The Pulse: May 12, 2023

A downtown coworking space has opened a new "podcast vault," offering access to members and non-members alike.

Located inside the Alberta Block building on Jasper Avenue, Homestead Coworking has been home to small businesses, startups, and creatives since 2015.

The podcast studio has professional microphones, sound-dampening foam, a professional mixing board, and more, said Aspen Zettel, Homestead's community manager.

"We also have a technician that you can hire to help you get started," she told Taproot. "All of those calendars are active now, and all you have to do is contact Homestead, and we can set you up with all of that."

The pandemic accelerated the development and availability of technology to make it easier to record podcasts remotely, which suggests demand for dedicated podcast studios may have waned. But Zettel said Homestead's studio has more advantages than just recording in person.

"We want people from the community and our tenants to be using the podcast studio and then taking advantage of the community resource that's here," she said. "We're working towards a kinship model, where if you're using the vault and you need someone to talk to, you need someone to interview, (then) you can pull someone from upstairs who's an innovative thinker, who has an opinion on what you're doing, and they have an articulate voice."

That "kinship model," she explained, means Homestead wants to "take community one step further and build a model of responsibility into our space." The business is also looking to become a cooperative within two years and plans to expand its online member platform.

The studio is literally inside a basement vault. Homestead tenant Adverb Communications, run by Adam Rozenhart and Tyler Butler, did most of the set-up work in the space before Zettel came on board in January. The marketing firm records its own podcast, Ask Adverb, in the vault.

• The provincial and federal governments announced a donation-matching program with the Canadian Red Cross to support Alberta wildfire relief and recovery efforts. Together, the governments will donate $2 for every $1 donated to the 2023 Alberta Fires Appeal. Donations can be made online or by calling 1-800-418-1111. In an update on May 11, the province said that about 200 Canadian Armed Forces troops have been deployed to Alberta to support firefighting efforts so far and that about $2 million in emergency funding has been provided to evacuees.
• The city is inviting Edmontonians to provide input on a new public spaces bylaw, which will determine how the city regulates behaviour in public areas such as parks, transit, and sidewalks. The new bylaw will replace the existing Public Places Bylaw, Parkland Bylaw, and Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw, which are currently under review. There are several ways to get involved, including an online survey that closes May 21.
• The city launched a new Affordable Housing Tax Grant, which covers the cost of municipal property taxes for affordable housing units run by non-profit organizations. Council approved a total of $27 million for the grant in the 2023-2026 city budget. The grant will offset $6 million in taxes in 2023 and will eventually increase to $7.5 million by 2026.
• The city is taking a phased approach to opening its 73 spray parks. Around a quarter of the spray parks are expected to be open by the end of the day on May 12, and most will be open before the May long weekend (May 19-22). In a release, the city said it "expedited the opening of these parks" because of above-average temperatures. A list of Edmonton's spray parks is available online.
• CBC has identified the suspect alleged to have been involved in the fatal stabbings of a mother and her child outside Crawford Plains School on May 5 as 33-year-old Muorater Arkangelo Mashar, citing unnamed sources. Mashar had a long history of committing violent attacks and reportedly lived less than 400 metres from the school. In an update, police said the suspect, who was shot by officers following the attack, has died in hospital. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the incident.
• Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse was suspended for one game for instigating a fight with Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Nicolas Hague during Game 4 of the playoff series on May 10. Head coach Jay Woodcroft was also fined $10,000 US. Nurse told the press he was "surprised" by his penalties, adding that Hague was challenging and provoking him. Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo was also suspended for one game for slashing Leon Draisaitl, which the Oiler called a "really, really dangerous slash."

This weekend's activities include playoff hockey parties, a conversation with a Giller Prize winner, a festival of 2SLGBTQ+ movies, a great big bike swap, a reggae party, a theatre fest for kids, and lots of Mother's Day fun.

• May 12: 6pm: Oilers vs Golden Knights: Game 5 watch parties
• May 12, 7pm: STARFest presents Suzette Mayr at the St. Albert Public Library
• May 12-14: Rainbow Visions Film Festival at Metro Cinema
• May 13: Alberta Bike Swap at MacEwan University
• May 13: Reggae Up North in Old Strathcona
• May 13: Sprouts New Play Festival for Kids from Concrete Theatre
• May 13, 11am: Hazeldean Mother's Day Market at the Hazeldean Community League
• May 14: Mother's Day Brunch at The Westin Edmonton
• May 14, 2pm: Mother's Day High Tea at the Sherbrooke Community League
• May 14: Oilers vs Golden Knights: Game 6 watch parties

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup and the Food Roundup.

Photo: The Alberta Bike Swap returns to the northside underground parking lot at MacEwan on May 13. Consignment opens at 8am, buying starts at 2:30pm, and donations are accepted until 5pm. (Supplied)