The Pulse: Aug. 20, 2021

Local business sector support for vaccine passports to help boost consumer confidence and restart the economy is meeting unrelenting resistance from Premier Jason Kenney's UCP government.

"What the government chooses to do clearly is up to them but the business community is open to any and all discussions relating to any sort of platform that can get this economy back on track," Jeffrey Sundquist, CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, told CBC's Edmonton AM.

In an interview with CTV News, Sundquist said his main concern is getting tourists back to Edmonton. "The visitor economy is exceptionally important for the Edmonton metropolitan region. Whether it is sporting events, conventions, these things all require confident consumers, businesses, and promoters so we can get people back in market."

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce also backed a passport system after the Quebec provincial government announced details of a plan scheduled to start in September to access non-essential services. "It's all about keeping people safe, keeping clients, guests, and patrons safe. It's also about making sure that we keep our economy open, and we're not faced with another lockdown," CEO Deborah Yedlin told Global News.

Manitoba already has a digital immunization card available but provinces are divided on whether they would be open to using a vaccine passport within their borders or handing over data necessary to make domestic use a possibility. Global News received a one-word answer – no – from Alberta when it surveyed all provinces.

• Edmonton's post-secondary schools have released their back-to-school COVID-19 protocols. While NAIT, Concordia University and the University of Alberta will require masks indoors, no schools will mandate vaccination. NAIT is considering implementing rapid testing, and vaccinations will be required for students living in residence or participating in athletics or non-academic performances at Concordia University.
• After seven years of signalling issues, five-minute train frequency will be restored to the Capital Line LRT on Aug. 30. The train will run every five minutes during peak hours (weekdays from 6-9am and 3-6pm) from Churchill to Clareview stations.
• City council unanimously approved a $12.4-million clean energy pilot program to retrofit 100 buildings in Edmonton. The Clean Energy Improvement Program will be available to homeowners and organizations looking to make energy efficiency upgrades to their properties.
• The first international flight since COVID-19 health restrictions were lifted by the federal government landed at the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) on Thursday. The return of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the first step toward rebuilding EIA's international air service states a press release.
• Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made a campaign stop in Edmonton on Thursday, where he promised to create a $250-million Critical Shortages Fund to address the province's shortage of nurses and health-care workers. Singh saw his largest crowd of supporters in Alberta while in Edmonton.
• LeBron James commended a north Edmonton community for their generosity, after it got together to gift a teen a basketball net. A neighbour was impressed by 14-year-old Anthony Muobike's skills and put a call out on Facebook. The post also garnered the attention of the Royal Crown Academic School in Toronto, which has invited Anthony to participate in its elite basketball program.
• Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) released its fall service updates on Thursday. ETS will continue mandating masks until Sept. 27, when the provincial mask mandate for transit, taxis, and rideshares is scheduled to end. It will also allow bikes on LRT at all times starting Aug. 30.
• Two more intersections on Whyte Avenue will be converted into pedestrian scrambles later this month. Whyte Avenue at Gateway Boulevard and at Calgary Trail are being converted to increase safety and walkability of the area.

Scamtime, a show dedicated to poking fun at pyramid schemes, phone scams, and other hoaxes, joined the Alberta Podcast Network last month. In celebration, self-dubbed "fraud broads" Stephanie Wolfe and Karen Johnson-Diamond re-released one of their most popular episodes.

Frank and Dave - What Happened? re-visits a recorded conversation with a phone scammer and the tale of the real-life heists behind Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. The special episode highlights both local and international scam stories, and the ridiculousness and repercussions of each situation.

Wolfe, an Edmonton-based podcaster, frequently teams up with Johnson-Diamond on projects. When the duo isn't giggling at hoaxes and ponzies, they co-host Bridging The Gap Between Generations Who Assume Things About Each Other as women in their mid-fifties. Guests as young as six and as old as 94 enlighten Wolfe and Johnson-Diamond on what the baby boomer generation might misunderstand.

Scamtime is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

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