Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton Arena District is now officially known as Ice District. “Ice District is the perfect reflection of the type of energy and feeling this area will bring to anyone who sets foot here,” said Daryl Katz. I shared a few initial thoughts here. Here is Omar’s take. Also be sure to check out Linda’s write-up of the unique marketing campaign that led to the announcement.
• Also unveiled this week were three public art concepts for Rogers Place: Essential Tree by realities:united (Berlin), Skater’s Arch by Douglas Bentham (Saskatoon), and Figures in Motion by Al Henderson (Edmonton).
• A new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives revealed that Edmonton is the second worst region in Canada to be a woman. The study ranks Canada’s 24 largest metro areas “based on a comparison of how men and women are faring in five areas: economic security, leadership, health, personal security, and education.”
• Edmonton is on the shortlist to become a host city for the International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) World Series. The event would feature BMX, skateboarding, wakeboarding, and more. A decision is expected before the end of the year.
• After 12 seasons in charge of the Heritage Festival, executive director Jack Little is stepping down. He says it is time for “some fresh thinking.”
• Here is Lindsey McNeill (aka Screen Queen B) on how Edmonton did at the Banff World Media Festival: “What I’m really proud of is how Edmonton’s filmmakers have become a competitive force in our national industry.”
• The annual K-Days Parade took place on Friday. It was a soggy affair though considering just how much rain fell the turnout was still pretty good. This year Northlands recognized six Honorary Parade Marshals.
• Can’t say I am shocked about this: research by Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety shows that drivers engage in behaviour they deem dangerous.
• Like coffee? In Edmonton? Here’s a coffee lover’s guide to Edmonton.
• University of Alberta researchers have developed a supplement that will apparently help individuals suffering from gluten intolerance enjoy foods they currently have to avoid. It must still undergo human clinical trials and receive Health Canada approval.
• Wunderbar will stay open a little longer thanks to a crowdfunding campaign that raised the $4,500 goal in just two hours.
• If you’ve been thinking of adopting a cat, now’s the time according to the Edmonton Humane Society. They’ve joined the Million Cat Challenge to manage cat populations across North America.
• The Oilers agreed to terms with defenceman Justin Schultz this week. They also announced that University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach Ian Herbers will become an assistant coach with the team.
• Be like Mayor Iveson, leave your clippings on the lawn:

• Service Alberta is hosting an online competition called Apps for Alberta to show how open data can be used. You can vote for your favorite app until July 24. If you spent any time online this week, you probably saw Ranek’s Alberta Baby Name Explorer. I was one 4 boys named Mackenzie born in 1983 (there were 3 girls born that year with my name). Today it appears to be predominately a girl’s name, with 61 girls and 0 boys named Mackenzie in 2013.
• Speaking of apps, the Edmonton 311 App celebrated its first birthday this week. In that time it was downloaded 17,000 times with more than 9,000 reports filed.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton, highlights edition!
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

100 Fountains, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Taste of Edmonton continues this week in Churchill Square! We went twice this weekend.
• New to Taste of Edmonton this year is the Canadian Food Championships which starts on Tuesday, with most activity taking place behind the Milner Library.
• Also continuing all week is K-Days over at Northlands. Can’t wait for my annual corn dog. When you go, be sure to share your experience. And to get you in the mood, here is some Ex history from Vintage Edmonton.
• Family Nature Nights is back on Wednesday at Gold Bar Park, this time with Forest Fables.
• Don’t miss the Latitude 53 Patio on Thursday evenings throughout the summer!
• Interstellar Rodeo kicks off on Friday night at Hawrelak Park.
• The Eskimos host the Blue Bombers at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday evening. So far this season the Esks are 2-1, but have won their last two games.
• On Sunday, FC Edmonton hosts the Atlanta Silverbacks.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Slide The City, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• It was a rough week for the City and Council as we learned the Metro Line LRT has been delayed again and that the project may have major deficiencies. They’re hopeful it’ll be open by the fall, but don’t hold your breath.
• Council also dealt with bike lanes this week, voting to remove them from 95 Avenue and 40 Avenue. Though he remains concerned about mixed signals, Mayor Iveson says “all is not lost for cyclists in Edmonton.”
• The other big topic this week was a proposal to require vegan catering for Council meetings. With very little discussion, Council decided to delay the item until the October 19 Council Services Committee meeting.
• I know the market is going to be very different than it is today, but saying the increase in downtown office space will lead to “a bloodbath” of vacancies seems a little dramatic to me.
• Corporate and union donations have been banned at the provincial level and now Council would like to see them banned at the municipal level too.
• From Jason Foster: The Past, Present, and Future of Craft Beer in Edmonton. He notes that Alley Kat won beer of the year!
• This list of 26 reasons why Edmonton might be the next great Canadian city was shared far and wide this week. And from Emil, here are The ABCs of Why You Should Move to Edmonton.
• About 130 schools registered for the Schoolyard Cleanup program this year, and 12 of them won $500 for their efforts to keep their schoolyards clean.
• Take a tour of public art in Edmonton with Brittney and The Local Good!
• From Making Something Edmonton, here’s an interview with Andrew-David Jahchan of MADSOFT Games on building the game development community in Edmonton.
• If you haven’t already done so, make sure you remove any blue ribbons that may still be up in your neighbourhood.
• A total of 2,808 tickets were issued during the June 2015 Operation 24 Hours event, which is up from the April 2015 event.
• The alley beside Tutti Fruitti on Whyte Avenue has been turned into a pedestrian-friendly plaza, complete with a fancy new paint job.
• We may have Connor McDavid now, but the Edmonton Oilers brand finished last among 10 ten teams when people across Canada were asked who had the most loyal fans. The waiting list for season tickets would beg to differ.
• Speaking of McDavid, many fans got their first look at the young phenom in an Oilers jersey on Monday night at the Billy Moores Cup. He scored five goals.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Metro Line still isn’t open

Upcoming Events

• This is your last week to catch the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal.
• Five Hole for Food is back in Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon behind the Stanley Milner Library downtown.
• Also Wednesday evening is the 100menYEG Summer Meeting.
• Taste of Edmonton kicks off on Thursday at Churchill Square. This year will the event will also feature the Canadian Food Championships.
• The annual K-Days Parade takes place at 10am on Friday morning! K-Days itself starts later that day.
• One of the things I’ll be checking out on Friday evening is The Culture Collective’s 1st annual fundraiser at Latitude 53.
• On Saturday and Sunday, Slide the City is coming to Edmonton. Grierson Hill will be transformed into a giant slip & slide!
• The annual Steampunk Carnival Photoshoot takes place on Sunday at Fort Edmonton Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, photo by IQRemix

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Avenue Edmonton’s annual list of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People was released on Monday. Notably absent? Mayor Iveson.
• As outgoing University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera reflects back on ten years in the role, David Turpin begins his term as the university’s 13th president.
• The Edmonton Public Library has opened its first storefront library location, the West Henday eplGO Branch, which features a sampling of EPL’s core services. The branch is located at 818 Webber Greens Drive and includes a mini makerspace, public computers, free wi-fi, and popular programs like Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn.
• Friday was outgoing EPL CEO Linda Cook’s last day. Looking back at her 18 years with EPL, she says eliminating membership fees in 2013 was “the highlight of my career.”
• If you’d like to dive into the Government of Alberta’s 2014-2015 annual report, it is now online along with ministry annual reports and the Heritage Savings Trust Fund annual report. “On the Consolidated Financial Statements basis, the government had a surplus of $1.1 billion. On the fiscal plan basis, the surplus was $1.4 billion.”
• Does the Edmonton Police Service really need a new headquarters?
• The City’s 2015 Annual Growth Monitoring Report is now available online. Edmonton “continues to grow ‘up’, ‘in’, and ‘out’,” it says. Not all equally, mind you.
• You may have already seen a recap of DIYcity, but not like this: Chris Gusen and Robin Mazumder tried to visit as many project sites as possible by bike with a GoPro.
• Edmonton Digital Arts College has announced it is relocating from the Mercer Warehouse to the Alberta Block (the old CKUA Building) on Jasper Avenue at 105 Street.
• Ever wonder who the voice of the LRT is? Turns out it’s Paul Boucher, a voice actor from Calgary.
• New turf is being installed at Foote Field this summer and it will feature a gold-colored “Varsity A” logo at the centre with University of Alberta logos in the endzones.
• Here are the latest urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton. Lots of good stuff there, like this article on why trucks keep getting stuck under the High Level Bridge.
• I was quite interested to read about the Abundant Community Initiative, which aims to turn strangers into neighbours.
• From Elise Stolte: Infill horror stories easy to find, as complaints from neighbours over damaged homes escalate. It sounds to me like a lot of the issues really aren’t the City’s problem, but Paula Simons does make a good point that a lack of action could turn people against infill. Here’s a response from IDEA: “IDEA is not here to protect bad developers. We are here to raise the bar of infill in Edmonton by encouraging developers to be better neighbours.”
• Here is the 2015 Q1 Report to the Community from the Edmonton Police Commission and Edmonton Police Service. Both property crime and violent crime increased compared to the same time frame in 2014.
• A busy summer continues for the Oilers, with organizational changes for the Oilers Entertainment Group being announced on Friday.
• And of course, they agreed to terms with Connor McDavid on a three-year entry level contract.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Connor McDavid, photo by Connor Mah

Upcoming Events

• The Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton takes place all week! Sharon and I are looking forward to getting a peek inside some buildings that are normally off-limits.
• Sand on Whyte and the Street Performers Festival both run all week, south and north of the river, respectively.
• You can still catch performances of As You Like It and Coriolanus at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park this week.
• Family Nature Nights are 2 hour long events taking place on Wednesdays over the next two months. The first is this week, on Wetlands.
• The Edmonton Eskimos host the Ottawa REDBLACKS at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday evening.
• We hope to see you at Northlands Park on Friday night for our next What the Truck?! event, co-located with Park After Dark. Thanks to The Local Good for this feature on What the Truck?!.
• Friday is also the kickoff for this year’s Whyte Avenue Art Walk, which runs all weekend long.
• Edmonton’s Track Town Classic takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Foote Field.
• Saturday is the launch of Edmonton’s new Green Living Guide, “an easy to read guidebook with pictures, tips and tricks, and valuable information about living a greener life.”
• I’m looking forward to checking out the Summer Market in Chinatown on Saturday.
• Head over to Borden Park on Sunday for the Edmonton Arts Council’s 20th Anniversary Summer Party.
• The Mill Woods Living Heritage project is hosting an interesting event on Sunday called Imaging Mill Woods at the Ridgewood Community Hall.
• Every Sunday at La Cite Francophone, you can take in the French Quarter Grand Market.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

England won the bronze, photo by IQRemix

It was a hot weekend in Edmonton with temperatures above 30 degrees – how did you beat the heat? Or maybe you decided to make the most of it and spent it outdoors! We might have some rain to start the week but then we’re back to hot weather, so be sure to work and play safely, and never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle. You can see the forecast here.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Bill 1, An Act to Renew Democracy in Alberta, was unanimously passed by the Alberta Legislature this week. It bans corporate and union donations to political parties, effective June 15, 2015.
• The new Ivor Dent Sports Park, named after former mayor Ivor Dent, is now open in southeast Edmonton at the corner of Ellerslie Road and 50 Street. The 138-acre park features 24 fields for soccer, rugby, cricket, field hockey, football, lacrosse, and more. The City’s contribution to the park was approximately $25 million, with $9.9 million coming from MSI funding.
• It’s official: Connor McDavid was selected 1st overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He got wear the new orange jersey that the Oilers feature at seven home games this season.
• In other Oilers news this week: they acquired Cam Talbot from the Rangers, traded for defenceman Eric Gryba, sent their 16th and 33rd overall picks to the Islanders in exchange for Griffin Reinhart, the 2015-2016 season schedule was released, and they fired most of their scouting staff.
• Edmonton’s new Poet Laureate is Pierrette Requier, “a bilingual, Franco-Albertan poet whose work bridges English and French.” Her two-year term will start on Wednesday. Here are 5 questions with our new poet laureate and some thoughts from outgoing poet laureate Mary Pinkoski.
• The Edmonton Public School Board is considering leaving the Alberta School Board Association, which apparently could save the board $200,000 a year.
• Council has approved the first special area zones for Blatchford. Construction on the first stage of development is slated to begin later this year.
• EPS has completed a three-year study to assess the effectiveness of body worn video and have decided to “proceed with a graduated deployment of cameras to specialized police units.” The coordinator of the project called the study “the most comprehensive in Canada to date.”
• In case you missed it, EPS released a thank you video in memory of Constable Woodall.
• A ban on pesticide use on City property was approved by Council this week, but with a few exemptions.
• The deadline to nominate someone for the 2015 Front Yards in Bloom program is Tuesday, June 30! Last year more than 3400 yards were nominated. You can nominate a yard here or by calling 311.
• Father’s Day was also #DIYcity and #yeglongday here in Edmonton, and Make Something Edmonton has recapped everything that went down.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Boating on the river

Upcoming Events

• There are just a couple more days left for The Works.
• The Freewill Shakespeare Festival continues at Hawrelak Park this week.
• The second annual BaconFest YEG takes place on Tuesday, this time at the Jubilee.
• Wednesday is of course Canada Day! As usual you’ll find events all over the city, with the big fireworks finale taking place over the river valley starting at 11pm. You can see a full listing of Canada Day events here. Also check out 25 things to do with kids on Canada Day.
• Unfortunately Team Canada didn’t make it to the semi-finals, otherwise they’d have been playing Japan on Wednesday night at Commonwealth Stadium. Instead, the defending champs will take on England. The bronze medal game takes place here in Edmonton on Saturday.
• The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival kicks off on Friday at Churchill Square!
• Color Me Rad is two days this year, so watch for the colored powder on Friday and Saturday.
• Saturday in St. Albert is the first ever Seven Music Festival at Mission Park.
• The Historical Festival & Doors Open Edmonton starts on Sunday.
• If you were planning on going to the drive-in movies at TELUS Field this week, you might want to get a refund as the events have been put on hold due to a lack of permits.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Canada Day Information

The fireworks are scheduled to start at 11pm in the river valley. You can’t watch them from Kinsmen Park, but some of the best locations include the Alberta Legislature grounds, Victoria Park, Ezio Faraone Park, and Government House Park. If you’re willing to pay, TELUS Field is offer $4 admission to the baseball game after the 8th inning.

Keep in mind there will be lots of road closures in place on Wednesday starting at around 9pm and continuing until at least 12:45am. There will be limited on-street parking with meter hooding and no stopping signs going into place early in the day. You can see the full list of road closures here. The City is encouraging everyone to walk, bike, or take transit.

There are a few good viewing areas that will be accessible on foot only, including River Valley Road, Queen Elizabeth Park Road, and 109 Street between Saskatchewan Drive and the High Level Bridge. The High Level Bridge itself, as well as the Menzies LRT bridge, will both be closed.

As for transit, all regular bus routes will be operating on a Sunday schedule. The LRT will be running on a 10 minute frequency. For the fireworks though, certain routes will have increased service, including the 1, 5, 8, and 9.

If fireworks downtown aren’t your thing, you can see a full listing of Canada Day events here.

ETS Changes

Thanks to plenty of construction taking place downtown and preliminary work on the Valley Line LRT, permanent changes to 29 downtown bus routes took effect today:

“Most changes are minimal with bus stops only being moved a block or two. The biggest changes take place along 102 Avenue between 95 Street and 103 Street. No buses will be running along this corridor.”

This also affects drivers, as 102A Avenue has now been changed to accommodate two-way traffic. I often took the bus on 102 Avenue, so I’ll have to go see where all of my stops have moved to. Be sure to give yourself a bit of extra time.

Bus stops along 102 Avenue downtown are closed permanently

Downtown routes weren’t the only ones affected this weekend as ETS also made its summer service changes. These changes are in effect until the end of August and largely consist of the removal of school service and reducing the number of buses used for morning and afternoon peak times. Six routes – 46, 165, 167, 186, 187, and 188 – have been cancelled for the summer.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The procession and funeral for Constable Daniel Woodall took place on Wednesday. There was an incredible show of support from those in uniform and also from Edmontonians who lined the streets to pay their respects.
• Premier Rachel Notley’s government has introduced Bill 1 which seeks to ban corporate and union donations to political parties. The Speech from the Throne was delivered on Monday.
• The government has also announced $624 million in new money for schools, hospitals, and other core services in the next five months. A portion of the income from higher corporate taxes as of July 1 is expected to help cover the cost.
• TELUS announced on Friday that it is spending $1 billion in Edmonton over the next six years to connect more than 90% of homes and businesses directly to its state-of-the-art fibre optic network. The service will launch later this year with speeds of up to 150 Mbps, with even faster options to come in the years ahead.
• Congratulations to Pilar Martinez, currently Deputy CEO of EPL, on being appointed the library’s next CEO effective July 4. She replaces long-time CEO Linda Cook who is retiring on July 3 after leading the organization for nearly 20 years. Here are five questions with Martinez.
• The Edmonton Public School Board has selected five names for new schools and one of them will be named after former Councillor Michael Phair! Former mayor Ivor Dent will also have his name on one of the schools.
• The 2015 NHL Draft takes place on June 26 and 27, which is when the Oilers are widely expected to pick Connor McDavid first overall. There’s a draft party at Rexall Place on Friday – tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door with proceeds going to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. That’s why everyone has been writing about our city and the youngster, like the Globe and Mail. Good piece overall, but it’s the team that is “desperate for a symbol of hope”, not our city.
• In other Oilers news, the team has fired its head amateur scout and many other members of the scouting department. They also announced the 2015 pre-season schedule, which kicks off on September 21.
• The Social Housing Regeneration Advisory Group has released its report on social housing. “The report provides an important snapshot of Edmonton’s social housing landscape along with key recommendations for social housing redevelopment and regeneration.”
• On Thursday, the Shaw Conference Centre unveiled a Community Medicine Wheel Garden on the rooftop of the Riverview Room.
• Perhaps looking for a little positive transit news, the Transforming Edmonton blog has a feature on a new ETS scheduling module that will save $27 million in capital costs.
• Did you miss Indulgence this year? Linda has a recap.
• Apparently unhappy with the way things are going with enforcement of Uber in Edmonton, Councillor Oshry is prepared to take his fight to the police commission. I feel the energy would be better spent on getting new regulations in place and approved.
• From Spacing Edmonton, a roundup of recent urbanism headlines.
• I haven’t been over to check out Barking Buffalo Cafe yet, but Cindy did and it sounds like they’re off to a great start.
• It’s fantastic that we’re starting to see more positive press about Edmonton. Amazing what a little confidence can do.
• For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Regimental Funeral Procession, photo by Premier of Alberta

Regimental Funeral Procession, photo by Premier of Alberta

Upcoming Events

• The Works continues this week at various locations throughout the downtown core. Their Golden Summer Gala takes place on Friday at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
• Also continuing at various venues throughout the week is the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
• Head over to the Citadel this week as Improvaganza wraps up on Saturday.
• The Freewill Shakespeare Festival is performing As You Like It and Coriolanus this year. The shows begin on Tuesday at Hawrelak Park.
• Drop in to City Hall between 11am and 7pm on Tuesday to learn more about downtown construction impacts, changes to transit, and how to stay informed as the transformation continues.
• MADE is hosting a discussion on brutalist architecture at The Common on Tuesday evening.
• This year’s edition of the Found Festival kicks off on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
• The North Edge Business District is hosting the second annual Street Jam Festival on Thursday evening.
• There’s always lots to do on Thursdays it seems. You could check out Latitude 53’s patio series or head over to 124 Street for the Grand Market.
• Edmonton’s 43rd Social Media Breakfast takes place at Startup Edmonton on Friday morning.
• A couple of options for Friday evening include Park After Dark at Northlands Park and Night Market Edmonton at Beaver Hills House Park downtown.
• On Saturday, Kick It Up in Little Italy takes place at Giovanni Caboto Park. This is the first big event by the Italian business community after splitting from the Chinatown BRZ.
• Pets in the Park returns for another year in Hawrelak Park on Sunday.
• In FIFA Women’s World Cup action this week, Edmonton is hosting a Round of 16 Game on Monday and a Quarter Final Game on Saturday.
• Are you planning for Canada Day already? I Heart Edmonton has a roundup of events taking place that day!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Scary skies over the weekend!