The Pulse: Aug. 8, 2022

Here's what you need to know about Edmonton today.

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Essentials

  • 23°C: A mix of sun and cloud. Clearing early in the afternoon. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon. High 23. UV index 7 or high. (forecast)
  • Black/Yellow/Green: The High Level Bridge will be lit black, yellow, and green for Jamaica Independence Day. (details)
  • 14-46: The Edmonton Elks lost to the BC Lions on Aug. 6, falling to 2-6 on the season. (details)
  • 1-2: FC Edmonton lost to Atlético Ottawa on Aug. 7. (details)

A chart outlining the health effects of noise exposure, leading to cardiovascular disease

More than an annoyance, traffic noise is a matter of public health


By Brett McKay

As city councillors consider a report on excess vehicle noise this week, it's worth noting that noise pollution is more than an annoyance; decades of research suggest it is a major public health problem.

A 2020 report from the European Environment Agency put noise second to only air pollution as a cause of premature death, largely due to noise annoyance, sleep disturbance, and ischemic heart disease.

"Some people maybe don't think of annoyance as a health hazard, but it certainly is, I think, and most of my colleagues agree," said Tor Oiamo, assistant professor in the department of geography and environmental Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University.

"It interferes with well-being and induces stress, whether that's chronic or acute," Oiamo explained. "Sleep disturbance underlies a lot of other health outcomes. There's a lot of evidence for sort of downstream health outcomes, like diabetes. Ischemic heart disease is the one really significant cardiovascular health outcome that the WHO said there's strong evidence for based on a very rigorous review of hundreds of studies that have been done so far."

Because most Canadian cities are built up around car infrastructure, some degree of traffic noise is inescapable. But Coun. Michael Janz is hoping to see stiffer fines for the worst culprits, those who have illegally altered their vehicles to make them louder.

"These vehicles are already illegal. You cannot sell a vehicle that has a violating exhaust. But these people put on aftermarket modifications to be deliberately noisy," Janz said. "It's absolutely a menace to the health and well-being of the whole community."

Complaints about traffic noise to EPS increased from 770 in 2020 to 1,028 in 2021, according to a report to be presented to the community and public services committee on Aug. 8. Common complaints were not being able to sleep and increased stress levels. Janz said his noise petition has been the most popular of any on his website.

Tickets for excessive traffic noise currently range from $162 to $250 under the provincial Traffic Safety Act and Edmonton's Community Standards Bylaw. Janz would like to see those fines automatically bumped up to $5,000, with penalties of $10,000 or confiscation of the vehicle for repeat offenders.

"I think we need to really hit them in the pocketbooks," Janz said. "These people drive very expensive vehicles, and they're spending thousands of dollars to make them even more noisy. And the effect it has is one jerk on the road can wake up 10,000 people in the neighbourhood."

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Headlines


By Mack Male

  • Protesters opposed to the Edmonton Public Library's Over the Rainbow Storytime event, led by local drag queen Felicia Bonée, were met by counter-protesters from the 2SLGBTQ+ community on Aug. 6. "A lot of hate-filled, angry people are emboldened by current political figures that seem to be kind of rising in power," said Evolution Wonderlounge co-owner Rob Browatzke, who attended the counter-protest. "They are welcome to protest, they absolutely are, that's their right," said MLA Janis Irwin. "I would ask them to do it respectfully because it wasn't fully respectful today." Protesters vowed to return as long as the readings continue.
  • Edmonton's integrity commissioner Jamie Pytel said "there is no question" that Coun. Michael Janz broke city council's code of conduct when he retweeted a police-related post containing the word "pig" earlier this year. Janz acknowledged the language is inappropriate. "Elected officials should not use derogatory language, of course I agree with that," he told CBC News. But Janz also questioned whether the code of conduct should be used to investigate social media posts. "I, for one, don't want to see a code of conduct that is being weaponized to try and silence councillors or try and restrict freedom of speech or anything like that," he said.
  • Edmonton wrestler Gigi Rey — who gained a local following after giving a shout-out to Mill Woods on an episode of All Elite Wrestling Dark — will participate in an event at the Rec Room on Aug. 26. "I get messages from people all over Edmonton, Mill Woods all the time telling me that they're excited for me to come home, and can't wait to see me come wrestle back in Edmonton," she told Postmedia. "Mill Woods is definitely on the map in the wrestling scene."
  • The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, which kicks off on Aug. 9 at Rogers Place, is having a tough time attracting fans, with tickets for all games — including the gold medal game on Aug. 20 — still easily available.
  • Doug Schweitzer, Alberta's minister of jobs, economy and innovation, has resigned from cabinet and plans to resign as the UCP MLA for Calgary-Elbow by the end of the month. He had already announced that he would not run in the next general election. "I believe that people will look back at the last 6-12 months as the economic turning point for Alberta," he said in a tweet, though he did not say why he was leaving early.
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The pyramid atop City Hall against a deep blue sky

Coming up at council: Aug. 8-12, 2022


By Mack Male

City council has returned from the summer break, with three committee meetings scheduled this week. Community and public services committee will meet on Monday, urban planning committee will meet on Tuesday, and executive committee will meet on Wednesday.

  • Prairie Sky Gondola says that it would pay $30 million to 40 million in rent to the city over a 30-year term if its proposed gondola were successfully built. Construction costs are projected to be between $132 million and $155 million, with annual operating costs of $12 million to 13 million, all of which will be paid for by the private sector, according to the company. Administration estimates the gondola could add up to $116.4 million to Edmonton's GDP and support between 850 and 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs during construction.
  • Complaints about vehicle noise have been increasing since the start of the pandemic, from 150 total complaints in 2019 to 1,028 in 2021. Fine amounts currently range from $162 to $250, but administration says "enforcement capacity is limited" and that additional peace officers would be required to increase enforcement.
  • The C5 North East Community Hub was able to leverage $300,000 in annual funding from the city to access additional funding, including $775,000 in 2021 alone. It said 987 immigrants, refugees, Indigenous, and other newcomers to Edmonton benefitted from the hub in 2021. The C5 Hub is requesting that city council increase support for the organization to $500,000 per year for the 2023-2026 budget.
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Bear Witness and Tim "2oolman" Hill of The Halluci Nation laugh beside each other, beside a glamorous portrait of the pink-haired Sudan Archives

Coming up this week: Aug. 8-12, 2022


By Debbi Serafinchon

This week sees the kickoff of the first big Fringe since 2019, along with a few more business-oriented events to get you thinking about social innovation, health innovation, or boosting your marketing chops.

Find even more listings in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: The Halluci Nation and Sudan Archives are headlining the Aug. 10 street party that kicks off the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, which runs Aug. 11-21. (Supplied)

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