Edmonton Notes for May 6, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Air Canada launched non-stop daily flights between Edmonton and San Francisco this week. “This new route highlights Air Canada’s confidence in the Edmonton Metro Region and our community is pleased to work with them to add more flights to more places,” said Tom Ruth, President and CEO of Edmonton International Airport.
Mayor Don Iveson and a large contingent of local entrepreneurs and business leaders took the flight to San Francisco on a trade mission. There, EEDC unveiled its participation in the brand new Canadian Landing Pad, “which is providing desk space in a San Francisco co-working space to Canadian companies looking to do business, network and make connections in Silicon Valley.”
“Enough is enough,” said Mayor Iveson. The Metro Line LRT deadline that City Council set came and went on April 30, so the City has issued a Notice of Default to Thales, the contractor of the Metro Line CBTC signalling system. “This is a process within the contract,” said Adam Laughlin, the Deputy City Manager of Integrated Infrastructure Services. “It is frustrating. We, along with Edmontonians, are frustrated. Today is an important step but it is not the final step.”
Beg buttons are the absolute worst, and now the City is going to be reviewing them starting this summer.
The stretch of road along 107 Street NW between 120 Avenue NW and 123 Avenue NW has been named Hugh Bolton Way, in honor of the well known Edmonton volunteer, philanthropist, and retiring Chair of EPCOR’s Board of Directors.
Project Welcome Mat, a trial solution “crafted out of community engagement and research” to improve urban wellness in Boyle Street has opened at Boyle Street Community Services Centre.
Holryood’s contentious Holyrood Gardens project “remains just that.” The latest designs did not impress upset residents.
Edmonton will be one of six cities included in the new Canadian Elite Basketball League launching in August 2019. Our team, which doesn’t have a name yet, will play at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. “The CEBL plans to have fans help pick names for each team.”
The naming rights for the Shaw Conference Centre are set to expire on December 31, so EEDC is accepting submissions until May 25 for a new naming deal. Shaw bought the naming rights for 20 years in 1997 at a cost of $5.5 million.
City Council’s Urban Planning Committee approved an $8,100 startup fee for “each recreational cannabis store, cultivation facility and cannabis processing facility.”
The Development Incentive Program is back, and the City is encouraging property owners with empty or underused sites to apply by June 15.
“Are you passionate about parking?” No, but I know there will be some get-off-my-lawn types who will jump at the opportunity to help the City “crowdsource information about how on-site parking allocated for apartments, condos, townhouses and businesses is being used.”
EPCOR is expected to submit a rezoning application to turn part of Gold Bar Park into a parking lot, and a community organization called the Save Gold Bar Park Alliance has cropped up to oppose it.
Be advised that starting today, “the first major traffic shift takes effect to accommodate preparation work for the next phase of construction on the Groat Road Bridges and Road Renewal project.”
The Premium Outlet Collection at EIA is now open and the airport is encouraging travellers to “give yourself extra travel time” due to increased traffic.
A transit link between Edmonton and Enoch is a “no-brainer” according to Michelle Wilsdon, an Enoch Cree Nation councillor. Edmonton councillor Scott McKeen said it would be “a minor act of reconciliation.”
Who knew? Pinball machines increasingly popular with Edmontonians, reads a recent CBC Edmonton headline.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

JW Marriott Hotel and Stantec Tower, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

RECOVER, Edmonton’s Urban Wellness Plan, is hosting a prototype showcase on Tuesday evening at Allard Hall, MacEwan University.
Poppy Barley is launching its Summer 2018 collection on Wednesday evening at their Southgate store.
ECVO’s AGM will take place on Wednesday afternoon at the Royal Glenora Club. Guest speakers Graham Thomson & Brookes Merritt will share their perspectives on Alberta’s political landscape.
Cannabis Let’s Talk Alberta, in partnership with REACH Edmonton and the City of Edmonton, is hosting a cannabis information session at The Orange Hub on Wednesday evening.
Beverley Theresa will be discussing #OwnYourBrand on Wednesday evening at 99ten, part of the NextGen Speaker Series.
The Edmonton Heritage Council is hosting a workshop for creators on Wednesday evening at the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre.
The 2018 Edmonton Real Estate Forum takes place on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
I love the idea behind ATB Financial’s tech time event, taking place at the Entrepreneur Centre on Thursday evening. “There are 2 kinds of people in this world: 1. Those who know how to use their electronic devices effectively and 2. Those who don’t. This session is for BOTH OF YOU!”
The 124 Grand Market’s season opener takes place on Thursday night at 108 Avenue and 124 Street.
SpotlightYEG, hosted by the City of Edmonton Youth Council, takes place at City Hall on Friday evening and will be exhibiting art pieces to promote mental health and/or stigma reduction.
Humanities 101 is celebrating its 10 year partnership with Community Service Learning on Friday afternoon at the University of Alberta.
The Royal Bison Art & Craft Fair returns to the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Get Ready in the Park takes place on Saturday at Hawrelak Park.
Sunday is Mother’s Day, but the City Market is celebrating on Saturday at City Hall! The first 150 mothers will receive $5 in market bucks, a handcrafted chocolate, and a potted pansy.
Child Friendly Edmonton and the City of Edmonton are hosting a Mental Health Week Block Party on Saturday at Wilbert McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona.
Save the date: Connections Through Collections – The Future of Museums is coming up on May 17 at Allard Hall, MacEwan University.

LRT Construction at the Harbin Gate

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Media Monday Edmonton: Update #294

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Corus Entertainment’s four Edmonton radio stations — 630 CHED, CISN Country 103.9, 92.5 Fresh Radio, and iNews880 — have been named the official radio partners of the 2018 Grey Cup Festival.
CKUA has announced its spring fundraiser surpassed the goal, with a total of $679,218 raised. “Your unstinting support registers resounding here at CKUA and we’re committed to bringing you more of what you love.”
Congratulations to Global Edmonton on winning two RTDNA Edward R. Murrow awards for 2018! They were recognized for “Excellence in Writing” and “News Documentary”. CBC Edmonton was the other local winner, picking up an “Investigative Reporting” award.
“High school students at Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation are being given the opportunity to become community reporters,” thanks to a pilot project created in collaboration with CBC Edmonton. “The hope for CBC Edmonton is to grow and expand the project to include more First Nations going forward.”
Mark Iype, Janice Johnston, and others in the local media are calling the Edmonton Police to task over their lack of transparency. “Unacceptable secrecy,” Iype tweeted. “#secretmurder in 2016 and again in 2017…not to mention all the victims’ names they now refuse to release,” Johnston added.
TSN 1260’s Dustin Nielson, Dave Jamieson, and Tyler Yaremchuk will join colleagues from CTV Edmonton, Alberta Primetime, and 100.3 The Bear for Hockey Helps the Homeless on May 11.
In a new interview with Avenue Edmonton, country superstar Brett Kissel gives props to a local media star: “I want to give a shout out to a great Edmontonian, Carrie Doll, who taught me what Facebook and Twitter are,” Kissel says. “She literally taught me in 2008 and said, ‘this is the future.’”
Tanner Young Publishing Group is looking for an editorial intern for Where Edmonton. The deadline to apply is May 12.
The St. Albert Gazette is looking for an assistant editor. The deadline to apply is May 11.
Here is the latest Alberta Podcast Network Roundup.
CJWE 88.1 FM will launch in Calgary in mid-June, featuring programming in Blackfoot, T’suutina, Nakoda, and Cree. The station is owned by the Edmonton-based Aboriginal Multimedia Society of Alberta.
PodSummit is now sold out, but you can join the waitlist in case any additional tickets become available. I’ll be there on May 5!

Premier Rachel Notley at boom 92.7 in Slave Lake, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

According to a new report from Convergence Research Group, streaming services like Netflix will be more popular in Canada than cable TV by the end of 2020.
From The Atlantic: The Slow, Awkward Death of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. And in the Washington Post, Margaret Sullivan wrote, “the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner should be the last.”
Wow. The New York Times says its podcast The Daily has been downloaded 280 million times and averages about 1 million listeners a day.
Get ready for even more video in your Twitter feed as the company has announced more than new or renewed 30 content deals. “Twitter’s video views have nearly doubled in the past year, according to the company, although it declined to provide specific numbers.”

Follow Edmonton media news using the hashtag #yegmedia and be sure to check out Mediagazer for the latest media news from elsewhere. You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here. If you have a tip or suggestion for future updates, let me know.

At Taproot Edmonton we’re working hard to ensure that local journalism has a future in our city. Join us to be part of the movement.

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Edmonton Notes for April 29, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

City Council has approved the property tax rates for 2018, “which resulted in a 1.8 per cent increase for the typical single-family home and a 2.3 per cent increase for non-residential properties that realized an average market value change.” Tax notices will be mailed May 22, and the deadline to pay is June 30.
The names of the stations along the Valley Line West LRT were announced this week. Thankfully, they were “primarily chosen based on location to support passenger wayfinding.” So you’ll see names like “124 Street” and “West Edmonton Mall”. We’re still at least six years from the line opening.
Unfortunately, City Council voted to delay a decision on lowering speed limits to 30 km/h until March 2019.
Here’s the news release from the Airport Accord partners on “enhanced transit connections” for the Edmonton International Airport. Among other things, starting June 1, “UPass holders will be able to access ETS Route 747 with their UPass, and Leduc Transit customers will be able to transfer between Route 747 and Leduc Transit with no additional fare.”
The City has identified 659 dangerous crosswalks and says that at the current rate of investment – $2 million a year – it’ll take 29 years to deal with them all.
Malcolm Bruce, currently CEO of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB), will step into the role of CEO for Edmonton Global starting July 1.
Edmonton-born Monique Ganderton is Marvel Studios’ first-ever female stunt coordinator and she worked on Avengers: Infinity War!
The small commercial building at 10344 Jasper Avenue is going to be turned into a 10-storey, 34-unit residential building called The Wedge. Construction could begin as early as next spring.
The Province has committed $2.5 million to help revive the Roxy Theatre. “The new building, slated to open in 2020, will go up on the original site.”
Council unanimously agreed this week to develop an information campaign to make the case for more affordable housing in Edmonton. “Council also agreed to make permanent supportive housing a priority over the next six years.”
David Climenhaga: If there was ever a time for the U of A to stick to its guns and welcome David Suzuki to Edmonton, this is it!
From Raising Edmonton, here are four local playgrounds with ziplines! And from Hannah at Honey & Betts, here are the 7 Edmonton mom bloggers you need to know.
The Edmonton Oilers made some coaching changes this week. Todd McLellan will remain the head coach, but assistant coaches Ian Herbers and Jim Johnson have been fired. Additionally, Jay Woodcroft will be the head coach for the AHL’s Condors.
The Oilers will be selecting 10th in the 2018 NHL Draft. “They only had a 5 percent chance of capturing the first pick, but it didn’t seem likely that would be the case.”
The second annual Mean Tweets featuring Mayor Don Iveson raised more than $10,000 for the United Way.
I think Accidental Beach should remain a fond memory and not return, though it did nicely demonstrate what a missed opportunity we have with the current Louise McKinney Riverfront Park. Council will be discussing the long-term feasibility of the beach on May 24.

Downtown Edmonton

Upcoming Events

The Fever International Dance Championships are taking place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre this week.
The 2018 Dig In Horticulinary Festival takes place from Tuesday to Sunday at the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert.
The Alberta Business Hall of Fame awards event will take place on Wednesday at the Shaw Conference Centre. This year, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founders of BioWare, will be among those recognized.
The 2018 Capital Regional Rotary Integrity Awards will take place Wednesday evening at the Double Tree by Hilton in the west end.
The final Green Drinks of the season takes place Wednesday at the Yellowhead Brewery.
Taste of Stony Plain Road is taking place on Friday night.
The spring edition of the Butterdome Craft Sale takes place Friday to Sunday at the Butterdome!
There are a series of Jane’s Walks taking place throughout the city on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Students from grades 4 through 9 will head over to the Prince of Wales Armouries on Saturday for the Edmonton Regional Heritage Fair.
The Shaw Conference Centre is hosting Dinner with Canada’s Top Chefs: Spring Edition on Sunday evening.

Urban Barn, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

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Media Monday Edmonton: Update #293

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Bob Layton has been appointed to the Western Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. On its website, WAB describes the Hall of Fame award as the “most prestigious award given to a Canadian broadcaster.”
Catherine Griwkowsky has left Postmedia after 10 years and will be starting with The Star Edmonton on May 1. “Leaving was an excruciating decision,” she tweeted.
Kieran Leavitt is leaving The Star Halifax to join The Star Edmonton as a full-time reporter. “Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with and those that have let me tell their stories”, he tweeted.
The 2018 RTDNA Canada Award winners were announced yesterday. Global Edmonton took home seven RTDNA Awards, four of which were “for coverage of the chaotic attack that saw a police officer stabbed and pedestrians struck by a U-Haul in the downtown core.” CBC Edmonton won three, and CTV Edmonton won one.
Edmonton’s Geoff Stickle, who retired from Global Edmonton back in February, was honored with the RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award in the Prairie Region.
CKUA’s Spring Fundraiser is on now and you can donate until April 29. So far they have raised 32% of the $700,000 goal.
From Stacey Brotzel, here are some memories from the 21st anniversary of the launch of A-Channel.
Edmonton’s newest publisher is StoryFix Media, from Christopher Webster, Gareth Higgins, Claire Tunney, and Arthur Lee. Christopher’s first book, called New Horizons, is now available. Later this summer, the company plans to release a mobile game called The Pulse: “In a dark town not on any map, a woman awakes in a strange motel. With no memory of who she is or how she got there, she will rely on YOUR judgement and quick-thinking to navigate untold dangers, learn the secret of her identity, and the truth behind a mysterious pulse that seems to be the cause of it all.”
Brittney is calling on local media folks to “give people a heads-up when you include their tweets on-air/in stories”.
After three years and 57 episodes, this is the final episode of The Expats Podcast. Host Adam Rozenhart will be sharing “in a few months what I’ll be doing next!”
Here is the latest Alberta Podcast Network Roundup.
Karen Unland spoke to David Papp at Mtek Digital about how “podcasts are very powerful way to intimately reach a captive audience.”
SCTV came to Edmonton in 1980. Comedian Dave Thomas spoke to CBC about the move to Edmonton. “It wasn’t so much that the cast wasn’t thrilled about going to Edmonton,” Thomas said when asked about the move from Toronto. “I think some of the people just didn’t take it that seriously at first.”
Janet French spoke about being a reporter on career day at Grandview Heights school! Start them young!
The deadline to apply for one of Postmedia’s summer internships is Wednesday, April 25 at midnight.
Representatives from the Canada Media Fund were in Edmonton today to encourage more applications from our city. The not-for-profit “delivers $352 million in funding annually to support the Canadian television and digital media industries.”

Standing up for Alberta jobs and Canada’s economy, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

BNN Bloomberg will launch on Monday, April 30. It’s a partnership between Bell Media and Bloomberg Media Group. “BNN Bloomberg will begin simulcasting with CTV from 5-5:30 a.m. MT in the Calgary and Edmonton markets.”
CBS All Access is now available in Canada for $5.99 per month. “The subscription offers access to more than 7,500 on-demand episodes, including full current seasons of CBS shows, entire past seasons of current shows and full seasons of some classic shows.”
From CANADALAND: What’s The New York Times Doing In Canada?
It seemed that James Comey was absolutely everywhere last week, from TV to radio to podcasts, promoting his new book. ABC News posted the full transcript of his 5 hour interview with George Stephanopoulos, then so did MSNBC. “But in the age of so-called fake news, is the release of full transcripts happening because journalists feel compelled to prove their credibility? Or to defend themselves from criticism for what did make it to air?”

At Taproot Edmonton we’re working hard to ensure that local journalism has a future in our city. Join us to be part of the movement.

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Edmonton Notes for April 22, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

According to a new report, “Edmonton faces a $3.8 billion funding gap for capital projects when the province’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) runs out in 2021.” The City estimates it’ll need $18.8 billion between 2019 and 2028 for a range of infrastructure projects.
The City has announced it will begin street sweeping “near the end of April, weather permitting”.
Back in December, City Council set a deadline of April 30 for all of the Metro Line LRT issues to be sorted. That date is fast approaching “but everyone from the politicians, to city administration, to Thales – the signals contractor – is not saying much.”
Former City Councillor Ron Hayter died on Saturday at the age of 81. He served from 1971 to 2010, minus a short break from 1995 to 2001 to service on the National Parole Board.
FC Edmonton, which suspended operations in November and left the NASL, says it could join the Canadian Premier League if the City was willing to invest in Clarke Stadium. Apparently so many people showed up at City Hall to speak in support of professional soccer that the committee meeting was moved to Council chambers.
Speed limits on all local, residential roads in Edmonton could soon be reduced to 30 km/h. “City officials said 72 per cent of residents they surveyed want speeds reduced on local roads, and support for that reduction was consistent, from mature neighbourhoods to suburbs.”
Starting May 1, a single fare on bus Route 747 (which travels from Century Park to the Edmonton International Airport) will revert to $5 thanks to $333,000 in funding from Leduc County. The route will also extend service to the new outlet mall.
AHS is expanding its investigation into the source of a recent E. coli outbreak in Edmonton after 1 person died and 11 others were sent to hospital.
Will Edmonton become the hub of a cannabis industry worth up to $100 million annually? Probably not.
The Muttart Conservatory will close for up to 18 months starting in July 2019 to undergo extensive renovations.
Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht says he expects to confirm “any day” if he will stay on past the expiration of his current contract on October 31, 2018.
From the Edmonton Public Library, here are 13 things you didn’t know you could do with a library card.
The Edmonton Food Council is looking for new members! The deadline to apply is April 30.

105th, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

The Edmonton Poetry Festival started today and runs through Sunday.
I will be at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday for AccelerateAB, Alberta’s “annual flagship event that brings together leaders, investors, influencers and supporters of Alberta’s fast-growing startup community.”
Head over to the Shaw Conference Centre on Wednesday afternoon for the next Edmonton Job Fair hosted by Jobs Canada.
The City is hosting a River Crossing Business Plan Workshop on Wednesday evening at the Old Timers Cabin.
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs is hosting its AWE Awards Reception on Wednesday at the Sutton Place Hotel.
Rapid Fire Theatre is hosting Mean Tweets with Mayor Don Iveson on Wednesday evening at the Citadel Theatre.
The Roast of Jason Strudwick in support of KidSport takes place on Thursday evening at The Westin Edmonton.
It seems like there’s an awful lot of cannabis/smoking events lately. Canada’s Vape Expo runs Friday to Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre, while the Cannabis & Hemp Expo takes place Saturday and Sunday.
The YESS Gala for Youth takes place in Hall D at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday evening.
The Edmonton Tattoo & Arts Festival takes place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from Friday to Sunday.
Also taking place all weekend long at the Edmonton EXPO Centre is the Edmonton Gem & Mineral Show.
Eat Alberta takes place on Sunday at NAIT.
Homeless Connect takes place on Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre.

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Media Monday Edmonton: Update #292

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

As promised, Metro Edmonton became The Star Edmonton on Tuesday, April 10. I am a little surprised at how all-in they went with the Star branding!
The Edmonton Examiner has shifted its publication day from Wednesday to Thursday. As noted by Jeff Samsonow, the website hasn’t been updated in a few weeks, and the last tweet from the Examiner was sent on March 9. Managing Editor Dave Breakenridge told me that “due to staff changes our focus shifted solely to the print edition for the last couple of issues, but there will be a revived online presence in the coming weeks.”
This news is a month old now, but possibly related: Doug Johnson moved from Postmedia (specifically the Examiner) to take on the position of Front & Dish Editor at Vue Weekly.
Bryn Griffiths, who was with Newcap since December 2012, has been “downsized” out of the company. “Enjoyed my time at K97 but time to re-assess and re-invent,” he tweeted. “Done it before. Will do it again.”
K97’s new morning show debuted this morning. The all new Terry Evans Show features Pete Potipcoe, who spent the last four years in Fort MacMurray.
There’s an A Channel Edmonton Reunion scheduled for Saturday, April 21 at the Edmonton Public Library downtown.
Global Edmonton’s wardrobe sale over the weekend raised $12,000 for the Terra Centre, an increase of $3,000 over last year’s total.
Kenneth Whyte, former president of Rogers Publishing Ltd. and past editor of Maclean’s and the National Post, is launching a new publishing company called The Sutherland House. Ken started his journalism career at the Sherwood Park News and joined the Alberta Report in 1984.
The Journal has won a lot of fans online recently for its weather-related headlines. Headlines like “You’re cold, I’m cold, everything is cold” and “It’s snowing again. Here’s a picture of a dog.” Check them out here.
Here is the 20th Alberta Podcast Network Roundup! The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is scheduled for Saturday, April 21 at Variant Edition Comics & Culture.
For 3-4 weeks back in 1973, while the Edmonton Journal went through a newsprint shortage, 630 CHED kept the comics alive via the radio.
Hope to see you on May 5 at CKUA for PodSummit!

Premier Rachel Notley addresses cabinet, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

Murray Westgate turned 100 years old today. He “was there for the start of television in Canada in 1952” and was “a fixture on HNIC until 1968.”
Martin Scorsese will direct an untitled SCTV reunion special for Netflix that will feature footage from a cast reunion in May in Toronto hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Report for America, a non-profit modeled after AmeriCorps, aims to install 1,000 journalists in understaffed newsrooms by 2022. “Report for America fellowships last one to two years, and the pay is about $40,000, with half covered by the program and the rest split between participating news organizations and donations.”
De Correspondent shares some information on its CRM for journalists, to help writers tap into the knowledge of their readers.
Mixcloud, which started as a sort of YouTube for audio, has raised $11.5 million to help it scale globally.

At Taproot Edmonton we’re working hard to ensure that local journalism has a future in our city. Join us to be part of the movement.

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Edmonton Notes for April 15, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

An investigation by the City Auditor has found that the City has mismanaged more than $30 million from the current planning reserve fund since 2013. “The single largest loss was more than $8.5 million on an eServices project between 2012 and 2015.” The Journal’s editorial on the matter said that “throughout this troubling affair, no one has been held to account by getting fired or even reprimanded” and that it “isn’t a one-off but part of a lengthy pattern of mismanagement.”
City Council has approved the municipal tax rate for 2018, resulting in a 3.5% increase. “The impact of the approved 2018 municipal tax increase and utility rate increase on a typical homeowner ($397,000 assessed value) would be $2,468 or an increase of $83.”
Mayor Don Iveson, federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, and provincial Transportation Minister Brian Mason announced $43 million in funding for 40 electric buses. “Iveson said the city will get its first five electric buses in 2019 and 35 more by 2020.” He called them “the future of public transit”.
Financial disclosures from the 2017 Municipal Election were released this week. Small money can sometimes go a long way, wrote Dave Cournoyer in his analysis of how the money was spent.
City Council this week approved the contentious two-tower Bateman project in Strathcona at 89 Avenue and 99 Street. That’s where the Wild Earth Bakery & Cafe is currently located.
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion continues to dominate provincial news. Today, “Premier Rachel Notley received renewed commitment from the federal government” in an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Here is Dave’s recap of the rally that took place on Thursday.
Marlena Wyman is Edmonton’s new historian laureate. “She moved to Edmonton in 1974 and worked as the audio/visual archivist at the Provincial Archives of Alberta for 28 years.”
Flair Airlines has added new direct flights between Edmonton and Victoria (daily) and Edmonton and Prince George (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday).
Edmonton is the first out-of-Ontario expansion for popular Toronto-based ice cream chain Sweet Jesus. It is now open in Southgate Centre.
A report being discussed by Council could lead to no more fees for home-based businesses. “The mayor said the city wants to support entrepreneurs and fees that are too high don’t do that.”
Do you have an idea for what should happen with the exhibition lands? Share it here. “The Exhibition Lands make up the City’s second largest urban infill site in a locally renowned spot near downtown, LRT and transit, and the river valley.”
Edmonton’s NextGen is looking for new members to join the committee. The deadline to apply is April 22.
The Oilers have signed winger Ty Rattie to a 1-year contract. They’ve also confirmed that Peter Chiarelli will be back next season as president and general manager of the hockey club.
From Julia Lipscombe: Hey Edmonton: 5 reasons to jump on the Toronto Raptors bandwagon.
Edmonton set a record this week for the 167th consecutive day with a temperature below zero. Dive into all the details at Edmonton Weather Nerdery.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Two Second Headways, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

I hope to see you at City Hall on Monday afternoon for the City of Edmonton’s HealthHack Prototype event! It runs from 2-4pm.
The 110th Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival kicks off on Monday and runs through the end of the month.
Head over to the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday from 10-4pm for the Edmonton Career Fair & Training Expo.
The families of four Edmonton-area Humboldt Broncos players will host a public Celebration of the lives of Jaxon Joseph, Logan Hunter, Parker Tobin and Stephen Wack at 1:00 PM MT on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at Rogers Place. You can get free tickets here.
The City is hosting two public engagement sessions this week on proposed grass and yard waste collection changes, on Wednesday at the Mill Woods Senior and Multicultural Centre and on Thursday at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre.
The Sexual Exploitation Working Group is hosting a lunch & learn on Thursday at MacEwan University. Wear orange to support the 2018 Sexual Exploitation Week of Awareness.
Rapid Fire Theatre’s Bonfire Festival continues on Thursday and Friday at the Citadel.
Friday is 4/20. One of the events taking place that day to celebrate is 420 FEST at Union Hall.
The Edmonton Cottage Life & Cabin Show takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Friday to Sunday.
Chantal Kreviazuk is performing at the Winspear Centre on Saturday evening.
Saturday is Lay Day Edmonton, a free opportunity to “tour the Edmonton Law Courts, view mock trials featuring the Ghostbusters, the Cat in the Hat, Mario & friends, and Superman, and receive legal consultations and information from our volunteer lawyers.”
This year’s Spring Edmonton Woman’s Show takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
Save the date! AccelerateAB is taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday, April 24.

Spring Thaw

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Media Monday Edmonton: Update #291

PodSummit 2018 is coming up here in Edmonton on May 5 at CKUA! The event features a great lineup of speakers, including Karen Unland, Roger Kingkade, Rob Greenlee, and many more. Tickets are $150 and the event is already 60% sold out. Or you can win your way in, as I have one ticket to give away! Simply leave a comment below (using a valid email address) telling me what your favorite podcast is, and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll draw one name at random on Sunday, April 15, and the event organizers will be in touch with your ticket. Hope to see you at PodSummit!

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Congratulations to OilersNation on 10 years of the Nation! “What started out as one website for friends, family and a few fans of the Oilers today stretches across the country as the Nation Network and draws millions of page views.” The post includes some thoughtful remarks on digital media from Robin Brownlee.
Longtime CFCW radio announcer Bev Munro passed away at the age of 89 after a short battle with pneumonia. Here’s more from CFCW. Marty Forbes tweeted “I don’t throw the word ‘legend’ around very often – but if you look that word up in the dictionary I’m pretty sure you’ll see Bev’s picture.”
Congratulations to Kathy Le, currently at CTV News Calgary, on receiving this year’s Spirit of NAIT Alumni Award. She graduated from NAIT’s Radio & Television program in 2011.
Voting for the Webby Awards is open until April 19. Go vote for Edmonton-made Invisible World in the Best Visual Design – Function category!
Here is the latest Alberta Podcast Network Roundup.
I noticed some discussion on Twitter about CKUA’s sign and that led me to dig up this news item that explains it was designed by Wei Yu, produced by Blanchett Neon, and made possible by the Edmonton Community Foundation.
Local golfer Christina Lecuyer, who is also the start of reality show Big Break, is going to participate in Shotmakers on the Golf Channel.
The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group is looking for a Digital Production Assistant to work on content for 102.3 NOW FM and up 99.3 FM.
Accessible Media Inc. is looking for a Bureau Producer to join the team here in Edmonton.
Postmedia is looking for paid summer interns at locations across Alberta. The 12-week internship starts June 4.

PodSummit 2018 takes place in Edmonton on May 5

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

Here is more on Torstar’s national expansion. “The investment more than doubles the number of Metro journalists at a time when news organizations are retrenching across North America.”
The 2018 Western Association of Broadcasters conference is coming up on June 6 and 7 in Banff
According to a new report from the Knight Foundation, local TV is doing way better than you’d think.
Dean Baquet, editor of the New York Times, says Donald Trump’s attacks on the press are “out of control” and says the White House Correspondents’ Association “ought to rethink their mission”.

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!

Want to read great stories about Edmonton? Or maybe you’d like to write them? Join Taproot Edmonton and help us ensure that local journalism has a future in our city.

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for April 8, 2018

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Edmonton will receive $878 million for transit projects thanks to phase 2 of the infrastructure fund promised in the 2015 federal election. “It’s enough to get Edmonton’s west LRT built, plus contribute to other transit priorities.”
The City has decided to end the Dogwood Cafe’s lease at the Victoria Golf Course and is replacing it with a multinational chain. So much for fresh!
The first phase of the city charter with the Province is now complete. “This is a first step in the right direction,” Mayor Don Iveson said Friday.
Candidates raised more than $1.2 million during the last municipal election. “Mayor Don Iveson raised a war chest of nearly $397,000 for his re-election bid, even though he was running against a crowed field of little-known challengers.”
There are now 407 playground zones in Edmonton with 30 km/h speed limits and all school zones have been replaced. “Some school zones did not include the area in front of play equipment or sports fields. The new playground zones includes these areas, and are in effect every day from 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m.”
I am really happy to see that you can now take Uber from the airport! There’s an area outside Door 10 on the arrivals level for pickups.
The City has released its annual progress report on the Energy Transition Strategy. “The City is updating its greenhouse gas management plan to meet its 2035 reduction targets and will provide detailed emissions data and future emission projections to Council in May.” That’s because Edmonton is not close to reaching its targets.
A group called Waste Free Edmonton is trying to eliminate single-use items like plastic bags and now has more than 6,000 signatories to a petition supporting its push.
The unemployment rate in Edmonton was down to 6.7% in March from 6.9% in February.
According to the City Auditor, the City wasted up to $8.5 million in a failed attempt to put building permit applications online.
Nine non-profit organizations have been selected to move into The Orange Hub, the former West MacEwan Campus. You can learn more about the building here.
The proposed overhaul of the bus route network would reduce the number of main routes from 200 to 100. “Besides improving service, the main reason behind the redesign to get more people to take transit.” You can see all the details and provide your feedback here.
The City’s Infill Compliance Team conducted 1,654 inspections in 2017 according to the second annual report on infill construction site enforcement.
Automated noise traps to enforce “vehicle volume the same way photo radar catches speeders” sounds amazing to me. The super loud motorcycles and trucks downtown are so annoying.
The Oilers won their final game and Connor McDavid won the scoring race, a positive end to a dismal season.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Sunday Afternoon, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Upcoming Events

The California Wine Fair is taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
ECVO is hosting The Cannabis Quagmire: Accommodations for 2018 & Beyond on Thursday morning at the Santa Maria Goretti Centre.
The 2018 Edmonton Motorshow takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday to Sunday.
Rapid Fire Theatre’s Bonfire Festival takes place April 12-14 and 19-21.
New Music Edmonton’s Sonic Play School takes place on Thursday evening at the McLuhan House.
The University of Alberta’s School of Business is holding an information session on Thursday evening to provide an overview of the MBA program.
The 2018 Edmonton International BeerFest takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
Cannabis Con is also taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
DJ Jazzy Jeff is at The Common on Friday night.
The 8th annual Edmonton Volunteer Fair takes place on Saturday at West Edmonton Mall.
The 7th annual Culinary Cook-Off & Auction supporting the arts core programming at Mount Royal Elementary School takes place on Saturday at the school.
Celebrate Fruit Loop’s 5th birthday on Saturday night at Denizen Hall and Crash Hotel.
Save the dates! What the Truck?! has announced its 2018 season. Please RSVP on Facebook!

Projects to build prosperous communities, photo by Government of Alberta

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #290

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Goodbye Metro Edmonton, hello StarMetro Edmonton/TheStar Edmonton. Torstar has “doubled the size of our Metro Edmonton newsroom” and will be relaunching/rebranding on April 10. The newspaper will now be called StarMetro Edmonton, and the website will be TheStar Edmonton, a new local hub on thestar.com. The company is promising a much bigger focus on investigations. Alex Boyd will serve as the StarMetro Edmonton Bureau Chief and tweeted “we’re still committed to Edmonton, we’re just gaining a bit more muscle.”
The Globe and Mail reports that Torstar is hiring 20 reporters to add to the 15 currently located in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.
The Edmonton Sun launched in Edmonton forty years ago today. “Despite an ad in the first Edmonton Sun from our competition, the Edmonton Journal, wishing us “a nice visit to the city,” it has been an extended stay.”
Looks like changes are underway at 92.5 Fresh Radio. They are changing up the morning show with details to be announced “soon”. Previous hosts Dani and Jay had their last show on March 27 as did evening show host Amanda Propp.
Bollywood is For Lovers, the podcast by locals Matt Bowes and Erin Fraser, was featured in an article on TheHindu.com. “What these two unlikely Bollywood devotees represent is a wider cultural movement: non-Indians from around the globe are not only discovering Indian cinema but also creating platforms to celebrate, discuss and champion it through blogs, podcasts and YouTube.”
Graham Hicks has the story behind the $258 million sale of Edmonton-based CCI Thermal to an American company, and its connection to Allarcom via Harold Roozen, “the right-hand man, and then son-in-law, of the late, great Edmonton entrepreneur Dr. Charles Allard.”
A number of local radio stations and media personalities have been nominated in the 2018 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards. The winners will be announced on May 10.
Grant Ainsley wrote an ode to the old police scanner. “Police services, fire departments and paramedic units across Alberta will soon receive more privacy, because new technology will allow traditional police scanners to go silent, at least for the ears of the media.”
Here is the latest Alberta Podcast Network Roundup.
Paula Kirman is renewing her push to raise $5,000 for Radical Citizen Media. She recently hit 1,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The Mark Spector Golf Classic, which has raised $568,000 in four years, is coming up on July 25.

Photo by Don Voaklander

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

Sinclair Broadcast Group forced its news anchors to record a promo about “the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country.” The video showing them all reading the same script is pretty ridiculous.
A new report by the Media Technology Monitor suggests that 1 in 4 anglophone Canadians have cut the cord and no longer pay for a traditional TV service.
Down in the U.S., ESPN is launching a standalone subscription streaming service on April 12 called ESPN+ for $4.99 per month.
As part of his verbal war on Amazon, Trump has referred to The Washington Post as the “Amazon Washington Post”. Of course, he calls it fake news too. “I don’t even know how to describe what goes through my mind,” Martin Baron, the paper’s executive editor, said in a telephone interview on Monday. “It’s completely made up.”

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!

Want to read great stories about Edmonton? Or maybe you’d like to write them? Join Taproot Edmonton and help us ensure that local journalism has a future in our city.

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

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