The Pulse: Oct. 14, 2022

While this time of year sees a lot of celebration of startups, another set of events puts the focus on businesses that may not be as new or as fast-growing but make up the backbone of Edmonton's economy.

Small Business Week is an annual celebration of entrepreneurship created by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) in 1979. It applauds the country's 1.2 million small and medium-sized businesses with events running from Oct. 16 to 22.

"Small businesses inject innovation, growth, and a sense of community into our city," says the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, noting that small businesses make up 94% of the businesses in Edmonton.

The chamber will host the newly sworn-in Danielle Smith speak at the Premier's Address Luncheon on Oct. 20 at the Edmonton Convention Centre.

Teresa Spinelli of the Italian Centre Shop will discuss her business's contributions to the community over the past 60 years at an event called Meet the Maker on Oct. 19. Other Edmonton events include a trade show and mixer at the Prince of Wales Armouries on Oct. 17 and a panel on why tourism matters at the Art Gallery of Alberta on Oct. 18.

Business Link hosts the Alberta Business Bash on Oct. 20, featuring Paige Maenhout of Little Lungs First Aid, Rob Clarke of Foosh and The Common, Esta Baker of Esta Bee, and Sawsen Abdellawi of ABD Naturals.

Small Business Week is also a big deal for the municipalities in the metropolitan region. Here are some of the events to watch for:

• Oct. 18, 8am: Strathcona County's 2022 Small Business Week Conference in Sherwood Park
• Oct. 19, 7:30am: Business@Breakfast with the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce
• Oct. 20, 12pm: 2022 October Luncheon: Celebrating Small Business Week with the Leduc, Nisku & Wetaskiwin Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Oct. 20, 5pm: Chamber on Tap with Meg Polson from the Greater Parkland Regional Chamber
• Oct. 20, 6pm: Business Excellence Awards of Distinction with the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce
• Oct. 21, 5pm: 38th Annual Business Awards Gala with the Fort Saskatchewan and Lamont Regional Chamber of Commerce

Photo: Teresa Spinelli, seen here at the grand opening of the Italian Centre Shop's Sherwood Park location, will speak at a Small Business Week event on Oct. 19. (Facebook)

• Edmonton Airports has named Myron Keehn as its new CEO. Keehn will replace Tom Ruth, who is set to retire at the end of December. The call for a new CEO attracted candidates from around the world, but in the end, the board chose Keehn, who is currently the vice president in charge of air service, business development, and ESG and stakeholder relations.
• On Oct. 12, the Edmonton North Primary Care Network and Alberta Health Services held a grand opening for the Community Health Hub North on Fort Road, which will offer primary care, specialty services, and addiction and mental health supports in one location. The facility marks the first partnership between AHS and a primary care network in Edmonton. The hub will also house the Access 24/7 program, formerly run out of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, which offers telephone support, inpatient assessment, and more.
• Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a biologist at the University of Alberta, said Edmonton has seen an increase in raccoon sightings even if the animals remain rare, and she recently learned of a family living in the Big Lake area just outside city limits. "If there's now families of raccoons being spotted in places like that, it means that they are establishing a breeding population, and they have the capacity to increase exponentially," St. Clair warned, adding Edmonton should consider taking immediate action to prevent the population from growing. The city told CTV News that raccoons have been in Edmonton for 25 years but are not monitored.
• Strathcona County council has unanimously approved a motion from Mayor Rod Frank to explore potentially collaborating with Edmonton and "other interested parties" to implement bus rapid transit (BRT) along Baseline Road and 98 Avenue and along the Sherwood Park Freeway and 82 Avenue. A report is due back by Q4 2023. Strathcona County decided in early 2020 not to join the Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission which plans to start rolling out regional routes next year.
• The Edmonton Valley Zoo has unveiled its new carousel, dubbed the Conservation Carousel, which is a restoration of the zoo's 1959 Herschell Spillman carousel, one of only two such carousels still operating in the world. Volunteer carvers have spent five years creating wooden animal seats, chariots, and panels. Children under 127 centimetres can ride the carousel, with donations given to conservation programs supported by the zoo.
• Starting on Oct. 17, influenza vaccines will be available at participating pharmacies, some community medical clinics, and select Alberta Health Services sites. A week later, the bivalent Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster — which includes the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants — will be available to Albertans 12 years and older. Bookings can be made online or by calling 811.
• Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse was fined US$5,000 for interference during the Oct. 12 game against the Vancouver Canucks for laying a late hit on Kyle Burroughs in the first period.
• Mike Parker, president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, is calling for Alberta Health Services to report more detail about "red alerts" — when no ambulances are available to respond to 911 in a given area — including the frequency and duration of the alerts. "We need to come clean with Albertans about the state of their emergency medical services," said Parker. An AHS spokesperson acknowledged the long response times and explained that "red alerts" are an internal management tool used when ambulance availability must be monitored.

This weekend offers plenty of literary events, a unique jazz experience, a wrap on Design Week, the chance to help create a community impact, and Inuit throat singing.

• Oct. 14: Yardbird Suite 65th Anniversary Celebration
• Oct. 15, 10am: Edmonton Design Week Wrap-Up Party at the MacLaren Gallery Space
• Oct. 15, 4pm: United Way Momentum 2022 at Commonwealth Stadium
• Oct. 15, 7:30pm: PIQSIQ at Festival Place
• Oct. 16, 2pm: STARFest: Zarqa Nawaz, hosted by Sen. Paula Simons at the St. Albert Public Library
• Oct. 16, 7pm: LitFest Presents: Brandi Morin — Our Voice of Fire at Metro Cinema

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup.

Photo: The PJ Perry Quintet, featuring the longtime Edmonton saxophonist, will help the Yardbird Suite celebrate its 65th birthday. (Facebook)