The Pulse: July 5, 2022

After two tough years of operation exacerbated by the pandemic, Northern Chicken announced in June that it would be opening up a second location in downtown Edmonton.

Back in March, co-owner Matt Phillips shared that "the next few weeks are critical to the continued existence of our business." The social media post attracted the attention of a local investor who wishes to remain unnamed. That turned the tide for the business, co-owner Andrew Cowan told Taproot.

"[The investor] had seen us talking about our struggles online and really believed in the restaurant and who we are and what we stand for and wanted to help us keep going," said Cowan. "In all honesty without people stepping up to help us do that, we were done."

Cowan said that although this was the only restaurant the investor has been involved in, they respected Northern Chicken's outspoken support of the LGBTQ community and the mental health of hospitality workers. The investment included a directive to expand. Cowan said moving into the soon-to-be-vacant Say Uncle space at 10184 104 Street — leased by business partner Jimmy Shewchuk — was a natural fit.

"The location made sense," said Cowan. "And the décor is along the lines of what we do and it wouldn't be hard for us to change it over."

Cowan hopes to have the second location open before August, and diners can initially expect the same menu as Northern Chicken's flagship location. Changes may eventually be made to cater more to the neighbourhood, Cowan said.

• City council voted unanimously to request provincial support for the proposed Healthy Streets Operations Centre in Chinatown which would help to coordinate police officers, social workers, firefighters, and others. Administration said it would cost $18 million over four years to jointly operate the facility with the Edmonton Police Service. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the province "demanded action from us, which we delivered, so I think it's very important that we asked them to step up as well."
• City council also unanimously approved $4.7 million to improve the snow and ice control program for the rest of 2022. "This at least allows us to begin to get some work started and some personnel added … (and) to course-correct in a few months when we get to the budget and in the meantime get some of work done," said Coun. Tim Cartmell.
• The city will not establish any sanctioned encampments this summer after city council rejected the idea partly because the camps would cost more per person than overnight shelters and bridge housing. "It is very expensive to support people experiencing homelessness, and that's part of why the case is made to invest in affordable housing as the ultimate solution," said Christel Kjenner, director of affordable housing and homelessness at the City of Edmonton. A report on other options for temporary housing is expected back this fall in time for council's budget discussions.
• The Dove of Peace, a five-tonne bird sculpture near the Muttart Conservatory built to mark Pope John Paul II's visit in 1984, is being refurbished ahead of Pope Francis' arrival in July. The city, which expects the sculpture to attract visitors during the papal tour, said it will fix corrosion damage using $441,000 from existing budgets. "While we recognize this is substantial, the cost reflects current industry standards," the city explained in a statement.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services announced it is running its first open house series in three years, giving the public a chance to meet fire prevention teams and learn about fire safety. The free events run from noon to 4pm at eight fire stations from July 9 to Oct. 1.
• CBC's Emily Fitzpatrick visited the Edmonton Waste Management Centre to catch up on the green bin curbside collection program, which launched last summer. Neil Kjelland, the city's director of sustainable waste processing, said pre-sorted waste means greater efficiency over the black bag program but that about 10% of what arrives in bins is still non-compostable material like plastic.
• Postmedia has accessed a second Facebook group of Edmonton landlords working on "do not rent" lists. The private group called "Edmonton and area Landlords Only" was created in 2018 and had 1,100 members but was deleted after Postmedia contacted administrators. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta says blacklisting tenants likely violates privacy laws, which may apply to the existing 4,000-member group Alberta Landlord Community, which continues to share names and photos of tenants using a hashtag.
• A combination of factors — including the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of substitute teachers, and a lack of funding from the provincial government for growth — are setting the stage for a difficult fall term in Alberta's schools. "Teachers are taking mental-health leaves, early retirement, or just leaving the profession altogether," said Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association. "And it is because of the stress in the system. Teachers do not feel supported."
• Service Canada locations in Edmonton and Calgary have introduced a triage system to address long lines. People with travel plans in the next 24 to 48 hours are now allowed to jump the queue.
• On July 25, the province is launching a program to provide six months of support to Ukrainian newcomers fleeing the war, which covers basic expenses including food, clothes, and shelter. Ukrainian parents will also be eligible for six months of child care for youth under 12 through the Child Care Subsidy Program. A full list of provincial supports for Ukrainians is available online.

Innovate Edmonton and the Edmonton Public Library are teaming up to offer a free four-part series that teaches the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Designed to help participants develop ideas into pitchable business plans, Innovation U will run from July 7 to Oct. 6, both online and in-person at the Stanley A. Milner library downtown.

Innovate Edmonton's entrepreneurial educators will introduce design thinking, idea generation, business planning, and pitching in classes that build on each other over the next four months, though they can be taken as stand-alone units. There is no enrolment fee for participants, with the associated costs being split between EPL and Innovate Edmonton.

"We've been exploring this collaboration for some time," Innovate Edmonton CEO Catherine Warren told Taproot. "We just thought, (the Milner) is a really great innovation and maker space right here in the heart of our city — what more can we do to contribute to the innovation, life, content, and substance of the library? How can we take that relationship into the work that we're doing?"

Along with developing the course materials, Innovate Edmonton is co-curating a pop-up innovation resource library with EPL "with the latest and greatest innovation books and resources." The pop-up library will be hosted in Innovate Edmonton's downtown office and the office in the Milner library that Warren is occupying as the "innovator in residence" for the duration of this series.

"We've got a lot of creative resources in here," EPL's digital initiatives manager Dan Alfano said of the recently revitalized library, citing not only the library's collection of materials but also its Makerspace, where people can test ideas and prototype designs. "The connection between what Innovate Edmonton is trying to do and the types of things we have in our spaces ... I think they go really well together."

This series is part of EPL's Life Skills classes and is meant for adults, with no previous education requirements. Warren said she is hoping to see people who attend become more attuned to the value and promise of innovation for the community and for their careers, whether they are students or people pivoting to something new in their lives.

"We're also hoping that people who participate in these entry-level innovation programs at the library might eventually roll into our programs at Innovate Edmonton, or into the accelerator programs that we fund," Warren said.

Photo: Innovate Edmonton CEO Catherine Warren has taken on the role of "innovator in residence" at the Edmonton Public Library. (Innovate Edmonton)