Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• Big changes are afoot at Northlands, starting with the resignation of President and CEO Richard Andersen. He joined the organization in August 2010 after moving from San Diego. The news release says: “During his time here, Richard has been an instrumental part of strengthening Northlands. We will capitalize on this momentum as we continue making Northlands the sports and entertainment destination in the region.” I’m not sure the “sports and entertainment destination” is what Northlands really wants to be…
• I think Fish raises some great questions in his opinion piece, the dark side of Light the Bridge, but I don’t agree that the river valley should remain untouched. I do hope the lighting is tastefully done – I’m not a fan of the lights on ATB’s new tower.
• According to City Manager Simon Farbrother, the downtown arena appears to be on budget and should begin construction in March. We should know for sure in mid-February.
• The Province announced on Tuesday that it will “modernize” 9 schools in Edmonton. There is no word on how much money is being committed or when it will come.
• Another year, another letter from Daryl Katz to Oilers fans. “We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasn’t happened, and it hurts.”
• The best part about the Katz letter has been reading the responses. Here are some of my favorites: Edmonton Journal, Copper & Blue, OilersNation, Lowetide.
• In other Oilers news, Scotiabank is now the team’s Official Bank and the Oilers have purchased the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL.
• For the first time ever, Alberta is going to co-host a World Economic Forum event. A regional meeting on energy, climate change, and innovation will take place in Lake Louise on April 24 and 25.
• The City introduced a new toolkit called Measuring Up this week. It aims to shift attitudes around the needs of persons with disabilities.
• Back in December, the City announced that Shirley Serviss would be its first Writer-at-Work (though I think the role is similar to what Councillor McKeen was doing before the election). Here’s her first post. She’s in the role for six months!
• Don’t miss these hidden gems from 2013, chosen by EPL staff!
• Watch this video and see how the Edmonton Police Service Tractical Section prepares for a hostage crisis.
• Did you enjoy our mini heatwave? Poor Bob Dunford.
• TEC VenturePrize 2014 officially kicked off this week! The deadline for you to submit your business plan is February 24. Winners will be announced at the awards dinner on May 7.
• The City of Edmonton is looking for three new citizens to join the Environmental Advisory Committee.
• Interested in speaking at Pecha Kucha Night 18? You have until January 31 to apply.
• When Sharon and I were in New York last month, we saw The Book of Mormon. I really liked it, and now I see the show is coming to Edmonton via Broadway Across Canada, but not until 2015.
• Celebrities love Edmonton! We know Jessica Biel loves Transcend, and this week we discovered that Colin Hanks likes our airport and Keith Urban likes the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.

Hey Edmonton. You have a nice airport. Parts that I have seen at least. I meant that sincerely.

— Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks)

January 23, 2014

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Rarely stay at hotels – but when in Edmonton…… Love this place!!! – KU pic.twitter.com/7WcIndNhvf

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban)

January 20, 2014

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Here’s the 2013 Year in Review video that EEDC showed at the 2014 Impact Luncheon:

Upcoming Events

• This week is International Week at the University of Alberta! The theme for 2014 is “Creating Solutions for a Healthier World.” Events run all week.
• Ice on Whyte continues all week! I bet they are happy with the sudden drop in temperatures this weekend.
• Also continuing this week is the second iteration of the National Elevator Project. Sharon and I went last night and tonight – great fun!
• The Oilers host San Jose at Rexall Place on Wednesday. The Oil Kings host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday and the Tri-City Americans on Friday.
• On Saturday, Social Media Breakfast Edmonton presents SMBCamp 2014 taking place at Startup Edmonton. Should be fun!
• The Edmonton Rush play their next home game on Saturday, against the Rochester Knighthawks.
• This is the final week for Fork Fest Winter 2014!
• Heads up that the AGA has announced the first Refinery party of 2014! Cloud Nine Refinery will take place on February 15.
• Tickets are also on sale for Latitude 53’s third annual Parka Patio, taking place on February 22.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

UPDATE: I incorrectly stated that DemoCamp was taking place on Thursday, but it has been rescheduled for February 20.

Lunar New Year Extravaganza at West Edmonton Mall, photo by iqremix

Be green for more than an hour…

Edmonton is one of three Canadian cities chosen as finalists in WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge 2014.

The Earth Hour City Challenge initiative was created by WWF in 2011 to celebrate cities that are taking innovative actions towards creating greener, cleaner and more sustainable cities to live in, while inspiring other cities to do the same.

Edmonton was selected as a finalist based on The Way We Green, “which uses community-centric commitments and publicly engaging actions to achieve a carbon neutral future.”

The winner of Canada’s Earth Hour Capital will be announced on March 27. You can also vote for Edmonton until March 20 in the “We Love Cities” campaign (check out more details here). Earth Hour 2014 takes place on Saturday, March 29 at 8:30 PM.

Headlines

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• It’s like spring out there! And you know what that means: crappy roads.
• In a bit of a surprise move, the City announced it has contracted Calgary-based ENMAX to provide electricity to all of its properties over the next five years. In 2012, the City spent $38.4 million on electricity to run all City of Edmonton buildings, and the new deal is expected to result in savings of up to $1 million per year.
• The federal government announced on Friday more than $5 million in funding over five years for WrapED, a new crime prevention program run by REACH that will help at-risk youth.
• Here’s a crazy stat that helps explain why some of EPSB’s newest schools are overcrowded: “There have been 46 new neighbourhoods created in Edmonton since 2005, most south and west of Anthony Henday Drive. The children in those neighbourhoods now account for 20 per cent of the total public school population.”
• It was a busy week for the Edmonton Oilers as they traded Devan Dubnyk to Nashville in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks, among other moves. Check out the OilersNation take: Congrats, you’re going to Edmonton.
• Don’t miss Liane’s great story on the frightening amount of food Canadians waste each year ($27 billion worth). There’s a lot of great Edmonton-focused statistics in there too.
• TEC VenturePrize, now in its 12th year, is adding a new stream for information & communication technology (ICT) entrepreneurs. Sponsored by TELUS, a total of $22,000 in prizes will be shared by the top three finalists.
• Michael Ross has put together some statistics on neighbourhoods, complete with attractive maps!
• Could students at the University of Alberta soon have a fall reading week? Other universities have already added the time off, apparently.
• Jetpac City Guides “analyzed” Instagram pictures to determine the happiest cities in Canada – Edmonton came in at #9.
• In Where Edmonton’s Essential Edmonton issue, a group of local foodies shared “their top choices for must-eat cuisine.” No major surprises in the list!
• The Edmonton Eskimos announced this week that The Knothole Gang Kids Club will now be known as the Eskimos Kids Club.
• Actress Jessica Biel made not one but two visits to Transcend Coffee when she was here with husband Justin Timberlake last week. She tweeted it was her “favorite Edmonton coffee shop!”
• David Staples goes on the offensive in his latest column on Premier Alison Redford’s unwillingness to budge on LRT funding: “If Redford is saying she really can’t find a way to keep LRT expanding, we need to elect a government that can make it happen.”
• You’ve only got until midnight on Monday, January 20 to take advantage of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s $20 seat sale. Great deal!

Glass and Brick Edmonton by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• The Canoe Theatre Festival kicks off this week. Also starting this week is Part 2 of the National Elevator Project!
• The Oilers host the Canucks at Rexall Place on Tuesday evening. On Friday, Phoenix comes to town.
• The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place on Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal over lunch. The theme this time is “Looking back, looking ahead: Three Edmonton stories”.
• I’m really looking forward to the opening reception for the Edmonton Wayfinding Project at the Harcourt House on Thursday evening!
• Ever want to explore the Royal Alberta Museum after dark? On Friday you’ll be able to at the first signature event of the year. A guest speaker will also provide a look ahead at the new museum.
• Hopefully all the warm weather hasn’t impacted Ice on Whyte too badly. The annual winter festival kicks off on Friday.
• Saturday afternoon is the annual Edmonton Oilers Skills Competition at Rexall Place.
• Head down to the Edmonton Expo Centre on the weekend for the Edmonton Renovation Show.
• Students will be gathered at the U of A this weekend for the fourth annual Student Sustainability Summit.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Friday sunset over Whyte Avenue

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

A Theme Song for Edmonton

Via Omar, I came across this intriguing “theme song” for Edmonton.

Does anyone know anything about it?

Headlines

• More ridiculous rhetoric from Alberta Premier Alison Redford on LRT funding this week. “At the end of the day, it’s not about me deciding whether the Southeast LRT is a priority for Edmonton.” Thing is, both Edmonton & Calgary have already decided that LRT is vital for their futures, and the reality is that having completed networks in both cities is vital for the future of the province too. But the cities can’t do it alone (or they would). When will the Province realize that?
• “We need to have a grown-up conversation and review about amalgamation.” That’s what Edmonton Chamber of Commerce CEO James Cumming said in a speech at the Realtors Association of Edmonton conference this week. The comments drew quite a bit of criticism. St. Albert mayor Nolan Crouse, who is also chair of the Capital Region Board, said “I think it’s totally off-side for him to be meddling in capital region business.”
• They’re back! Nominations are now open for the Edmonton New Media Awards, affectionately known as The Yeggies.
• Edmonton is starting to warm up to winter festivals, says The Local Good.
• EPS has released the Checkstop results for 2013: there were 1905 impaired driving charges and 848 roadside suspensions laid in 2013 by the Edmonton Police Service.
• Icelandair starts scheduled service from Edmonton this spring, and to celebrate they are hosting YEG Hunt, a ticket giveaway on the streets of our city. Watch for them starting January 21.
• This is neat: three solar lamps are going to be installed at the Stanley A. Milner library downtown to help those who suffer from a lack of sunlight exposure.
• Here’s another innovation from Edmonton Transit – you can now get bus schedule information via email. Simply send an email to ETSLive@edmonton.ca with your stop number in the subject line.
• Rough week to work for the Oilers organization (okay, okay, rough few years). First up, here’s an open letter to Mr. Katz at the Copper & Blue blog. “If your Pharmacy chain was consistently losing money, wouldn’t you reconsider who you had in your C-level positions?”
• Second link is from David Staples: “No National Hockey League team has won less often in the last six years, the Daryl Katz ownership era in Edmonton, than the Oilers.”
• Third we have a thoughtful piece by John MacKinnon: “And so, as the team struggles, the connection between the fans and the Oilers is not unlike the decrepit knee joint of an aged athlete, a bone-on-bone grating where the unkept promises of management meet the unrealized expectations of long-suffering fans.”
• The Edmonton Police Service conducts a bi-annual Citizen Survey, and the latest edition is happening right now via random phone calls. The results will be presented in late spring.
• Here’s a feature on Jaime Calayo, the graphic designer I linked to a few weeks ago that created the crests for each neighbourhood.
• I meant to link to this a while back. Tamara wrote a post about Make Something Edmonton at the start of the year, and it stirred up a bit of controversy.
• In case you missed it: lots of food news in Sharon’s weekly food notes!
• Speaking of food, the deadline to submit a favorite for the 2014 Tomato Top 100 is January 25, so get on it!
• Have someone to nominate for Avenue Edmonton’s annual Top 40 Under 40? Fill out the nomination form here!
• Nominations are also open for the City of St. Albert’s Community Recognition Awards. The deadline is February 15.
• As we approach the peak of the flu season, here’s an update from the Province: “nearly one million Albertans have been immunized at more than 1,800 locations, including pharmacies, doctors’ offices and influenza clinics.”

I love this photo of Jasper Avenue by David Sutherland

Upcoming Events

• Head over to Startup Edmonton on Monday evening for the next Edmonton Python Meetup.
• Justin Timberlake is in town with concerts both Monday and Tuesday evening!
• EEDC’s annual Impact Luncheon takes place at the Shaw Conference Centre on Tuesday.
• Wednesday is the 2014 edition of the Edmonton Whiskey Festival, supporting the MS Society of Canada, Alberta Division.
• After winning both their season and home-openers against the Colorado Mammoth, the Edmonton Rush look to make it three straight wins when Calgary comes to town on Friday night.
• The Edmonton Motorcycle Show kicks off on Friday and runs all weekend.
• Cool event taking place on Saturday evening featuring the Sailin’ On food truck and lots of great local music!
• Bridal Fantasy takes place on Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

There’s still a lot of snow out there!

Best in the world? No.

As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, National Geographic blogger Andrew Evans highlighted the City Market on his Best of 2013 list. Based on the response here in Edmonton, you’d think this was the first time we’ve ever received praise for something! People are losing their minds! Our market is fantastic (in the summer), but it’s not the best in the world, and anyway, that’s not what Andrew said. He said it was the best of all that he visited in 2013. There’s a difference.

Headlines

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• The City of Edmonton has mailed 2014 assessment notices after assessing 352,891 properties throughout Edmonton. Most property values rose slightly from 2012 to 2013 – the typical single-detached home rose 2.5%, while condos, townhouses, and duplexes rose by 2.1%.
• This is a really surprising and impressive statistic: one of every ten jobs created in Canada over the past year has been created in Edmonton.
• Though many fees remain unchanged in 2014, fees at recreation and leisure centres are going up, as are rentals of arenas and sports fields.
• Last year, the City collected 3,000 tonnes of recycling material in the two weeks after Christmas. Let’s break the record this year! You can find out how to reduce your holiday waste here. Natural Christmas tree pickup will being January 9 and will run for three weeks (details here).
• Edmonton Public Schools has setup a site for discussion about how to manage space in growing neighbourhoods. The online survey is open until January 17.
• We’ve already had so much snow this winter, and it just keeps on coming. Will the City need to budget for snow removal differently? Don’t forget you can get information on parking bans and other snow-related news at the City’s website.
• You’ve gotta love “hat man” Bob Dunford’s enthusiasm for his job: “What better way to start a new year in our winter city than with a renewed focus on getting snow off our roads?”
• According to AHS, approximately 900,000 Albertans have received the flu vaccine this season. That’s encouraging as there have been more than 965 confirmed cases of the flu, and five deaths.
• The 18th annual Donate A Ride campaign kicked off on Monday. So far, over $1.8 million has been raised to provide transit tickets to low-income Edmonton families.
• The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society is opening a new location at 8001 102 Street, just two blocks from their old southside location. If all goes well, it’ll open this spring.
• Here are the latest Edmonton urbanism headlines from Spacing Edmonton.
• The Edmonton Journal has put together a searchable database of unclaimed bank accounts in the Edmonton area.
• Here is Edmonton Sun columnist Lorne Gunter’s wishlist for City Council in 2014.
• More exciting news for the 124 Street area: Remedy Cafe is planning to open its fourth location on the corner of 103 Avenue in April.
• Edmontonian Christy Foley is one of 1,028 people worldwide under consideration for the Mars One project, an initiative to establish a human colony on the planet by 2024. She’s just one of 75 Canadians still in the running.
• There’s a house up for sale at 5620 Whitemud Road that costs $12.5 million. Its tax bill is “somewhere north of $20,000”.
• From Omar, here are five bad Edmonton habits to break in 2014.
• Looking for a recap on 2013? I’ve collected lists and year-in-review articles here.

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Oilers host St. Louis on Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Friday. They’ll be looking to build on tonight’s 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay.
• The Edmonton Oil Kings host the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday.
• The first two public meetings for EPSB’s Space for Our Students discussion take place this week – on Tuesday for schools in the west, and Wednesday for schools in the north.
• The tenth Nerd Nite event in Edmonton takes place on Thursday evening at the Citadel.
• Head over to Latitude 53 on Friday evening for the opening reception for two new shows: We and Tarzan & Arab.
• My favorite winter festival returns this weekend! Deep Freeze takes place on Alberta Avenue on Saturday and Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Photo by profernity

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes!

Heavy Users of Service Project

A two-year initiative called the Heavy Users of Service project will “monitor some of the city’s most frequent users of social, medical, criminal and justice services with the goal of identifying and bridging gaps in service provision and treatment.” It was launched on Friday by EPS and is a collaboration between fourteen organizations. Here are a few quick thoughts on the project:

Headlines

• The winter storm watch from Friday has turned into a snowfall warning for the Edmonton area. Heavy snow is expected through Monday, as well as strong cold winds. Bundle up this week! Already snow is wreaking havoc, with a 21 vehicle pileup on Highway 16 about 60 kilometers east of the city. Also, the next dump of snow means that neighbourhood blading won’t be finished anytime soon.
• Speaking of winter, the City has setup a winter bike route maintenance pilot on 106 Street between 29 Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive. The pilot includes dedicated bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and shared-use lanes.
• Another winter story that caught my eye was this one about the Winter Emergency Response Bus.
• Also, Mayor Iveson blogged about all the snow we’ve been getting. He says “there’s no such thing as a perfect snow policy.”
• In the latest episode of Mack & Cheese, we discuss the Edmonton region and the recent interest in regional governance. See also these changes to Bill 28 that the provincial government announced on Thursday.
• Edmonton’s collision rate has decreased by 9.2% in the last two years according to Allstate’s fifth annual Safe Driving Study. We’re still ranked 44th out of 50 Canadian communities though, and last in Alberta.
• Though the Oilers have been on an upswing lately, I still found it shocking that the value of the franchise has increased 78% in just one year to $400 million USD, according to Forbes. I suspect the Oilers would say the numbers are inaccurate, but assuming Forbes is consistent in its methodology from year-to-year, the relative increase or decrease is still interesting.
• Chris Jones has been named head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. He was most recently with the Toronto Argonauts where he served as defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and assistant general manager.
• Here’s some good news for supporters of the Light the Bridge project – estimates now peg the cost at about half a million less than originally anticipated!
• Congratulations to the six Edmontonians recognized at the 2013 Salute to Excellence Citation and Performance Awards.
• Thinking about LRT funding? David Staples has summarized recent funding: the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s. He says to expect disappointment.
• The winners of the Urban Design Awards were announced at City Hall on November 22. Great to see Dirt City, Dream City and the LIVINGbridge recognized! Oh, and also the Talus Dome!
• EPSB has ratified a new contract for the district’s teachers and principals. The four year agreement allows for small salary increases beginning next year.
• Heading out shopping? Don’t forget to lock your doors and keep your valuables out of sight.
• One of the most recent grant recipients from the EPCOR Community Essentials Council is the Edmonton Do Likewise Society. They run a community canteen program to service the needs of marginalized people in south Edmonton.
• Today was the DBA’s annual Jingle On Santa Claus parade. As usual it took place indoors, but that could change in future years. Maybe it could be done half and half?

The City Centre Airport is now officially closed. The lights on runway 12-30 went off just before 5pm on Saturday, November 30, with crews installing giant white Xs shortly after. I’ll have more on the closure in an upcoming post. In the meantime, you can check out a few more photos here.

Upcoming Events

• Phoenix is in town on Tuesday to take on the Oilers. Colorado visits Thursday, and the Flames take on the Oilers on Saturday.
• The Google Developer Group meets on Tuesday evening, while the Physical Computing Meetup‘s next event is Wednesday evening. Both take place at Startup Edmonton.
• Starting Thursday you can Celebrate the Season at the Alberta Legislature.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo’s newest event called The Festival of Light kicks off on Friday. The artistic light installations will illuminate the zoo through December 15.
• This weekend is the Butterdome Craft Sale! The event kicks off on Thursday.
• Head over to Vacancy Hall on Saturday for the Mercer Collective Makers Market!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.