The Pulse: Jan. 25, 2021

The city's integrity commissioner has prepared a proposed social media policy for council members to review at the next code of conduct sub-committee meeting.

The suggested principles include guidance on blocking, a distinction between private and personal social media accounts, ensuring conduct on social media complies with the requirements of the code of conduct, and more.

Last fall, Coun. Mike Nickel avoided sanctions for violating city council's code of conduct. Earlier in the year he had called out fellow councillors on social media for "approving 'emergency bike lanes' during the COVID-19 pandemic" resulting in a review from integrity commissioner Jamie Pytel at the time.

• City councillor Mike Nickel has announced his intention to run for mayor in the 2021 municipal election.
• The City of Edmonton has received a failing grade in the C.D. Howe Institute's latest annual municipal report card on fiscal accountability and transparency. “I’m very frustrated that this reflects poorly on our reputation when I think the actual truth is quite different,” said the city’s chief financial officer Mary Persson, who took issue with the criteria used.
• Some continuing care staff are still waiting on the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, reports CBC News. Premier Jason Kenney announced last week that all staff and residents had received their first doses.
• Construction on a field hospital in Edmonton inside the University of Alberta's Butterdome is now done. Should hospitals reach capacity due to COVID-19, the 100-bed facility may be used to help relieve pressure on the healthcare system.
• A 20-year-old Albertan died of COVID-19 over the weekend, marking the youngest death from the pandemic to date.
• Prospects for Edmonton's annual Birkebeiner ski race look grim, as the race dates in mid-February approach and no outdoor sports events are currently allowed within the province.

Jon Manning, an Edmonton-based writer behind the scripts of a new Nathan Fillion voiceover project with Berlin Communications and the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), says he was "blinking into the darkness of sleepless nights" nervous about working with the celebrity. 

The project, Explore Alberta Forests, is a virtual, 360-degree tour of Alberta's forest lifecycle narrated by Nathan Fillion, who was born and raised in Edmonton. Manning says working with Fillion was like having a "front-row seat to a masterclass in voice work."

"I'd heard he was a nice guy, but he's used to working with top writers in L.A., and I just didn't know if what I was writing would measure up. When the meeting began, he was exactly the person you'd expect: kind, affable, incredibly funny, and constructive. He loved the writing we brought forward. We workshopped a few bits, but for the most part, what I wrote originally, and worked on with Berlin, is what you hear on the website," Manning tells Taproot Edmonton.

"In the end, we landed on a character that could be funny, willing to be the joke at times, but loveable and charming all the same. So, basically Nathan Fillion. I can't take one ounce of credit for his hilarious delivery."

Here's a look at some of the agenda items coming before city council for the week of Jan. 25-29:

• A report on social procurement will highlight "the progress to date in implementing the social procurement framework to leverage a social value from the city’s purchases as part of the city’s Sustainable Procurement Policy approved in 2019."
• The city plans to lend at least $1,688,000 to the Fort Edmonton Management Company so it can follow through with its park reopening plan and Fort Edmonton Park Enhancement (FEPE) project completion.
• Council plans to repeal the North Major Area Structure Plan, originally approved by Leduc County in 2004. "The North Major Area Structure Plan is not consistent with The Way We Grow or the draft version of The City Plan. Should the plan remain in effect, it will give mixed signals about what land development activity is desired in this area. It will also require extensive amendments in order to facilitate subsequent planning and development work," the report said.
• An updated report on economic incentives for "high-impact" private construction projects says adjusting the total grant period from four to five years would add $7.6 million to the cost of the program.

Michael Nikolai snapped this photo of City Hall on a brisk day - perfect for skating! Thanks for sharing.

In Episode 113 of our weekly podcast on municipal politics, hosts Troy Pavlek and Mack Male discuss the new city manager's introduction to the media, the reconsideration of a ban on shisha smoking, and the latest update on infill. They also discuss the latest election-related news.

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