Happy New Year! I had a wonderful break, and am feeling refreshed and ready to tackle 2020.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Edmonton’s chief economist expects our city’s GDP will grow by about 1.4% this year, which is much better than 2019’s 0.5% but is still "sluggish" compared to historical growth rates.
• Property assessment notices for 2020 are in the mail. Property values are down 0.1% across the city compared to 2019, reports the Journal. Property tax bills will be mailed to property owners in May.
• The City will start collecting natural Christmas trees on Thursday, Jan. 9. Trees will be picked up before the end of the month. Apartment and condo residents can take natural trees, free of charge until Jan. 31, to an Eco Station or recycling depot.
• Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will represent the Oilers at the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend which takes place Jan. 24-25 in St. Louis. No surprise there!
• Two Edmontonians, Mathew Baldwin and Steve Hrudey, were named Members of the Order of Canada on Dec. 28, 2019.
• Edmonton’s New Year’s baby for 2020 is seven pound, four ounce Madilyn, born 36 minutes after midnight at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital.
• Sanjay Shahani, executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council, says Edmonton "values arts and culture in a different way than other cities" and strikes a positive tone about the future of arts in a new interview.
• Papaschase First Nation is now running the Petro Canada gas station on Calgary Trail just south of 34 Avenue. "The station, which was not for sale, had been a corporate asset owned by Petro Canada but the company sold it to the First Nation in an act of reconciliation."
• Edmonton had 26 homicides in 2019, the lowest annual total in a decade. I wrote a lot about our city’s homicide rate back in 2011.
• The brand new $210.7 million Kathleen Andrews Transit Garage will be home to about 275 buses and 700 staff starting next month.
• ICYMI: Troy and I did Edmonton Jeopardy again to wrap up 2019 on Speaking Municipally! Thanks to Councillors Andrew Knack, Sarah Hamilton, and Aaron Paquette for competing.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

This great photo of the NYE fireworks was shared on Instagram by Subrata Patra:

Upcoming Events

• The Ice Castles are now open at Hawrelak Park!
• Three of the City’s five public events to solicit input on the ward boundaries take place this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.
• YEG Fitness is hosting its 2020 launch party on Tuesday evening at Browns Socialhouse (West Henday).
• Deep Freeze Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday along Alberta Avenue. One of my favorite festivals of the year!
• There’s a protest planned for 11am on Saturday at the Legislature to "demand that Premier Jason Kenney and the governing United Conservative Party legislate a bill to hold a referendum on the lawful secession of the Province of Alberta from the Confederation of Canada."
• The Wedding Fair takes place at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Sunday afternoon.
• Swing ‘n’ Skate is on at City Hall every Sunday until Feb. 23.

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Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Council approved a 2.08% property tax increase for 2020. While it wasn’t the 0% increase that some were hoping for, the City says it is the lowest rate in more than 20 years. Check out the latest Council Roundup for more on this.
• This week we witnessed the beginning of the end for EEDC as Council decided to create a new innovation-focused entity, move business retention & expansion work to the City, and move all remaining trade and foreign direct investment work to Edmonton Global. When the dust settles, EEDC will be left with tourism and convention centres, which means the consolidation that took place in the 90s has been completely undone.
• A revised construction schedule obtained by CBC News projects a six-month delay to the start of service for the Valley Line LRT. It was supposed to open on Dec. 15, 2020.
• The grand opening for the renovated Stanley A. Milner Library downtown has been pushed back from Valentine’s Day next year until sometime in the spring. "The complexities involved in a renovation project of this size have meant things are taking a little longer than anticipated," said CEO Pilar Martinez. Who could have seen that coming?! 😀
• ATB Financial is projecting growth of 0.9% in 2020 for the province. Royal LePage forecasts "modest home price gains" for Edmonton in 2020.
• Adam Laughlin has been named Interim City Manager at the City of Edmonton, effective Dec. 28. Council is actively recruiting a permanent City Manager to replace the retiring Linda Cochrane.
• The Oilers had not lost three games in a row this season, but that changed this week. Meanwhile, the crowds are looking thinner and thinner at Rogers Place.
• In other Oilers news, David Staples reports that the team’s value has gone up by $405 million USD since Daryl Katz bought it in 2008.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have named Scott Milanovich as the team’s 22nd head coach in franchise history. He’s currently the quarterback coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• I though it was pretty cool that Ryan Reynolds added captioning to his new commercial at the request of Crystal Jones, a local artist and deaf advocate.
• In Episode 66 of Speaking Municipally, Troy and I talked all about the EEDC decision and the BRT vs. LRT nonsense at City Hall.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• Celebrate the Season is on now at the Legislature grounds until Dec. 23. Here’s the performance schedule.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market is on at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• Christmas Glow continues at the Edmonton EXPO Centre until Jan. 4.
• Candy Cane Lane is now open! Check put the lights every evening until Jan. 1.
• This year’s Christmas Bureau Breakfast is being held on Tuesday morning at The Westin Edmonton.
• The final Edmonton Innovation Ecosystem Community meeting of the year takes place on Tuesday afternoon at the JW Marriott.
• The next Edmonton Job Fair takes place on Tuesday afternoon at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Alberta’s NDP Caucus is hosting a mix-and-mingle on Wednesday evening at the Federal Building.
• InstagramYEG is hosting a holiday celebration on Wednesday evening at Little Brick.
• Holiday movies continue at Metro Cinema! They’re showing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Thursday evening.
• Paths for People is hosting Solstice Coffee Outside on Friday morning at Constable Ezio Faraone Park.
• The Oilers host the Penguins on Friday and the Canadiens on Saturday at Rogers Place.

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Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• This is the week Council will vote on the 2020 budget adjustments. At last week’s public hearing, community and recreation groups asked for funding while the business community called for restraint.
• Edmonton has been named Canada’s Most Open City for the fourth time. "Edmonton’s overall score was 98.82 per cent, ahead of second-place Winnipeg’s score of 74.94 per cent. The average score for municipalities in the index was 29.4 per cent."
• The Edmonton International Airport has announced that Condor Airlines will offer non-stop service to Frankfurt, Germany starting June 1 for the summer season.
• The City’s 28 photo radar vehicles are now bright neon with the words "DRIVE SAFE" emblazoned on the side.
• The Exhibition Lands plan is moving ahead and the Coliseum will be demolished but when that’ll happen remains unknown.
• After 40 years with Edmonton Fire Rescue, chief Ken Block has resigned to pursue an opportunity in Australia.
• It wasn’t what they were hoping for, but the High Level Line project will move ahead with $85,000 in funding and an endorsement by Council.
• Interstellar Rodeo has announced it will not return in 2020.
• The Alberta Branded gift shop inside the Federal Building is closing. Apparently it hasn’t made any money in five years.
• In Episode 65 of Speaking Municipally we discussed the budget ahead of this week’s vote on the tax increase for 2020.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• Celebrate the Season is on now at the Legislature grounds until Dec. 23. Here’s the performance schedule.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market is on at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• The next interVivos mentorship program launch takes place on Tuesday evening at The Pint Off Whyte.
• The Oilers host the Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
• Homestead Coworking is hosting its holiday party on Thursday afternoon.
• The next Dark Matters takes place at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton on Thursday evening.
• There’s still time to visit Alberta Branded before it closes! They’re hosting a winter market on Friday.
• Shumka’s Nutcracker runs Saturday and Sunday at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
• Metro Cinema is showing Die Hard on Saturday. One of my favorite Christmas movies!

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Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Council voted 8-5 in favor of the bus network redesign this week. "The reduction in the number of routes — under the new network, the routes will go from about 240 to 140 — is the biggest concern cited by councillors."
• According to the latest progress report on the Valley Line Southeast LRT, the project continues to trend well behind schedule. TransEd Partners doesn’t have an updated timeline.
• Edmonton fared well in the latest CBRE report on tech talent in Canada. "The Alberta capital snagged the 10th spot overall," reports BetaKit. "Top performing drivers for Edmonton included tech quality to cost, tech pool labour size, and quality of labour, which received an A."
• While it has been open for a little while now, the new security screening area at the Edmonton International Airport was officially unveiled this week. We got to use it on our trip to Chicago and had a very efficient, pleasant experience.
• Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels, which represents 57 hotels in the city, has launched a campaign against short-term rentals like Airbnb.
• The Edmonton Eskimos have fired Jason Maas, "ending the four-year run of a hot-tempered, heart-on-his-sleeve head coach who inspired his players but delivered results that, while good, were never good enough."
• The City and Gold Sports, which owns the Edmonton Prospects, have reached an agreement for a one-year extension which means baseball will return again next summer.
• Edmonton has been awarded the 2020 championship weekend for the Canadian Elite Basketball League. "As such, the Edmonton Stingers will receive a host berth into the four-team title showcase on their home floor of the Hive, at the Edmonton Expo Centre Aug. 13-16."
• Aurora Cannabis has opened a flagship store at West Edmonton Mall that it describes as the "largest experiential and retail cannabis store in Canada."
• PSA: Edmonton Transit introduced its winter schedule adjustments today!
• There will not be a Santa Claus parade in Edmonton this year. The organizers blame a major drop in sponsorship and lack of interest.
• In Episode 64 of Speaking Municipally we discussed the bus network redesign and noise about bus rapid transit.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• The Enjoy Light Festival continues this week at The Enjoy Centre, and Christmas Glow is on at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
• The Edmonton Screen Industries Office is hosting an information session about the Edmonton Screen Media Fund on Tuesday at The Orange Hub.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market is on at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• The Oilers are at home three times this week: Wednesday against Ottawa, Friday against Los Angeles, and Sunday against Buffalo.
• The Yards is hosting its Winter Launch Party on Thursday evening at the Royal Alberta Museum. The magazine is also celebrating its 5th anniversary.
• The Royal Bison Art + Craft Fair is on again from Friday to Sunday at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.
• Luminaria 2019 (sold out) runs Friday to Sunday at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.
• #boombagsYEG is hosting three workshops on Saturday at ATB Place at the Christmas Market!
• Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the John Humphrey Centre on Saturday at the St. John’s Cultural Centre.
• The Oil Kings Teddy Bear Toss takes place on Saturday evening at Rogers Place.
• The ATB Financial Oil Kings Hockey Clinic will take place on Sunday afternoon at the Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall.
• Metro Cinema is showing Fight Club on Sunday!

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Just a month to go until Christmas!

We’ve had a busy month, with a trip to Chicago, Sharon’s recognition as a Top 40 Under 40, and a bunch of other stuff. Time to get back into it though.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• This week’s big debate on transit fares and ridership resulted in Council deciding against free transit and looking for service improvements to boost ridership. Troy and I discussed this in the latest episode of Speaking Municipally.
• According to the latest update from the City, the Valley Line Southeast LRT continues to trend behind schedule and is currently about 30% behind where it was expected to be.
• The final edition of StarMetro Edmonton will be published on Dec. 20, Torstar announced this week. The company plans to launch a digital bureau.
• In other media news, Harvard Broadcasting has lost its fight to use the POWER 107 branding for CJNW-FM.
• Mayor Don Iveson says the provincial government is "not doing enough to support ending homelessness in our communities" and says it is partially responsible for Edmonton’s "tent city" problem.
• A new report says that while the number of street checks conducted by Edmonton police is down, officers "need to be better educated on how to describe race and physical descriptors."
• Our city now has three indoor farmers markets. Can they all thrive?
• According to a new report, insolvencies in Edmonton have increased 23% since 2018, ahead of the provincial average of 19.9% and nearly twice the rate in Calgary.
• A new exhibit called Sketching History, which "uses the visual impact of art to draw attention to the importance of preserving Edmonton’s architectural heritage and green spaces," is now on display at the City of Edmonton Archives.
• The CRA is investigating the Ghermezian family "alleging one family member in Toronto was wired millions of dollars in unreported income around the time she was collecting unemployment insurance benefits."
• The 2019 ETS Stuff a Bus campaign runs November 27 to November 30. This year is the campaign’s 25th.
• Get the latest on Media, Tech, Food, Health Innovation, the Region, Music, Arts, Business, and Council with Taproot Edmonton’s latest roundups.

Upcoming Events

• The Enjoy Light Festival continues this week at The Enjoy Centre.
• Rainforest Edmonton is hosting the 4th Rainforest Summit on Tuesday at Polar Park Brewing.
• EFCL and the City of Edmonton are hosting a workshop on Thursday for community leagues on climate adaptation at DECL.
• The new Edmonton Christmas Market starts on Thursday at ATB Place. It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Dec. 21. Here’s some more information about the event.
• The Mighty Mo’ Social, a Movember wrap-up party, takes place on Thursday evening at Mercer Tavern.
• The 2019 Festival of Trees runs Thursday to Sunday at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
• Christmas Glow kicks off on Thursday at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. It runs until Jan. 4, 2020.
• This year’s Zoominescence gets underway on Friday evening at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
• Collective Christmas, organized by YEG Boss Babes and The Virtual Effect, takes place on Saturday at the Nook Cafe.
• The Hand2Hand Christmas Market is at the Terwillegar Community Church on Saturday.
• A Very Indigenous Holiday Market runs Saturday and Sunday at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall.
• Let’s Find Out: How We Make Nature takes place on Sunday at 2pm at The Almanac on Whyte.

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