Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council approved a plan to transition the Edmonton EXPO Centre to the City of Edmonton from Northlands. “This will facilitate the consolidation of the EXPO Centre and Shaw Conference Centre” and is expected to occur January 1, 2018.
• The eastbound right turn lane from Jasper Avenue to 109 Street southbound has been re-opened to traffic because apparently 34 seconds of delay for motorists was too high a cost for pedestrian safety. “Preliminary traffic data on the project has indicated a minimal delay,” the City news release says, noting that traffic volumes are expected to increase in the fall.
• Also this week, City Council approved Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy. The plan “will guide future planning for parks and open space, ensuring all neighbourhoods are supported by high-quality, accessible, connected open spaces.”
• BuzzFeed featured our beach this week: Edmonton’s New Hot Spot Is An Accidental Beach. It’s actually on Google Maps now. Here is Paula’s take on the beach and its ephemeral joy. On the other hand, high levels of E. coli have prompted a warning about water quality. The City has since placed extra garbage cans and porta-potties on the trails near the beach.
• City Hall’s 25th Anniversary was marked this week at a lunchtime ceremony featuring architect Gene Dub and former mayor Jan Reimer. “Home of our civic leadership and a ‘people place’ – this iconic building is a much-loved gathering place for the community.”
• The City is gearing up for fall and back-to-school with reminders for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians “to watch out for each other during their travels.” They’re focusing in particular around the new Downtown Bike Network.
• Fall service changes for Edmonton Transit start on Tuesday, September 5. “Changes include restoring seasonal trips that were reduced in July, such as school specials and post-secondary routes.” This month is the busiest time of year for transit users.
• Here’s the Globe and Mail on Trudeau’s latest cabinet shuffle: “Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault is charged with handling LGBT issues. Edmonton’s other Liberal MP, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, is virtually invisible. Albertans can rightly wonder how well their interests are represented in this government.”
• The Province is “moving very quickly” to get approval for Edmonton’s proposed supervised injection sites. The goal is to get them up and running by the winter.
• The Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board is calling for a central hub to offer better connections to other transportation options as well as the possibility of a seasonal ferry on the river.
• From the how-is-that-even-possible department, MacEwan University lost $11.8 million to scammers in a phishing attack. The money was owed to Clark Builders for work on the new Allard Hall.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

City Hall is 25 years young

Upcoming Events

• If you missed the Tour of Alberta today, you can catch the last day tomorrow (Monday) downtown.
• TEC Edmonton is launching a new accelerator program with Merck Canada on Tuesday at lunch.
• Alberta Together is hosting an event with former mayor Stephen Mandel on Wednesday discussing Alberta’s future in 2020 and beyond.
• High Level Lit, a collaboration between Eighteen Bridges magazine, LitFest, and the Edmonton Community Foundation, takes place on Wednesday evening.
• Rapid Fire Theatre is launching its 2017/2018 season with a party on Thursday evening at the Citadel Theatre.
• Metro Cinema is launching its 2017/2018 season on Friday night at the Garneau Theatre with a screening of Casablanca.
• What the Truck?! is taking place on Saturday at Capital Boulevard (by the Federal Building fountains) from noon until 7pm.
• Also Saturday is the Strathearn Art Walk and Latitude 53’s Homecoming party.
• Head over to City Hall on Saturday to celebrate Daughters Day.
• The next edition of the popular Edmonton Chinatown Walking Tour takes place on Sunday morning.
• Summer is not over yet! Check out Taproot Edmonton’s 2017 Summer Festival & Event Guide for more great upcoming events.

Edmonton, Alberta, photo by Jeff Wallace

I can’t believe August is coming to a close! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• City Council will vote Tuesday on a pay cut for councillors and the mayor. An independent committee recommended reducing the mayor’s salary by nearly $18,000 and councillors’ salaries by about $3,300 annually.
• We’re a long way from Charlottesville but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from gathering at the Legislature to denounce hate and bigotry. Here in Edmonton, some activists are calling on the City to drop Frank Oliver’s name because he “was instrumental in forcing Indigenous people off their traditional lands.”
• According to a new report, EEDC is “willing and able” to take over the Edmonton Expo Centre from Northlands if the City decides that’s what is best. Deloitte Canada’s recommendation was to transfer the Expo Centre to EEDC.
• Have an idea for “a permanent place of attraction” here in Edmonton? Think of a physical structure of some kind that “shows what Edmonton is made of.” Submit it by October 25 to The Edmonton Project.
• The City is accepting member-at-large applications for the Capital Line South LRT Extension Community Advisory Council. The deadline to apply is September 18. The extension would take the existing Capital Line from Century Park south to 41 Avenue SW with four additional stops.
• A recent article in the Globe and Mail referred to Calgary as “Alberta’s capital”. I thought the City’s response on Twitter was great!
• Simons has opened a new store in Edmonton at Londonderry Mall and it features 1,700 solar panels that will produce over 50% of the location’s energy.
• According to a new poll on the public’s perception of safety by Mainstreet Research, Edmonton is the 6th safest city in Canada. “57 per cent of Canadians believed Edmonton was safe while 33 per cent of those surveyed said it was unsafe.”
• The new Edmonton Police Northwest Campus will feature a gun range, the first increase in capacity at EPS firing ranges since 1982.
• A sign has been installed on Whyte Avenue to mark “Spur Line Alley” which is the pedestrian space between 104 Street and 105 Street along Whyte Avenue.
• Feeling musical? Head over to 118 Avenue to play one of the eight pianos that have now been setup!
• Big loss for the Esks on Friday night as they hosted the Roughriders. We’re now 7-2 on the season.
• Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s Edmonton in Bloom Awards. The City received 6,226 nominations for front yards this year.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Cloverdale Beach

Upcoming Events

• Mayor Iveson and other special guests are celebrating City Hall’s 25th anniversary on Monday at lunch.
• Learn about starting a business in tourism on Tuesday at the Business Link. The event features Chris Szydlowski, owner of River Valley Adventure Co. and Brad Smoliak, owner of Kitchen by Brad.
• This week’s Movies on the Square film is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Don’t miss it Tuesday evening in Churchill Square.
• Guns N’ Roses are performing at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday evening.
• Eats on 118 is taking place on Wednesday evening. It’s the last one of the year but given how popular it has been I’m sure it’ll return!
• The Edmonton Burlesque Festival starts on Thursday and runs through Saturday.
• Symphony Under the Sky is back for another year from Thursday through Sunday in Hawrelak Park.
• The annual Edmonton Zombie Walk takes place on Saturday at Churchill Square.
• This year’s edition of the Tour of Alberta runs September 1-4, with the final two stages taking place here in Edmonton.
• For more great summer events, check out Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event listing!
• Save the date! Our final What the Truck?! event of the season is coming up on Saturday, September 9 at Capital Boulevard! Here is the truck line-up.

Edmonton Skyline from McNally, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City has received a credit score of AA+ from Standard & Poor’s for the sixth consecutive year. That’s the second-highest possible rating. However, “Standard and Poor’s revised its yearly outlook from stable to negative and cautions that Edmonton could face a possible downgrade in its credit rating at some point in the next two years if the City increases its debt significantly.”
• Should our city’s “secret downtown beach” be made permanent? David Staples argues the beach, which appeared as an unintended consequence of Valley Line LRT construction, “should become a major attraction and a game-changer for the city.”
• Due to the delayed opening of the Walterdale Bridge, the City’s Touch the Water promenade project is on hold. Maybe we’ll need that beach after all.
• Have you ever seen the motorcycles parked outside the Tim Hortons on Whyte and wondered, what’s their story? Plenty of Taproot Edmonton members were curious about that, so we went and found out. Ryan Stephens wrote our latest story about how that parking lot helps connect a community.
• The Edmonton Oilers signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year deal worth $68 million this week. “While everyone knew that the big centreman needed a contract this summer, I don’t think that any of us would have guessed that things would drag on for this long,” wrote Baggedmilk at OilersNation. But, it’s done!
• According to a recent memo posted for City Council, the Metro Line LRT upgrades likely won’t be ready in time for back-to-school and the new target date to have all deficiencies addresses is the “end of 2017”.
• New details were made available this week on how the Valley Line LRT could affect intersections and traffic when it opens. “Five minutes to get over Whitemud Drive, one or two extra minutes at intersections all along 66 Street — the picture for anyone hoping to commute by car beside the Valley Line LRT by on opening day is a bit grim,” wrote Elise Stolte.
• A tree planted by Laurent and Eleanor Garneau more than 140 years ago is being removed for safety reasons. “What happens to the tree after its removal is being discussed by Métis groups, members of the U of A’s faculty of Native studies and other university stakeholders.”
• Here is Gig City’s review of the Metallica concert that took place at Commonwealth Stadium last week in front of 45,000 fans.
• There’s a new coffee shop downtown called Monument and it features plenty of local food options including Moonshine Donuts, Meat Street Pies, and Chocolate Haven.
• Friday was Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day. Mayor Iveson said the treaty is “a commitment to shared prosperity”.
• The solar eclipse will take place in Edmonton on Monday, August 21 from 10:24am to 12:40pm. Here are some tips on how to experience it.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Stantec/Mariott, photo by Darren Kirby

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival continues all week! Be sure to check out the #YEGFringe Daily Digest for all the latest reviews. Sign up to have it emailed to you daily here.
• Ignite Change 2017, “a global gathering for human rights defenders, protectors, promoters, facilitators,” takes place this week at MacEwan University.
• Movies on the Square takes place again on Tuesday evening with a screening of Beauty and the Beast.
• Feast on the Field takes place at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday evening.
• The City of Edmonton’s 2017 Summer Student Conference takes place on Thursday at City Hall.
• There’s a Public Art Picnic taking place at Borden Park on Thursday.
• The Edmonton Lebanese Festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Churchill Square.
• The Edmonton Blues Festival starts on Friday.
• Zoobrew, adult night at the Valley Zoo, takes place on Friday evening.
• Head over to MacKinnon Ravine Park on Saturday for the 4th annual planting in Edmonton’s River Valley Food Forest!
• Beaumont’s Rural Roots Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
• Viva Italia Viva Edmonton is back and takes place on Sunday!
• If you missed Open Farm Days this weekend, you might try the Northlands Urban Farm Tour on Sunday to make up for it!
• Despite the chill in the air this weekend, there are still plenty of great summer events to go! See them all in Taproot Edmonton’s summer festival & event guide.

Northside, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• A proposed city charter was released Thursday that contains 38 regulations intended to clarify laws and improve efficiency. “What it actually talks about is positive benefit for generations of Calgarians and Edmontonians,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi told a news conference. Mayor Don Iveson said: “This agreement fundamentally changes the dynamic between our governments and establishes a more mature working relationship. Edmonton and Calgary are being entrusted with more flexibility, more accountability.” The draft is open for public comment until October 10.
• The Edmonton Metropolitan Region’s new regional economic development entity will be known as Edmonton Global. It was incorporated as a separate Part 9 not-for-profit company in June of this year.
• Here is my latest roundup of Edmonton Election news. We’re publishing it regularly right through to Election Day on October 16.
• Thanks in part to the record-breaking crowd at the Heritage Festival, the Edmonton Food Bank surpassed its fundraising goal of 50,000 kg of food.
• The City is looking to establish citizen working groups along the Valley Line West corridor and is hosting a series of public meetings over the next two weeks to select the representatives. “Public input has played, and continues to play, an essential role in shaping the Valley Line LRT, from the identification of the corridor in 2009, through the development of the concept plan, to the completion of preliminary design in 2013.”
• The Edmonton Folk Music Festival decided to evacuate the grounds on Thursday night due to high winds and safety concerns. Here are the refund procedures, if you were affected.
• Four Edmonton-area restaurants made the list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants for 2017: Alder Room, Cafe Linnea, Chartier, and Bar Clementine.
• With a 27-20 win on Thursday evening, the Edmonton Eskimos remain undefeated with a 7-0 record this season! Should the team change its name though? “What better moment for us to lead on a different field of play,” wrote Paula Simons.
• The Edmonton Prospects are playing Swift Current for the league title for the second year in a row. Go Prospects!
• The City of Edmonton’s Youth Council is now accepting applications for Edmonton’s Youth Poet Laureate. “This position invites poets to share their distinct and creative voice to Edmonton for a one-year term.” The deadline to apply is September 5.
• Edmonton’s NextGen is accepting presentation submissions for Pecha Kucha Night 29 until September 17.
• This is very exciting news: Red Bull Crashed Ice will be returning to Edmonton next year on March 9 and 10!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Bike Lane Construction, photo by More Bike Lanes Please

Upcoming Events

• Edmonton Ghost Tours is running a series of tours in Old Strathcona from August 14 through 31. They’ve also organized a few Haunted Pub Walks!
• The Edmonton Career Fair & Training Expo takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
• VA Angels is celebrating its history and unveiling its new brand and direction on Tuesday afternoon at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• Movies on the Square is back on Tuesday evening with a screening of Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
• Thursday is Pixar Adult Access Night at the TELUS World of Science.
• The Edmonton International Fringe Festival kicks off on Thursday evening! Get prepared with Taproot’s #YEGFringe Daily Digest. Check out today’s edition here.
• The Edmonton Rock Music Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday.
• Head down into the river valley on the weekend for the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival.
• This year’s edition of the Edmonton Airshow takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Villeneuve Airport.
• Edmonton Ribfest takes place this weekend at Victoria Park.
• Also taking place Saturday and Sunday is the Edmonton Latin Festival and the Edmonton Marathon.
• The 88th and final running of the Canadian Derby at Northlands Park takes place on Saturday.
• Alberta Open Farm Days runs Saturday and Sunday throughout the province. The annual event “is about farmers and ranchers inviting their urban and rural neighbours to stop in for a visit to share stories, see demonstrations, and learn more about the farmers who grow their food.”
• Be sure to check out Taproot’s summer festival guide for even more great summer events!
• Save the date for the 2017 EPL Gala, an evening with Rex Murphy, taking place on September 14. All proceeds from the event will support the revitalization of the Stanley Milner library downtown.

Flow and Boundaries, photo by Jeff Wallace

Happy long weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton’s unemployment rate rose to 8.5% last month, up from 7.9% in June, as our city lost 4,000 mainly part-time jobs.
• The Globe and Mail wrote about Blatchford this week, noting that despite delays the heavy equipment is now at work. The City’s Mark Hall says the first residents of Blatchford could be moving into the community as early as winter 2018, and the entire neighbourhood, housing 30,000 residents, built out by 2037. Builders will be selected in the next couple of months.
• The City announced it has been posting photo radar locations to the Open Data catalog since the beginning of July. “The City of Edmonton reminds you that automated enforcement locations are subject to change due to weather, construction, and other circumstances.”
• Northlands CEO Tim Reid told Global Edmonton that he is “more confident than ever before that there is a great future for Northlands.” K-Days attendance was up again this year to 816,250 (it was 803,087 last year).
• A proposed amendment to the Municipal Government Act would give the City the power to tax derelict non-residential properties. This would be a really useful tool!
• The Edmonton Eskimos are now 6-0 with a 33-29 victory over Hamilton on Friday night!
• Our latest Taproot Edmonton story takes a look at the challenges of building a new home in an old neighbourhood. Often when we talk about infill people think about rowhouses or lot-splitting, but single-family housing that replaces aging housing stock is a key part of Edmonton’s infill strategy.
• I would certainly agree that Edmonton could benefit from more free public wi-fi! The City says an average of 11,000 people connect to Open City Wi-Fi each day. I do think networks like Shaw Open and Telus Wi-Fi diminish the need for the City-owned network, but not everyone can access that.
• AGLC is changing the rules to allow farmers markets to sell beer and spirits, but only at markets approved by Alberta Agriculture.
• Bathrooms at Rogers Place are being expanded to help alleviate the lineups that fans saw this past season.
• ETS has launched a new campaign called Let’s Keep Each Other Safe that “encourages riders to report unusual, suspicious or unsafe activities that could impact themselves or others.” It will run through September 30.
• Researchers at the U of A are developing a new walkability app for downtown Edmonton.
• If you’re unable to vote in person during the 2017 municipal election, you can now request a special ballot from Edmonton Elections.
• That was quite the summer storm yesterday! A severe thunderstorm caused localized flooding, knocked out power in a couple of areas, and started at least one fire.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• There’s one more day left for the Heritage Festival at Hawrelak Park! We had fun today, though it took a long time to get in – apparently we were among the record 147,000 who took a bus to the site between 10am and 4pm. You can see a neat visualization of the various booths and menu items here.
• Kurios by Cirque du Soleil continues at Northlands through Sunday.
• Movies on the Square is back! The first film is Moana on Tuesday evening.
• Alberta Women Entrepreneurs is hosting a two hour introductory workshop on the life of an entrepreneur on Tuesday evening.
• Wednesday evening is International Coworking Day and Homestead is using the opportunity to celebrate and to mark its first birthday!
• The second Downtown Sustainability Stroll takes place on Thursday at 4pm. Meet inside City Hall.
• The Edmonton Folk Music Festival kicks off on Thursday.
• The 2017 Sturgeon County Bounty Culinary Cookout takes place on Friday evening at Cardiff Park in Sturgeon County.
• Animethon takes place from Friday through Sunday.
• Cariwest also takes place on the weekend, and the parade starts at noon on Saturday.
• There’s an Instagrammable Walls of Edmonton Photo Walk taking place on Saturday in Chinatown.
• MADE for PETS, Edmonton’s first market for animals, takes place on Sunday at the Edmonton Humane Society.
• Sunday’s Chinatown Walking Tour is “sold out” so the organizers have added another date on August 27!
• Plan the rest of your summer with Taproot’s 2017 guide to summer festivals & events!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Smoke Midway at K-Days, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• After a number of heat warnings this week it’s no surprise that Alberta has set a new summer record for power consumption, at 10,852 megawatts. The previous record, 10,520 megawatts, was set just a few weeks ago on July 9.
• The Hope Mission’s Herb Jamieson Centre has been given the green light to be torn down and rebuilt in the same location at a cost of $16 million. “Instead of saturating one neighbourhood, we should be building transitional housing and long-term supportive housing throughout the city,” wrote Paula Simons. I agree, but that’s not what the Herb Jamieson Centre is – it’s an emergency shelter. There’s no easy answer here, but I think rebuilding in the same location is probably the right thing to do.
• Andrew Small writing for CityLab on Edmonton: “I wandered around Edmonton feeling there was something missing from my experience in the city: people.” Also: “People in Edmonton still clearly love their cars, and the city has the sprawl to prove it.”
• The federal government has delivered the first of two annual $109.5 million federal Gas Tax Fund installments to Alberta. Of the $220 million allotted to our province for 2017, Edmonton will receive nearly $49 million.
• According to a new Bloomberg survey of economists, Alberta’s GDP will rise by 2.9% this year, faster than any other region in Canada. “It’s a huge comeback from Alberta’s last place finish in each of the last two years when oil prices plummeted below $50 a barrel, triggering layoffs and an investment freeze that shrank GDP by about 4 percent.”
• The Eskimos are having a great season so far – they’re 5-0 after another win on Friday evening! In fact, the Eskimos have “now won 10-1 in the last 11 regular season games.”
• Let’s hope the Esks’ success isn’t a season too soon as the 2018 Grey Cup will be played in Edmonton!
• The City has recognized employees from five departments for their environmental efforts at the 9th annual Charles Labtiuk Awards. In the news release, City Manager Linda Cochrane said: “Our employees understand the importance of reducing the impact of the City’s work on the environment, and they look for new and creative ways to do that. I’m proud of all of them.”
• Edmonton Police seized 130,000 fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $3.9 million recently, the largest in Canada.
• Elise has the scoop on Mayor Don Iveson’s re-election campaign launch. “Iveson said next to the economy, transportation and redevelopment will be a key focus for his campaign.”
• Here’s the City’s statement on safety measures at stormwater ponds: “The City has 183 stormwater ponds which undergo routine inspection and maintenance to ensure they meet all current safety and operating standards. Stormwater ponds on average are inspected 12 times a year. Water levels, quality, bank erosion, operation assets and signage are inspected during these site visits.”
• Archaeologists are uncovering Edmonton’s hidden industrial history at the former site of Vogel’s Meat Packing Company in the Mill Creek Ravine.
• It was originally supposed to open this fall but the Premium Outlet Collection near the Edmonton International Airport is now slated for a spring 2018 opening. It will reportedly feature more than 100 stores.
• Tails of Help, a charity that helps pay for the treatment of pets, is feeling the pinch of a tight economy.
• Nominations are now open for the 2017 Urban Design Awards. You have until August 15 to nominate an individual, organization, or project. There’s also an online people’s choice award this year, and voting for that will open in September.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Ice District Construction, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

• Rust Magic, the international street mural festival, wraps up on Monday.
• Kurios by Cirque du Soleil continues at Northlands Park through August 13.
• Canadian Pacific is celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday with the CP Canada 150 Train on Monday evening. Learn more here.
• TEC Edmonton is hosting a session on valuation on Tuesday at Enterprise Square in the new TEC Innovation District.
• The Edmonton Data Science Meetup takes place on Wednesday evening at Startup Edmonton.
• Poppy Barley’s new flagship store at Southgate Centre opens on Thursday!
• Lady Gaga is performing at Rogers Place on Thursday evening.
• Want to learn more about bike camping? The Bike Library and Workshop at the University of Alberta is hosting an introduction to the topic on Friday evening.
• The Heritage Festival is coming up at Hawrelak Park from August 5 through 7, on the long weekend.
• Watch out on Sunday – the Color Run 5K takes place at Capilano Park.
• Movies on the Square returns in August! The first move is Moana on August 8.
• There are still plenty of great events to enjoy this summer – check out Taproot Edmonton’s guide!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Triathlon, photo by Stephen Maunder

What a hot weekend! Edmonton had a heat warning in effect for most of it, but Environment Canada says “there will be some relief from the heat on Monday.” There’s a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for tonight, too.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City and Homeward Trust released Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness this week. “The updated plan sets priorities to 2026” and “is founded on three key goals: eliminating chronic and episodic homelessness by 2022; preventing future homelessness; and developing an integrated systems response to homelessness.” The report calls for an extra $30 million per year to fund operations and homeless interventions, in addition to more spending on housing.
• DeepMind has opened its first ever international AI research office right here in Edmonton in collaboration with the University of Alberta. “Our hope is that this collaboration will help turbo-charge Edmonton’s growth as a technology and research hub, attracting even more world-class AI researchers to the region and helping to keep them there too.”
• Connor McDavid signed an eight-year, $100 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers this week. That contract will have an average annual value of $12.5 million.
• Edmonton builder Sandy Mactaggart died this week at the age of 89. Paul Simons wrote that his passing “should be an occasion for us to reflect on how different Edmonton might have been if he had not adopted this city and made it his home.”
• I missed my update last week, so I wanted to link to this: Edmonton and Leduc County reach agreement on annexation. They’ve also signed a cooperation accord with the City of Leduc “to form a new partnership aimed at helping the EIA reach its full potential as a key economic driver” for the Edmonton region.
• Vix Technology has won the contract to develop the Smart Fare system for the Edmonton region. “Customers will be able to use their credit cards, debit cards, other compatible smart cards and smart devices.” It’s still going to take until at least 2020 until we see this, though.
• Up to 40,000 eligible Edmontonians can now begin applying for a subsidized monthly ETS transit pass at a rate of $35/month. It’s part of a pilot program called Ride Transit that will run through 2018.
• Edmonton’s latest rebranding discussion caused quite a stir at Council this week. “EEDC and city officials believe the words that describe Edmonton are: inventive, open, courageous and co-operative.” Jason Markusoff called us the Land of 1,000 rebranding efforts in Maclean’s. David Staples wrote in the Journal that our city’s “new strategy to market itself to the rest of the world is perfect for us, even if takes some getting used to.”
• Global has a recap of the 2017 Growth Monitoring Report that was released this week. “The report offers a snapshot of growth, demographics, land use and development, development patterns and trends, non-residential growth and housing in Edmonton.”
• The City’s new ambassador program “has exceeded expectations so far,” according to a new Journal article. I’m downtown all day every day, and this is the first I’ve heard of them, nor do I recall seeing them on the street.
• Walk Edmonton has released a new map of the Central River Valley. Get out there and enjoy!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

“Firebrand Glass” on Capital Boulevard

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival is underway at Churchill Square!
• Fresh MEAET is a fundraising event for local food projects and it takes place on Tuesday evening at the ATB Entrepreneur Centre.
• The City is hosting a public engagement session on the Centre LRT Study at the Bonnie Doon Community League on Wednesday evening.
• Lawn Summer Nights takes place on Thursday evening at the Commonwealth Lawn Bowling Club.
• Head over to Northlands Park on Friday evening for Park After Dark.
• Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows are playing Rogers Place on Friday, the latest stop on the A Brief History Of Everything Tour.
• Progress Alberta is hosting an event called Stop carding in Edmonton! on Saturday at the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at the U of A.
• Put your dancing shoes on and head over to the Legislature on Saturday for Dancing in the Park with Toy Guns Dance Theatre and Let’s Swing Dance.
• If you’re interested in urban agriculture, don’t miss the Northlands Urban Farm Tour on Sunday at 9:30am.
• For more great summer events, check out Taproot’s listing of happenings.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The future Valley Line LRT tunnel down from The Quarters

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• A draft plan for the new transit strategy was released on Thursday. “The new approach to transit will have a network of high-frequency routes in the core of the city with new crosstown routes and rapid-bus commuter routes for the suburbs,” wrote Elise. The strategy will be discussed by Council on July 5 but still has a long way to go until it becomes reality. Already some drivers are worried about losing their jobs.
• The City has hired structural engineers to look into whether or not the High Level Bridge can be widened for cyclists and pedestrians. The same study will also look at the feasibility of putting an LRT connection across the bridge.
• The Downtown Bike Network (south of 105 Avenue) is now open! “A grand celebration event, Cycle in the City, will take place Saturday, August 26.” New bike lanes are great, but how about some new bike parking to go along with them?
• Edmonton’s unemployment rate fell from 8.1% in April to 7.9% in May “as the number of new jobs outweighed ongoing growth in the labour force.” The inflation rate is also down from 1.7% to 1.3%.
• The Edmonton Police Service celebrated its 125th anniversary this week. “Edmonton council under mayor Matthew McCauley signed Bylaw 15 on June 20, 1892, which provided “for the appointment of Special Constables” to keep order in the town of 700.” You can learn more about the milestone here.
• Edmonton’s new Chinatown plan calls for funding to deal with the 97 Street Bridge, to relocate the Harbin Gate, and to reconfigure Mary Burley Park.
• The June construction update from Blatchford says that “crews have made major progress installing the underground utilities that will service the first residential stage.”
• Poppy Barley is opening a new flagship store at Southgate Mall this August! Stay tuned for grand opening details.
• Paula has some news on the weed debate that is sure to heat up here in Edmonton in the months ahead. The City has a draft zoning bylaw that will be debated at a public hearing this week.
• The West Edmonton Mall transit centre has reopened after closing for a year to undergo “a massive transformation.” The larger heated waiting area now features 80% more seating space, and there’s improved sidewalks, upgrade lighting, and other improvements. The upgrade cost $3 million and the City says it was completed on-time and on-budget.
• EPCOR and Landis+Gyr have completed deployment of their new “advanced metering infrastructure and grid management” in Edmonton.
• It was a fairly big off-season week for the Oilers: Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy, Jordan Eberle was traded to the New York Islanders for Ryan Strome, Kris Russell signed a four-year contract, and the team picked Kailer Yamamoto 22nd overall in the NHL Entry Draft.
• Paths for People is looking for an Executive Director. The deadline to apply is June 30.
• The last day to nominate a Front Yard in Bloom is June 30.
• You can share your thoughts on the Valley Line West LRT until July 7 by filling out this online form.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Skyline, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

• Homeward Trust is celebrating the grand opening of a new FIND Store at 123 Street and Jasper Avenue on Monday.
• Head over to Hawrelak Park for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival which continues through July 16. We went to see the Merchant of Venice on Friday night and really enjoyed it!
• Also continuing through the week is The Works Art & Design Festival and the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
• Discuss the elephant in the room re: Canada 150 on Tuesday evening at Urban Tavern YEG with a special #MakeItAwkward event hosted by Jesse Lipscombe. See also: 4 Indigenous people share why they won’t be singing O Canada on July 1.
• The Feats Festival of Dance is on from Monday through July 9.
• Infill Edmonton is hosting Refill with Infill at the Sherlock Holmes Pub on Rice Howard Way on Wednesday evening. Have a drink and talk about infill!
• I am looking forward to the Entrepreneur Speakeasy taking place on Wednesday evening at the ATB Entrepreneur Centre.
• Blues on Whyte takes place Thursday through Saturday.
• Sand on Whyte kicks off on Friday and runs through July 8. Their new presenting partner is Boardwalk Rental Communities.
• Park After Dark takes place again on Friday evening at Northlands Park.
• Saturday is Canada Day, and this year it’s the big 150 celebration! There’s a lot going on around the city, so enjoy!
• Canada Day also marks the start of the Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton.
• Don’t miss Taproot’s 2017 guide to summer festivals & events for even more great events to check out!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

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

Headlines

• Bike lanes are what everyone is talking about this week now that three sections of the Downtown Bike Network opened on Friday afternoon. The majority of the network will open by July. Learn about how to use the network here and provide feedback to the City using this online survey.
• I saw a lot of people using the new bike lanes on Saturday and plenty of excitement on social media. Not everyone is in favor of the new lanes though, as according to CBC some motorists are upset with the changes. On the other hand, when are drivers happy about anything? The new rules will take some getting used to, but this bike network is a great thing for our city. And you know, a mass bike ride for infill awareness isn’t such a bad idea 🙂
• The other great thing about the bike lanes is that they make it safer to be a pedestrian, especially important as we are clearly still a long way from achieving Vision Zero. A woman and her dog were struck and killed in a marked crosswalk by a driver on Saturday.
• I am very excited for Edmonton’s first no-car event being organized for next summer by Paths for People. “It creates a bridge so all Edmontonians can go out an enjoy our streets,” said Anna Ho. They’re looking at using the High Level Bridge for the event.
• One year after safety barriers were installed on the High Level Bridge, the number of suicide attempts from the bridge has dropped by 50%, according to the City.
• Dandelions cramping your style? The City says it is “balancing safety, environmental, financial and social costs and benefits with new measures to address this year’s proliferation of dandelions.” They’re going to be applying two treatments of iron chelate, first in late June, then again later in July.
• Curious about Edmonton’s sister city relationships? Jacquie DuVal looked into the issue for Taproot’s latest story.
• It’s the debate that just won’t die. Two of NAIT’s marketing instructors have weighed in on the “City of Champions” slogan and signs.
• Some Edmontonians continue to protest against the proposed safe injection sites. “The city is hoping to open the new safe injection centres by next year.”
• EPS is reassuring citizens that Edmonton is “a safe city” has partnered with an associate professor at MacEwan University to study 196 homicides in the city between 2007 and 2012. “The research shows that in almost 75 per cent of cases, the victims knew their killers” and that “substance abuse was a factor in most cases and 84 per cent of the killers were ‘criminally active’ beforehand.”
• Aurora Cannabis held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for its new production facility near the Edmonton International Airport. “Once marijuana is legalized and the facility is running at full capacity, the company expects to produce more than 100,000 kg of marijuana per year.”
• It’s the end of the End of the World as we know it. The City has released new designs for the popular lookout point that aim to increase safety.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Downtown Bike Lanes are now partially open!

Upcoming Events

• This year’s edition of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival kicks off on Tuesday! A number of other annual festivals start this week as well, including the Summer Solstice Festival, The Works, the Found Festival, and the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
• The City is hosting a public open house on Tuesday evening at the Old Timers Cabin to discuss PlanWhyte, a plan for the future of Whyte Avenue.
• Running for office in this year’s Municipal Election? Don’t miss an information session being held at the Elections and Census Office on Wednesday from noon until 2pm.
• Please join us on Wednesday night at the Sugar Swing ballroom for the first Taproot event where we’ll discuss urban planning ideas like a highline on the High Level and a “nature bomb” to one of our city’s busiest corridors. Get your tickets here!
• Wednesday is National Aboriginal Day and the City and its partners are hosting a series of events all week long.
• Make Music Edmonton takes place on Wednesday at venues all along 124 Street.
• The Yards is launching its summer issue on Thursday evening at CKUA Radio.
• The Foodie Bike Tour is back again on Saturday!
• Celebrate the 90th anniversary of Blatchford Field at the Alberta Aviation Museum on Saturday.
• Pets in the Park takes place on Sunday at Hawrelak Park!
• Symphony in the City takes place on Sunday at the Legislature grounds!
• Be sure to check out Taproot Edmonton’s guide to summer festivals & events for more upcoming events!