Taproot Edmonton

A group of children and adults ride bikes down a residential road

Bike Bus expands to two schools, explores other municipalities

An organization that facilitates group rides for cycling students has expanded to two more schools in Edmonton and may be on its way to other Alberta cities, too.

A man stands in front of a bulletin board with white and blue papers pinned to it.

Labo Coffee's bulletin board connects adventurers with side quests

A Whyte Avenue coffee shop has launched a quest board to help young people connect with each other while avoiding pressure to monetize their skills.

Milos Cvijanovic holds up two bags of bread inside Brio Bakery

As founders exit, new owners seek to keep food faves growing

What does it take to keep an Edmonton food institution not only alive but thriving? The owners of Brio Bakery seem to have found the recipe, and the founders of Jack's Burger Shack hope their successors do, too.

A bus stop sign on Whyte Avenue.

Proposed BRT on Whyte Ave would remove parking, travel lanes

The City of Edmonton has released two configuration options for one of its bus rapid transit routes down Whyte Avenue and in the University of Alberta area, both of which would remove street parking from most of the corridor, reduce vehicle travel lanes to one in each direction, and allow emergency vehicles to use the BRT lanes.

The Pulse

Thursday, June 4

In this edition: Bike Bus expands to two schools, explores other municipalities; ICE District to host World Cup watch parties; and more headlines and happenings

Roundup

Arts Roundup: June 4, 2026

With news from Nextfest, Folk Fest, Absurd Collective, Speplól Tanya Zilinski, Fringe, Saraswoti Lamichhane, vrCAVE, Labo Coffee, and others.

Roundup

Regional Roundup: June 3, 2026

With news from Gibbons, Edmonton Global, ATCO, Start Alberta, YEG, University of Alberta, Pinnacorp Investments, Chipotle, Amplify, and more.

Speaking Municipally

Stop trying to make a tree bylaw happen, it's not going to happen

Edmonton city council has approved what has been described as an alternative to a private tree protection bylaw. Plus, we take a look at proposed changes to Jasper Avenue and Whyte Avenue. But don't worry, they're not funded yet.


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Garbage at an entrance to Central LRT station in downtown Edmonton.

Your turn: Jasper Ave, street labs, and biz census

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes a survey about the proposed redesign of part of Jasper Avenue's streetscape, feedback opportunities for street safety solutions, and the annual Edmonton business census.

A newspaper clipping of an ad that reads 'New Management Proves Popular: Hotel Alberta'

A moment in history: May 29, 1931

On this day in 1931, the city's oldest hotel was hoping to lure visiting sports teams to enjoy its hot and cold running water.

A man wearing a suit poses in front of a bright orange backdrop that reads Northernmost and NoMo

Kidney-transplant company plans to make existing tech obsolete

Almost three decades after being part of the team that revolutionized the transport of kidneys for transplants, the leader of Northernmost is getting close to the green light for a sequel.

Ron Byers on a Pride float

Pride in Edmonton seeks to amplify, not dictate

Pride festivities in Edmonton are gathered from the bottom up, not dominated by one top-level organizer, says the curator and historian who collects those celebrations of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Nextfest invites patrons to adopt an artist

As Nextfest heads into another year of showcasing emerging artists, festival director Erin Chorley encourages you to consider adopting one of the stars before they go supernova

Viability review report reveals how Gibbons reached financial crisis

Expenses in the Town of Gibbons increased more than twice as fast as its revenue did from 2020 to 2024, says a report on the town's viability that was released June 1.

New procedure adds to Edmonton's weight-loss legacy

A non-surgical procedure at the Royal Alexandra Hospital is the latest local innovation in weight loss, though another looks likely to follow.

'A champion for the Edmonton Latin community': Jesús González remembered

Edmontonians with Latin-American roots and members of the Alberta Avenue community are sharing tributes to Jesús González, a founder of Paraiso Tropical, who died peacefully on May 28, shortly after his 77th birthday.


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Taproot members and stories

Arts Roundup: June 4, 2026

With news from Nextfest, Folk Fest, Absurd Collective, Speplól Tanya Zilinski, Fringe, Saraswoti Lamichhane, vrCAVE, Labo Coffee, and others.

Regional Roundup: June 3, 2026

With news from Gibbons, Edmonton Global, ATCO, Start Alberta, YEG, University of Alberta, Pinnacorp Investments, Chipotle, Amplify, and more.

Health Innovation Roundup: June 3, 2026

With news from the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Northernmost, RWI, Quickcard, Alberta Innovates, the Social Impact Innovation Hub, ECF, and more.

Food Roundup: June 2, 2026

With news from Paraiso Tropical, Solar, Marshy Mallows, YEG Smoked Meats, Brio Bakery, Jack's Burger Shack, RGE RD, LaMesa, Bar Clementine, and more.

Tech Roundup: June 2, 2026

With news from the Social Impact Innovation Hub, T.rex AI, Swift Charge, Northernmost, Start Alberta, Edmonton Unlimited, RWI, AltaML, and more.

Business Roundup: May 29, 2026

With news from T.rex AI, Edmonton Unlimited, Northernmost, Elevate Aviation, Shawn Kanungo, Cushman & Wakefield, IABC Edmonton, and more.

Events Roundup: May 28, 2026

Featuring an event pick from Taproot curator/reporter Stephanie Swensrude and a listing of workshop events that you can add to your calendar.


Speaking Municipally

This week had Highs and Lows

The City of Edmonton announced plans to decommission and replace three iconic bridges: the High Level Bridge and the Low Level Bridges. Plus, we talk with Coun. Erin Rutherford about unfunded service packages and how the budget process is changing this year.

Speaking Municipally

Return to office! But not on your bike

Business organizations have called once again for municipal employees to return to the office full time, but the mayor isn't budging. Plus, the province is planning legislation that would let it review or remove bike lanes.

Speaking Municipally

You have been engaged

Edmonton city council has approved a rezoning that will allow a 25-storey tower in Windsor Park. Plus, Stephanie took a trip to a budget engagement session to learn what the mayor's been hearing from Edmontonians.

Speaking Municipally

Three feet repeat

Edmonton city council voted to reduce the maximum height in the RS zone, and they approved some District Policy changes too. Plus, we found out how much more the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre is going to cost, and one councillor's wondering if we should give up on LRT in the northwest.


Taproot at 10: Celebrating the beginning

Taproot at 10: Celebrating the beginning

Ten years ago this week, we took our first step toward finding out whether Taproot was worth building.

Accessibility and design improvements across Taproot

Accessibility and design improvements across Taproot

Delivering reliable intelligence to our community means thinking about how to serve the entire community. With the help of our readers, we identified accessibility and design as key areas for improvement.

Taproot Survey earns more award nominations

Taproot Survey earns more award nominations

Taproot's 2025 municipal election project has earned two new award nominations, from the Canadian Journalism Foundation and the National Media Awards Foundation.