The Pulse: Feb. 9, 2021

Showbie has successfully raised an additional $7.5 million in Series A financing, which brings the total for this round to $12.5 million. The financing was led by Rhino Ventures last August, with ATB Private Equity joining in along with existing investors and debt financing.

Showbie helps teachers transform their classrooms through tools that help create an "engaging and collaborative virtual learning environment." According to a press release, the platform is currently used by students and teachers in more than 135 countries.

"The local investment is really exciting because with each of these major financings the company will go through a transition to a business at scale. The people in our business going through the transition and beyond will become valuable assets to the region as a whole as they gain new experience which can be helpful to attracting more talent and sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the community," Showbie’s CEO and co-founder Colin Bramm told Taproot.

"We intend to keep the hub of Showbie in Edmonton, which will enable us to lay down deeper roots locally and offer valuable career experience to those interested in the tech sector. Having these kinds of local wins can help produce the next generation of talent which can help the flywheel of more company formations and successes over time."

• The provincial government is reinstating a 1976 coal mining policy after Albertans called for that action when it was revoked last spring. “What we’re doing today, keeping the 1976 coal policy in place and committing to consult on a modernized policy, is what we should have done in the beginning. We didn’t do it then but we’re going to do it now,” Energy Minister Sonya Savage said on Feb. 8.
• City council will consider a draft financial assistance policy this summer that would provide a way for the city to compensate businesses impacted by major construction projects. Councillor Tim Cartmell, who voted against the motion, said it could "open a bit of a Pandora's box."
• The city has "hit the pause button on a river valley trail construction project following pushback from conservationists on planned tree removal," reports the Edmonton Journal. Tree removal was initially supposed to begin this month, with realignment work to start in the spring.
• The pastor of Parkland County's GraceLife Church has been "charged under the Public Health Act after the church repeatedly defied public health orders," reports the Edmonton Journal.
• The Edmonton Football Team is asking fans to vote on seven name possibilities: Elk, Evergreens, Evergolds, Eclipse, Elkhounds, Eagles, and Elements. Vote online here.

With hospitalizations remaining below 600, the province has proceeded with the first stage of easing restrictions, which includes the resumption of in-person dining.

The guidelines limit 6 individuals to a table from the same household or two close contacts for those living alone. Liquor service will end at 10pm, in-person dining will close by 11pm, and the establishment must collect contact information from one person in the dining party.

On Feb. 5, the Edmonton Independent Hospitality Community wrote an open letter to government leaders asking for a COVID-zero plan and further financial provisions to assist the hospitality industry.

“Many of us are left with no other option than to re-open for dine in and put ourselves and our staff at increased risk of contracting Covid and spreading it to our loved ones and the community because the alternative of not opening is just as grave a predicament,” read the letter.

As you have no doubt noticed, it's darn cold.

Chris Nelson of Edmonton Weather Nerdery generated a graphic representation of how far our lows have fallen, hitting a chilly -33.9 C on Feb. 7.

Up until the end of the third week of January, our winter had been abnormally warm, relatively speaking, which may be contributing to the shock of the current cold snap. As Nelson noted on Twitter, Saturday was the first time Edmonton has seen -25 C this winter, and Sunday was our first -30 C. Check out this set of charts for more number-crunching about the history of -30 C in Edmonton.

Due to the "heat island" effect, Edmonton was still about 10 degrees warmer than surrounding areas, tweeted Environment Canada's Alberta office. The entire province is under an extreme cold warning, as is much of Canada.

The City of Edmonton's extreme weather response was activated on Feb. 4, opening shelter spaces and running free overnight buses to convey vulnerable Edmontonians to them. The response is expected to remain in effect until at least Saturday.

If you're concerned about someone who is outside in the cold, call 211 and press 3 to send help.

For many more charts on Edmonton's weather, visit Edmonton Weather Nerdery.