The Pulse: March 29, 2021

A revised strategy to help the city tackle climate change proposes a 10-year plan to increase renewable energy sources, reduce carbon emissions from transportation, make buildings more energy-efficient, and increase carbon capture.

“It's about accelerated and transformational change. This change will reimagine our energy systems and will transform our community and economy,” said Chandra Tomaras, the city's environmental project manager.

“There are 105 actions with various impact levels and funding requirements. The targets are our boldest to date. This plan is the first of its kind for Edmonton, and it's the first time Edmonton has targets aligned with the Paris Agreement.”

The revised Community Energy Transition Strategy was prompted by the city declaring a state of climate emergency in 2019, which included a request for city administration to re-examine “how to achieve a low-carbon future, to develop a funding strategy that would achieve the necessary investments in this space, and to implement a carbon accounting system for budgeting decisions and priorities,” deputy city manager Stephanie McCabe explained at a media availability on March 26.

• More than 100 people gathered for the Building Bridges Against Hate walk on March 28. “There is so much sadness,” Serena Mah, a member of Act2End Racism and co-organizer of the event, said in a speech. “(We want) an Edmonton that is safe for everyone.”
• Home sales in Edmonton are up, with realtors calling it a "seller's market." CTV Edmonton wrote that "there's a new sense of urgency to close on homes, leading to multiple-offer situations," following an interview with local realtor T.J. De Villa.
• "The Alberta government said Friday it has given the City of Edmonton and Enoch Cree Nation $300,000 to begin planning a provincial park on the 68-hectare parcel of Crown land along the North Saskatchewan River valley," writes CBC News. It's called Big Island, and the aim is for the park to be operational by 2023.
• GraceLife Church pastor James Coates returned to service on March 28 after he was jailed for refusing to follow public health orders.
• ATB Financial is closing 10 of its Alberta branches on March 31 and letting go of 13 workers.

Will we be able to move around the city easily? That's the question we'll be exploring April 1 at the next listening session for our People's Agenda project.

Join us at noon for another discussion to uncover what is important to you as we head towards the municipal election on Oct. 18. Please register here to attend.

The topic reflects the synthesis of a number of responses to our People's Agenda question related to transportation. Some people are interested in making transit more accessible and active transportation more attractive, while others are concerned about automobile traffic flow and are skeptical about bike lanes. There are lots of changes coming to transit in the coming weeks (listen to this episode of Speaking Municipally for more on that), which may come up as well.

Chris Chang-Yen Phillips will once again be our host. He'll set up the discussion with Emily Grisé from the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning, before sending people off to breakout rooms to discuss further.

If you can't make it, we will recap it on Friday, as we did last week on the question Will city council have integrity?.

Save the dates for future sessions — we'll be convening every Thursday until the end of April.

In Episode 122 of Speaking Municipally, co-hosts Troy Pavlek and Mack Male focus on transit safety and upcoming changes to the bus network.

They also discuss potential new rules for e-scooters aimed at keeping them off the sidewalks. A recent City of Edmonton survey found that riding on sidewalks is one of the main complaints people have with e-scooters. Nearly 95% of respondents said they've seen e-scooters on sidewalks.

The executive directors of the Downtown Business Association and Old Strathcona Business Association have called for changes, including reduced speed or no-ride zones. That didn't sit well with Pavlek and Male.

"Why are we complaining about more people getting to their destination?" wondered Pavlek.

• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Alberta's minister of energy, Sonya Savage, on March 29 for a virtual conversation. Savage will provide an update on Alberta’s energy industry, discuss ongoing efforts to secure access to new markets, and share insights into future plans for the energy sector.
• Join MacEwan University's School of Business for a virtual screening of She Started It on March 30, a documentary about five passionate, trailblazing young women who strive to compete and thrive in the ruthlessly competitive boys’ club of high tech startups.
• AKSIS is hosting Startup Edmonton on March 30 to learn about new opportunities to help innovate existing businesses or explore new ideas.
• "Alberta startups you need to get to know" has closed registrations, but you can still get on the waitlist for March 31 to hear from Alberta-based startups and scale-ups as they share how the AIN GrowthX Program helped them find product-market fit, gain traction, and accelerate growth.