The Pulse: Feb. 1, 2022

Lola's Gift Shop, a month-long pop-up located on the first floor of the Edmonton Downtown Farmers' Market (EDFM), aims to raise awareness about businesses in Chinatown, in addition to Asian- and BIPOC-owned businesses.

Developed through a partnership between the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society of Edmonton (CTC) and the creative collective I'll Call You Tomorrow (ICYT), Lola's will operate every weekend during market hours until Feb. 27.

CTC had been exploring ways to engage the community to increase visitors to the neighbourhood, said Alicia Chung, special events coordinator for CTC. Fortuitously, this lined up with ICYT's intent to create a multi-brand retail boutique, said co-founder and creative director Raeland Mendoza.

"Since our studio is located in CO*LAB, adjacent to the Chinatown and Boyle Street communities as well as downtown, early on we knew if we were to expand our physical retail strategy, it'd also have to reflect the parts of the city that are meaningful to us as a collective," said Mendoza. "That idea eventually became Lola's Gift Shop."

The partnership with the farmers' market came about from an existing relationship between EDFM and the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA), one of the key stakeholders that advocated for the creation of the CTC back in 2018. In years past, the market and the CBA had collaborated on several long-table feasts for nearby residents.

"It's an exciting opportunity for both (the CTC and the EDFM) to accomplish our respective and collective goals through collaboration," said Chung. "The CTC hopes to bring value by adding to the vibrancy and the existing community of incredible vendors at the EDFM, as well as finding at least one way to answer the question, 'If people aren't currently coming to Chinatown, how can we bring Chinatown to them?'"

• The city has activated its extreme weather response, as Edmonton is expected to see yet another cold snap in the coming days. The response includes extending overnight and day shelter admissions and expanding shuttle service to shelters.
• The city has launched the fourth round of capital grants from the Affordable Housing Investment Program, which offers up to 25% of construction costs for the building of non-market, multi-unit housing. The grant program is part of the city's $133 million Affordable Housing Investment Plan, which council approved in 2018. "It's impossible to thrive while worrying about having a roof over your head," said Christel Kjenner, director of affordable housing and homelessness at the City of Edmonton, in a press release. "This program not only helps struggling Edmontonians with safe, affordable and permanent housing, it leverages partnerships and expertise to make a difference throughout the city."
• The Edmonton Police Commission found that EPS Chief Dale McFee was justified in suspending whistleblower and former detective Dan Behiels. Last year, Behiels handed a USB stick with sensitive documents to a CBC reporter pertaining to the investigation into suspected criminal wrongdoings of well-known Edmonton landlord Abdullah Shah — the investigation came up with nothing, and Behiels has been suspended without pay since February 2021.
• University of Alberta-led research recommends changing how public transit is handled in Canada to make it more accessible to women, who make up the bulk of its user base. The research suggests that more work needs to be done to understand women's travel patterns, and that transit systems should hire more female employees.
• Alberta's top court dismissed the appeal of two Alberta harm reduction organizations trying to prevent a government change that would have required supervised consumption site clients to provide their personal healthcare numbers. The requirement was supposed to take effect this week, but the government has now delayed the change until April 1 to ensure service providers have time to comply with the Health Information Act.
• Alberta Council of Women's Shelters executive director Jan Reimer says it is still too difficult for people at risk of domestic violence to get access to their partners' criminal records using Claire's Law, despite the fact that it's supposed to be public information. "It's always up to the woman to keep herself safe," Reimer told CBC News. "And we really have not had large success in systems keeping women safe. [The systems] seem to be more often siding with the perpetrator, in protecting his privacy."
• Alberta cabinet minister Doug Schweitzer says he wants answers from fellow UCP MLA Grant Hunter who appeared at a protest against Canada's vaccine mandates for truckers at a blockade at the Canada-U.S. border this weekend. "I'm disappointed that Grant Hunter made the decision to go there and participate in that illegal blockade," Schweitzer said.

After a few months away, The No Normal Podcast from New Music Edmonton has returned for a second season of exploring contemporary music and sound art.

Season 2 will air newly commissioned works as well as discussions between the commissioned artists and guest interviewers. The season launch features Mustafa Rafiq in conversation with Suzette Chan, as well as an interview of Mile Zero Dance's artistic director, Gerry Morita, conducted by Ian Crutchley.

New Music Edmonton started in 1985 at the suggestion of composer and teacher Violet Archer. The founding composers began with a concert series for new music, and the organization has since built on that idea to become "an important partner in the vibrant and eclectic contemporary arts scene in Edmonton."

The podcast emerged last year when the pandemic made live music events impossible. The second season boasts a new partnership with CJSR 88.5 FM. You can now catch the show at 10am on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, as well as wherever you find your podcasts.

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