The Pulse: July 30, 2021

Grab your glitter — in-person drag shows are coming back to Edmonton in full force. While many drag queens were able to perform online during the pandemic, they say returning to venues will help them better connect with audiences and also ensure they're paid for their craft.

"(Live shows are) a really good opportunity to pay performers what we think that they deserve again," says local drag queen God — otherwise known as Vincent Brulotte. The tips from digital performances are "tough to translate into real income."

Over the last year and a half, Brulotte has performed at outdoor and online shows organized by his drag talent company Party Queens.

While the opportunity to showcase his skills online during a year largely defined by long stretches of isolation has been crucial, Brulotte says the in-person club experience connects Edmonton's queer community members with drag performers in a way that's difficult for outdoor or online shows to replicate.

"Quite a few (performers) have felt nervous right before they do their first number back," Brulotte says. "Then they do it, and they see how excited the crowd is.

"(Performers) see how hungry we all are for entertainment, but most importantly they see how much they're killing it, and how nice it is to have people (experience) that in real time."

• The Edmonton area is under another heat warning. Environment Canada says high temperatures of 29 C to the mid 30s will continue through the weekend.
• General manager Ken Holland pulled in two of the biggest names available — Zach Hyman and Tyson Barrie — but opinions are mixed in response to the Edmonton Oilers' free agency decisions.
• The province is exploring the possibility of the Stollery Children's Hospital becoming a stand-alone facility and has earmarked $1 million for a feasibility study. Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro said it was a chance to imagine a new facility that better serves children and adolescents.
• Doctors are reacting to the decision to remove mandatory isolation, calling it irresponsible and dangerous. Parents and teachers are also concerned for children's safety once schools reopen in September.
• Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro is defending the removal of isolation requirements, saying they were recommended by chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw. He said vaccines were making COVID-19 less infectious and deadly and believed other provinces would soon follow suit. Dr. Deena Hinshaw explained her decision to CBC News.
• The Alberta NDP fundraised double the amount that the reigning UCP party raised in the second quarter of 2021. Elections Canada reporting shows that from April to June the NDP raised more than $1.5 million, while the UCP raised just over $700,000.

The Edmonton company that started out washing the dirty diapers of young baby boomers and grew into Canada's largest laundry and linen processor now has a long-sought but bitterly opposed deal with Alberta Health Services to provide laundry services province-wide.

K-Bro Linen has signed a new 11-year contract with AHS, with renewal options for up to an additional nine years, which adds to the two-thirds of linen services already provided by the Edmonton-based company. Shifting all work to plants in Edmonton and Calgary will add the Calgary zone, South zone, Central zone, and North zone by April 1, 2022, AHS said in a news release.

"We expect incremental annual revenue of approximately $10 million, and margins on that revenue to be consistent with K-Bro's historical margins," said K-Bro CEO Linda McCurdy in a news release. One-time transition costs, including $10 million for new linen carts and additional equipment, will lower margins until mid-2022.

AHS expects job cuts of 334 full-time, part-time, and casual employees from contracting the work to K-Bro and said the move will save the province's health system $38 million in upgrades to existing facilities or $100 million to build new capacity across the province.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) criticized the impact of the plan on workers and patients and warned closing regional facilities will hurt smaller Alberta communities.

"(Government officials) talk about a strategy to help small businesses recover from the pandemic and this is certainly not a way to do it — to cut jobs from the rural communities who are going to need these people to shop in their communities to help support small business," AUPE vice-president Kevin Barry told the Edmonton Journal.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are in full swing a year after the games were postponed due to COVID-19. This historic multi-sport event has brought together the world's athletic elite since 1896, leaving room for a slew of mysteries, secrets, and conspiracies. In the midst of Olympic fever, local podcast It's a Conspiracy! devoted its most recent episode to the fun facts, curses, and historic wins.

The Alberta Podcast Network member has been dissecting conspiracy theories since 2018. Host Andrew Scott "lay(s) out the beliefs behind conspiracy theories, myths, and more" bi-weekly. Over the course of almost 400 episodes, the show has spotlighted the mysteries behind the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, QAnon, the 2012 doomsday, the Muppets, and countless other topics of intrigue. If you've ever questioned it, It's a Conspiracy! has likely covered it.

Host opinions are reserved for the end of the episode. Until then, the commentary is unbiased and does not evaluate the accuracy, possibility, or likelihood of the theories.

Explore It's a Conspiracy! on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Soundcloud.

You can listen to podcast picks from Taproot on Listen Notes or Spotify.

• The Edmonton Public Library is facilitating an interview skills workshop in partnership with the Wecan Cooperative on Aug. 3.
• Pierre Bataillard's exhibition 'Scribbles and Shapes' at The Paint Spot's Naess Gallery runs until Aug. 3.
• Story City and Startup TNT have organized an interactive walking tour to profile seven Edmonton startup origin stories. The event runs 4:30pm-5:30pm on Aug. 4, starting in the rainbow alley next to Malt & Mortar.
• The Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society is offering a two-day conference for those impacted by residential schools. Healing The Past Through Ceremony is happening Aug. 5-6 and will be broadcast live on Facebook for those unable to attend in person.
• In lieu of an in-person Folk Festival, The Hill at Home kicks off on Aug. 6 and will continue until Aug. 8. Performances by Hozier and Brandi Carlile from 2019, as well as pre-order options from previous festival food vendors, will be available online.
• Shop, Hop, & Roll! by the Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) runs Aug. 7, with more than 30 businesses providing discounts during the weekend. Lime e-scooters will also be free to use with event code "SHOPHOP" and will be located in the OSBA tent.
• Looking forward to Halloween? Deadmonton is holding its 2021 auditions beginning Aug. 7.

Thanks to Allison Pon for sharing her photo with us!