The Pulse: Oct. 27, 2021

Edmonton's new city council was sworn in on Oct. 26, marking a fresh start as nine new faces joined four incumbents around the council table.

"This is the beginning of Edmonton's next chapter. What we accomplish together will be the result of us working together," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said during his speech at the swearing-in ceremony.

"You can succeed here, your businesses can thrive here, your families can grow here. And your council will work hard to make all of you proud of this place — our home."

Sohi also thanked Don Iveson for his leadership during his eight years as mayor, and the outgoing council, noting that they "weathered a storm no one could have anticipated."

Council met for its inaugural meeting following the ceremony, and Sohi immediately set the tone for the next four years, introducing a notice of motion directing city administration to work with the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and the BIPOC community in a collaborative way to develop actionable items and a comprehensive strategy on anti-racism.

He said the strategy should:

• Address hate-based violence and supports for communities experiencing hate and violence;
• Champion anti-racist and anti-violence initiatives to the provincial and federal governments to secure resources and support, and advocate for legislative tools;
• Work with partners to support and amplify anti-racist educational initiatives and responses.

• Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault was sworn in as the new federal minister of tourism and associate minister of finance at a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Oct. 26. He previously was a special adviser to the prime minister on LGBTQ2 issues. The last cabinet minister from Alberta was Amarjeet Sohi, who served in cabinet from 2015 to 2019.
• Edmonton has welcomed 88 refugees from Afghanistan since evacuations began in August, with more expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Catholic Social Services has created a refugee relief fund called "Act Now for Afghanistan" to help support their resettlement.
• The Edmonton Elks have acquired quarterback Nick Arbuckle from the Toronto Argonauts. Arbuckle started his career with the Calgary Stampeders in 2019.
• WestJet is restarting service between Edmonton and Honolulu on Dec. 18. The airline said it will serve 24 destinations non-stop from Edmonton this winter.
• Sturgeon County councillor-elect Ron Shaw submitted his resignation the day before he was to be sworn in, citing personal reasons. He said the "timing was just not right." A date for a by-election will be determined Thursday.
• Elections Alberta reported that 61.7% of Alberta voters said "yes" to removing the equalization section from the constitution. In Edmonton, just 48.1% voted in favour while 51.9% were against. On adopting a year-round daylight saving time, 50.2% of Alberta voters and 54.6% of Edmonton voters were opposed.

Regional economic development agency Edmonton Global is holding a webinar this week to help demystify the region's transition towards hydrogen energy.

The Oct. 28 webinar, aimed at those in Edmonton's business community, is meant to boost understanding of the opportunities associated with developing the hydrogen economy. Webinar topics will include the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub's "base case" for future hydrogen demand, how regional partners are targeting investment opportunities, and how companies are already responding to the transition.

"I think people have heard about hydrogen over the years. They may have developed a certain impression, 'Oh this is something that's down the road, they keep talking about this, but it's not all that real,'" Brent Lakeman, Edmonton Global's hydrogen initiative director, told Taproot.

"But we've got companies presenting [at the webinar] like Mitsui out of Tokyo … and they'll be talking about how they see the hydrogen economy unfolding," he said. "So things are happening."

Panelists will include leaders from Edmonton-area economic development agencies, including:

• Malcolm Bruce, CEO of Edmonton Global
• Mark Plamondon, executive director of Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association
• Heather Campbell, executive director of clean technology with Alberta Innovates

Presenters from industry will talk about their interests in Edmonton and hydrogen energy. These include:

• Kaoru Sakaguchi, general manager of mobility business with Mitsui
• Ian Paine, a Western Canada performance director with Lafarge

Unlike most research-focused health conferences, attendees at next week's i4 2021 summit will explore the future of health care from multiple vantage points, including longstanding social issues like equity and racism.

The Alberta Health Services flagship event, now in its sixth year, bills itself as "the most forward-thinking health-plus-care event in Canada."

"It's a way for us to come together to talk about some of the biggest challenges we have in health care," Marlies van Dijk, innovation lead for the AHS Design Lab and one of the event's lead co-ordinators, told Taproot. "And they're usually very complex — [like] how do you address racism in our health and care system."

The national i4 conference, taking place virtually on Nov. 3 and 4, is aimed at people who work in the health-care space, people working on the periphery such as in the non-profit sector, students, and patients.

Programming includes 20 workshops, four plenary sessions, and a health innovation pitch competition.

Van Dijk said i4 is less "clinical" than other health-care conferences. Instead, the event is focused on forward-facing topics, with workshops on demystifying artificial intelligence, addressing racial injustice in foster care, and how traditional care models fail Canada's most vulnerable citizens.