Festival June 17-19 SE
Highlandia Festival June 18 SE
Summer Solstice Festival June 20-28 SE
Freewill Shakespeare Festival June 21 – July 17 SE
Slide the City June 23 SE
The Works Art & Design Festival June 23 – July 5 SE
Found Festival June 23-26 SE
Edmonton International Jazz Festival June 24 – July 3 SE
Feats Festival of Dance June 27 – July 10 SE
Canada Day July 1 SE
Sand on Whyte July 1-10 SE
Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton July 3-10 SE
Lawn Summer Nights July 7-28 SE
Whyte Avenue Art Walk July 8-10 SE
Edmonton International Street Performers Festival July 8-17 SE
Seven Music Festival July 9 SE
Taste of Edmonton July 21-30 SE
Canadian Food Championships July 22-24 SE
Interstellar Rodeo July 22-24 SE
K-Days July 22-31 SE
K-Days Parade July 22 @ 10am SE
Servus Heritage Festival July 30 – August 1 SE
Rock’n August August 2-6 SE
Edmonton Folk Music Festival August 4-7 SE
Animethon August 5-7 SE
Cariwest August 5-7 SE
Cariwest Parade August 6 @ 12pm SE
Edmonton Airshow August 6-7 SE
Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival August 11-21 SE
Edmonton Rock Music Festival August 12-13 SE
Edmonton Latin Festival August 13-14 SE
Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival August 19-21 SE
Edmonton Blues Festival August 19-21 SE
Symphony Under the Sky August 26-28 SE
Viva Italia Viva Edmonton August 28 SE
Tour of Alberta September 1-5 SE
SONiC BOOM September 3-4 SE
Kaleido Family Arts Festival September 9-11 SE
Strathearn Art Walk September 10 SE
Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo September 23-25 SE
Edmonton Oktoberfest Sept 30 – Oct 1 SE

You can check out a calendar view of festivals here or you can download the iCal feed for your own apps.

Markets

This year I have also decided to include a listing of the many markets you can find around Edmonton! Some are open year-round, but many are just open for the summer, usually from late May/early June to late September/early October.

Event Dates Links
Beverly Towne Farmers’ Market Tuesdays, 4-8pm SE
Miller Crossing Farmers’ Market Tuesdays, 4-8pm
Sundays, 10am-3pm 		SE
Callingwood Farmers’ Market Wednesdays, 2-6pm
Sundays, 10am-3pm 		SE
Castle Downs Farmers’ Market Wednesdays, 4-8pm SE
Sherwood Park Farmers’ Market Wednesdays, 4-8pm SE
Southwest Edmonton Farmers’ Market Wednesdays, 4-7:30pm SE
124 Street Grand Market Thursdays, 4-8pm SE
Millwoods Farmers’ Market Thursdays, 5-8pm SE
Salisbury Farmers’ Market Thursdays, 4-7:30pm SE
Westmount Farmers’ Market Thursdays, 10am-4pm SE
Night Market Edmonton Fridays, 7-11pm SE
YEG Market District Fridays, 4-8pm SE
City Market Downtown Saturdays, 9am-3pm SE
Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market Saturdays, 8am-3pm SE
South Common Farmers’ Market Sat & Sun, 10am-4pm SE
St. Albert Farmers’ Market Saturdays, 10am-3pm SE
Century Park Market Sundays, 10am-3pm SE
French Quarter Grand Market Sundays, 11am-3pm SE

Alberta Strong

Summer came early this year, but the lack of moisture from a relatively mild winter has meant very dry conditions and we have seen some devastating wildfires around the province already. That is very likely to continue throughout the summer (you can get updates here), so you can be sure that many of the summer festivals will be accepting donations to try to help out. We’ll be accepting donations for the food bank at all What the Truck?! events this year, for instance. Check the festival websites before you attend to see how you can contribute.

Of course, a monetary donation is always a great way to help out! You can donate to the Red Cross here to help those affected by wildfires. Or consider donating directly to Edmonton’s Food Bank or to Edmonton Emergency Relief Services. Also be sure to check out the Province’s tips for donating to charities.

Happy Summer in Edmonton

There are of course many more events listed in the ShareEdmonton calendar, so check it out! Have I missed something that should be included? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it.

Happy summer!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #203

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

FT. MACMURRAY WILDFIRE 03A.jpg
Premier Rachel Notley meets with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 13, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for May 15, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Good Morning Edmonton
Good Morning Edmonton, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

Jasper & 104
Jasper & 104, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #202

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Fort McMurray wildfires 176
Premier Rachel Notley talks to reporters outside the Anzac evacuation centre, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for May 8, 2016

Happy Mother’s Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

  • What started out as a fairly normal week quickly became anything but when the Fort McMurray wildfire swept through the city on Tuesday, destroying more than 1,600 buildings and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The fire grew quickly throughout the week and is expected to continue burning for months. Rain is badly needed to help fight the fire. A province-wide fire ban is in place.
  • As of 4pm today, more than 12,000 people have received assistance from Edmonton’s Reception Centre at the Edmonton Expo Centre, and more than 500 people are staying there overnight, down from 2,000 at the peak. Edmonton’s response has also included sending firefighters and supports to the Fort McMurray area to help battle the blaze. Lots of businesses, community organizations, and individuals have stepped up throughout Edmonton, which is great to see. The pancake breakfast fundraiser held on Friday morning at Churchill Square was a big success.
  • “It’s always been Edmonton’s instinct to help, and help we have,” Mayor Iveson wrote. “Over the next days and months our Wood Buffalo neighbours will need our ongoing support, because the recovery will be like nothing we’ve ever done before.”
  • The latest update from the Province says that more than 1500 firefighters are fighting wildfires around Alberta, including the 161,000 hectare blaze around Fort McMurray.
  • Edmonton will no longer host the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) after this year now that Council has decided against pursuing a bid for 2017. “This does not mean that the door for rodeo in Edmonton is closed forever,” Mayor Iveson wrote, noting that the Oilers Entertainment Group is looking to bring a Professional Bull Riding Association event to Edmonton.
  • In looking at the future of LRT development in our city, Council has decided that the west leg of the Valley Line will be its top priority, followed by the extension from NAIT to Blatchford. All other lines will be prioritized by a future Council.
  • Douglas R. Stollery was elected as the University of Alberta’s 21st chancellor on Friday. His four-year term starts June 15.
  • Edmonton Public Library CEO Pillar Martinez has received the Presidents’ Award from the Library Association of Alberta.
  • The Government of Alberta has restored $16 million in funding for NorQuest’s expansion. The Province is “investing a total of $61 million in NorQuest’s expansion and retrofit project in 2016-17.”
  • Vue Weekly has released its 2016 Golden Fork Awards. Congrats to all!
  • From The Gateway: What’s stopping Chinatown’s revitalization?
  • I love this: photographer Jerry Cordeiro has teamed up with the Inside Out project to help showcase the people of the inner city. You can see the first series of images at the Quasar Bottle Depot on 95 Street.
  • For the third year in a row, the City of Edmonton is in the running for the annual We Love Cities people’s choice award. The challenge ends June 19.
  • This weekend the new Rogers Place scoreboard arrived in Edmonton. It was assembled in Las Vegas and is 46 feet wide by 36 feet high on four sides. “It’s going to be special,” said Bob Nicholson, CEO and vice-chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group.
  • Earls has backed down and released a statement saying, “we made a mistake when we moved away from Canadian beef.” I can understand why they’d go this route, but I wish they had stood by their original position.
  • Looking to beat the heat? Spray parks and the City Hall pool are all scheduled to be open by May 20.
  • For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

_DSC3498.jpg
Premier Notley & Mayor Iveson at the Edmonton Reception Centre

Upcoming Events

  • The Sage Awards take place on Wednesday, honouring the outstanding achievements and contributions of seniors in our community.
  • The Edmonton Heritage Council’s AGM takes place on Wednesday evening at City Hall.
  • Edmonton’s economy will be the topic for Thursday when the Edmonton Real Estate Forum takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre.
  • The Eskimos are launching their season with a party on Thursday!
  • Thursday evening is the 2016 season kickoff for the 124 Grand Market! Note the market has moved further south to 102 Avenue this year.
  • The Edmonton Bike Swap is slated to take place on Saturday.
  • Saturday is the final City Market at City Hall of the season. The market moves back to 104 Street on the May long weekend!
  • #YEGSEMICOLON‘s fundraising event takes place on Sunday at the Princess of Wales Armouries.
  • For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Emergency Relief Services
Lots of activity at Edmonton Emergency Relief Services this week

Recap: DemoCamp Edmonton 31

Tonight was robot & games night at Edmonton’s 31st DemoCamp which took place at the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (CCIS) on the University of Alberta campus. After missing the last two, it was great to be back to see some inspiring new projects and entrepreneurs. You can read my recap of DemoCamp Edmonton 29 here.

If you’re new to DemoCamp, here’s what it’s all about:

“DemoCamp brings together developers, creatives, entrepreneurs and investors to share what they’ve been working on and to find others in the community interested in similar topics. For presenters, it’s a great way to get feedback on what you’re building from peers and the community, all in an informal setting. Started back in 2008, DemoCamp Edmonton has steadily grown into one of the largest in the country, with over 200 people attending each event. The rules for DemoCamp are simple: 7 minutes to demo real, working products, followed by a few minutes for questions, and no slides allowed.”

In order of appearance, tonight’s demos included:

DemoCamp Edmonton 31
Bento Arm

Rory & Jaden showed us the latest version of Bento Arm, a 3D printed robotic arm. It features pressure sensors in the finger tips, servo motors that track velocity and other metrics, potentiometers, and even includes a camera embedded in the palm. The idea with having all of those sensors is to use machine learning to improve its capabilities over time (for instance the camera might recognize objects to help the arm pick them up). The demo showed how the hand could be controlled using a joystick, moving the arm around, and opening and closing the fingers. Bento Arm runs on the Robot Operating System and the team plans to open source everything, hardware and software. To the end the demo, they played rock-paper-scissors against the Bento Arm, which won. Welcome to the future!

DemoCamp Edmonton 31
vrNinja demo

Nathaniel & Alexendar were up next and they showed us vrNinja, a ninja simulation game built for the Oculus Rift VR headset. In the game you are a ninja and you must learn and use new weapons as things get faster and faster. The game features positional audio and requires you to move quite a bit in order to play (so be careful what’s next to you). The team are hoping to release it in the Oculus store in the next month or so, and they have plans to look into the HTC Vive VR headset as well. If you’d like a closer look, you can check out the game this weekend at GDX Edmonton.

DemoCamp Edmonton 31
Anthrobotics

Next, Ian & Evan showed us what they have been working on with Anthrobotics. The idea is to build robots that do all the boring, redundant tasks that we all need to do each day. They showed three prototypes. The first was an anthropomorphic named Robio who sat in a wheelchair. Unfortunately the demo gods got the better of him and the speech demo didn’t work. They said they liked the humanoid form (even though it is difficult to build) because they think it has the greatest potential for being useful in our world. The next two prototypes were a hand that featured and opposable thumb and a leg that could move both entirely and just the foot. They are using Arduino boards right now but have plans to add Raspberry Pis in the future. Their robots are very much in the prototype stage, but if this is what they’re doing in high school, I can’t wait to see what they build in the future!

DemoCamp Edmonton 31
Hugo, the Twitter-powered robot

Jeff and couple of his colleagues from Paper Leaf were up next to show us Hugo, the Twitter-powered robot that you probably tweeted inappropriate things to last year when it launched. The way it works is you tweet something with the hashtag #hugorobot and Hugo will speak it aloud. You can read more about Hugo here. Hugo was a big success, and even helped Paper Leaf to win an ACE Award. At the experiment’s peak, Hugo was receiving 3100 tweets per hour and more than 7000 people watched the livestream. Hugo was posted to Reddit, 4chan, and 9gag, all of which meant that the team had to work hard to keep the blacklist updated. It’s a fun project and Jeff says you could apply the same concepts of social media and crowdsourcing elsewhere.

Our final demo of the evening was from Matt & Logan who showed us RunGunJumpGun. It’s a 2D side-scrolling “helicopter-style” game that they first prototyped at least year’s GDX Edmonton. Now a year later, they have improved and refined the game, and plan to release it this summer. The game features 40 levels that increase along a difficulty curve so that as you progress you should master the skills needed to win. Though honestly the last level looked impossible to pass! There’s a certain amount of frustration that comes along with the style of play, but it also has a high degree of replay-ability. They plan to launch an iPhone version at some point too.

DemoCamp Edmonton 31

Some upcoming events to note:

  • Monthly Hack Day is coming up this Saturday at Startup Edmonton
  • GDX Edmonton takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Robbins Health Learning Centre downtown
  • Preflight Beta takes place Tuesday at Startup Edmonton and “helps founders and product builders experiment and validate a scalable product idea”
  • The full Preflight program started today!
  • The next ROS Robotics Meetup takes place on May 19 at Startup Edmonton

Over 150 meetup events took place at Startup Edmonton last year! Keep an eye on the Startup Edmonton Meetup group for more upcoming events. They have also added a listing of all the meetups taking place at Startup to the website. You can also follow them on Twitter.

See you at DemoCamp Edmonton 32!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #201

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

  • After dozens of events, Social Media Breakfast Edmonton (SMBYEG) is shutting down due to changing personal circumstances for the organizers and a very different online world than when the meetup started five years ago. “It is possible that we may re-boot SMBYEG in a different format or transition it to new volunteers in the future, but for now this is the end.” A sign-off event will take place tomorrow at 5:30pm at Denizen Hall.
  • Here’s the Edmonton Journal obituary for Patrick Cardinal. “Cardinal survived far longer than doctors expected and did his best to make that time count.”
  • According to CBC Edmonton, the media was been banned from an Edmonton police disciplinary hearing. “A lawyer representing CBC and the Edmonton Journal will ask for a reconsideration of the decision to ban the public from the hearing.” They won that fight and the hearing was subsequently held in public!
  • It turns out that Heather Boyd, the former Western Canadian bureau chief for Canadian Press who wrote a review for the Province on media access, now works for the Public Affairs Bureau. “Boyd started as director of media planning for the government on April 25,” CBC Edmonton reports. “Notley said Boyd was not a political hire, as her job is within the civil service. She said she was told that Boyd won an open competition among 100 applicants.”
  • As mentioned previously, Global Edmonton’s Gord Steinke honored with the 2016 RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award. Here’s a tribute from Global Edmonton.
  • Trish Audette-Longo has more details on the Journalist Interrupted panel coming up later in the month. I’m really looking forward to it!
  • Episode 38 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Trent Wilkie, blogger of The Undad.
  • Here’s a preview of the May edition of Avenue Edmonton magazine on Global. The issue is out now of course, and features an article on sports broadcaster Jay Onrait as well as a look at Jana Pruden’s home.
  • NAIT recently held a Radio/TV Advisory. Let them know if you have feedback!
  • You have until May 13 to apply to Tanner Young Publishing’s part-time opportunity with WHERE Edmonton.
  • Marty Forbes reports that 630 CHED Santas Anonymous will soon be moving into the new Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit!
  • From Raising Edmonton, here are five local blogs to follow. Solid list!
  • David Ward, also known as Kiviaq, has died of cancer at the age of 80. A former lawyer, boxing champion, and city councillor, he was also the host of an open-line radio show on CJCA and a member of the Edmonton Broadcasters Club.
  • I came across Third Verb recently which is a series of “intensive writing workshops…for those new to writing and for those well versed in the craft.” It is run by Jessica Kluthe and Jennifer Lavallee.
  • From Seen and Heard in Edmonton, here are the latest podcast and blog roundups.
  • As previously mentioned, Culinaire Magazine is coming to Edmonton with the first issue becoming available on May 5. A new letter from the editor says that “we have increased our print run by a third to 20,000 copies ten times a year.” Mike Chalut is the only Edmontonian featured in an article on media personalities’ favorite eats.
  • Just a quick note for those who might have missed it: there will not be a Yeggies this year. “We’re planning to take a break this year, spend the spring and summer planning a fantastic event for 2017, and come back to you better than ever.”

don iveson at the state of the city 2016
Mayor Don Iveson took questions from #yegmedia, photo by Edmonton Chamber

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for May 1, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Path To The City
Path To The City, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

Training Day
Training Day, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Coming up at City Council: May 2-6, 2016

The future of Edmonton’s LRT planning and funding will be one of the major topics for Council this week, alongside updates to the Capital Budget and a look at the funding impacts of the Federal budget. The downtown arena will also be before Council again, as there’s a bylaw to increase borrowing through the downtown CRL to make up for the Provincial funding that never materialized (but which was part of the original financial agreement).

City Hall

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

Spring 2016 Supplemental Capital Budget Update

Part of the City’s budget process is to adjust the Capital Budget in the spring “in response to changing project needs, new funding opportunities and to respond to emerging issues and changing priorities.”

“The funding available for reallocation in the Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment is $34.9 million, and is comprised of $10.3 million in Pay-As-You-Go funding, $20.6 million in Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding and $4 million of Neighbourhood Renewal Program tax levy funding (released from Profile 12-66-1073 Pavement Management Relocation), which will be directed towards the Neighbourhood Renewal funding deficit.”

Of that, $19.5 million is recommended to go toward the 2016 Neighbourhood Renewal Program shortfall (the $4 million plus $15.5 of the MSI funding). That leaves $15.4 million available for reallocation. The City is recommending using the funding as follows:

  • Manning Drive ($5.7 million)
  • St. Andrews Surplus Park ($0.8 million)
  • Bus Fleet Replacement ($4.9 million)
  • Fire – Dispatch System Radio ($1.5 million)
  • EPS – Helicopter Replacement ($2.5 million)

The report also notes that Edmonton is projected to see a $15 million decrease in MSI funding as a result of the 2016-2017 Provincial Budget and that Administration will bring forward a strategy to deal with this. You’ll also find an overview of projected savings, 2015 carry forwards, new profiles recommended for funding, and other information on changes to the budget.

One of the new profiles recommended for funding is Pedestrian Wayfinding (CM-21-6000):

“Edmonton’s streets and parks are envisioned to be vibrant places where citizens and visitors can walk, access public transit, visit local businesses, and live healthy active lives. The provision of accurate, consistent, public information to help people find their way to local destinations is a key element of improving the livability of a City. Funding this $2.6 million profile is recommended to come from two funded Transit profiles: LRT Facilities & Right of Way Renewal (CM-66-3200) & Bus Facilities Renewal (CM-66-3500) and one Information Technology profile Enterprise Applications Growth (CM-18-1508).”

I really hope that funding goes ahead!

Federal Transit Stimulus Update

This report looks at the most recent federal budget, which “announced $60 billion in new infrastructure funding, delivering on the new government’s promise to nearly double infrastructure spending over the next 10 years.” The plan will be implemented in two phases – the first will provide $11.9 billion over five years. Here’s what that means for Edmonton:

  • Edmonton will receive $50,000 in base funding plus about $140 million from the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.
  • Alberta will receive about $196.7 million from the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.
  • “Under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund and Clean Water and Wastewater Fund initiatives, the federal contribution will be up to 50 percent of total eligible costs for projects, with eligible costs expanded to include design, engineering, and other planning costs not currently eligible for federal funding.”
  • “Federal Budget 2016 also announced $250 million for municipal capacity building programs to be managed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to provide funding directly to municipalities.”
  • “Removal of the mandatory P3 screen across the New Building Canada Fund, allowing municipalities to determine the best procurement model for their local circumstances.”

The report also identifies some potential projects that could be eligible for funding under these programs. For the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, the only project identified is the Malcolm Tweddle/Edith Rogers Dry Pond at $20 million. For the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, twelve projects have been identified:

  1. D.L. MacDonald Transit Yards Traction Power Substation ($5 million)
  2. Future LRT Planning, Phase 1 ($1.5 million)
  3. Future LRT Design Phase 1 ($32.7 million)
  4. Bus Replacement ($10.8 million)
  5. Growth LRVs ($116 million)
  6. Bus Camera Systems ($7 million)
  7. Growth Buses ($47 million)
  8. Bus Priority Signals ($2 million)
  9. Heritage Valley Transit Centre and Park and Ride ($29 million)
  10. Station Lands Pedway ($26 million)
  11. Electric Buses (No cost estimates)
  12. Design for the Refurbishment of Stadium and Coliseum Stations ($2 million)

The next step could be that Council chooses to submit some of these projects for federal funding.

Priorities for Future LRT Funding

Last week Transportation Committee discussed the priorities of future LRT funding. The City is recommending the following order:

  1. Valley Line, Downtown to Lewis Farms (LW-1, LW-2, LW-3)
  2. Metro Line, NAIT to Blatchford North (HNW-1)
  3. Capital Line, Century Park to Ellerslie (HSW-1)
  4. Downtown Circulator, University to Bonnie Doon (LE-1)
  5. Metro Line, Blatchford North to Castle Downs (HNW-2)

The item was referred to Council by the Committee without a recommendation.

Edmonton Light Rail Transit
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, photo by IQRemix

There’s also a report on future LRT concept planning that identifies the remaining projects in order of priority:

  1. Downtown Circulator, Energy Line and Festival Line to City Limits
  2. Valley Line, Mill Woods to Ellerslie Road
  3. Capital Line, Gorman to Edmonton Energy and Technology Park
  4. Capital Line, Heritage Valley Town Centre to the Edmonton International Airport

Administration had identified $1.5 million for LRT concept planning in the 2016-2018 Operating Budget, but Council did not approve it. The service package will be updated and presented at a future supplementary operating budget adjustment.

Other interesting items

  • If Council approves, a Special City Council meeting will be scheduled for August 31 at 1:30pm to hold a non-statutory public hearing on Northlands’ Vision 2020.
  • Councillor Henderson intends to make a motion that would direct the City to investigate becoming a biophilic city, which are “cities that contain abundant nature; they are cities that care about, seek to protect, restore and grow this nature, and that strive to foster deep connections and daily contact with the natural world.” You can learn more here.
  • There’s a recommendation “that the Mayor, on behalf of City Council, write to the Minister of Environment and Parks, to advocate for the development of a regulatory compliance framework for commercial waste haulage and disposal that promotes sound environmental sustainability including incentivizing private haulers.”
  • Council had allocated $50,000 to the Downtown Proud program in 2013, but it was never spent as matching funds were not raised and circumstances changed. The City is now recommending that the money be used to help transition to a new fee-for-service delivery model and to ensure a “living wage” for program workers.
  • Bylaw 17639 would increase the borrowing authority for the downtown arena by about $32 million to replace provincial grant funding that was not secured. This bylaw is ready for first reading only.
  • Bylaw 17589 would designate Phyllis Grocery, located at 10631 96 Street NW, as a Municipal Historic Resource and would allocate funding of $91,822.50 from the Heritage Reserve Fund for the building. “The total estimated cost of the restoration portion of the project is over $183,000.”

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.