The Pulse: Jan. 6, 2023

Just because a story is written doesn't mean it's over. Here are some updates on business stories we covered in 2022:

Downtown daycares in danger of succumbing to pandemic (Jan. 14, 2022)

The original story: The prolonged closure of downtown offices due to the pandemic was making it increasingly difficult for daycares in the heart of the city to stay open.

Then what?: The provincial work-from-home mandate expired in early March, and the Edmonton Downtown Business Association was expecting 70% of downtown office workers to return by the end of 2022, based on a survey it commissioned. But workers did not return at the expected pace, and downtown office vacancy exceeded 11% by the end of the third quarter. Even if they had returned, the EDBA survey indicated that the availability of downtown childcare was not key to most workers' decisions on whether to return to the office. It's All About Kids Daycare, which was featured in Taproot's story, has indeed closed.

Sprout Fund II nears $10M target to put into seed-stage tech companies (Jan. 21, 2022)

The original story: Sprout.vc's Sprout Fund II was nearing its $10-million target, with plans to invest in B2B software-as-a-service companies in Western Canada.

Then what?: The firm announced the first close of the fund in May. "We expect to see even more growth in the quality and quantity of high-quality startups in (Western) Canada as a result of the maturing of our ecosystems and the launch of major accelerators in Alberta," partner Shaheel Hooda told Betakit. The fund went on to invest in B.C. startups LetHub, Swede, and Frontly, followed by Victoria's Care2Talk in June, and it participated in Truffle's $2.3-million round in July.

Future Fields co-founder Lejjy Gafour joins CULT Food Science (Feb. 2, 2022)

The original story: Lejjy Gafour left the Y-Combinator-backed Future Fields to join CULT Food Science, an investment platform working to advance cellular agriculture.

Then what?: In December, CULT signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Alberta and New Harvest to establish the Institute of Cellular Agriculture. This followed the launch of Open Cell Agin June. Meanwhile, co-founders Matt and Jalene Anderson-Baron have shifted Future Fields towards sustainably creating growth factors for all kinds of science, including but not limited to cellular agriculture, using its fruit-fly-based EntoEngine platform. Nobel Prize laureate Michael Houghton joined the board in August.

• Chinatown business owners who spoke to Global News were not yet optimistic about the area's future. Hon Leong of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative suggested the community is feeling a "sense of apathy" but added that city investments intended to revitalize the area and reduce crime could help improve sentiments. The 2023-2026 capital budget commits more than $10 million in infrastructure spending in Chinatown for improving alleys and lighting and reinstalling the Harbin Gate. The city has also put $5 million toward the Healthy Streets Operations Centre, which had its trial launch in October and is "showing promising early results," according to police.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is doing winter swift water training on the North Saskatchewan River near Rundle Park from Jan. 3-20. The exercises are part of their training requirements and prepare them for rescue operations that are "among the highest risk activities for fire rescue personnel," according to a release.
• The Edmonton Police Commission confirmed it has not followed through with its decision to request that the province start including information about race on driver's licenses and ID cards. Commissioners voted 5-3 to make the request in October 2022 but Matthew Barker, executive director of the commission, told CTV News they will "review the motion at a future meeting to clarify the intent." The next meeting is Jan. 19.
• The city is looking for partners to share the costs of a direct bus service between the Edmonton International Airport and downtown, an idea introduced by Coun. Anne Stevenson after council decided during budget deliberations not to fund the service. Dan St. Pierre with Explore Edmonton said the organization supports the city implementing the service, which he said would attract visitors and events. David Cooper, a planner with the firm Leading Mobility, suggested the route is a "must-have for workers," who would be its true core ridership.
• Edmonton's real estate market continued to cool over the holidays, according to the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton, with total residential unit sales falling 22.1% in December compared to November. The average Edmonton-area home sale price in December was $361,172, 1.9% lower than November.
• City crews will begin the curbside collection of Christmas trees on Jan. 9. Trees must be set outside by 7am. The service will last until Feb. 10, depending on the weather. Natural trees can also be dropped off at a recycling depot in January or at an Eco Station any time of year.
• The Pfizer bivalent vaccine booster, which protects against the most prevalent COVID-19 subvariants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, is now available for children aged five to 11. Vaccine appointments at Alberta Health Services clinics and participating pharmacies can be booked online.
• The province is accepting applications from Albertans to nominate "remarkable citizens, leaders, and innovators" to join the Alberta Order of Excellence. Applications must be submitted by Feb. 15 for the person to be honoured in 2023. Up to 10 people will be inducted into the Order this year.

This weekend, you can take in some chamber music, ski under a full moon, make a festival lantern, or get groovy on skates!

• Jan. 6, 7:30pm: Edmonton Chamber Music Society: Maxwell Quartet and Stewart Goodyear at Robertson-Wesley United Church
• Jan. 6 and 7, 6pm: Ice Grooves at City Hall
• Jan. 7, 6pm: Full Moon Birkie at Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area
• Jan. 8, 2pm: Lantern Making Workshop for Flying Canoe Festival at the Sherbrooke Community League
• Jan. 8, 1pm: Swing 'n' Skate at City Hall

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup.

Photo: The city hall rink will see DJ Thomas Culture host the first Ice Grooves of the season on Jan. 6, followed by SEAGLASS on Jan. 7 and Swing 'n' Skate with the Edmonton Swing Band on Jan. 8. (Edmonton Arts Council/Facebook.