Media Monday Edmonton: Update #88

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Margo Goodhand is the new editor-in-chief at the Edmonton Journal. She was previously the editor-in-chief at the Winnipeg Free Press, a position she held from 2007 to 2012. Here’s what she tweeted when the news was announced:

Really excited about @edmontonjournal. Cool city, strong newsroom, can’t wait.

— Margo Goodhand (@margogoodhand) September 3, 2013

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The next day this piece appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press (not strictly related I suppose, but Margo is credited with transforming the Free Press “from being primarily a print-based operation into a 24/7 news organization with a heavy online presence” so I found the timing curious). “If you picked up a paper copy of the Free Press today, you have a paper unlike any that has rolled off our presses in the 141 years we have been publishing.” Basically they’re using augmented reality via a company called Blippar. Kind of reminds me a little bit of the Journal’s adoption of ScanLife back in 2010.
Margo’s predecessor, Lucinda Chodan, was spotted in the Gazette recently!
There has been a fascinating back-and-forth between Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Sun News personality Ezra Levant over the last few days. The latest is a statement from Nenshi. Though I question whether this battle is worth Nenshi’s time to fight, I do like that once he’s in, he’s in.
Marty Forbes has a solid recap of the latest moves in local radio and television. He notes: “CBC and CKUA are the only media properties that now operate in the quickly rebuilding downtown core and both are just steps away from the best concerts, plays, movies, festivals, and the new arena/entertainment complex while the rest of the media are in the burbs now!” As pointed out by Bruce below and others previously, The Journal, CityTV, Metro, and World FM all operate out of downtown.
In November 2011, 22-year-old media intern Andy Ferguson died when his car crossed the centre line and hit a gravel truck head-on. His family is convinced the incident occurred because he was being exploited as an intern at Astral Media’s local radio stations The Bear and Virgin Radio. This CBC article covers the story well, and includes a statement from Bell Media and NAIT (where he was a student).
James Gruff Gushnowski replaces Danny Hooper as the new co-host of the CFCW morning show.
The Local Good is looking for a Blog Coordinator to join the team. The deadline to apply is September 18.
Alberta Primetime is working on a new look!
In case you missed it: The Wanderer has expanded with the launch of The Young Wanderer. Here’s the introductory post.
On her journey to the top of rock n’ roll radio: Edmonton Woman Magazine profiles 100.3 The Bear’s Gillian Foote.
CTV Edmonton’s Laura Lowe is moving on to become Communications & Education Manager at the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council. Yesterday (or possibly Friday) was her last day.
I got a kick out of Lesley Primeau’s Twitter page, where her bio reads “Unemployed Radio Star looking for a signal.” Careful though Lesley, that domain is unregistered. And yes, you should drop the “AndGrose” from your name.
Check out the media pass for Country Music Week.
Here’s a look at CKUA’s impressive library courtesy of Brittney.
Former Edmonton Journal editor George Stout died in hospital on July 18 after long-term health problems. His father was an editor at the Edmonton Bulletin. Really interesting article about “a gifted storyteller with family roots in Strathcona.”
Don’t forget the Edmonton chapter of the Online News Association launches this Thursday at the Mercer Tavern at 7pm.
The latest Giants of Edmonton mural will be revealed tomorrow at noon at Capilano Centre. It honors five local sports announcers: Ernie Afaganis, Bryan Hall, Al McCann, Rod Phillips, and John Short.
Here’s an open memo to the BuzzFeed team from Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti. I like the approach, and it’s interesting to read just how ambitious BuzzFeed is.
Via Stacey Brotzel: “Best. News. Promo. Ever. (from Utah)”:

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.

Make Something Edmonton moves forward with 8 recommendations

Today the Mayor’s Task Force on Image and Reputation submitted its final report to Executive Committee. The task force is better known by its adopted name, Make Something Edmonton. In summarizing the work that has been done thus far and recommending next steps, the report draws the task force to a close and marks the start of Make Something Edmonton as a more official thing. Exactly what that thing is however, must still be determined.

Here are the recommendations outlined in the report (which you can download here):

Adopt Edmonton’s Brand
Open the Make Something Edmonton Office
Preserve and Maintain the Citizen-Driven Focus
Recognize and Reward Excellence: The Builders Prize
Promote a “Make Something” Culture
Appoint a Make Something Edmonton “Champion”
Implement an Image and Reputation Strategy
Create and Activate Ambassador & Mentor Networks

Some of these recommendations are obvious while others are a little more interesting.

The first recommendation would see “Make Something Edmonton” become Edmonton’s “brand platform”, the foundation for an image and reputation strategy. This doesn’t necessarily mean that “Make Something Edmonton” replaces “City of Champions” as some have suggested, but it does assert that the story behind MSE is our brand.

The second recommendation calls for the creation of an organization similar in structure to the Edmonton Arts Council, perhaps operating under the umbrella of EEDC. The purpose of the office would be “to develop the words, the tools, and the expertise” to help existing organizations and Edmontonians in general to launch new businesses, promote events and initiatives, and attract others to our city. It would guide the brand. The third recommendation is obvious and somewhat related, calling for an advisory council with representatives from a broad range of sectors.

The fourth recommendation is to create The Builders Prize, an annual cash prize to recognize MSE projects. “$30,000 will be awarded to one outstanding and completed Make Something Edmonton project. The recipient of the $30,000 prize will then award four $5,000 Catalyst Prizes to other Make Something Edmonton projects in progress.” I love the twist there – the grand prize winner must award the smaller prizes.

The fifth recommendation is again fairly obvious, and also probably the most difficult to action. Some suggestions include offering a MSE award as part of the Awards of Excellence, and embedding “What are you making? How can we help?” on City of Edmonton business cards.

I’m perhaps most excited to see the sixth recommendation, which calls for a “champion” to operate out of the City Manager’s office. This person’s job would be something like an ombudsperson for MSE. They would help navigate City of Edmonton bylaws and rules, and would work to streamline things for future makers. City Manager Simon Farbrother has endorsed this idea.

The seventh recommendation is really for the organization created out of recommendation #2 and its to implement a strategy and communications plan. As a result of this you should see the brand story and image appear throughout communications from all of Edmonton’s prominent organizations, businesses and institutions.

The final recommendation is really something the task force has already been doing. The idea is to create “an informal training program” to go out and tell the MSE story to anyone who will listen. An addition would be the mentor network, made up of people who have already made and built things in Edmonton, to help new makers get their own ideas off the ground.

The report concludes with:

This is only the beginning of Make Something Edmonton. The first phase of our work was to discover the Edmonton Story and to activate it with early adopters. Now we begin to actively find – to use marketing parlance – the “early majority.”

It also promised a new website and advertising campaign to launch this fall.

I feel like the report and recommendations address many of the concerns I raised in my post from July. Executive Committee this morning decided to request that a funding package be put forward as part of the budget in order to move these recommendations forward. I think this is an initiative that deserves ongoing support from the City of Edmonton, even if it ultimately lives with EEDC or elsewhere, and I am optimistic that Council feels the same way.

Kudos to everyone involved with Make Something Edmonton on progressing to this point!

Edmonton Notes for 9/8/2013

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

The first-ever Tour of Alberta wrapped up today with 23-year-old Rohan Dennis of Australia taking the win. More than 115 cyclists competed, including the winner of the 2011 Tour de France. The event started here in Edmonton on Tuesday, causing traffic delays around the city. Here are some photos from Metro.
School’s back in session, and for some that means big changes. It all boils down to an ever-expanding city and challenges in keeping schools open.
In case you missed it: Edmonton’s love affair with suburbs can’t endure, researcher warns. “From 2006 to 2011, 86 per cent of all population growth in Edmonton occurred in auto suburbs, areas where almost all residents commute by automobile.”
Edmonton will soon have a direct flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, making it faster and easier to access more than 20 European destinations. Icelandair begins regular scheduled service in March 2014.
Somewhat related: EIA has a fancy new responsive website!
I am thrilled that Edmonton now has three legal graffiti walls!
Here’s an update from the University of Alberta on the budget situation. “The University of Alberta is a resilient, creative organization that effectively uses its resources to benefit all Albertans, and will continue to do so despite current budget challenges, said acting-provost Martin Ferguson-Pell.”
Nomination day is September 23 which means the City is getting ready and you should too.
The City of Edmonton’s CFO Lorna Rosen wrote a blog post this week, ostensibly about the LRT. Make it to the end however, and you’ll realize it’s actually all about funding the downtown arena.
Some sad news to report: a fire caused an estimated $350,000 in damage at the Bissell Centre’s Thrift Shoppe on Monday.
New show homes are now open in Oxford, “the first large subdivision where the City of Edmonton set environmental standards that apply to every home.”
Among other things, City Council’s Executive Committee will be discussing the Make Something Edmonton report tomorrow. It contains a number of recommendations, including the creation of a “champions office”.
The Eskimos lost to Calgary on Friday, falling to 1-9 in the process. It’s the second worst start in team history (the 1971 team opened the season with a 1-10 record).
MacEwan University has a new brand look and identity. I quite like the new logo and combination of colors. Here’s the new brand story to go along with it.

Here are some upcoming events:

Nerd Nite Edmonton begins a new season on Thursday at the Citadel Theatre.
Also Thursday is the Summer Streetcar Show!
The new E-Town festival gets underway on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre. It wraps up on Friday evening.
Alberta Avenue comes alive once again for the Kaleido Family Arts Festival, taking place Friday through Sunday. A big part of Sunday is Fiesta Latina.
Will the Eskimos drop another one and tie their worst season start ever? We’ll find out on Saturday when they play Winnipeg at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Mercer Collective Makers Market returns on Saturday.
Also Saturday is EPL Squared, an outdoor library festival taking place in Churchill Square.
DECL is holding its annual CornFest event at Beaver Hills Park on Saturday afternoon.
FC Edmonton hosts the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Clarke Stadium on Sunday.
Save the date for our biggest What the Truck?! event ever: Friday, September 20 at Churchill Square!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Great photo of Capilano Park by Robert.

Edmonton Election 2013: Update #4

On tonight’s #yegvote Hangout we had special guest Kathleen Smith join us! You’ll probably know her better as KikkiPlanet, her sassy online persona. We talked all about signs, the race in Ward 5, candidates’ use of social media, and Kathleen’s own political ambitions. It was a fun hour – thanks for joining us Kathleen! Check out the video at YouTube or embedded here:

Here’s my latest election news roundup:

I’ve started curating election-related news using Flipboard. Check out the #yegvote 2013 magazine and let me know if you have any feedback!
I’m also aggregating election-related events over at ShareEdmonton. If you have an event to add, let me know or use the form.
There are a lot of little tidbits in this article from the Journal: First week in September marks unofficial start to Edmonton election season.
Did you catch Karen Leibovici’s Telephone Town Hall tonight? I listened in for a bit. There were concerns about roads, lack of public consultation, public transit safety, and much more. It was interesting that they used the opportunity to capture quick polling information from callers. If you missed it, there’ll be another in early October.
The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has surveyed their membership to identify their key issues: Infrastructure, Debt/Fiscal/Taxes, and Regional Cooperation.
It feels like the big thing to happen this week was signs. We’re seeing a lot more of them popping up around the city. And we’re also hearing more and more about sign theft.
Jamie Post has announced he is running in Ward 1. Here’s the Journal article about it.
Ward 11 candidate Max Merrett has dropped out of the race due to personal health issues. Hope you’re ok Max!
Ward 5 candidate Dan St. Pierre posted an interesting piece today on transparency and expenses. “If I am elected to City Council, and if the current Council has not yet addressed the issue of expense disclosures, I will reach out to and work with my fellow City Councillors to put into place bylaw and policy that makes it mandatory for the Mayor and Councillors to publicly disclose their expenses.” Hey Dan, please make sure that mandatory disclosure happens via the Open Data Catalogue!
CBC is looking for your feedback. What would you ask the mayoral candidates?
There’s a couple new responses to The Local Good’s questionnaire: Tish Prouse in Ward 7, Jim Gibbon in Ward 5, and Candas Jane Dorsey in Ward 6.
Here are some new profiles from Ryan Hastman: Nita Jalkanen in Ward 2, Kyle Brown in Ward 6, and St. Albert City Council candidate Gilles Prefontaine.
Mustafa Ali launched his campaign in Ward 2 recently. He’s focusing on crime.
It seems the Edmonton Sun will print just about anything. Here’s a piece by Lorne Gunter: Edmonton does not need another ‘big spending visionary’. I couldn’t help myself and wrote a quick response last night.
Keep an eye on this student-related website: Your City. Your Vote. Should be launching later this month.
Here’s another blog post on a topic we’re going to hear much more about during this election – urban sprawl. “Who wants to make Edmonton not only one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, but also one of the SMARTEST growing cities in Canada?”
Nomination day is just over two weeks away. Check out the latest list of declared candidates here.

Photo by Paul

You can follow Edmonton Election news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegvote and you can see my coverage here.

What have I missed? Let me know!

Disclosure: I’m actively volunteering for Don Iveson’s mayoral campaign.

E-Town celebrates entrepreneurship in Edmonton

e-town Next week a new festival takes place in our city called E-Town. Billed as “an intensive two-day festival of ideas for entrepreneurial-minded people who get excited by innovation, change and disrupting common thought,” the event is being organized by EEDC and takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre next Thursday and Friday.

“E-Town is built on an existing regional strength—a tenacious entrepreneurial spirit. The festival features not only a reflection on past learnings and stories, but a launching ground for ideas, change, self-growth and relationships. Attendees won’t be disappointed to meet and join the people in their city who didn’t just talk about their business ideas or leave them on a cocktail napkin. They put their ideas into action to get them where they are today.”

Tickets for the event are $299, but the impressive lineup of speakers should make that easy to stomach. You’ll get to hear from musician David Usher, astronaut Chris Hadfield, former WestJet president and CEO Sean Durfy, former Apple chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki, bitly’s chief scientist Hilary Mason, and founder of The Webby Awards Tiffany Shlain. On top of that is a series of panels and breakout sessions, and a concert featuring the Barenaked Ladies.

I asked EEDC CEO Brad Ferguson for some additional details on how the event came about and what attendees should expect. “We wanted to go bold,” he told me. “It speaks to brand development and confidence in Edmonton.” Brad explained that the idea was to bring the entrepreneurial community together, to celebrate entrepreneurship in Edmonton. “EEDC has the ability to assemble, to germinate the idea,” Brad said. They brought a group of local organizations focused on entrepreneurship together and said, “let’s go do something.” Co-hosting with EEDC are the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Startup Edmonton, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, TEC Edmonton, Junior Achievement, JCI Edmonton, Capital Ideas, Alberta Enterprise & Advanced Education, Alberta Enterprise Group, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Make Something Edmonton, and the Edmonton Executives Association.

It was important to the organizers for the event to be about more than just business. They wanted a mix of arts, creativity, business, entertainment, and education. “We are aligned by mindset rather than industry,” Brad told me. He cited C2MTL, LeWeb, and InnoTown as events that are similar in spirit to what E-Town hopes to become.

Commander Chris Hadfield will kick things off with a keynote on Thursday at 5:15pm. The Food Truck Fest (featuring Bully, Drift, Eva Sweet, La Poutine, Smokehouse BBQ, The Crooked Fork, The Food Fighter, and Yellowbird Café) and Barenaked Ladies concert will follow. The remainder of the keynotes and sessions take place during the day Friday, with local musician Martin Kerr closing the show at 6pm that evening. Check out the full schedule here.

One of the interesting things E-Town is doing differently is sponsorship. They’re really trying to get the speakers engaged and participating in the event instead of just plastering their logo all over it. Sponsors can choose to take part in the Emerging Questions Panel and then get interactive in what are called “exploration sessions”. Think whiteboards and interactive panels rather than talking heads. Sponsors on board include ATB Financial, the City of Edmonton, Parlee McLaws LLP, PWC, and Rogers.

While EEDC is supporting the festival for the first year, the goal is to have it both grow and become sustainable in future years. “We want to break even this year, and build the brand,” Brad said. In future years, additional days and locations could be added, making the event even more of a festival. More than 1000 attendees are expected to take part in the inaugural event, most of whom would likely be locals. That’ll change in future years as well.

I asked Brad why people should attend E-Town, and he responded with a question that has driven much of the event’s planning: “What do you feel the least prepared for?” The conference is an opportunity to explore what’s changing, and to get inspired by what’s possible. Don’t stay comfortable with the status quo, is the message. Brad also promised some surprises for attendees once they get inside (think of the impressive stage from this year’s Economic Impact Luncheon, amped up). “We want to show off what we can do with digital!”

As for EEDC, Brad says E-Town is an opportunity to “take economic development in a new direction.” They’re striving to provide value for money but also to make a statement. “We want to get people talking about it.”

Be sure to check out the E-Town news page for lots of additional information and updates. You can also follow @etownfest on Twitter and Facebook. And if you’d like to attend, get your tickets here.

Edmonton Election 2013: Update #3

Today’s guest on the EdmontonPolitics.com #yegvote Hangout was Councillor Don Iveson. As you know he’s running for mayor this time, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to grill him on a number of subjects. Here’s the archived video:

We look forward to chatting with the other mayoral candidates in upcoming episodes!

Here’s my latest election news roundup:

Mayoral candidate Curtis Penner dropped out of the race yesterday. “I have decided that I can better pursue my passion and serve the Edmonton community by focusing my efforts solely on the fight to retain our rights to our parkland,” he said.
Check out Dave’s list of declared candidates, last updated today. Councillor Ed Gibbons now has a challenger in Ward 4 as Sam Hachem has declared his intention to run. Still no challengers for councillors Henderson, Anderson, and Sohi.
The first major mayoral forum took place on Tuesday night! Hosted by the Urban Development Institute and the local chapter of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, the forum had some particularly memorable moments. Kerry Diotte declared: “I don’t believe there is any real form of urban sprawl here.” Karen Leibovici took a similar stance: “I don’t believe we’re an example of urban sprawl. We’re an example of responsible urban growth.” Both candidates were roasted on Twitter for the statements, and in the blogosphere too. CBC has a Storify of all the action here.
One of the things Karen Leibovici announced during the forum was her Red Tape Elimination Commission, intended to “clean up unnecessary and costly barriers” for developers. She also talked about a Mayor’s Development Forum.
Though it’s extremely unlikely he’ll lose his seat, Amarjeet Sohi is going to be campaigning just the same. He launched @VoteSohi on Twitter this week.
Don Iveson wrote a surprisingly hopeful entry about LRT expansion, urging transit advocates “not to lose heart”.
Here is Paula’s take on the LRT decision Council made this week (to continue lobbying the feds and province for money). I don’t think there will be a lack of discussion about the LRT during this election, but Paula’s right – the problem isn’t with our municipal representatives. We need to find a way to get the other orders of government on board and contributing their share.
Kerry Diotte wrote about fixing Edmonton’s drainage systems this week. “City Hall has to better address core services such as drainage and the terrible condition of our streets,” he wrote.
See, ActivatED aren’t the only ones making endorsements! Kathleen Smith, better known as KikkiPlanet, announced on Sunday that she’ll be supporting Karen Leibovici for mayor. “I truly believe she is the only candidate that can both build AND safeguard our future,” Kathleen wrote.
ActivatED has announced they are not endorsing Bryan Anderson in Ward 9 because he does not meet the group’s definition of progressive. They did endorse Dan St. Pierre in Ward 5, however.
Could the new Council reverse course on some contentious issues? Sure, but it’s highly unlikely in my opinion. Our next mayor is almost certainly going to be one of the three current councillors who are running, which will make it difficult for a rookie councillor to steer the group in another direction.
Do you think it’s easy to make priorities? Ryan Hastman tackles that question in a recent post. He’s also got new profiles: Heather MacKenzie in Ward 6 and Ted Grand in Ward 2.
Here’s a new post from Ward 10 candidate Michael Walters on Fairness for Edmonton.
There are new candidate responses to The Local Good’s questionnaire! Here they are: Ted Grand in Ward 2, Ed Gibbons in Ward 4, Dan St. Pierre in Ward 5, Dan Johnstone in Ward 10, Bryan Anderson in Ward 9, Dexx Williams in Ward 6, and Andrew Knack in Ward 1.
Check out the Edmonton Wayfinding Project’s challenge for mayoral candidates.
I’m not really sure why she chose a Facebook event to do so, but Linda Sloan has decommissioned her public Facebook account.
Like many others, I was unhappy with the decision Council made this week on the old Molson Brewery site. Jamie captured it well. “Don’t be afraid, current and future Councillors, to say ‘no’ once and awhile, and show them that the risk they perceive, might just be a great development that a community wholeheartedly wants.”

You can follow Edmonton Election news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegvote and you can see my coverage here.

What have I missed? Let me know!

Disclosure: I’m actively volunteering for Don Iveson’s mayoral campaign.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #87

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

There’s a new podcast in town! Sarah O’Donnell, Graham Thomson, Paula Simons and other Edmonton Journal reporters have launched The Press Gallery, a political podcast.
With Heather McInytre’s departure from Metro, they’re looking for a new Digital Reporter. Check out the job posting in PDF here.
Kerry Powell took to Facebook to post some thoughts about getting laid off at the Journal. “My next job, whatever it is, will have a hard act to follow. But I’m excited to figure out what it could be and, in time, to leap back in to the workplace.”
Congratulations to Elise Stolte, now on maternity leave from the Edmonton Journal after the birth of Marc Evan! He’s so cute!
Here’s a recap of How to survive a crisis, the most recent Capital Ideas panel.
Are bloggers ruining the analysis of hockey? Interesting discussion over at the Copper & Blue blog about that very topic.
Gig City took a look at the practice of assigning Fringe reviews a star rating and the impact it can have.
Global Edmonton’s Lorraine Mansbridge recently did a feature with the Toronto Sun’s Celebrity Spaces.
A reminder that the Online News Association’s Edmonton chapter launch event is coming up on September 12. Follow them on Twitter at @ONAYeg.
The Spruce Grove Examiner and Stony Plain Reporter are looking for a full-time multimedia news reporter. The deadline to apply is Friday.
Ward 11 candidate Mujahid Chak was the founder of the first Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi radio show in Edmonton and was a founding member of CKER Radio (101.7 World FM).
I saw the new Shaw store in Calgary when I was there a couple of weeks ago, and now there’s one here in Edmonton at Southgate Mall.
This is without question the best thing I’ve read about the now infamous Miley Cyrus performance at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. You can always count on The Onion to tell it like it is. Honorable mention to the Globe and Mail for Hannah Montana’s obituary.

Today at lunch a handful of local media personalities gathered in Churchill Square for a fun ping pong doubles tournament! I was fortunate enough to be paired with Citytv’s Ryan Jespersen, though we lost to 630 CHED’s Scott Johnston and CBC’s Mark Connolly. Over on the other table, the Edmonton Journal’s Brittney Le Blanc and Metro’s Ryan Tumilty were defeated by CTV’s Graham Neil and the Edmonton Sun’s Linda Hoang. In the final game, it was Scott and Mark that took the victory. Good game guys!

Scott & Mark do a celebratory fist bump

The media tournament was just the warm-up of course – the main event was Mayor Stephen Mandel versus EEDC CEO Brad Ferguson. The mayor was playing in support of the Abbottsfield Recreational Centre Society, while Brad chose to support Junior Achievement. The audience was encouraged to wager loonies or toonies on the winner, with all the proceeds going to their respective charities. Donovan Workun emceed the event and did a fantastic job of keeping it entertaining. In the end, Brad was the winner by two points!

Mayor Mandel and Brad Ferguson discuss their match

It was a fun way to spend the lunch hour – thanks to EEDC for the opportunity to participate! You can see a few more photos and a video here.

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 8/25/2013

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

The Fringe officially wrapped up today with another record-breaking year! More than 700,000 people attended (up from 680,000 in 2012 and 576,000 in 2011), and a total of 117,618 tickets were sold (surpassing last year’s tally of 112,006). Check out the holdovers here, and check out the news release in PDF here. You may also be interested in the Festival Review Aggregator.
For the second year in a row, amateur star Lydia Ko won the CN Canadian Women’s Open title. The tournament was held at Edmonton’s Royal Mayfair Golf Club and raised $2.7 million for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
ETS celebrated a milestone with Route 747 this month: 100,000 passengers have been transported between Century Park and the Edmonton International Airport. It’s a great service, I have used it many times.
The U of A is cutting costs to deal with budgetary pressures, but one place they’re spending more than ever is government and corporate relations. The school spends $850,000 a year!
A report on Edmonton’s post-secondary economy is now available from EEDC. Here’s the PDF.
There’s a big decision on the Southeast LRT line coming up this week. A one-year delay would add up to $70 million in inflationary costs, according to the City.
Council will also be deciding on what to do with the former Molson Brewery site this week. While the developers plans may be an improvement over Oliver Square, they don’t go far enough for critics like the Oliver Community League.
August 23 was declared Treaty 6 Day in Edmonton to honor City ties with Aboriginal communities.
The Edmonton Marathon took place bright and early this morning. CBC has a good Storify of the event.
EPS Chief Rod Knecht would support a proposal to hang out tickets for illegal possession of small amounts of marijuana. “If we’re looking for efficiencies and there’s no decriminalization or legalizing, I support it,” he said.
Tempers rose yet again this week at a community meeting about the proposed supportive housing project in Terwillegar Towne.
The City of Edmonton has created a new leadership program for youth between 13 and 17 called Community HEROs. HEROs stands for health, empowerment, responsibility and opportunity.
Are you an engineer? ERIEC is looking for mentors for their upcoming Speed Career Networking event. I have participated as a mentor in the past, and I can tell you it’s worthwhile!
Here’s a small write-up on EPL’s Makerspace.
Sportsnet announced its 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers regional broadcast schedule this week. They’ll be featuring 59 regular season games, including 9 all-Canadian matchups.
Marshalls arrived in Edmonton this week, opening new locations at South Edmonton Common and Manning Town Centre. They are the first two stores in the province.
Here’s a great story about Kevan Lyons, known as The Poet of Churchill Square. He has a book of poems available at Tix on the Square for $20, or you can buy it directly from the man himself in Churchill Square.
Get out there and meet Brittney if you haven’t!
From Emerson Csorba: Why Alberta Needs Less Complacency and More Young Entrepreneurs.
There’s much more news available in the blog post headlines and news release headlines over at ShareEdmonton.

Matt Gibbs came up with the idea of the Edmonton Freezeway for his master’s degree thesis, and it recently won the top prize in the Coldscapes international design competition. The idea is to build a year round greenway and winter skating lane. Pretty neat idea! Here’s a video explaining the concept:

Here are some upcoming events:

Head down to Churchill Square tomorrow (Monday) at lunch for an epic ping pong battle! Mayor Mandel and EEDC’s Brad Ferguson will go head-to-head following a demo by the Edmonton Table Tennis Club and a series of local personality doubles matches featuring Brittney Le Blanc, Mark Connolly, Ryan Jespersen, Ryan Tumilty, Scott Johnston, yours truly, Graham Neil, and Linda Hoang. The event will be emceed by Donovan Workun and attendees are encouraged to wager loonie/toonie bets for charity. The mayor has chosen to support the Abbottsfield Recreational Centre Society, Brad has chosen to support Junior Achievement. See you there!
The U of A’s Office of Sustainability is hosting another Campus Sustainability Tour on Wednesday at lunch.
Symphony Under the Sky kicks off on Friday evening at Hawrelak Park!
Movies on the Square returns this weekend, with epic on the 30th and Goonies on the 31st.
We hope you’ll come out to our Parkade Party on Saturday evening! We’ve got lots of fun things lined up for the Vinci 103 Parkade between 103 Street and 104 Street just south of Jasper Avenue.
The New York Cosmos are in town on Sunday to take on FC Edmonton.
The Tour of Alberta takes place in Edmonton on Tuesday, September 3. The City is encouraging you to plan ahead because several streets in and around the downtown core will be closed to traffic that day. Expect major delays!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.ca. Enjoy your long weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park on Saturday evening!

Photo by Dave Feltham

Edmonton Election 2013: Update #2

Here’s my latest election news roundup:

Pretty shocking news last Friday when Councillor Linda Sloan changed her mind and decided not to seek re-election in Ward 1. She has been on Council since 2007. Her departure leaves Andrew Knack as the frontrunner. Barely an hour after the news broke, Sharon Maclise switched her candidacy from Ward 6 to Ward 1. Let’s hope no other candidates try to top that opportunistic and self-serving move. Here is Paul Simons’ column on Linda Sloan.
Dave’s list of declared candidates was updated yesterday. Still no challengers in Wards 4, 8, 9, or 12. Arif Khan has dropped out of the race in Ward 5, while Nathan Ip is a new candidate in Ward H for Public School Board Trustee.
This is really great news for vulnerable Edmontonians: the City is adding a polling station to the Boyle Street Community Centre, allowing staff to vouch for individuals who don’t have ID but who still want to vote.
While Mayor Mandel’s busy schedule hasn’t changed much (he’s still very much the mayor, active around town at dozens of events) he has become a little more openly critical of City Administration. On Wednesday, he called the transportation department a “dictator”.
Here’s a profile of Ward 11 candidate Harvey Panesar. Asked about what Edmonton should look like in a decade, he said Calgary: “we have to have that vibrancy that Calgary has.”
ActivatED has decided against endorsing a candidate in Ward 10. They have endorsed Heather MacKenzie in Ward 6, and Max Merrett in Ward 11.
Here are some additional candidate profiles from Ryan Hastman: Mike Nickel in Ward 11, Hafis Devji in Ward 10, David Dodge in Ward 3, and Mimi Williams in Ward 7.
The Local Good has received more questionnaire responses! Read answers from Jason Millar in Ward 2, David Dodge in Ward 3, Rob Hennigar in Ward 5, Michael Oshry in Ward 5, and Derrick Forsythe in Ward 6.
Terence Harding says “civic politics in Edmonton aren’t transparent” and encourages you to tweet questions to candidates.
Will everyone on Council continue working until October 21? It’s business as usual, they say.
Thinking about hosting an election forum in your ward? EFCL wants to help.
Ward 6 candidate Scott McKeen doesn’t have a campaign office, he has a campaign gallery.
Ward 5 candidate Dan St. Pierre has posted about why he’s running for Council.
Ward 7 candidate Dave Colburn is running a survey on campaign finances.
From Ward 10 candidate Zack Siezmagraff: I Don’t Have All The Answers (and neither does anyone else).
Head over to City Hall on Tuesday for a spin class with Councillors Don Iveson and Amarjeet Sohi!
Kerry Diotte is hosting a tweetup tonight at O’Byrne’s Pub on Whute Avenue.
Don Iveson was recently at the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Shapers conference, sharing Edmonton’s story. He’s also got a public event tonight with an open house at Duchess.
Karen Leibovici says Edmonton is a national leader in reducing light pollution.
Both Karen and Don have written about the Rossdale Power Plant recently.
I’m currently building an “election command centre” in my home office, but I’m not the only one redecorating before October 21!

How does a #yegvote geek decorate her home? Well, maybe like this. New addition to the photo wall. pic.twitter.com/lDiS5P62GW

— Julie Rohr (@JulieRohrYEG) August 20, 2013

You can follow Edmonton Election news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegvote and you can see my coverage here.

What have I missed? Let me know!

Disclosure: I’m actively volunteering for Don Iveson’s mayoral campaign.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #86

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Ok this isn’t local, but it’s scary stuff so I’m starting with it. Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger’s latest column shows just how far UK officials are willing to go to stop further reporting on the Snowden leaks. There’s an absolute ton of coverage of this story at Mediagazer.
You’ll recall from a couple weeks ago that today was the start of big changes on 630 CHED. Tencer and Grose began today, as did the afternoon show with J’lyn Nye and Mark Scholz.

The gangs all here! @TencerandGrose @markscholz4 looking forward to Monday on @630ched #yegmedia #yeg pic.twitter.com/1QfllpDMcR

— J’lyn Nye (@JlynNye) August 16, 2013

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Speaking of Scholz, he’s finally on Twitter: welcome Mark!
Here’s an interview J’lyn and Mark did with CTV Morning Live about the new show.
Heather McIntyre will be leaving Metro Edmonton at the end of next week. After three years, she has decided to accept a role in communications and marketing at EPL. Congrats Heather!
Here’s a Gig City feature on former journalist Scott McKeen, currently running for council in ward 6.
The Journal launched its slimmer, shorter format today. They’re in transition over the next two weeks, after which the changes will be permanent across the city. The paper will then be solely printed by Great West Newspapers in St. Albert.
Interesting approach from the Edmonton Journal this weekend:

Here are a couple of media-related entries from Vintage Edmonton: 630 CHED Launch (1993) (new format anyway), and CJCA Shuts Down (1993).
Linda Hoang in the Edmonton Sun last week: “We have a YouTube star in our midst, Edmonton.” Great story about Daniela Andrade.
Grant Ainsley is providing media relations training on September 24 at the AGA.
Undercover Boss has come to Edmonton! Northlands CEO Richard Andersen filmed an episode in March. It will air September 26 on W Network.
Here’s a new publication I recently came across: Marker. Anyone know anything about it?
Jake Ryan is back on the radiowaves in the evenings on HOT 107.
Just a few days left to apply for the editor-in-chief position at the Edmonton Journal. It’ll be very interesting to see who fills the role.
Twitter is now displaying headlines underneath tweets on permalink pages. The headlines are basically reciprocal links for sites that embed the tweet (though it’s not clear if all sites embedding a tweet will be included). Another step closer to becoming a news organization?
It’s a bit long, but I enjoyed this video: Print Is Not Dead.

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.

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