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  • The Alberta government has committed $110 million to support Edmonton's bid to host the FIFA 2026 World Cup, pending several conditions including securing federal and municipal funding. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, an outspoken proponent of the bid, responded positively, telling Global News that "Edmonton has an incredible soccer community that has supported this bid from Day 1. As the World Cup host, our festival city would be in full celebration mode, giving a much-needed boost to our hospitality and tourism sectors." CTV reports that it is not clear when FIFA will announce the host cities, but that FIFA officials who visited last November were "generally positive" about Edmonton's facilities. The province's announcement came after Canada qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
  • The president of the Ritchie Community League is questioning whether the parking lot leased to the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market until 2025 is the best use of city-owned lands. "If that space was an area for community or civic space, or a garden, a park — think of how many different Edmontonians could use that space all days (of the) week," Avnish Nanda told Postmedia. The city will be seeking input this spring on how the neighbourhood's public spaces ought to be used.
  • TransPod has secured US$550 million to finance the next phase of a hyperloop system between Edmonton and Calgary, having signed an agreement in principle with Broughton Capital Group and China-East Resources Import & Export Co. (CEIRCO). The proposed hyperloop system will transport passengers and cargo in a low-pressure tube and cost a person about $90 to take a 45-minute trip between the two cities. The company's next phases include research, permits, and test track construction, with intercity line construction scheduled to begin in 2027, Transpod said in a news release. The company's earlier feasibility study claimed the project would add $19.2 billion to Alberta's GDP, create 15,600 jobs each year, and reduce CO2 emissions. CEO Sebastien Gendron hopes to have government approval by this summer, at which point TransPod will create a plan to disburse the investment, Global News reports.
  • Applications are now open for the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP), a new two-year pilot that allows Edmontonians to apply for low-cost financing for energy efficiency upgrades to residential homes, later repaying the loans through property taxes. The pilot is expected to benefit 80 projects over its duration.
  • Former mayor Don Iveson is now the executive advisor of climate investing and community resilience for Co-operators, a financial services co-operative. Iveson's new position will help the organization "catalyze sustainable investing in Canada," says the news release. Iveson called the position an intuitive next step in his career: "In my time at Edmonton City Hall, and as Chair of Canada's Big City Mayors, I thrived on building coalitions to tackle complex challenges like climate change."
  • Nathan Ip, a three-term Edmonton Public School Board trustee for Ward H, announced he is seeking the nomination to run for the Alberta NDP in the riding of Edmonton-Southwest, in hopes of running against Labour Minister Kaycee Madu, the only UCP MLA elected in Edmonton. "My commitment to you is this," Ip announced at a coffee shop, "I will listen, I will work alongside you, and I will fight for you in the legislature just as I have as your school board trustee." Madu has confirmed he will seek reelection.
  • "First impressions are that you are welcoming us so graciously," Valentina Gogvozd told CBC after she and about 60 Ukrainians landed in Edmonton this week on a flight from Warsaw that was organized by the Canadian Polish Historical Society. She and her sons will stay with her brother-in-law in Red Deer.
  • Flair Airlines announced that it will offer twice-weekly flights from the Edmonton International Airport to the Tuscon International Airport starting next winter. New flights to Arizona will also begin at the Fort McMurray International Airport, the Lethbridge Airport, and airports in Prince George, B.C., and Windsor, Ont.