The Pulse: June 20, 2022

Making 102 Avenue a pedestrian corridor, which city council narrowly voted to do last week amid significant opposition, is not a new idea — city planners saw the potential at least as far back as 1988.

Both 102 and 103 Avenues should be "upgraded to major pedestrian routes from the proposed neighbourhoods in the CP Lands and the Warehouse District to the Downtown Core and the Civic Centre," says the Edmonton Downtown Design Improvement Manual, released during Laurence Decore's time as mayor.

"Thirty-four years ago, planners were thinking about turning this into a pedestrian corridor," Speaking Municipally co-host Mack Male said on Episode 183 of the podcast. "We finally did it."

That 1988 vision continued on through subsequent downtown plans, such as the 1997 Capital City Downtown Plan, which sees the avenue as a "major residential and commercial pedestrian route," and the 2010 Capital City Downtown Plan, which refers to it as "a major pedestrian-oriented shopping street" connecting Oliver to the city's cultural core.

The difference is that none of those previous plans seems to have imagined making part of the avenue utterly car-free, as does the motion passed June 13. It instructs administration to draft a bylaw to close the traffic lane from 99 Street to 103 Street for a one-year pilot project once TransEd finishes that stretch of the Valley Line LRT.

In a city whose planning has been so car-oriented, it is perhaps not surprising that previous plans took it for granted that motor vehicle traffic would still be part of the mix, nor that current opponents of the closure would find the change radical.

"Most people can't imagine what it could be without cars," said podcast co-host Troy Pavlek, who was part of the effort to get councillors to reserve the avenue for pedestrians and cyclists. "They imagine that a street without cars is like the street in front of your house when no one's driving by. But when you fully remove traffic, you open up so many more possibilities. And in Edmonton, if people haven't gone outside of North America, it's very possible they have never experienced a city or an urban area like that. They simply cannot imagine how great this place could be."

• The city said it is on track to eclipse its four-year affordable housing targets but also warned that without continued investment Edmonton is at risk of losing many of the 14,837 social and affordable housing units built several decades ago. The $132 million Affordable Housing Investment Program, approved in 2018, set a target of 2,500 new or renovated affordable housing units by the end of 2022, and thus far the city has committed to 2,404 units with another 439 units expected by the end of the year. Preliminary figures from the forthcoming Affordable Housing Needs Assessment — slated to be finalized in time for council's budget discussions — show that one in seven Edmonton households are in housing that is inadequate, unsuitable, or unaffordable. Administration has proposed three funding scenarios to build and refurbish 2,400-3,500 units of affordable housing over the next four years, ranging from $163.4 million to $246.4 million.
• The city is proposing a bylaw amendment that would enable taxi companies to add a fuel surcharge of as much as 13.29% to help deal with a rise in gas prices and other operating costs. That could increase the taxi drop rate from $3.60 to $4.08, and the per kilometre fee from $1.48 to $1.70. Edmonton's taxi fares were last reviewed in 2007.
• The Alberta NDP have announced Edmonton Public School Board trustee Nathan Ip as their candidate for Edmonton-South West in next year's election. Labour and Immigration Minister Kaycee Madu currently represents the riding. "I'm excited for the chance to be a voice for my community, and to build a future for Alberta where no one is left behind," Ip said.
• Sisters Dialogue and the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues have teamed up to launch a SafeWalk program in the Bannerman and Fraser neighbourhoods, funded in part by a $35,000 grant from the city. The program currently has 10 trained volunteers and is accepting applications for more.
• The estimated wait time at the passport office in Canada Place was more than four hours last week, with some people lining up as early as 1:30am to secure a spot in line. Service Canada told CTV News that increased demand for passports after COVID-19 restrictions were eased has resulted in delays across the country in recent weeks.
• The donation centre hosted at the Boilermakers Lodge 146 is asking the public for mattresses, sofas, and other household items to support Ukrainians new to Canada. "Literally as quickly as we get stuff coming in, it's moving out just as fast," said volunteer Jamie Hanlon.
• The Edmonton SHIFT Lab, Islamic Family and Social Services Association, and the Edmonton Police Service's Human-Centred Engagement & Liaison Partnership are among the individuals and organizations recognized in the 2022 Alberta Community Justice Awards which celebrate Albertans who have found ways to prevent crime and promote restorative justice in their communities.

City council will meet on Monday, with a continuation scheduled for Friday morning. The council services committee will meet Wednesday morning, with a public hearing scheduled for the afternoon. There's also a non-regular council meeting scheduled for Friday, for a private discussion about the upcoming budget.

• A motion is expected from Coun. Tim Cartmell requesting that $5 million be provided to the Edmonton Police Commission to "support a Healthy Streets Operation Centre in Chinatown, to act as a multi-agency collaboration facility" that is intended to ensure multidisciplinary teams respond "in a timely and effective manner." This facility was included in the city's Downtown Core and Transit System Safety Plan, but only has enough funding for about three months.
• Council must pass the 2023-2026 budgets by Dec. 31, 2022, which "will require a focused and systematic way of working" to meet the deadline while allowing for "comprehensive discussion," administration said in a report on the budget process. The suggested timeline would begin on Oct. 31 with the presentation of the proposed capital budget, followed by the proposed operating budget on Nov. 14, and the proposed utility services budget on Nov. 24. Final approval would be expected no later than Dec. 13.
• Though the final 2023 calendar won't be presented for approval until October, council services committee is being asked for input and feedback to help draft it. Administration recommends a three-week cycle (rather than the current two-week cycle), with public hearings moving back to Monday and city council meetings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

This week offers the opportunity to celebrate Indigenous Peoples, network with filmmakers and video-game creators, explore the intersection of climate change and discrimination, learn the techniques of wine-tasting, or listen in as startups make a pitch for investment.

• June 20, 11:45am: National Indigenous Peoples Day event at Edmonton City Centre Mall
• June 21, 11am: National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• June 22, 4pm: ESIO Industry Networking Event from the Edmonton Screen Industries Office
• June 22, 5pm: Climate Change and Environmental Discrimination from the Centre for Race and Culture
• June 22, 6pm: Wine Tasting with William Bincoletto: Italy vs Spain at Caffè Sorrentino
• June 23, 4:30pm: Startup TNT Investment Summit V Finale at Polar Park

Find even more listings in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: RED, a 2008 work by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, is among the pieces on display in the Art Gallery of Alberta's Comic Sans exhibit, which can be seen for free on June 21. (Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and UBC Museum of Anthropology/Art Gallery of Alberta)