Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Elise Stolte has been writing all week about harassment experienced by nearly one-fifth of City employees at work. She has received lots of emails from former and current City employees expressing “how voiceless they feel.” The City is overhauling its workplace complaints process as a result.
• The Journal’s editorial board wrote: “If there’s one employer in the city that should set the bar for a workplace, it should be the City of Edmonton.”
• Elise also has the story on poor morale in the City’s communications branch. She reports on the results of the City’s employee engagement survey, which found “those selling the city’s vision are the least likely to have any faith it will come true.”
• Shocking no one at this point, the City says a full resolution to the Metro Line LRT debacle might not happen by the end of the year after all.
• Calgary-based Cidex Group has purchased the gaping hole in the ground at the corner of 95 Street and Jasper Avenue for an undisclosed price. Hopefully this means development in The Quarters will pick up.
• A new project called Paint the Rails will feature murals by local artists at six different LRT stations. It’s one of the City’s Canada 150 legacy projects.
• David Staples says the new citywide 30 km/h speed limits on roads next to playgrounds and fields is “another wrong step in the war of the roads.”
• The Eskimos lost the West Final today against Calgary. Terry Jones says a questionable coaching decision cost them dearly. Head coach Jason Maas says he doesn’t regret his decision.
• The commercial half of the new Stantec Tower was officially topped on Friday “after crews poured a giant slab of concrete that will support the upper condominium development.” Now the tower will rise another 37 stories for condos. The building is slated to be finished in 2019.
• The Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility being built at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre is receiving $3.5 million from the Government of Canada.
• The Government of Canada also announced $1.16 million in funding for four anti-discrimination and inter-cultural understanding projects here in Edmonton.
• The proposed development at Holyrood Gardens continues to be a contentious issue at Council, with those in the community questioning the public engagement process.
• Costco is opening a new store at the Edmonton International Airport late next year.
• Here are 7 ways to support Bissell Centre this holiday season. “With your support this holiday season, we can make a big impact in the lives of people struggling with poverty in our community.”
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Skyline – Before 6pm, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Head over to Mile Zero Dance on Monday night for the launch of #YEGCanvas, “A City-Wide Billboard & LRT Station Based Transitory Art Exhibition.”
• The Edmonton Career Fair & Training Expo takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
• Carolyn Campbell, Deputy City Manager for Communications and Engagement, is speaking at NextGen’s upcoming speaker series event on Wednesday night at the Edmonton Tower.
• ATB’s BoostR live pitch event returns on Wednesday evening, this time at Allard Hall (the new MacEwan building).
• The 13th annual Innovation and Entrepreneurship Dinner, hosted by Entrepreneurship@UAlberta and eHUB takes place Thursday night at Lister Centre on the U of A campus.
• The Oil Kings host the Kootenay Ice on Friday night and the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday night, both at Rogers Place.
• Edmonton Creates is a two-day, hands-on conference “to support local entrepreneurs in growing and launching creative businesses.” It takes place Saturday and Sunday at NAIT with a kickoff keynote on Friday night.
• This is shaping up to be the weekend for local Christmas shopping in Edmonton. Make It! runs Thursday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The Silver Bells Winter Market takes place all weekend in Sherwood Park. Royal Bison‘s first weekend takes place at the usual spot (the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre) from Friday through Sunday. The Hand2Hand Christmas Market is happening on Saturday at the Terwillegar Community Church. And Shop the Hall takes place Saturday at the Westmount Community League.
• All is Bright returns for another year on 124 Street. The event runs from 4-8pm.
• Also taking place on Saturday, at Emily Murphy Park, is the 3rd annual MEC Great Sweater Run.
• For more great winter festivals and events, check out Taproot Edmonton’s guide to the season!

Santa’s Parade of Lights

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The City’s 2018 Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment proposes an increase of 3.6% to the average property tax bill, 1.4% lower than expected. “The budget has been offset in part, thanks to more than $47 million identified in greater savings and efficiences — nearly $15 million more than last year.” Council will deliberate the budget starting December 6.
• Should the Edmonton Eskimos change their name? Mayor Don Iveson and Winnipeg’s first Métis mayor, Brian Bowman, both think so. “We are keenly listening to all input including from our loyal season seat holders and fans,” the Eskimos said in a statement.
• BioWare announced it is moving into three floors of Epcor Tower in late 2018 or early 2019. It’ll be great to have them downtown!
• Mayor Don Iveson says municipalities are not at the table with the provincial and federal governments in discussing marijuana sales. “This is one of those examples where it all runs downhill to us,” he said.
• The City has launched Change for Climate, “a call to all Edmontonians to take action and work together to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35% (below 2005 levels) by 2035.”
• The Edmonton Arts Council has announced the consultants that will work together on Edmonton’s next comprehensive Arts & Heritage Plan 2019-2029: A. Adair & Associates Consulting Inc., Calder Bateman, and Purple Aspen.
• A collection of artwork from Dawn Marie Marchand, a Cree and Métis visual artist from Cold Lake First Nations, and Edmonton’s first Indigenous Artist-in-Residence, is now on display at City Hall. You can see it until November 20.
• The 44th Canadian Finals Rodeo has come to a close at Northlands Coliseum. Now the question is, where will it take place next year?
• Phase one of the Blatchford Redevelopment builder selection process is now underway with the Request for Expression of Interest now open and being accepted until December 8.
• Starting November 20, the number of parking stalls at Century Park is being reduced from 1,085 to 866 due to more private development taking place. “There will be 221 free stalls and 665 reserved stalls available for commuters.”
• According to Edmonton Police, 33 idling vehicles have been stolen in just the last nine days. “It’s just happening everyday and we just need people to take the time to secure their vehicles,” Staff Sgt. Ron Smithman said.
• If you can believe it, new signal malfunctions on the Metro Line LRT caused a train to travel down the wrong track this weekend.
• Edmonton has made the World’s Best Cities list for the first time in 2018, coming in at number 60.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Remembrance Day, photo by Premier of Alberta

Upcoming Events

• AAMDC’s Fall Convention takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre from Tuesday to Friday.
• The Oilers are back from their road trip to host the Golden Knights on Tuesday and the Blues on Thursday.
• The next VA Angels Edmonton Forum is happening at the Royal Glenora Club on Tuesday evening.
• Métis Week will be proclaimed at City Hall on Wednesday morning.
• Halsey is performing at Rogers Place on Wednesday evening.
• The 2017 Innovation Awards, honoring University of Alberta researchers, takes place at Lister Centre on Thursday afternoon.
• Indie Handmade takes place Thursday through Sunday at The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert.
• Taboo Edmonton, the Naughty but Nice Sex Show, is at the Edmonton Expo Centre from Thursday through Sunday.
• Head over to The Carrot on Alberta Avenue on Friday and Saturday for the Carrot Christmas Arts Bazaar.
• This year’s Santa’s Parade of Lights takes place at 5:30pm on Saturday. The route starts at 100 Street and continues down Jasper Avenue to 108 Street.
• The University of Alberta’s Computer Engineering Club is running the HackEDbeta hackathon at Startup Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Royal Glenora’s Christmas Gift Show takes place on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out Taproot’s guide to winter festivals and events in and around Edmonton!

Atmosphere, photo by Jeff Wallace

I hope you made the most of your extra hour this weekend! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The Capital Region Board is officially becoming the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. Here’s the new website. Dr. Jodi L. Abbott is succeeding Nolan Crouse as chair of the board. “Dr. Abbott is the fourth Chair of the regional growth management board since its inception.” The first EMRB meeting is taking place on Thursday. Here is Paula’s take on the news.
• The snow appears here to stay so City crews are out in force. “Neighbourhood blading will not begin until a five-centimetre snow pack has built up on neighbourhood roads.” Check out Snow in the City for all the City’s snow-related info.
• Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht is using the City’s annexation of land from Leduc County as the rationale for a request to add 25 more officers at a cost of $4.3 million.
• The proposed rate increases for garbage collection, recycling, and other waste services for 2018 are “lower than projected in the City’s three-year approved budget.” This year’s increase is going to be 2.3% rather than the original 4.1%.
• Grayson Thate is Edmonton’s new Youth Poet Laureate. “Thate is a 19-year-old poet and tap dancer based in Edmonton whose art is largely influenced by the sociopolitical climate and his experiences as a queer artist.”
• New figures show “a slight rise in Edmonton’s downtown office vacancies since last year” to 17.7% but our city is still doing better than Calgary where downtown vacancies rose to 27%.
• The new security measures at City Hall have already been modified after councillors discovered that the water was prohibited.
• Congratulations to all the projects and individuals recognized in the 2017 Urban Design Awards. The Ritchie Market did well!
• The old MEC on 124 Street and 102 Avenue is going to become a flagship Evolve Strength facility that will feature “21 offices for chiropractors, massage therapists, dietitians and other health and welfare practitioners” as well as “a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio, physiotherapy, a vegetarian restaurant and a personal training space and gym featuring Olympic and power weightlifting equipment.”
• November is Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta. A number of events will take place in Edmonton throughout the month. “In 2016 approximately one-third, just over 825, of all calls to the City of Edmonton’s Individual and Family Well-being team were related to family violence.”
• Avenue Edmonton recognized its the 2017 Top 40 Under 40 on Monday night. Congrats to all!
• An upcoming bylaw change could make it easier for microbreweries to open up shop in Edmonton.
• I’m very excited about the third Credo Coffee location opening soon inside the Kelly Ramsey building!
• Both the old Walterdale Bridge and the Harbin Gate are partially dismantled right now. Quite a contrast to all the construction we’ve been witnessing.
• I know this won’t be popular, but…bring on the increased parking fines!
• “The new 102 Avenue bike lane was finished months ago but is blocked by barricades:”

102 Avenue Bike Lane Edmonton, photo by More Bike Lanes Please

Upcoming Events

• World Town Planning Day is being celebrated Monday evening at the Garneau Theatre with a screening of two short films.
• Homeward Trust is providing a community update on A Place to Call Home: Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness on Tuesday at the old Royal Alberta Museum.
• An open house for the Queen Elizabeth School Park and Glengarry District Park Master Plans is taking place on Tuesday at the Glengarry Community Hall.
• Open Minds 2017 takes place at the TELUS Centre on Tuesday and is “a celebration of Humanities and Social Sciences research at the University of Alberta.”
• Linda Hoang is hosting an event with ATB Financial on Tuesday called How to Adult: Investing at MKT. Tickets are $20.
• The Friends of Royal Alberta Museum Society (FRAMS) is hosting Ale-Beer-Ta on Tuesday at Yellowhead Brewery.
• The City is hosting a workshop “exploring options for how amenities and facilities, that were identified as priorities based on public feedback, could be arranged and fit on the Rollie Miles park site” on Wednesday at Strathcona Composite High School.
• Farm Fair International kicks off on Wednesday at Northlands! Canadian Finals Rodeo is also underway from the 8th through the 12th.
• National Philanthropy Day is coming up and there’s an awards luncheon taking place on Thursday at the Shaw Conference Centre to celebrate.
• On Thursday at the TELUS Centre, the United Way is hosting a screening of Us & Them, a documentary that “follows the lives of four individuals struggling with homelessness over a 10 year period.”
• The PBR Global Cup takes place at Rogers Place from Thursday through Sunday. The event “will feature the world’s best bull riders from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, all competing for their country and a Canadian-record purse of $1,000,000.”
• AFC is hosting its second Foodovation Summit on Thursday and Friday at NAIT.
• The Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival is on at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday and Saturday.
• Saturday is Remembrance Day with many events happening throughout the city. The service at City Hall kicks off at 10:15am and the big Butterdome ceremony takes place from 10am until noon.

Morning to School, photo by ALLEN QIAO乔谦之

I took a break after the election and spent a week on Vancouver Island with Sharon, so I skipped my notes last weekend. We had a great time, despite a few fairly wet days! Back in Alberta now, ready to tackle the rest of 2017. Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• With the election results official as of October 20, the new City Council was officially sworn in at a ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday. You can read Mayor Don Iveson’s full speech here.
• Also new at City Hall? Increased security measures including metal detectors to enter Council chambers.
• Paula Simons has the scoop on the former Bank of Montreal building, now vacant as BMO is about to launch its new branch inside Enbridge Centre right next door.
• According to a new report from the Real Estate Investment Network, Edmonton has “more of a diversified economy than Calgary” and that makes it the top spot in Alberta to invest in housing.
• Michael Ross has looked at the stats from the 2017 municipal election. “Iveson’s support in general seems very solid in the center of the city, and a bit weaker in the north and southeast than the rest of the city,” he wrote. “All that being said, his support ranged from 59.5-85.9% so he has a strong mandate from every part of the city.”
• Edmonton is one of 238 cities that made pitches to land Amazon’s HQ2. Here’s how we stack up, according to the Journal.
• “After 80 years of screening foreign films and classics,” the Edmonton Film Society will show Casablanca as its last film on November 6 at the Royal Alberta Museum. The organization hasn’t been able to find a new home with the RAM’s move downtown, and “finding new volunteers to run the society has been a struggle.”
• That was fast: “After more than 100 years of service, the old Walterdale Bridge is coming down.” We drove by on Wednesday night and demolition work was well underway. “Major bridge demolition will be staged over the next few months, with completion anticipated for the end of 2017.”
• Just as fast? The Edmonton Prospects have already incorporated the new bridge into their revised logo.
• Could an international design competition be in the cards for Northlands? Council will be discussing it in a couple of weeks.
• Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were in town this week. Everyone is talking about how Ovie gave his winter jacket and hat to a homeless man on the street.
• West Edmonton Mall has developed a new market known as RAAS, or Retail as a Service, that “features tiny spaces where local businesses can quickly set up shop without the time and expense of creating their own stand-alone operation.” New name for an old idea, I guess.
• TD Insurance is closing its Edmonton call centre and moving operations to Halifax and St. John. “This is the third time in just over a decade TD has closed an Edmonton call centre.”
• I know this joke has been made before, but it still make me chuckle when it reappeared in response to the LED lights on the re-developed WSP Place building on 109 Street at Jasper Avenue.
• From CBC’s Rick McConnell: After 3 wins in October, it’s time to ask if the Oilers really are playoff contenders.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton, Meet Sky, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday night is Halloween! From Raising Edmonton, here are Halloween events for babies and toddlers. And from Just Another Edmonton Mommy, here’s a list of free haunted houses & Halloween decorated homes in Edmonton and area.
• Green Drinks returns on Wednesday evening at the Yellowhead Brewery. The theme is local art so you’ll “hear from some of the changemakers trying to beautify our city, inside and out.”
• Edmonton’s NextGen is hosting Leftover MEAET on Wednesday evening at the Prince of Wales Armouries. It’s a fundraising event for “local entrepreneurs doing cool stuff in our city.”
• The Oilers host the Penguins on Wednesday and the Devils on Friday at Rogers Place.
• The Oil Kings host the Seattle Thunderbirds on Thursday and the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday at Rogers Place.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association of Edmonton is hosting An Evening to Remember at the Muttart Conservatory on Friday night, “an annual gathering to honour and remember our loved ones who have died by suicide.”
• SPUD is hosting a free “Meet Your Farmers & Makers” open house on Saturday at the warehouse.
• JDRF’s 26th annual Denim & Diamonds Gala takes place on Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Happy first birthday to Northern Chicken! The popular 124 Street eatery is celebrating on Saturday night.
• It’s that time of year again: Movember kicks off on Wednesday! Check out @MovemberEdm for all the latest events.
• Heads up: Farmfair International and Canadian Finals Rodeo run November 8-12 this year at Northlands.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

View north side river, photo by Brian Davidson

Monday, October 16 is Election Day! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• For the latest on the election, check out Taproot Edmonton’s election microsite. Here is our latest roundup of news from Wednesday. Bookmark our results dashboard to see how it all plays out Monday night!
• A total of 26,198 citizens marked a ballot in advance voting, which is a 13% increase over 2013. “This total includes votes cast at ward-based advance stations, senior accommodation facilities and post-secondary schools throughout the city.”
• There hasn’t been much to consider in the mayoral race, aside from the memes and funny forum moments. But that hasn’t stopped Don Iveson from running flat out. “I am programmed for one speed in these things, which is flat out, seven days a week,” Mr. Iveson said in an interview with the Globe & Mail.
• A group of Edmontonians recently launched a design proposal called High Level Line which “proposes a future where diverse neighbourhoods in central Edmonton are stitched together.” You can learn more in Elise Stolte’s article about the idea.
• Brent Oliver and Trevor Belsher are “two major players in Edmonton’s music scene” who say “the city isn’t doing enough to support musicians or venues in the downtown area.”
• Food Bank usage has been up in Edmonton every single month except April this year compared to 2016. Between 20,000 and 24,000 people have used the service each month.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services opened the city’s 30th fire station in Pilot Sound last week. “The new station is expected to serve the city for 50 years.”
• Deborah Saucier began her term as MacEwan University’s new president just a month or so before the large phishing scam that happened over the summer. “It was absolutely shocking to me that it happened,” she said last week.
• For the third year in a row, “Edmonton has secured the top spot in a comprehensive evaluation of open data programs in 61 Canadian municipalities.”
• The University of Alberta has received $18.6 million in funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation for research on permafrost, nanotechnology, and other projects.
• I meant to link to this one previously, by CBC Edmonton’s Janice Johnston: In downtown Edmonton, Rogers Place marks dividing line between ‘different worlds’.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Monday is Election Day! The polls are open from 9am until 8pm. Then check out our dashboard to see the results as they come in.
• LitFest is underway! There are events taking plce throughout the city all week. The festival wraps up on Sunday.
• Edmonton Startup Week takes place all week with events at various locations. Check out the schedule.
• Also taking place this week is Small Business Week.
• An event called Connect is taking place on Tuesday at the Shaw Conference Centre. It’s “a timely discussion on trade, investment and our future in the global economy.”
• John Rose, Chief Economist for the City of Edmonton, is speaking at the Economics Society of Northern Alberta’s next luncheon on Wednesday at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
• Launch Party 8 takes place on Thursday evening inside Ford Hall at Rogers Place.
• AUPE is hosting its 41st annual convention at the Shaw Conference Centre from Thursday through Saturday.
• The Edmonton Rock & Gem Show is taking place at the Alberta Aviation Museum from Thursday through Sunday.
• If you hate networking but reocgnize the benefits of building social capital, check out this workshop featuring Nadine Riopel which takes place on Friday.
• DECL’s Urban Kids group is hosting its next event on Friday night “where kids can play, explore and make friends in their neighbourhood.”
• UX Edmonton’s UX Camp 2017 takes place on Friday and Saturday at MacEwan’s brand new Allard Hall.
• Leftovers for Dinner takes place on Saturday evening at Ernest’s at NAIT. “Student chefs will be cooking using only leftover food and event attendees will have a chance to tour the kitchens and watch the entire process.”
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Giant Arches, photo by Kurt Bauschardt