The Pulse: June 24, 2021

Titilope Sonuga adds another title to her CV starting July 1, when she'll start her term as Edmonton's ninth poet laureate.

"I want to use my art as a tool for hope and healing, which our city needs as we begin the journey of recovering from the last couple of years," Songua said. "Poets in our city are world builders and magic makers."

Author of three poetry collections, Sonuga has written for Google, the World Health Organization, and the MacArthur Foundation. In 2015, she also performed at the inauguration of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

The 35-year-old Nigerian-Canadian writer has credits as a playwright, actor, civil engineer, and community-builder in her bio. She's also founder of the Breath in Poetry collective, which has seen the poetry debuts of numerous local artists over the years, many of whom have made it to the slam finals at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

After getting the call from Mayor Don Iveson, Sonuga felt honoured to be asked to serve in the role, and said she will continue her efforts to create opportunities for aspiring poets in the community.

• Coun. Bev Esslinger put forward a motion to cancel the planned parking fees at five city sites after hearing concerns from several Edmontonians over the proposed Reimagine Services plan. Council is scheduled to vote on the motion July 5.
• A "dangerous" heat wave is set to hit Edmonton next week. With a six-day stretch of highs in the 30 to 35°C range,
  the Edmonton Mustard Seed is urgently seeking water bottle donations to help support the city's most vulnerable.
• Construction on the 170 Street footbridge between West Edmonton Mall and the Misericordia Community Hospital will begin this fall. On Monday, council approved a spring capital budget adjustment that included funds for the $10-million pedestrian crossing.
• Edmonton business leaders expressed concern over the future of air travel in and out of the city, at an industry roundtable on Wednesday. Edmonton International Airport isn't currently allowed to receive international travelers. Jeffrey Sundquist, president and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said being relegated to a regional airport "would hurt investment and business retention."
• Seven Edmonton-area track and field athletes will be competing for a shot to represent Canada at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer. The trials begin Thursday in Montreal.
• Heritage Festival and Taste of Edmonton will still be implementing COVID-19 safety measures this summer, despite the provincial lifting of restrictions on July 1.
• The parking lot of the Castrol Raceway hosted 400 Edmonton high school graduates for a socially distant graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
• The province is providing $8 million to support community-led research into undocumented deaths and burials at residential schools across Alberta. On Wednesday, the Cowessess First Nation announced it had discovered hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.

Every week in the lead up to Edmonton's municipal election on Oct. 18, we're rounding up the news and announcements you need to know to stay informed.

• Candidate Michael Oshry announced his Small is Beautiful Infrastructure Plan which intends to advance "many items on the city's current unfunded project list." A few of these projects include the construction of a dog park in southeast Edmonton, expanding the Riverbend Library, and adding new walking trails to the river valley.
• Cheryll Watson wants Edmonton to "formalize an economic corridor partnership with Calgary." This proposed partnership is the first in a series of economic policies and was developed in collaboration with Spontivly CEO Anthony Nagendraraj.
• Kim Krushell launched her four campaign policy pillars, called A Vibrant and Connected City, Economic Recovery and Growth, Core Service and Maintenance, and Supports for our Most Vulnerable.
• Amarjeet Sohi has released the #TeamSohi Volunteer Code for those helping with his campaign. The guidelines for volunteer conduct are intended to station the Sohi campaign as "a beacon of positivity focused on (their) vision of making Edmonton a better place for all."
• Edmonton blogger Emil Tiedemann has launched a series focusing on who is running for mayor. Rick Comrie's responses are the first to be published, and readers can anticipate similar interviews in the lead up to the election.
• Edmonton Public School Board trustee Michael Janz retracted his previous motion for Edmontonians to vote on the draft K-6 curriculum. Prior to this withdrawal, Janz tweeted school boards "can unilaterally put questions on the (municipal) ballot."

A list of all of the candidates who have announced they are running in the Edmonton municipal election is available here.

What key issue do you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for your votes? Add your voice to the People's Agenda.

Photo credit: Mack Male/Flickr

On this day in 1909, the King Edward Hotel was destined for expansion.

The $60,000 expansion (a number that would have been somewhere north of $14 million now) would add a second building beside the already existing structure. By 1910, the expansion was completed, making the hotel's capacity 110 rooms - one of the largest in western Canada at the time.

The King Edward was still fairly new, having been built in 1906 by businessman and politician John Coleman Calhoun. The 'King Eddy' instantly became a popular spot, both to stay and because of the tavern it housed - it was a convenient place for downtown workers to have dinner or drinks in the evening.

For decades, the King Eddy was a hotspot for Edmonton's nightlife, going through more than half a dozen expansions, facelifts and updates.

In 1969, Bill C-150 made changes to Canada's indecency laws - homosexual sex and affection were no longer illegal (at least, if done in private). While nowhere near equality, Edmonton's gay and lesbian community could make their first steps towards gathering publically. The King Edward's tavern quickly became one of the most popular hangouts for the city's queer community. The new clientele wasn't exactly embraced, but were tolerated as long as they remained "quiet and unsuspecting". Still, it was enough to make the King Edward an important location in Edmonton's queer history.

The King Edward met its end in 1978 when it was destroyed in a deadly fire. The remains were razed and Manulife Place was built on the site in 1980. While the building no longer stands, it remains an important part of the history of Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ community.

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.

• Edmonton Public Library hosts A Conversation about Anti-Asian Racism, a panel discussion with community leaders sharing perspectives on #StopAsianHate in Canada and within our city on June 24. Panelists include Sandra SG Wong, Linda Hoang, Wing Kar Li, and Rajah Maggay.
• Citadel Theatre will announce its 2021-2022 season at a virtual cocktail party on June 24 at 4:30pm.
• Common Ground Arts Society and Major Matt Mason Collective are presenting NIGHT by Geoffrey Simon Brown, where audience members are invited to a secret performance location to tune in via their car radio to experience the play. Performances are at 10pm on select dates until June 26.
• Kingsway Mall has installed Eat and Seek, an outdoor public art display and patio, offering takeout from food court and local restaurant vendors and displays from Promoting Artists Redefining Kulture (PARK).

Photo credit: Kingsway Mall