The Pulse: March 11, 2022

An Edmonton-based developer is building an app to help bystanders respond appropriately to hate-motivated attacks.

The Allies app allows users to send out a beacon if they are experiencing or witnessing a hate incident, alerting nearby users and helping to coordinate bystander intervention. Over time, the AI feature would adjust its own recommendations based on how an event is unfolding and what strategies have been effective in the past.

"Every situation is different, and we've seen so many times that people use a cookie-cutter approach to solve it," explained Allies co-founder Peter Tang.

Although Allies has been available since the fall of 2021, the app has yet to collect enough incident data from its early adopters to allow the AI to formulate individualized responses. Budding partnerships in New York and other major U.S. cities that have seen a dramatic rise in hate crimes will allow this feature to be fully realized, Tang said.

Edmonton has also seen an increase in police-reported hate crimes, growing from 3.6 per 100,000 population in 2016 to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2020, reports Statistics Canada. Similarly, StopHateAB reported an increase in verified hate incidents – things like slurs, graffiti, and intimidation that don't meet the legal definition of a hate crime – from 223 in 2020 to 316 in 2021.

Allies found an eager partner in Pride Corner on Whyte, a group that emerged to counteract the ongoing presence of street preachers broadcasting anti-LGBTQ2S+ messages on the corner of 104 Street and Whyte Avenue.

"We jumped on board right away," said Pride Corner on Whyte organizer Douglas Parsons. "Being part of a minority group, we wanted to make sure that if something happened, we would have allies. So, for us, it makes a lot of sense."

In one case, Parsons said, a user was confronted by a street preacher who "got right in their face, and they felt uncomfortable." After activating the alert, the user safely removed themselves from the confrontation and was met shortly after by a supporter responding to the Allies push notification.

• The City of Edmonton has published a series of recommendations aimed at reducing waste and diverting it from landfill. The city recommends banning single-use plastic shopping bags, banning foam cups and containers, requiring restaurants to serve dine-in beverage orders in reusable cups and accept reusable customer cups for dine-in and takeout orders, and requiring restaurants to provide utensils, straws, and pre-packaged condiments and napkins only when requested. The previously proposed fee for disposable cups is no longer recommended. About 450 million single-use items are thrown away each year in Edmonton, but if the recommendations are approved that could be reduced by 20% within four years, the city said. City council's utility committee will consider the recommendations on March 25.
• A new book called 305 Lost Buildings of Canada features 21 Edmonton landmarks torn or burned down over the last 50 years or so, including the Edmonton Gardens, Tegler Building, and Hub Cigar on Whyte. Edmonton-born artist Raymond Biesinger provided the book's illustrations, and he told Postmedia his favourite local illustration to create was of the original Varscona Theatre. "I think its history is unknown, even to most Edmontonians. It's my hope we help with that a little," he said.
• University of Alberta Golden Bears men's hockey captain Clayton Kirichenko has been named the 2022 Canada West Top Defenceman for his play during the 2021-22 season. "Clayton is a player whose work ethic and dedication to the program sets a powerful example for every current and future Golden Bear hockey player," said head coach Ian Herbers, who won the award in 1992.
• Ashley Callingbull from Enoch Cree Nation will become the first Indigenous women to be featured in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. "It's breaking a lot of barriers, but it's also opening a door for other Indigenous women to follow so that they're comfortable in this space and they feel that they can shine here," she said.
• The provincial government said a $64 million increase in funding for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will result in five additional 24-7 ambulances in Edmonton in each of the next two fiscal years.
• Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said Thursday that the new curriculum in math and English language arts won't be taught to students in grades 4 to 6 until September 2023. Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, said implementation of the new curriculum should be completed halted. "This curriculum is flawed, it's damaging, it's widely unpopular, and it's time to stop the implementation of it now," he said.

This weekend's calendar includes a new exhibit at the RAM, the final weekend of SkirtsAfire, a film festival exploring the Muslim experience, and a Folkways showcase.

• March 11-13: DRIVE: Reimagining the Ride at the Royal Alberta Museum (continues until April 9)
• March 11-13: Ayita by Teneil Whiskeyjack at the ATB Arts Barns
• March 12: Mosquers Film Festival at the Winspear Centre
• March 12: Rising Voices: Women Podcasting on the Arts at the ATB Arts Barns
• March 12: Women of Folkways at the Parkview Community Hall
• March 12: Girl Brain with ZENON+ at the Army & Navy on Whyte

Photo: DRIVE: Reimagining the Ride has opened at the Royal Alberta Museum, and the children's gallery is open again! (Mack Male/Flickr)