2012

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

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

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

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

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

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

Edmonton Notes for 1/8/2012

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

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

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

“Eight Degrees” by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are some upcoming events:

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

I <3 YEGDT: Downtown X-posed

Hundreds of Edmontonians will gather next Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre for a full day event focused on downtown. Organized by the EEDC and the Downtown Vibrancy Task Force, the Downtown X-posed event will provide an opportunity to learn more about the broad array of things happening downtown, and will also give attendees a chance to provide input and feedback on how we can continue the positive momentum.

The vibrancy and character of a community’s downtown is a critical part of its identity. Think about places you’ve travelled to and you’ll know exactly what we mean. Please join us for a dynamic, one-day, one-of-a-kind event to learn about Edmonton’s downtown – what we have now, what’s in the works, what’s yet to come, and some new things we might need to consider. Come learn, talk, connect and get involved in your downtown. As goes your downtown, so goes your city.

It has been a pretty great year for our downtown. EPCOR Tower, the first new office tower in two decades and also our tallest, opened. Despite some hiccups, both the arena project and the new Royal Alberta Museum appear to be moving forward. The province is working to complete the renovations of the Federal Building and the adjacent Centennial Plaza in time for next summer. The first phase of construction on Capital Boulevard is underway. MacEwan University has started working toward its single sustainable campus. I could go on – the point is, there’s a lot happening! Megaprojects aren’t enough though, we need more people living and working and shopping and learning downtown. What are the barriers this? How can we make it happen? What are we missing? Join us next week to discuss those questions and more.

I had the opportunity to talk about the event yesterday on CTV Edmonton:

Downtown X-posed runs from 7:30am until 3:30pm on December 15. Tickets are just $50, which includes breakfast and lunch. You can purchase tickets here. If you can’t make it, be sure to follow along with #yegdt on Twitter.

YEGWOOD Launch Party & TreeFarer Shades Giveaway!

yegwood One of the highlights of this year’s Fringe Festival was Sustainival, an amusement park on the grounds featuring carnival rides powered by used vegetable oil (Sharon wrote about our experience here). With sales of more than 25,000 rides and lots of positive feedback, the first iteration of Sustainival was a big success for founder Joey Hundert. Now he’s focused on his next venture: YEGWOOD.

YEGWOOD is a group of fashion & environmentally conscious people. We like our style and we love our planet.

We’re also from Edmonton, which isn’t necessarily a global hub of progressive fashion. We’re not knocking our small town of a million people, but great wears can be hard to find here. So, we set about our task of bringing absolutely righteous apparel & accessories to YEG. Thus, YEGWOOD was born.

I remember seeing the Yegwood booth at the Fringe Festival, and of course it caught my eye because of the name. Their first product was the WeWOOD watch, a line of watches made from recycled wood. Now they’re offering wooden sunglasses, also using recycled wood. And maybe soon, prescription glasses too:

“We have our labs here in Edmonton and we have been experimenting with prescription frames, so all of the folks who have inquired about using our glasses for their day-to-day glasses, we will be able to offer something soon. In the mean time, we have some seriously beautiful sun glasses for Albertans to enjoy during our upcoming sunny winter (yes, we are willing a sunny winter to happen).”

To celebrate, Yegwood is hosting a launch party on December 17 at Da Capo. You can see the event details on Facebook or on ShareEdmonton. One of the highlights is a photo booth sponsored by Georgie Magazine. Simply get your photo taken wearing a part of the sunglasses and you could win a pair for free!

Here’s a promo video for the event featuring the Da Capo crew:

I’d encourage you to check out the event to learn more about Yegwood and the new sunglasses. If you can’t make it though, don’t worry – Yegwood has given me one pair of TreeFarer sunglasses to give away here!

The TreeFarers are inspired by the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer. The rust FRAMES & TEMPLES (arms) are made out of a reddish softwood with a tight grain pattern. The HINGES are spring-loaded to flex in either direction (in & out), ensuring the right fit across a broad spectrum of faces. The LENSES are polarized poly-carbonate with a medium tint; they are UV400 rated.

The glasses have a retail value of $119. There are only about 50 available for the holiday season!

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment below telling me how you plan to live more sustainably in Edmonton in 2012. The winner will be picked at random from the comments. The contest closes at 12:00 AM on December 18 (midnight on the evening of the 17th).

You can like Yegwood on Facebook to keep up-to-date on news and announcements. Check out Metro’s article on Yegwood too.

Recap: EEDC’s 2012 Economic Outlook Luncheon

EEDC On November 15, EEDC held its annual Economic Outlook luncheon at the Shaw Conference Centre. Hundreds of Edmontonians filled Hall D on Tuesday to hear from a panel of senior leaders moderated by Dr. Mike Percy, the former Chamber of Commerce president and until this year Dean of the School of Business at the University of Alberta.

This year’s panelists included:

Dr. Jodi Abbott, President & CEO, Norquest College
Diane Brickner, President & CEO, Peace Hills Insurance Company
Pierre Gratton, President & CEO, Mining Association of Canada
Ron Liepert, Minister of Finance, Government of Alberta
Paul Verhesen, President, Clark Builders

The five panelists each shared their thoughts on the local economy before fielding questions from the audience. Here are a few of the more memorable statements the panelists made:

“We are very, very lucky to live where we do.” – Paul Verhesen
“Productivity and innovation are down as a result of not having to compete with others.” – Paul Verhesen
“I’m not sure there’s a better place than Alberta in the world to do business.” – Ron Liepert
“We do not have the population base to meet the expected labour-market demand.” – Dr. Jodi Abbott, indicating Alberta would have 77,00 unfilled jobs by the end of the decade.
“Mining is back.” – Pierre Gratton
“That will go.” – Ron Liepert, indicating the Royal Alberta Museum would in fact move ahead.

For more, check out the Edmonton Journal’s Storify of the event.

At the luncheon in 2009, I learned that Alberta’s aerospace industry is a billion dollar business. This year I learned a little more about the mining industry in our province. The Canadian Mining Journal summed it up well:

Canada’s mining industry will invest as much as $140 billion in this country over the next five years, and almost 50% of it will be in Alberta. The province will grow thanks to 12 mining projects proposed for development by 2016 with combined costs of $67.7 billion.

The $67.7 billion will be invested primarily in the oil, gas and oil sands development that Alberta is most known for, however significant investment is also anticipated in coal, limestone, salt, shale, dimension stone, ammonite shell, sandstone and sand and gravel.

Apparently Alberta accounts for 70% of Canada’s coal production (by weight) and is home to more than 540 mining industry suppliers.

Here is the Edmonton Journal’s story about the luncheon. Here is the Edmonton Sun’s take. And here is Avenue Edmonton’s article.

I thought EEDC did a great job with the event. The luncheon was livestreamed by the Edmonton Journal, and though they ran into some issues with the sound, it did appear to get more Edmontonians involved than usual. EEDC smartly chose a hashtag ahead of time, and made it clear to everyone that they should use #outlook12. They also displayed the tweets up on the big screen, and although it consistently ran behind, I thought it was a useful addition to the event. I expect both will get better in future years!

As enjoyable as the luncheon was, I found myself wishing there had been a handout or better yet, a QR code to scan that would take me to more information. I thought the panelists were great, but I can’t say I left with a strong sense of how Edmonton’s economy is expected to do in 2012. Fortunately, there is a bit of information online if you look for it.

Here is Cushman & Wakefield’s prognosis:

Overall vacancy is expected to increase in 2012 as a result of the market dynamics caused by recently completed Epcor Tower in the downtown core. Regardless, confidence in Edmonton’s economy is strong, despite continuing global economic uncertainty.

Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) predicts 18% more housing units will be constructed across the province in 2012 than were built this year.

Edmonton will likely have 3,750 construction starts of multi-family housing this year, down less than four per cent from a year ago, says CMHC.

And from the City of Edmonton’s long-term economic outlook:

Few economies have prospects as bright as northern Alberta, at the geographic core of Canada’s economic future. As the research and industrial workhorse of the province, Edmonton stands tall as one of Canada’s most dynamic and prosperous urban centres.

The Economics Society of Northern Alberta is holding its 2012 Outlook Conference all day tomorrow at the Sutton Place Hotel, so watch for more news to come out of that event.

What else have you come across related to our economy in 2012?

Mercury Opera’s 104 Underground (an operascape)

104 underground Mercury Opera took over the Bay/Enterprise Square LRT Station tonight to stage an operascape featuring the talents of Alicia Woynarski, Lauren Woods, Jill Hoogewoonink, and Nevada Collins. They were accompanied by the Vif String Quartet and wore costumes by local fashion designer Natasha Lazarovic.

Mercury Opera’s presentation features an all-Canadian cast of rising operatic talent singing the sensual Mon coeur s’ouvre from Camille Saint Saens’ Samson et Dalila, The Queen of the Night’s Vengeance Aria, Mozart’s dazzler from The Magic Flute, and the exquisitely sublime Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes. The performance culminates in a special rendition of one of opera’s favorite chart toppers,Puccini’s Nessun Dorma sung as a quartet.

The event got underway at 6pm with four businesses on 104 Street taking part. Ticket holders were invited to enjoy light refreshments at Coup, 29 Armstrong, deVine Wines & Spirits, and the Eyecare Group. Sharon and I walked over just after 7pm to find Coup full of people! We made our way from one venue to the next before heading down to the LRT station platform for the performance.

Coup filling up!

Ed pouring wine at deVine Wines

The food mostly consisted of cheese and meat platters

At around 8pm, everyone started moving underground. It was quite a sight with the LRT station platform so full of people! There were dozens of cameras, and not only from patrons hoping to capture the performance – OMNI had a bunch of cameras present to film a documentary about the event.

One of the OMNI cameras

Waiting for the performance to get underway

The setup for Vif

To ensure the LRT could still operate, volunteers used police tape to separate the event from transit riders getting on and off the trains. ETS officers also helped to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Transit riders on the left, event attendees on the right

The performers arrived on the LRT!

They used the raised, circular benches as stages

There were big cheers when the train carrying the performers arrived. They wasted no time and started right away, eventually making their way to the circular benches in the centre of the platform. At the end of the show, the four performers came together to receive flowers and to perform an encore. The left the same way they came – on the train.

Two performers were on the east end of the platform and two were on the west end

Enjoying the show!

The four performers at the end of the show

It was particularly cool for a transit geek like me to see the trains coming and going in the background as the performance continued. And what a performance it was! The sound quality in the station was much better than I anticipated, and the lighting and reflective surfaces of the station walls and ceiling made for a very unique look. I think everyone really enjoyed it!

Tonight’s operascape is precisely the kind of event that I’d like to see more of in Edmonton. Congratulations to Darcia Parada and her team – I think its safe to say tonight was a big success! It’s so great to have people like Darcia – she had a vision, and she made it happen. Bravo!

You can see the rest of my photos here. Be sure to read Gig City’s preview as well.

Recap: DemoCamp Edmonton 16

Tonight was our sixteenth DemoCamp here in Edmonton. Held at the Telus Centre on the University of Alberta campus, DemoCamp is still going strong in our city! Tonight’s event continued the new format adopted at the last DemoCamp in September: 7 minutes for demos, 3 minutes for questions, and announcements interspersed throughout the evening.

Reg has been the official DemoCamp Edmonton timekeeper since the beginning!

We had seven demos tonight, in order of appearance:

Tinderizer – Daniel demoed his bookmarklet app that lets you send articles from around the web to your Kindle with the click of a button. There are similar services available now (like Readability) but Daniel has continued improving his offering since first releasing it a year ago.
Transit Heat Map – Next up was an interesting web app that helps you visualize how many stops you can reach within a certain amount of time. After you pick a starting stop, you can quickly discover which parts of the city are accessible within 15 minutes, and which parts might take an hour. Reminded me a bit of Mapnificent.
Browser Horde – Kevin demoed a web-based platform for solving complex problems. Similarly to SETI@Home and other distributed computing systems, complicated problems are broken down and solved using computing resources from volunteers. The difference is that Browser Horde runs entirely in the browser.
Darkhorse Analytics – Daniel ran us through the web-based analytics app that Darkhorse has been building for the Emergency Services industry. The app consumes data that EMS agencies already collect, such as trip times, wait times, etc., and provides an easy-to-use dashboard to make sense of that information.
Solvers Market – Alex demoed his question and answer site, billed as “an intelligence exchange platform.” Similar to StackExchange and other sites you can post a question for others to answer, but the site also incorporates money, so you can earn money for solving questions.
Fluik Entertainment – Victor showed the very successful Office Jerk game and its successors, Office Zombie and a new Christmas-themed version of the game. Office Jerk reached #1 on the iOS app charts.
Willstream – Joel demoed the mobile payments solution that is currently focused on the market in Senegal. The idea is to build a service that supports the three-party interaction that is common in developing markets (funds owner, spender, and merchant).

I’m not sure there was a clear favorite this evening – all of the demos were great! I love seeing projects like Tinderizer and the Transit Heat Map, built to solve a specific problem without requiring big plans for commercialization. Browser Horde is perhaps a bit technical, but seems suited to some specific problem domains and if they can find enough volunteers, could be quite successful. Darkhorse Analytics certainly seems like it could be a big, big winner. The research and effort that Daniel and his team have put into the product really shows, and I think a lot of folks in the audience were really impressed with the demo. Solvers Market demoed a couple weeks ago at PanEx, and while interesting, still needs to find a clear differentiator in a crowded market. Willstream’s demo unfortunately didn’t go very well (they had some issues with data being deleted today) but I think the concept has promise. I hope they can make it work.

Fluik has become a great Edmonton success story, and seems poised to continue producing hits and to keep growing (they’re already at 20 people and are hiring). Office Jerk was released on April 28, 2011 and immediately found success. Growth has continued ever since, with the game being downloaded more than six million times in just its first month. Keep an eye on Fluik!

There were a number of event and other announcements this evening:

The YEG Founders Club is getting started. The group aims to provide a place for entrepreneurs to connect with one another. Follow @yegfounders on Twitter and watch for more information.
The next Founders & Funders event will take place on December 5. The invite-only event is an opportunity for founders of technology startups to connect with investors.
MediaCamp Edmonton is scheduled to take place on February 4, 2012.
Grant MacEwan University is launching a usability lab, and would like to open it up to community. You can contact Sharon Bratt for more information.
The next Startup Weekend is scheduled for January 27, 2012 and will coincide with Global Game Jam.

Stay tuned to Startup Edmonton for additional events and announcements!

Tonight’s after-party at Original Joe’s Varsity didn’t seem as packed as some in the past, but it was still a great opportunity to connect with the demoers and others in the community. Thanks to everyone who came out tonight. See you at DemoCamp Edmonton 17!

Edmonton Notes for 11/20/2011

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

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

The view on Monday evening

Here are some upcoming events worth noting:

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

Great winter shot of the Alberta Legislature building by Dave

Edmonton Notes for 11/13/2011

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

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

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

Photo by Mike Friel

Here are some upcoming events to note:

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

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

Edmonton Notes for 11/6/2011

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

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

Here are some upcoming events:

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

I really liked this ETS video featuring Colleen Brown:

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

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