The Pulse: March 20, 2023

This week, community and public services committee will meet on March 20, urban planning committee meets on March 21, and executive committee will meet on March 22. Recruitment for various boards and committees continues with a non-regular meeting of community and public services committee on March 24.

Here are some of the key items on the agenda:

• Administration is seeking approval to extend the agreement for the Community Outreach Transit Team, a partnership between the city and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, for another three years to Aug. 31, 2026, at a cost of up to $2.1 million. The funding was already approved by city council during the 2023-2026 budget deliberations.
• A report from the Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board about youth and their perception of safety on transit found that young people and their parents or guardians who were surveyed "do not feel that ETS is doing a good job of keeping them safe." Recommendations include clarifying who to contact when feeling unsafe, reducing the need for connections on routes that go to schools, making a series of improvements to Transit Watch, and prioritizing and providing toolkits, templates, and awareness campaigns for younger riders. In response, administration says several new initiatives to support the safety of young riders will be implemented this year, including expanded mobile access to Transit Watch.
• The latest projections for Edmonton's three community revitalization levy (CRL) areas over the full 20-year terms are a $42-million surplus for the Downtown CRL, a $24.3-million deficit for the Quarters CRL, and an $11.8-million deficit for the Belvedere CRL. In a separate report, administration recommends against amending the Downtown CRL to fund public washrooms or affordable housing projects, though it does suggest that public washrooms could be built as part of existing park projects.
• Administration says it will convene a multi-stakeholder advisory group and will take further action if directed to do so by council to further plans for the Edmonton Research Park. Leaders of some organizations based there are cautiously optimistic about the city's plans after extensive consultations and the proposal to seek ongoing input.

• The deaths of two Edmonton Police Service officers were homicides, Alberta's chief medical examiner confirmed. Const. Travis Jordan, 35, and Const. Brett Ryan, 30, died of gunshot wounds after responding to a family dispute call just before 1am on March 16 at an Inglewood area apartment complex. They were the first officers to be killed while on duty in Edmonton since 2015. Police have not yet released details about a public funeral for the constables, but while speaking on her radio show on March 18 Premier Danielle Smith said a regimental funeral could happen as soon as next weekend. She later clarified details were not fully confirmed and asked the public to wait for more information from Edmonton police. Meanwhile, the city is inviting the public to share condolence messages for the officers. Condolence books are available in the south lobby of city hall near the information desk, and will be set up from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
• The Edmonton Police Service is investigating whether the 16-year-old boy who shot and killed Const. Travis Jordan and Const. Brett Ryan was the same person who shot an employee at a Pizza Hut on March 12, CTV News reported, citing several unnamed sources. The restaurant is one block away from the apartment complex where the teenager killed the officers on March 16. Police have confirmed the boy, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was involved in a previous mental health call but had no criminal record.
• Edmonton police say family violence calls are among the most dangerous for officers to respond to. "There's so many variables and dynamics that occur in that situation that you just never know," said EPS deputy chief Devin Laforce. Police have said Const. Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan had no indication the 16-year-old boy had a gun or was a violent threat as they responded to a call from the boy's mother, who was also shot during the incident and remains in hospital. Jan Reimer, executive director of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters, called the incident a reminder of the volatility of domestic violence. She said an increase in addictions, mental health issues, and guns in the community adds to "the dangers and complexities" of family violence situations.
• University of Alberta professor Rich Sutton, who led Google's DeepMind lab in Edmonton before the company closed the office in January, says he plans to open a non-profit organization to focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning research. Speaking with writer and former Alberta cabinet minister Donna Kennedy-Glans for her regular conversation series in the National Post, Sutton said his concept would focus on open research rather than the commercial applications of AI technology. "I want to work on the prize: Understanding intelligence," he said.
• Hockey Canada has hired MacEwan University human rights and diversity advocate Irfan Chaudhry as its first vice president of diversity and inclusion. Chaudhry will "lead the development of a vision and strategy to create and sustain a culture within hockey that embraces and promotes equity, diversity and inclusion," Hockey Canada said in a news release. He begins his role on April 12.
• The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Jake Chiasson to a three-year contract beginning in the 2023-24 season, the team announced March 18. The 19-year-old was the team's fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
• The University of Alberta Humanities Centre was included on a climate crisis edition of the National Trust's Endangered Places List. Making a connection between climate and heritage conservation, the National Trust said "trashing structures and their materials is a luxury that Canada can no longer afford," adding that the plan to demolish the 50-year-old building is part of "an unprecedented demolition spree" at the university in recent years.
• Historical landmarks across the city have been recreated in an Edmonton Train Collectors Association display at Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre. The display features the former Canadian Northern train station, which was located near the current site of Rogers Place. "It's just a trip back in time for a lot of people," association president John Bell said.
• Premier Danielle Smith said a province-wide bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games would carry less cost and risk than Calgary's unsuccessful bid to host the 2026 Winters Olympics. While speaking on her Your Province Your Premier radio show on March 18, Smith said that while she understands people's caution about hosting major international events, she wants to first review a plan developed by the Alberta 2030 Commonwealth Games Corp., which is putting together the joint bid to host the event in Edmonton, Calgary, and other communities across the province.

Spring arrives this week, along with opportunities to meet women entrepreneurs, enjoy a laugh and a brew, connect with a councillor, learn about neurodiversity in the workplace, provide input into cycling in the city, and hear from some cleantech innovators.

• March 20, 5:30pm: BOLD Connections for Growth: An Event for Women Entrepreneurs at The Common
• March 21, 8pm: Campio Comedy Show Featuring Jarrett Campbell at Campio Brewing Co.
• March 22, 4pm: Council Connect with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and Coun. Andrew Knack
• March 22, 6pm: IABC Neurodiversity Webinar
• March 22, 7pm: Bike Edmonton Special General Meeting
• March 23, 5pm: Startup TNT Cleantech Investment Summit Finale at Amii

Photo: Coun. Andrew Knack will be answering questions at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce's Council Connect event at Nurture Kitchen and Café. (City of Edmonton)