- The city has introduced a one-time grant to help businesses and organizations implement the new Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw that council approved in October, which will ban plastic bags, specific Styrofoam items, and introduce other requirements for reusable items once it takes effect July 1, 2023. Grants range from $700 to $5,000 and can be used to cover the costs of reusable dishes, containers, dishwashers, dishwashing services, and more. A total of $73,000 will be available through the Single-use Item Reduction Grant in 2022.
- The historic Iron Works Building at 10419 96 Street, which has been mostly vacant and in decline in recent decades, is undergoing a $21-million rehabilitation project. The city, which acquired the building in 2016, sees the project as key to The Quarters Downtown redevelopment and plans for the building to be at the heart of a downtown hub called the Iron Works Complex by 2024, with the Edmonton Arts Council as one proposed tenant. Built in 1909 and originally a site for manufacturing iron and brass during Edmonton's early construction boom, the building is now being restored to show off its original steel and brick work. "The vision for this building is that, ultimately, it does tie into the largest historic character of the Quarters site and act as a catalyst," said architect Jason Pare.
- A cargo expansion project at the Edmonton International Airport wrapped up at the end of September, giving YEG an additional 47,000 square metres to park planes, which is enough for four 747s or six 767s. The $36-million expansion was funded evenly by the airport and the Canadian government via the National Trades Corridor Fund. Construction incorporated a technology created by a company called CarbonCure Technologies, which injects carbon dioxide into the concrete during mixing to permanently store it.
- According to a poll by Janet Brown Opinion Research conducted for CBC News, 84% of Albertans agree the government should do more to protect consumers from inflation and the rising cost of living. More than half of the 1,200 people surveyed said their household financial situation had worsened this year. Among respondents aged 18-24, 96% agreed the government should do more to address the sharpest cost increases. Respondents in Edmonton were the least optimistic about the economy, with just 20% agreeing that the economy is improving, compared to 37% in Calgary and 30% in the rest of Alberta.
- Edmontonians made 34 complaints to the city's 311 service related to snow on walkways in the 40 hours that followed the snowfall that began on Nov. 2, according to the city's open data portal. The Secord and Westmount neighbourhoods received the most complaints, with five each. Last winter, 311 received more than 7,900 complaints about snow on walkways between November and April, an increase from the roughly 4,300 received during the previous winter.
- The annual No Stone Left Alone ceremony to remember fallen Canadian soldiers took place at the historic Beechmount Cemetery on the morning of Nov. 7. Students at the ceremony laid poppies on the headstones of more than 4,000 men and women who served in Canada's Armed Forces.
- Flair Airlines, which bought the naming rights to Hall D at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, will announce the new name on Nov. 10. At 53,410 square-feet, Hall D is Edmonton's only mid-sized arena space, with a capacity of 4,628 guests.
Headlines: Nov. 8, 2022
By Kevin Holowack