The Pulse: June 12, 2023

This week, a public hearing will take place on June 12, and city council will meet on June 13 and 14.

Here are some of the key items on the agenda:

• Adjustments recommended as part of the Spring 2023 Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment would result in a net increase of $25.7 million to the 2023-2026 capital budget. That includes $11.1 million in new profiles, about $8.7 million of which is for the Imagine Jasper Avenue (114 Street to 124 Street) project. Administration says an updated carbon budget will be presented this fall.
• A verbal update on the transit safety plan and the downtown core is scheduled as the first item of business on June 14.
• Council will continue with a few postponed items, including amendments to the Edmonton Police Commission bylaw to align with changes made to the Police Act; increasing incentives and programs for tree planting and preservation on private lands; and amendments to the Vehicle for Hire Bylaw.

• Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement for Edmonton on June 11 as smoke from Alberta wildfires caused poor air quality and limited visibility. Air quality in Edmonton was expected to remain at a high risk level through June 12. People are encouraged to limit their time outdoors while smoke is in the air, especially if they are at a higher risk of health complications.
• CBC reported on a series of more than 40 signs stating "tents & tarps will be removed" that have been attached to properties along 106 Avenue and the western edge of Chinatown, including the Hope Mission building. According to Stephen Hammerschmidt, director of economic recovery with the Chinatown and Area Business Improvement Association, the organization posted the signs in May because it wanted people make way for a new program to power wash a section of 106 Avenue. The Edmonton Police Service said police and peace officers will not move people or tents based on the signs, but Hammerschmidt said there was "immediate compliance" once the signs were posted. One woman who uses tents for shelter told CBC the signs are "really, really cruel," particularly when they're posted around Hope Mission, which is sometimes too full to provide shelter. Elliott Tanti of Boyle Street Community Services said the signs represent a "shift away from a compassionate, empathetic response" and toward the "criminalization of poverty."
• Global News published a three-part series exploring issues in Edmonton's core, one year after two men were murdered in Chinatown. The first article looked at enforcement and safety efforts, while the second reported on root causes such as mental health and addictions. The final article in the series examines efforts to make Edmonton's Chinatown a more vibrant place. The Chinatown and Area Business Improvement Association is working with social agencies to clean up the streets by washing sidewalks and storefronts, and is offering grants to encourage businesses to open in the area. The city has also launched a number of initiatives to encourage activity downtown, including incentives for businesses and developers, the Downtown Vibrancy Fund, and the recently launched Meet Me Downtown campaign. Last year, the city also approved $10 million for neighbourhood improvement in Chinatown, including wider sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian scale lighting, and decorative street paving at intersections.
• Global News spoke to one Mill Woods resident who is considering moving due to ongoing frustrations with the southeast expansion of the Valley Line LRT, including construction delays, noise, collisions, and lights not working. The line was originally supposed to be finished in December 2020, but has been delayed since then. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said on June 6 that the city still doesn't have an opening date, but testing is ongoing. Before a date is set, TransEd must demonstrate that the line meets the specifications of the contract and a safety review must be completed by an independent party.
• Officials are advising Edmontonians to be aware of the risks associated with the North Saskatchewan River. Madison Lalonde with Lifesaving Society Alberta and Northwest Territories said natural bodies of water like the river carry hazards including cold water, sudden depth changes, and rock debris. It is also important to be aware of undercurrents, which can make determining the speed and strength of the river difficult, and eddies, which are circular currents that make the water unpredictable. Edmonton police and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) have been searching for a missing 14-year-old boy who was last seen in the river on June 4. So far this year, EFRS has responded to 47 water events, including four animal-related incidents.
• The federal government partnered with the City of Edmonton to announce $38 million in funding for 175 affordable homes and beds for people struggling with homelessness and substance use. The new building, Grace Village, is a net-zero energy ready building and is owned and operated by The Salvation Army, which contributed $8.1 million in funding, $1.8 million in land equity, and $9 million through donations received from the community. The facility will accommodate three major programs for vulnerable people in Edmonton, including 32 beds for residents in the Recovery Stabilization program, 71 transitional homes to help those experiencing homelessness, and 72 supportive homes for residents who have experienced homelessness and need additional help. The new building, located in the city's north side, replaces an aging Salvation Army facility in downtown Edmonton.
• The federal government announced $94 million in funding for more than 500 homes in southwest Edmonton, of which nearly 300 will be affordable. The investment is being made through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund and supports the construction of 330 units at the Edgemont Flats project, which will include accessible units for people with disabilities, along with seniors, single parents, and new immigrants. The funding will also support the second phase of the Heritage Flats project, which consists of 169 units currently under construction and primarily intended to house Enoch Cree Nation members, as well as women and their children. The first phase of Heritage Flats was announced in 2022 and provided funding for 102 units, which are already fully occupied.
• Avison Young is partnering with the city to find developers for the 200-acre Exhibition Lands, beginning with a 20-acre plot of land up for sale this month. The first phase of the development will replace the former Northlands Coliseum and surrounding land with mixed-use, urban neighbourhoods that have a variety of housing, including single detached houses and multi-storey apartment buildings. "You just don't see a blank canvas like this in an urban area," said Avison Young principal Reed Newnham, adding that the development will bring needed housing to an area close to downtown and well served by the LRT. Over the next 10 years as many as 2,000 homes could be developed.
• Edmonton's Wendy McGrath has won the inaugural Prairie Grindstone Prize, a new literary award that recognizes authors in Alberta and Saskatchewan. McGrath, a Métis writer, received $50,000 for her collected work of four novels and two poetry books. The prize, funded by an anonymous donor, was established in March. Its recipients will alternate between an Alberta and a Saskatchewan writer each year, with nominations made by peers and a selection jury of three people from writing communities in the two provinces.
• Joanne McDonald, a retiree from St. Albert, has donated her stock options to the Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT) to create the JBJ McDonald Conservation Land, a 52-hectare protected area in Lac Ste. Anne County, west of Edmonton. McDonald's donation sparked other donations and matching grants towards the creation of the conservation area, which includes trails through a mixed wood forest, a lake, and a bog. The new spot is adjacent to another EALT protected area, the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary, and is close to the provincial Lily Lake Natural Area and parcels of Crown land, which together have created "a ribbon of connectivity and a corridor for wildlife," said EALT conservation coordinator Kayleen Falkenstein.
• Premier Danielle Smith appointed 24 ministers to her government cabinet, including three MLAs who represent areas around the Edmonton region. Morinville-St. Albert MLA Dale Nally retained his portfolio for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction; Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Nate Glubish will continue as technology and innovation minister, and Spruce Grove-Stony Plain MLA Searle Turton was appointed children and family services minister. With no UCP MLAs in Edmonton, the cabinet includes strong representation from Calgary and rural ridings.
• Firefighters are working to contain a 200,000-hectare wildfire threatening the town of Edson and some parts of Yellowhead County. Edson's 8,400 residents were ordered to evacuate the town on June 9, for the second time this wildfire season. Some evacuees made their way to the Edmonton EXPO Centre, which has been set up as a reception centre. As of June 11, 78 fires were burning across the province, with all but one burning in forest protection areas. Of those, 25 were considered out of control.

Events this week include a cooking competition, an unveiling to remember, a couple of startup events, opportunities to learn about regional growth, AI, and archaeology, and a bit of lunchtime entertainment.

• June 12, 5:30pm: Masters of the Food-I-verse — Semi-Finals at Workshop Eatery
• June 14, 12pm: Okîsikow Way Day
• June 14, 6:30pm: DemoCamp 53 at Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii)
• June 15, 11:30am: State of Growth: Creating a Competitive Region, presented by UDI–Edmonton Metro and the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board
• June 15, 12pm: AI & the Future of Marketing & Communications
• June 15: 2pm: Métis Trash Talking: An Archaeological Footprint in St. Albert at the Historic River Lots
• June 15, 5pm: Investment Summit VII Finale from Startup TNT
• June 16, 12pm: Confetti Fridays at Michael Phair Park

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

Photo: Drag king Stretcher Hymen hosts performances by Twiggy, Steak, and Jojo Mojo at this week's Confetti Friday, part of a series of free events throughout the summer. (Edmonton Downtown Business Association/Twitter)