The Pulse: Aug. 25, 2021

Edmonton-based budget airline Flair Airlines is establishing four direct routes to the United States from Edmonton International Airport (EIA) this holiday season.

The airline is also expanding its domestic network out of the region's largest airport, by extending its current summer service to Kelowna and Victoria through the winter, Flair announced on Aug. 20.

"Flair Airlines continues to be a strong partner for our airport," said Tom Ruth, EIA's president and CEO, in an Aug. 20 news release. "These new US destinations will be popular non-stop routes as we rebuild our network."

Flair brands itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier, and currently offers one-way flights to Kelowna for $189, compared to as low as $320 with Air Canada. Fares for the new flights, to Las Vegas and Hollywood-Burbank starting Dec. 16, and to Phoenix and Palm Springs starting later that week, will be as low as $99 one way, the company said.

"Albertans have been paying way too much for air travel and Flair is here to change that," said Stephen Jones, Flair's president and CEO.

Air Canada currently offers one-way, non-direct flights from Edmonton to Las Vegas for as low as $247, and does not offer non-stop flights.

The expansion was welcomed by the airport and the region's economic development organization, Edmonton Global, for contributing to the airport's ongoing recovery efforts after a tough year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. EIA reported $128 million less in revenues in 2020 compared to 2019, and lost 29 of its 52 direct flights.

• A proposed new naming policy was unanimously endorsed by the city's urban planning committee on Tuesday. The new policy outlines a process to remove contentious namesakes, such as Grandin and Oliver, from city facilities and amenities. The policy will go to council for a vote on Monday.
• Fans aged 12 and up will have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result to attend games and concerts at Rogers Place. The decision has prompted one fan — a season ticket holder since 1983 — to turn in his tickets, reports CityNews.
• Two more Edmonton Elks players have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, Commonwealth Stadium has not announced a requirement for proof of vaccination, despite the outbreak and a spate of other professional teams adopting the safety measure.
• A new stabilization facility is providing culturally appropriate services and housing to young, marginalized Edmontonians of African heritage. The African-Canadian Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC) launched the program in May to help those being released from jail, fleeing domestic violence or getting off the streets.
• Concordia University of Edmonton, the University of Lethbridge, NorQuest College, and MacEwan University have launched a competition to encourage young people to get vaccinated. They are asking post-secondary students across the province to create media to encourage vaccination among their peers.
• The tree preservation and protection bylaw was approved Tuesday by the city's urban planning committee. Under the new bylaw, anyone who fails to submit a tree protection or preservation plan could be fined $1,000.
• CTV News has compiled a list of ways to prove your vaccination status, as more and more venues begin to request proof of vaccination and the provincial government remains opposed to rolling out vaccine passports.

PulseMedica is making progress in its quest to provide a "revolutionary solution" for patients suffering from major eye diseases.

The Edmonton company is developing technology that will treat afflictions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with lasers instead of injections, to put it simply, though it goes much further than that.

"We're commercializing a fully automated diagnostic and treatment platform," founder and CEO Nir Katchinskiy told the Great Alberta Pitch Marathon on Aug. 19. "We also developed a machine learning platform that has a stand-alone value, which simplifies clinical workflow while providing more accurate diagnosis in a much quicker and simpler manner."

PulseMedica has been growing fast since it spun out of the University of Alberta. Katchinskiy said the company's key commercial milestone this year is to raise a seed round that will allow it to start manufacturing by 2023.

In the meantime, it is finishing preclinical studies with the help of the University of Alberta and University of Calgary. "These studies will help support our application to Health Canada to obtain regulatory approval to perform our first in-human studies, which is planned for the beginning of 2022," Katchinskiy told Taproot.

PulseMedica and Edmonton's True Angle Medical are among the finalists in the Science Startups/Venture category at Falling Walls 2021, an annual science event in Berlin in November.

"This puts PulseMedica, Edmonton, and the University of Alberta on the map as a place that is recognized for technological innovation," Katchinskiy said.

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.

Policies and platforms

• In a blog post, mayoral candidate Michael Oshry expressed his support for the city's clean energy improvement pilot program. He commended the program's "bold yet practical thinking" and confirmed he would release his climate action plan in September.
• Oshry also called on the city to host a mayoral debate and asked his fellow candidates to support his letter and write their own.
• Mayoral candidate Amarjeet Sohi announced his plans to support arts and culture in the city. Promises include establishing the mayor's arts advisory committee, recommitting to the current arts and heritage plan, and incorporating artists into Edmonton's economic recovery.
• Mayoral candidate Diana Steele met with Service Rotties to discuss accessibility barriers for disabled Edmontonians.
• Ward pihêsiwin candidate Tim Cartmell wrote on his blog that he believes the province "has still not disclosed the data and modeling that has informed their decisions regarding COVID restrictions." Referring to an upcoming discussion about the mask bylaw on Aug. 30, Cartmell said city council is "aware of the evolving situation and understands the importance of having these discussions."
• Climate Justice Edmonton shared its climate platform conversation toolkit for friends and candidates. The platform asks for commitments to stop sprawl, champion affordable housing, avoid the use of public-private partnerships for transit infrastructure, and follow through on the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force's recommendations on policing.
• There will be no on-reserve voting for the upcoming senate election and related referendum questions, including decisions on Daylight Savings. Adam North Peigan, a member of the Piikani First Nation and president of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta, was appalled by what he called "brazen disenfranchisement."

Forums and rallies

• Mayoral candidates Kim Krushell, Amarjeet Sohi, and Michael Oshry answered transportation and accessibility questions at the virtual mayoral forum facilitated by the YEG Senior Alliance and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council.
• The Downtown Business Association (DBA) will host mayoral forum on the future of downtown on Sept. 23. Invited candidates will be those that rank highest in formal polling completed by the end of August.
• Mayoral candidate Mike Nickel boasted an attendance of over 500 at his Rally for Edmonton on Aug. 20. Some commentators commended Nickel's stance on crime, while others criticized the lack of masks and social distancing.
• Discovery Lab presents the Edmonton Mayoral Candidate Open Forum on Economic Growth on Sept. 21. Candidates — Kim Krushell, Cheryll Watson, Michael Oshry, and Amarjeet Sohi — will be provided 20 minutes each to address the audience and respond to questions before local entrepreneurs are allowed to detail their business plans.

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

Learn more about Taproot's effort to ground our election coverage in what is important to Edmontonians on our People's Agenda page.

Photo: The Edmonton skyline from Griesbach. (Swapnil Kayastha/Instagram)