Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• And you thought Daryl Katz was done making headlines! It came to light this week that he may have donated as much as $430,000 to the PC Party of Alberta during the recent provincial election. The maximum contribution limit allowed during an election is $30,000. Maybe he really was just worried about the Wildrose.
• The public hearing for the Food & Agriculture Strategy will continue on Friday morning. Elise has a good breakdown of what happened so far.
• Just ahead of the snow this weekend, the City of Edmonton wrapped up its 2012 construction season, with $146 million invested in bridges, paving, and other infrastructure projects.
• The President of CUPE Alberta is joining the fight against Council’s decision to move ahead with the SE LRT line as a P3 project. “Edmonton Council is giving up without a whimper," said Marle Roberts. "Instead, the Mayor and Council should be raising hell about what the Harper government is up to.”
• There’s an effort afoot to recognize, preserve, and enhance Edmonton’s corridor of churches, which runs along 96 Street between 105 Avenue and 111 Avenue.
• Is a better alignment of money really the problem hampering Edmonton’s image problem? I’m not so sure.
• Syncrude has invested $250,000 in MacEwan University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Transfer program. The investment underscores the need for highly skilled workers in our province.
• Voting in the 2012 Jellybean Internet Voting Election opened on Monday. You have until Thursday to register, and until Friday to vote.
• Congratulations to the winners of the Muttart Conservatory’s Shutterbug Contest.
• Suburban-style front garages could be on the way for mature neighbourhoods if a series of bylaw changes are approved.
• Eight local teachers were among 94 educators across the country honored with the 2012 Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.
• Bring on smart fares for transit! If it happens at the regional level, all the better.
• I haven’t been over there yet, but a pop-up Microsoft Store opened at West Edmonton Mall on Friday.
• Don’t miss Sharon’s recap of Mercury Opera’s Fiamma.

Food & Agriculture Public Hearing

Here are some upcoming events:

• Marianas Trench plays Rexall Place tomorrow evening!
• The inaugural Exchange.js meetup is happening on Thursday evening at Startup Edmonton.
• Food Secure Canada is holding its 7th National Assembly here in Edmonton from Thursday through Sunday at NAIT.
• The Eskimos lost to Montreal today, which makes their next game against Calgary on Friday night their last chance to make the playoffs.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• River City Round Up kicks off this weekend! On Friday, head down to Churchill Square for the 22nd Annual Chili Cook Off. All day Saturday, the square will be full of activities for the kick off party.
• Farmfair International gets underway on Sunday.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Fall sure didn’t last long, did it?

Don’t forget to fall back next weekend! Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 4 at 2:00 AM.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Katz refused to show up at City Hall on Wednesday which made Council’s decision to cease negotiations on the downtown arena and to explore other options that much easier. Administration is expected to come back with a report outlining alternatives to working with the Katz Group, including have the City build the arena itself. Here’s the brief statement from Daryl Katz in response. See also: How to build an arena in Edmonton.
• Perhaps the bigger story of the week was the decision to build the Southeast LRT using a P3 model. As if that wasn’t enough cause for concern, they’re also hoping to have the private entity operate the line too, despite plenty of evidence that such a move would not result in the desired benefits (more on that this week). Council also announced the newly-formed LRT Governance Board to oversee construction on the Southeast to West LRT line.
• On Thursday, the City’s strategy for transforming Edmonton into a world-leading winter city was released with a small event on 104 Street. The WinterCity Strategy is slated to be presented to the Community Services Committee on Tuesday.
• Rating agency DBRS has confirmed our city’s high credit ratings of R-1 and AA.
• A new report from TomTom ranked Edmonton number one out of twenty-six cities in the U.S. and Canada when it comes to tackling traffic congestion, with an overall 7% decrease over the last year.
• Congratulations to the winners of the City of Edmonton’s Small Business Eco Challenge!
• Our city’s urban tree canopy has received national recognition with the Urban Forestry Award, part of the Communities in Bloom Awards. The City maintains about 309,000 ornamental trees.
• The French Quarter and Area is the city’s newest BRZ after receiving an $85,000 grant from Council to cover startup costs. That’s just one of the things Council was up to this week.
• Negotiations between ETS and the U of A over the price of the next U-Pass have stalled.
• Three Edmontonians were honored with the Alberta Order of Excellence this week: Rosaleen Zdunich, Irving Kipnes, and Robert Westbury.
• With roughly a year to go until the next municipal election, talk about who’s running is starting to heat up. It’s all speculation though until Mayor Mandel announces his plans early next year.
• It sounds like the first Edmonton Expo was a big success, with upwards of 12,000 people attending. In comparison, Calgary’s first Expo sold 2500 tickets.
• Uh oh, looks like smog is becoming a problem in our city, at least downtown and in the east.
• Did you enjoy the first snowfall accumulation of the year? There’s not much out there right now, nor is there much more in the forecast. It is feeling quite a bit cooler outside, however!

Lovely shot of the Muttart Conservatory with the skyline in the background. Photo by Funtographer.

It may be controversial, but the Talus Dome at night looks pretty impressive:

Photo by Sean Gordon.

Here are some upcoming events:

• Cavalia has been extended again and now runs until October 28.
• Edmonton Opera’s Aida kicked off on Friday, with two performances remaining on Tuesday and Thursday.
• Looking to get into the Halloween spirit? The Farm of Fear started this weekend with more opportunities to attend starting Thursday.
• A reminder that the non-statutory public hearing on the Citywide Food & Urban Agriculture Strategy takes place on Friday at City Hall. I hope to see you there!
• The Edmonton Ski & Snowboard Show takes place on the weekend at the EXPO Centre.
• Don’t forget, the City Market Downtown has moved to its winter home inside City Hall!
• This Saturday is the Sturgeon Valley Food & Wine Festival at The Enjoy Centre.
• Still no NHL to watch, but the Oil Kings are in action at home twice this week. Saturday they host Kelowna, and Sunday they host Vancouver. The Oil Kings have won seven of their thirteen games so far this season.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Down the Fall Path. Photo by RandallTT.

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are my weekly notes:

• Wondering why it smelled smoky in the city today? The most likely cause was forest fires in BC.
• According to a new study, the University of Alberta’s impact on the Alberta economy is estimated to be $12.3 billion.
• The deadline to complete the survey on the draft Food & Agriculture Strategy is tomorrow. That’s right, just a week for a 94-page document.
• Fire Prevention Week kicked off today. Between 2009 and 2011, there were 973 home fires reported in Edmonton resulting in 173 injuries and 18 fatalities. Be prepared!
• If you can get 60% of the residents in your neighbourhood to agree, you can get the speed limit lowered by 10 km/h. If every community took advantage of the opportunity, it could cost the City about $12 million.
• “If you have the courage to make something, Edmonton is your city.”  Great stuff from Todd Babiak.
• Parking fines could go from $35 to $50 if you stay past the expiry time. That’s on top of the fourth highest parking fees in Canada.
• Here’s the latest Council Roundup.
• The Hope Mission’s #TweetForHope challenge raised $5400 in just an hour and a half. Nice work everyone!
• It was a busy week for the Edmonton Rush. They have named Dave Jamieson as the new Team President, and in the draft they had the first overall pick and three of the top fifteen picks. The Rush selected consensus top pick Mark Matthews with the No. 1 overall pick.
• Yesterday was the final day of business for Greenwoods’ Bookshoppe. The end of an era.
• Edmontonians affected by flooding during severe storms in July 2012 can apply for assistance under the Government of Alberta’s Disaster Recovery Program.
• This is pretty funny: Original draft of Katz apology letter revealed.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo has been awarded the top honour for outstanding achievement among Canada’s accredited zoos and aquariums for the new Arctic Shores exhibit.
• EPSB continues to see growth in its five-year high school completion rate. From 2006-2007 to 2010-2011, the District saw a 2.3 per cent increase in this rate, rising from 73.8 per cent to 76.1 per cent.
• Pottery Barn opened its first store in Edmonton yesterday at West Edmonton Mall.
• Voter registration for the 2012 Jellybean Internet Voting Election opens tomorrow!
• Wednesday’s forecast calls for flurries. Let’s hope it is wrong.

Foggy Morning in Edmonton by Darren Kirby.

Here are some upcoming events:

• Edmonton’s first Nerd Nite is happening Wednesday evening at the Gogo Lounge.
• Don’t miss TEDxEdmonton Education, taking place all day Saturday.
• This year’s edition of the Scarecrow Festival runs from Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
• Very cool event coming up on Friday evening: The Subsequent Fall.
• The Eskimos host the Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
• The third annual Bossy Mama Flaunt happens on Sunday at the Enjoy Centre.
• The next Refinery late-night art party is coming up on November 17: The Monstrous Baroque Refinery.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Rainbow Ramp by trav

Our trip to Portland was great – a little time away was exactly what I needed. That said, it’s great to be back in Edmonton! And I’m glad we made it back in time to catch the river valley turning yellow and orange. It’s a really beautiful time of year.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• I have to say, given all of the other PR blunders he has made, I didn’t see this coming: an apology from Daryl Katz to “the People of Edmonton, Northern Alberta and Oilers Fans Everywhere”. I guess he realized the trip to Seattle was not such a good idea after all. Mayor Mandel has set October 17 as the deadline by which the Katz Group must make its arena demands clear.
• Standard & Poor’s affirmed its AA+ credit rating for the City of Edmonton this week.
• Uh oh. “Wasps are more aggressive than usual during fall, they are hungry, tired and food is tighter,” says Mike Jenkins, Biological Sciences Technician for the City of Edmonton. They’re going to get worse?! They’ve been pretty bad already this year!
• Two films split the win in the very first Edmonton Film Prize. Niobe Thompson’s “The Perfect Runner” and Trevor Anderson’s “The Man That Got Away” will each take home $5000. More than 20 Edmonton filmmakers were nominated this first year of the prize.
• Corso 32 and Tres Carnales were the only two Edmonton restaurants to make Macleans’ list of the 50 best restaurants in Canada.
• Whyte Avenue is home to the 9th addition to the Giants of Edmonton mural program.
• The Way We Green has been honored with the Government of Alberta’s 2012 Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence in the category of Outstanding Achievement.
• Check out this fly-thru video of the design concept for the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel at the Edmonton International Airport.
• A report on patios came back from City Administration this week. It’ll be discussed by Executive Committee on October 10.
• I’m not 100% certain what the money is being spent on, but the Government of Canada says it is investing to help youth in Edmonton get jobs.
• Here’s the presenter lineup for Pecha Kucha Night Edmonton #14.
• About 10,000 people took part in today’s CIBC Run for the Cure, raising $1.7 million for cancer research and education.
• The City of Edmonton took part in the 2012 Alberta Employment & Career Fair this weekend. Learn more about working for the City here.
• There’s a new baby seal at the Valley Zoo. Nika was born on July 20.
• A new report suggests the City of Edmonton could save millions with a new office tower.
• If you haven’t already been reading Todd Babiak’s new blog, you should be.
• In case you missed it: Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton 2012. I’m planning to write a separate post, but thank you for naming me Best Twitterer and Best Blog!

Fall is here! Photo by Jeff

Here are some upcoming events:

• The draft of the City Wide Food and Agriculture Strategy is slated to be released Monday afternoon. There will be two open houses this week to learn more: Wednesday at City Hall, and Thursday at the TransAlta Arts Barns. The public hearing has been scheduled for October 26.
• The 26th Edmonton International Film Festival is on now until Saturday!
• The next Green Drinks takes place on Wednesday evening and the topic this time is food!
• As far as I know, Thursday is the final 124 Street Grand Market of the season. Don’t miss it!
• Dragonette is at the Starlite Room on Thursday evening.
• The Eskimos host the Tiger-Cats on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
• There may be no NHL this year, but the Oil Kings are in action! They host Prince Albert on Thursday and Saskatoon on Saturday.
• Don’t forget TEDxEdmonton Education is coming up on October 13!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

4th Street Promenade hosted the Alberta Culture Days kickoff party in Edmonton. Photo by Darren

Sharon and I are in Portland right now, enjoying a nice break away from everything (though I have been keeping up with some news and stuff). We’re back on Thursday evening, but if I get some time I may post a few photos before we leave Portland. There’s a lot to love about this city!

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Octane Motorsports has pulled out of the 2013 Edmonton Indy, and with the City deciding it will not pursue another promoter, the event is effectively dead. I wrote some thoughts about the news here.
• The Indy was not the only thing coming to end this week: Winter Light announced it will not return next year. While I loved the Mill Creek Adventure Walk and last year’s Illuminations, I have long thought that Winter Light was far more expensive to produce than it should have been (though it is nothing compared to Metropolis). Other festivals seem to accomplish far more with a lot less.
• The truly bizarre PR moves kept coming from the Katz Group this week, with Daryl himself making the rounds at his selected local media organizations. Mayor Mandel basically said enough is enough and invited the Katz Group to clearly explain their demands before City Council. The Katz Group responded with a “thanks but no thanks” statement, which means…well, I guess it means we’re back to square one.
• Executive Committee voted to move ahead with the expropriation process at the City Centre Airport (with a total cost of about $80 million). If Council ratifies the decision, all airport-related activities will come to an end by next fall.
• This is very exciting! The City is exploring the use of Internet voting for upcoming elections. A mock election will run from October 22 until November 2, and there will be many opportunities for public involvement. Learn more about the initiative here.
• Hundreds of Edmontonians took the streets this past week to celebrate the demolition of the Cromdale Hotel.
• The City of Edmonton is the first Canadian city to be accepted as a partner city with the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
• Great to see Edmonton included on this list of overlooked technologies that could change the world. Our innovation is turning waste into biofuels.
• The Conference Board of Canada predicts that Edmonton and Calgary will be the fastest growing census metropolitan areas for the next four years.
• FC Edmonton’s season ended today with a tie.
• The AIDS Walk took place here in Portland today, and it looked like a really impressive turnout! Edmonton’s walk raised $112,000 for HIV Edmonton programs.
• Read this: “The choice is between two futures: one which paves over virtually all the prime foodland remaining in Edmonton and one which protects a significant amount of that land to build a resilient food economy that can withstand and adapt to sudden global changes.

Lovely shot of Victoria Promenade by Jelena K.

Here are some upcoming events:

• Alberta Culture Days runs from September 28-30, with the big Edmonton kickoff event taking place on 104 Street from 4:30pm until 9:30pm.
• The next Southeast to West LRT consultation takes place tomorrow evening.
• Also Monday evening, a REACH Community Safety Conversation is taking place in Ward 12.
• Head over to Queen Alexandra Hall on Tuesday evening for a Cyclist Town Hall Meeting.
• There’s a public meeting on the Northwest LRT connection being held early Wednesday evening.
• Wish I could make it to 3 Designers Series event on Thursday evening.
• This year’s Taste of Old Strathcona takes place on Friday at the TransAlta Arts Barns.
• Made in Edmonton presents Coast Modern, a film playing at Metro Cinema from the 27th until October 2.
• Change for Children has a Development Dinner coming up on Friday at the Chateau Louis.
• Churchill Square is going to be packed on Sunday for the CIBC Run for the Cure.
• Also Sunday – it’s Free Admission Day at City of Edmonton attractions and recreation facilities!
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

The Edmonton skyline as seen from the Strathcona Science Park. Photo by Dave Sutherland.

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• Former premier Peter Lougheed passed away in Calgary on Thursday. “Alberta owes its strength to Peter Lougheed, a political titan unlike any this province has ever produced.” Flags are being flown at half-mast at all City of Edmonton buildings to pay tribute.
• The downtown arena was back in the news again this week, with the Katz Group asking for several new concessions, including a $6 million annual subsidy. Council voted to reaffirm the previous agreement, and that means the project is now very much on the rocks. Here is the Katz Group’s letter to City Administration, and here is the organization’s statement made after City Council voted against changing the terms of the deal.
• The Canadian Infrastructure Report Card was released this week, and Edmonton actually did pretty well. We received the same ratings as the national assessment: roads are in “fair” condition, wastewater systems are in “good” condition, and storm water systems are in “very good” condition.
• Lynden Dorval, the teacher at the centre of the no-zero grade controversy, was fired Friday afternoon by Edmonton Public Schools. “I was still hopeful this wouldn’t occur, but I believe the superintendent had made it clear long ago that his mind was made up,” Dorval said Friday. “I tried to steel myself for this outcome but I had some hope it wouldn’t come to this.”
• The City unveiled Edmonton’s first bike box at the intersection of 116 Street and 87 Avenue this week. Learn more here.
• EEDC’s board of directors will now be joined by two youth interns, Brad Williams and Christel Hyshka. Christel will also serve as the new EEDC-NextGen liaison.
• City Council approved zero lot line homes this week, which means homes in new suburbs can be as little as 1.5 metres apart on lots that are 7.6 metres wide.
• A new survey of employers by Manpower showed that 40% of Edmonton-area employers plan to hire in the upcoming quarter, the hottest hiring climate in the country.
• I’m really glad to hear that construction is set to begin on Station Pointe, but “Edmonton’s first family-friendly community in 30 years”? Really?! How does crap like that get published?
• This is pretty cool: EIA opened new sport-themed baggage carousels in the domestic-international arrivals area! There are Oilers, Eskimos, and Oil Kings-themed carousels.
• The NHL lockout began yesterday. Here’s a message from the Oilers “to our fans and partners”.
• The High Level Bridge will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, but it may be without the Great Divide Waterfall.
• Check out this profile on GamrCred, a new startup based here in Edmonton!

Great shot by Nelson Webb of the lamps on 124 Street!

Here are some upcoming events:

• I’m on the Mobile Monday panel tomorrow evening at Startup Edmonton. Hope to see you there!
• Join us Tuesday evening at the Telus Centre for DemoCamp Edmonton 19!
• Guru Digital Arts College is hosting an open house in the new space on Wednesday evening!
• The Mile Zero Dance Wedding Crasher Party takes place on Friday evening!
• There are new public meetings on the Southeast to West LRT taking place this week and next. Find your area and times here.
• This weekend is Alumni Weekend 2012 at the University of Alberta! The Alumni Recognition Awards kick things off on Thursday evening.
• The BC Lions are in town to take on the Eskimos on Saturday.
• There’s another Big Bin Event on Saturday and Sunday in Ellerslie.
• Sunday is the Scotiabank AIDS Walk For Life.
• Also Sunday, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers are here to take on FC Edmonton.
• Cavalia continues this week at the City Centre Airport.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Premier Alison Redford and former Premier Peter Lougheed at the Peter Lougheed tribute dinner, June 6, 2012, Calgary. Photo by the Government of Alberta. See the In Memory of Premier Peter Lougheed set for more.