The Pulse: May 27, 2021

The Alberta government announced its three-stage "open for summer" plan on May 26, with Premier Jason Kenney projecting the province could lift all major COVID-19 restrictions as soon as June 28 if it hits vaccination and hospitalization targets. The plan comes only weeks after Alberta had the highest COVID-19 rate in North America and means that Albertans could see a provincial reopening more than two months before B.C.

Stage 1 will begin on June 1, as 50% of Albertans over 12 have received one dose of vaccine and hospitalizations remain below 800. This phase will allow for outdoor gatherings up to 10 people, funeral services up to 20, and retail at 15% of fire code capacity, among other eased restrictions. Stage 2 would open gyms, movie theatres, arenas at one-third capacity, and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people. If the province progresses to Stage 3, all major restrictions will be lifted, "including (a) ban on indoor social gatherings."

"We are optimistic that we'll enter Stage 3 by early July," Kenney said. "And what a great day that will be. Events like K-Days and Calgary Stampede can proceed at that point with full participation."

• Reactions to the announcement were divided — while some worry the province's bold reopening plan may provoke a fourth wave, others are anxious to return to normal.

  • "Pretty clear that they're done, they've stopped caring," tweeted one worried Albertan, while another said: "This reopen Alberta thing really works for me and my camping needs."
  • "It's not clear how Jason Kenney decided on this pace, whether it was informed by science, or whether he simply worked backwards from the first day of the Calgary Stampede," tweeted NDP leader Rachel Notley.
  • Other leaders were more optimistic. Strathcona-Sherwood Park UCP MLA Nate Glubish tweeted: "Albertans have shown they are strong, tough, resilient, and compassionate. Thanks to that Alberta spirit and Albertans' hard work, we can look forward to a three-stage Open for Summer Plan."

• Earlier this week, Dr. Shazma Mithani warned against a preemptive opening. Following Kenney's announcement, she tweeted her frustration. "I'm very disappointed with this plan. It's too aggressive and relying on Albertans 'doing the right thing,' which we know hasn't worked before," said Dr. Mithani in a Twitter thread. "I would have liked to see ... something closer to the measured approach Ontario is using."

• ICU physician Darren Markland also weighed in, saying that "we should be basing these stages on full vaccination." He tweeted: "We should not be disincentivizing second shots by pretending this is over when it isn't."

Other announcements include:

• The Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant has been extended to June 30. Companies "that were ordered to close or curtail operations, and that experienced a revenue reduction of at least 30% as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic" can apply for financial relief.
• Changes to the Tourism Levy Act will stay in place until June 30. The levy allows accommodation providers "to keep tourism levy amounts collected between April 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021."

Photo credit: Alberta News Room/Flickr

Clarification: An earlier version of this story stated that "Stage 1 will begin on June 1, as 50% of Albertans over 12 are immunized..." We have clarified this to indicate that those Albertans have only received one dose of vaccine, and are not fully immunized.

• Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear denounced racist comments directed at him on social media, following the team's early playoff exit. GM Ken Holland also spoke out against the online abuse.
• Without federal relief funding, Edmonton Public Schools is requesting permission to tap into its reserves to fund COVID-19 costs next year. The funds will be used to pay for online teachers, personal protective equipment, extra cleaning, and mental health supports.
• A new high school and community centre will open in southwest Edmonton's Heritage Valley area this fall. Dr. Anne Anderson School was built to accommodate about 2,000 students.
• A massive mural honouring Ken Chinn (a.k.a. Chi Pig), the late singer of punk band SNFU, is being painted in Old Strathcona. SNFU was formed in Edmonton, Chi's hometown, before relocating to Vancouver.
• With the new reopening plan announced on Wednesday, at least four festivals are planning to go ahead this summer, including Heritage Festival, The Edmonton Fringe Festival, Taste of Edmonton, and K-Days.
• If all goes according to plan, the Edmonton Football Team could welcome full capacity crowds this summer, reports Global News. The CFL is aiming to start its 2021 season on Aug. 5.
• Mayor Don Iveson said he was cautiously optimistic about the province's reopening plan and encouraged Edmontonians to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Local business owners are also tempering their enthusiasm, reports City News.

When musician Dave Von Bieker started the YEGStreams website last spring, it was a temporary measure. The site was meant to provide a platform for artists to list their online performances, with hopes that it would be a one-stop shop for audiences seeking local live entertainment as the pandemic ramped up in its early months.

"I had planned to keep the site up for a month or two. I saw a need and tried to meet it quickly. Then six months passed. Then more," says the site landing page, which now informs visitors that the site is shutting down.

"The part I loved about working on YEGStreams was getting to point the spotlight at other artists doing great things, rather than hustling what I'm doing, which is how I spend a lot of my time as an artist," Von Beiker told Taproot. "There is just so much noise in the digital world – we can never assume someone knows what we're up to even if we feel like we've been shouting about it for weeks."

Now, with vaccines flowing and tentative plans to re-open the province by early July, Von Bieker acknowledged it might be time to move on. His own work aside, he discovered that getting user submissions for events was one of the biggest challenges of keeping the site going.

"I understand why," he said. "YEGStreams was not yet a leader in the local event listings space and as an artist, you want to put your limited time and effort where you feel it will have the biggest impact. It wasn't a lot of work to submit an event to YEGStreams – maybe five minutes – but when most artists are having to totally rearrange their lives to make a living during a pandemic, every minute counts."

For now, artists might be using up those minutes to compile their applications for the new Stabilize Live Music Grant program for musicians and industry professionals. Individuals can apply for a one-time micro-grant of $1,500, while for-profit music venues and businesses are eligible to apply for a Music Business Innovation grant up to $25,000.

On this day in 1926, plans were being made to build a zoo in Borden Park.

The modest initial plan for the zoo laid out that "a start would be made with birds" while funds were raised for more elaborate exhibits. Borden Park seemed like a natural place for Edmonton's first zoo; at the time, it was the city's largest and most popular park.

The city established East End Park in 1906, carving out 140 acres of swampy land on the edge of the city's limits. The park got its current name in 1914 after a visit to the city from then Prime Minister Robert Borden. By the 1920s, Borden Park had become a popular recreation spot for Edmontonians, boasting a midway with rides and games. It even included a wooden rollercoaster dubbed "The Green Rattler" and a beloved Old Mill ride (better known now as the Tunnel of Love). Borden Park was the site of one of Edmonton's first outdoor pools and, eventually, the city's first zoo (which had more than just birds). On a sunny Sunday in the summer, the park could draw up to 7,000 people.

By the 1930s, visits to Borden Park started to decline. The Old Mill had burnt down years before and the Great Depression meant families had less money for outings. The Green Rattler closed down in 1935. The Edmonton Zoo fared better, surviving for a couple more decades before being torn down in the late 1950s to make way for an expansion of Northlands, with the current Valley Zoo built as a replacement.

While Borden Park might not be the amusement park hotspot it used to be, it is still a treasured green space in the city. Recent revitalization efforts have led to the park being home to dozens of sculptures as well as a natural swimming pool, the first chemical-free outdoor pool in Canada. Borden Park might also be slated for expansion as part of the city's plan to redevelop the area around Northlands and the old arena.

This is based on a clipping found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse — follow @VintageEdmonton for daily ephemera via Twitter.

• Fox Den Collective presents S.I.S.T.E.R., an interactive mystery, online from May 27 to June 5.
• As part of Asian Heritage Month, the event Anti-Racism Conversations 2021 is running on May 29. Some of the sessions will be moderated by Sharon Yeo, Taproot's Food Roundup curator.
• The Edmonton International Cat Festival runs online May 29-30, with all proceeds raised benefiting local cat rescue programs.
• Northern Light Theatre is streaming the world premiere of The Ugly Duchess by Janet Munsil, starring Lora Brovold, online until May 30.
• Catalyst Theatre is streaming The Transformers, a series of short films commissioned by local theatre artists Chris Dodd, Kristi Hansen, and Rebecca Sadowski.

Photo credit: Fox Den Collective