Headlines: Oct. 19, 2023

Oct. 19, 2023 · The Pulse
By Kevin Holowack and Mariam Ibrahim

Edmonton Transit Service announced it will decommission its old fare vending machines on Nov. 1 and replace them with Arc fare machines. Riders will not be able to buy paper tickets or passes from the old machines. The city says the Arc products will "provide the majority of riders with a comparable fare option and offer more modern payment methods." All fare products, including tickets, will still be available at ETS sales outlets and the ETS online store.
City councillors reflected on their work so far as their term hit the halfway mark. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he "never imagined the kind of social issues" the city has faced since becoming mayor, including increased homelessness, and the mental health and addictions crisis. Coun. Tim Cartmell said while there has been progress improving downtown safety, he's "certainly not satisfied." Coun. Erin Rutherford said council has laid some good foundations over the past two years that will bring to fruition "things that Edmontonians can practically see in their day-to-day lives."
Chief Dale McFee of the Edmonton Police Service made an appearance on CBC's Edmonton AM radio show to discuss progress made in the month since the police service launched its Safer Public Spaces approach to policing. McFee said that the police service is "putting balance back into the system" by connecting people to health and social services, and addressing violence on the streets. The approach is about "channelling people to the right resources for that situation, and sometimes it's going to be the criminal justice system," he said.
The University of Alberta launched the University of Alberta Innovation Fund to invest in startup ventures working on solving global challenges. The fund, supported by private donors and public partners, will focus on innovations in artificial intelligence, health, energy, and agriculture. The first company chosen for investment is RL Core Technologies, an Edmonton-based AI startup that uses reinforcement learning to improve industrial control systems.
Edmonton's office market saw a net absorption of 165,000 square feet in the latest quarter, while downtown vacancies fell to 20.4% and suburban vacancies to 17.4%. Avison Young, which reported the numbers, said the absorption rate breaks the previous record set in Q3 of 2018, when 158,000 square feet was absorbed. Demand was driven by educational institutions, including NorQuest College, which expanded its downtown space by 63,000 square feet, and the Edmonton Classical Academy charter school, which signed a lease for 61,000 square feet. Edmonton has the second-highest downtown office vacancy rate of any major Canadian market after Calgary.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating an incident in which a man died after being arrested by police officers. The Edmonton Police Service said officers responded to calls on Sept. 20 about a man acting erratically and swinging an ice chipper. They said the man dropped it and complied with police orders, but went into medical distress after officers restrained him. He was taken to hospital, where he died 12 days later.
The intersection of 107 Avenue and 105 Street was closed for part of the day on Oct. 18 after the LRT struck a man in his 30s, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police are investigating.
Crews are preparing Commonwealth Stadium for the Heritage Classic on Oct. 29, which will see the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Calgary Flames in an outdoor game. A large mobile refrigeration truck, one of two owned by the NHL, arrived at the stadium on Oct. 17. This year's event marks the 20th anniversary of the original Heritage Classic, which was the first regular-season outdoor game in NHL history.
Dave Ewanec and his family built a spooky pirate ship in the front yard of their Beacon Heights home for Halloween. The ship, constructed with pallets and plywood, features cannons, armed skeleton pirates, billowing sails, and a plank. Ewanec is inviting the public to visit the display and is collecting food donations to support Edmonton's Food Bank.
The Alberta government said it is moving forward on 11 recommendations to improve primary health care access made in the final report from the Modernizing Alberta's Primary Health Care System (MAPS) initiative. The province will take six actions immediately, including allocating $57 million over three years to family doctors and nurse practitioners, and creating two new divisions in the Ministry of Health.