The Pulse: July 26, 2021

Suzette Mercier was going through a rough patch taking care of her kids when she discovered a community services hub in her neighbourhood while idly scrolling through Facebook.

"I saw an advertisement for 'family night,'" she said, "I went to check it out as a way to get me and my kids out of the house for a bit, and it kind of took off from there."

Mercier has been dropping by the C5 North East Community Hub multiple times a week — COVID-19 permitting — for around two years now, and she said the hub has been an important factor in keeping her family together.

"Our whole experience has been extremely positive," she said. "My eldest daughter has been pushing me to get back to some of the programs that were running before (the pandemic) happened. She can't wait to go back."

Located in a dated strip mall just off Victoria Trail, the C5 Hub is an experiment in collaboration between five social service agencies: Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, Terra Centre, the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, and Boyle Street Community Services. Six years into its existence, the hub has around 750 families on its list of regular clients, said director Mohamed Elsaghir.

The hub is unique in Edmonton, both as a collaborative effort and as a source of comprehensive help in an area of the city that has few other social services. So far, it appears to be a success, and a potential model for other neighbourhoods with families in need, notwithstanding some challenges.

It's not guaranteed that the hub will continue to receive funding it needs from the City of Edmonton, however, nor is it certain that there is an appetite for funding similar hubs elsewhere. That will be for future city councils to decide, which is a reason to take a closer look at the C5 experiment ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 18.

• The first mayoral debate was hosted by KV Capital on July 22. The private Beyond 2021 event offered business leaders the chance to hear from select candidates about their plans for downtown vibrancy and economic recovery.
• A homeless support camp set up earlier this month in the Indigenous Art Park was cleared out by peace officers on July 23. Residents were bused to alternative shelter options.
• The Edmonton Firefighters Memorial Society is asking for the return of four bronze plaques bearing the names of fallen firefighters. The plaques were stolen from the Firefighters Memorial Plaza in Old Strathcona sometime between Thursday and Friday.
• The delayed Tawatinâ Bridge from Cloverdale over the North Saskatchewan River won't be opened until the winter. The pedestrian crossing was supposed to be complete in May 2019, but the deadline was extended when a car-sized concrete slab was found in the river.
• Scenes for a documentary on Canadian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan War were filmed in Edmonton on Sunday. The film Fallen Heroes: The Journey Home will cover the events that took place after four Canadian soldiers were killed in an incident at Kandahar Airfield in 2002.
• Nine Edmonton-area athletes are competing in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which began on July 23 and runs until Aug. 8.
• Hundreds flocked to the Summer Fun Midway, which is being hosted on the Expo grounds from July 23-Aug. 1. The event is one of the largest in the city within the last 16 months.
• Alberta Health Services says recent bed closures at several hospitals across the province are minimal and aren't affecting patient care. At least 125 acute care beds are temporarily closed, including six at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

With just a handful of species making up Edmonton's boulevard trees, the biodiversity of the tree canopy has room for improvement.

"Increasing diversity is definitely important," Shrubscriber founder and master gardener Dustin Bajer said in an interview with Taproot's Speaking Municipally. "I would love to see the city stop planting elms and ash altogether."

The reason, Bajer explained, is that both types are increasingly at risk of disease. Approximately 60% of Edmonton's boulevard trees are green ash.

"Right now, Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer are working their way west," he said.

It is the emerald ash borer that concerns Bajer most. "That disease in particular is very scary and has huge repercussions for the City of Edmonton."

According to Natural Resources Canada, the emerald ash borer is "a species of metallic wood-boring beetle native to East Asia" that "has killed millions of trees in Canada in forested and urban areas."

No natural predators in North America have been able to slow the spread of the emerald ash borer, which has recently arrived in Winnipeg.

Bajer said it's probably a matter of when, not if, the beetle arrives in Edmonton.

"It's a really big risk," he said. "We're talking about losing a tremendous amount of trees."

Photo: An emerald ash borer. (Tom Murray/Flickr)

• Edmonton Public Library is hosting an online workshop called Wild for Wildlife on July 29 that will teach attendees how their actions outdoors can preserve Canada's "natural places and the critters who live there." Registration is free.
• Business Link invites Indigenous business owners and entrepreneurs to Indigenous Business Development Services: Startup Steps on July 29. The free online event will offer entrepreneurs resources for professional development, a rundown on the steps to start a business, and feedback on ideas.
• Jaia Collective is holding a garden party and jewelry sale on July 29. Half of all proceeds will go to the CASA Foundation.
• The McKernan Community League's Pop Culture Night Market runs the evening of July 30. More than 40 vendors, artists, and designers will feature locally made and handcrafted wares at McKernan Hall (11341 78 Avenue).

Photo: The Black-Owned Market took place on July 24. (Mack Male/Flickr)