Long-form stories from Taproot Edmonton
The licence for a casino set to be moved from Camrose to south Edmonton, while still sending charity proceeds to rural Alberta, has been sold in a $5.8-million deal.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has been highlighting the city's anti-racism efforts, even travelling to Berlin to speak about it. But the committee charged with shaping that work has been paused, raising concerns about a lack of community involvement and delays in implementing the city's anti-racism strategy.
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Even though a council committee has put off passing a bylaw to protect trees on private property, the Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future is encouraged to see progress on a file that is vital to the city's ability to lessen and mitigate the effects of climate change.
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Karen Unland
As Edmontonians weather a fifth wave of the pandemic, the prolonged closure of many downtown offices has left daycares in the heart of the city struggling to stay open.
Most candidates for mayor and city council agree that Edmonton needs more permanent public washrooms, a move that is vital for a city to work for everyone, says consultant Lezlie Lowe.
The 15-minute city is an urban design strategy that the current city council adopted as part of the City Plan at the end of 2020. The next city council, and its successors, will make the decisions that either help bring this plan to life or leave it to languish. As the municipal election approaches, this is a good time to examine what this concept means for Edmonton.
The devastating effects of climate change have become more clear than ever over the past few years, urging Edmonton and other cities around the world to aggressively curb their carbon emissions. In April 2021, city council approved a plan with an ambitious idea — what if Edmonton budgeted for carbon emissions the same way it handles its money?
The C5 North East Hub is unique in Edmonton, as a collaborative and comprehensive source of social services in an area that needs them. So far, it appears to be a success, but continued funding is not guaranteed, nor is it certain that there is an appetite for funding similar hubs elsewhere. That will be for future city councils to decide, which is a reason to take a closer look at the C5 experiment ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 18.
Implementation of the City of Edmonton's Indigenous Framework, which city council endorsed in February after extensive consultation with a panel of Indigenous leaders, is in its "embryonic stage." Edmontonians can help ensure the strategy doesn't just become lip service.
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Karen Unland
