The Pulse: Jan. 16, 2023

City council returns from its holiday break this week, with community and public services committee on Jan. 16, urban planning committee on Jan. 17, and executive committee on Jan. 18. Here are some of the key agenda items:

• A proposed funding agreement between the city, the Argyll Velodrome Association, and World Triathlon Series Edmonton would see the two partner organizations contribute $4 million in capital funding to the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, which is currently under construction. Should the organizations not be able to raise the funds, administration suggests using self-supporting tax-guaranteed debt, the servicing of which would be funded by future lease revenues charged to the two organizations. The report also suggests that the facility's cycling track, weight-lifting and warm-up space, running track, and link to the Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre will all be considered for name sale under the Facility Name Sale Policy C477A. Construction on the facility was 25% complete as of December 2022 and is anticipated to be complete in 2026.
• Administration recommends that executive committee approve a sole-source, non-competitive agreement with Ledcor for the construction of the $26.5 million 103A Avenue pedway from Churchill LRT station to Station Lands. Engaging Ledcor would result in reduced cost and reduced risk as the company has already been contracted by Qualico to build the first phase of the Station Lands development. Qualico sought an amendment to the Downtown CRL to fund the pedway in June 2021, which the Government of Alberta approved in January 2022. An attempt by Coun. Anne Stevenson to cancel the funding failed in a 10-3 vote on Jan. 24, 2022.
• The city currently uses a suite of environmental reviews for plans and projects, but administration plans to start including an environment and climate review section in select reports starting in the second quarter of 2023. Including environment and climate information within all applicable council reports will require an additional two or three full-time equivalents with environment and climate expertise, administration says. "Options for additional steps that could be taken to further expand or increase environmental reviews are expected to be associated with a requirement for increased resources," the report states.
• At executive committee on Jan. 18, Stevenson will table a motion asking for a report from administration and Homeward Trust containing lessons learned from implementing Edmonton's Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness for incorporation into the city's affordable housing strategy.

• The Muttart Conservatory is showing Gaia, an internationally acclaimed, seven-metre wide art installation depicting NASA imagery of the Earth's surface. The artwork, which is 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth and slowly rotates, will be on display until Feb. 26. Its exhibit at the Muttart marks its Canadian debut after touring since 2018 in Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, United States and the Natural History Museum in London. The piece was created by artist Luke Jerram, whose previous large-scale public artwork called Museum of the Moon was shown at the Muttart in 2018.
• Veteran CBC journalist Janice Johnston died Jan. 13 of cancer after a brief illness. She was 62. Johnston covered the crime and courts beat in Edmonton for more than 30 years and was remembered as an influential and dedicated journalist who was relentless in uncovering stories important to the public interest and whose years of experience made her an invaluable mentor to young reporters. "Janice was the kind of journalist who lived and breathed the news," said Stephanie Coombs, CBC Edmonton's director of journalism and programming. News of Johnston's death triggered a wave of condolences from journalists in Edmonton and around the country, along with members of Alberta's justice community.
• The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Edmonton is struggling to meet increased demands because of the theft and vandalism of its truck fleet over the past year, costing the charity $100,000 and hindering its ability to provide items to people in need. "We can't fulfill our obligations of delivering furniture and beds to the poor if we don't have our fleet," said Randy Yatscoff, president of the charity's Edmonton central council. In 2022, the charity received 6,039 service requests, compared with 2,527 in 2021.
• Demand in Edmonton's rental housing market increased slightly in 2022, but the city remained the most affordable among Canada's major urban centres, according to Liv.rent, a rental listing website. Rents in Edmonton increased by about 7% in 2022, while other major cities saw increases in the double digits. The average price for an unfurnished one-bedroom rental in Edmonton was $1,143 per month compared with $1,498 in Calgary. "Edmonton just has a lot more listings than Calgary," said Hazel Wong, a Liv.rent analyst.
• Office vacancies in Edmonton are on the rise, according to a new report from the CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm. Vacancies in Edmonton were 22.2% overall and 23% downtown in the fourth quarter of 2022, a slight increase from the previous quarter. The real estate firm attributed the increase to a number of factors, including the continued prevalence of hybrid and remote work. The report also showed that availability in the industrial market decreased even as it added 4.6 million square feet of new space.
• The Alberta Human Rights Commission awarded an Edmonton woman $10,000 in a ruling that found her landlord had increased her rent in retaliation for noise complaints against the property's other residents. The woman, who lives with physical and mental disabilities, argued that her landlord discriminated against her by failing to adequately address her concerns, instead raising her rent so much she was forced to move out. "This was not a case of the respondent trying to pay his mortgage, it was a case of him getting rid of the complainant," the ruling states.
• University of Alberta professor Dr. Peter Silverstone spoke to Global News about how to improve your mental health on Blue Monday, which falls on the third Monday in January and is sometimes considered the most depressing day of the year, though there is no scientific backing to the claim. Silverstone noted the concept of Blue Monday is "a bit of a myth" but added "it's been long recognized that this is a difficult time for many people." Among Silverstone's tips to improve mental health were setting small and attainable goals, mindfulness exercises, and physical activity.
• Premier Danielle Smith continued to walk back comments she made about COVID health violation prosecutions after a flurry of criticism accusing her of interfering with the justice system. "Of course I've never called a Crown prosecutor. You're not allowed to do that as a politician," Smith said Jan. 14 on Your Province, Your Premier, a radio show on 630 CHED. Smith had previously told reporters in Edmonton that she regularly asks Crown prosecutors "as new cases come out, is it in the public interest to pursue and is there a reasonable likelihood of conviction?" The comments were quickly criticized, which prompted Smith to issue a clarification the next day that she had used "imprecise" language and never communicated directly with Crown prosecutors.

This week offers chances to hear from a glass artist, network with tech companies that are hiring, learn how to get stats for your business, find out how due diligence works, and connect with a councillor.

• Jan. 16, 7pm: Monday MeetUp for Liquid Landscapes exhibition with Paul van den Bijgaart, presented by the Alberta Craft Council
• Jan. 17, 4pm: Company Showcase Series: Featuring RUNWITHIT Synthetics, hosted by Technology Alberta
• Jan. 18, 11am: Finding Business Statistics on the Statistics Canada Website, presented by Business Link
• Jan. 19, 5pm: VC 101 for Aspiring Tech Founders & VCs: Tech Due Diligence from the Venture Capital Association of Alberta
• Jan. 19, 4pm: Council Connect: Councillor Jennifer Rice with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce

Find even more things to do in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: Paul van den Bijgaart will be speaking at the Alberta Craft Council on what inspires him to create blown-glass pieces such as this one, called Mountain Scape. (Glass Art Association of Canada)