The Pulse: June 16, 2023

The metro region is going to need more multi-unit housing, not only in Edmonton but also in the surrounding municipalities, to accommodate expected population growth, a panel discussion on land development heard on June 15.

"It's going to be harder and harder to meet the needs of a growing number of people," real estate developer Paul Lanni said at an event launching the new State of Growth report from the Urban Development Institute — Edmonton Metro and the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. "The real opportunity is innovation and recognizing that, as much as it is quite controversial, the traditional 50-foot lot is probably dead in the region."

The report, which looks at land development trends and demographics in the 13 urban and rural municipalities that belong to the EMRB, projects that the region will attract a million new residents and 470,000 jobs in the next 25 to 30 years.

Lanni, the president and CEO of Averton, told Taproot that while municipalities surrounding Edmonton may be reluctant to stray from single-family detached housing, this is key to developing desirable communities that integrate residential, commercial, and industrial property.

"We have to look towards other forms of design, but still do it in a way that doesn't compromise the future of scale, which takes a certain approach," he said on the panel at the Royal Glenora Club. "I think we're going to continue to see pressure on higher densities, and how we do that and how we get ahead of that today is going to make a big difference."

A lot is asked of municipalities when it comes to absorbing population growth, and provincial and federal governments ought to share some burden, Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Gale Katchur said during the discussion.

"(If) somebody else invites 100,000 or a million people into your region, the responsibility shouldn't just be downloaded to the municipalities," she said. "The housing doesn't actually pay for the taxes and the services and recreation and everything that goes with it… I think it's time for us to go back and start our lobbying and advocacy (to other orders of government) and say, 'Oh, it's great that you're inviting these people here. But on the same side, we can't continue to pass these costs on to our taxpayers, and even to the developers.'"

• The city is advising Edmontonians to practice extreme caution around the North Saskatchewan River and its tributaries this week due to rain, which may increase river flow and cause flooding on shorelines and trails. Edmontonians are asked to stay out of the water, avoid low-lying areas near the river and other waterways, obey trail closures, keep pets away from the river and creeks, and not use watercrafts. As of June 15, parts of the Mill Creek Ravine trail system were closed due to flooding, and other low-lying areas may close on short notice. The city's trail and park closure map shows all ongoing closures due to flooding, construction, erosion, or other factors.
• A group of concerned Edmontonians that hired Pollara Strategic Insights to survey 300 residents about the city's proposed changes under the Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative has unveiled the results of their poll. The group's spokesperson, former Alberta Liberal Party leader Kevin Taft, said he was "disturbed" to learn that only 3% of respondents said they would be able to explain the changes to another person, while 11% had a general idea of the changes and 62% had never heard of the initiative. In an opinion piece for Postmedia, Taft wrote that "every neighbourhood inside the Anthony Henday will face disruption" due to the changes, which represent the first comprehensive overhaul of zoning in more than 60 years. The city's proposed omnibus zoning bylaw would, among other things, allow infill housing such as skinny homes, small apartments, garden suites, and supportive housing, as well as some businesses to be built on any residential lot. The city has been engaging on the bylaw renewal since 2018 in various ways and recently extended the opportunity for residents to provide feedback on the draft bylaw. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16. You can use the city's Know Your Zone map to see your neighbourhood's current zoning category and the category it would have under the proposed bylaw.
• Boyle Street Community Services announced that the city's subdivision appeal board has upheld its development permit for the new King Thunderbird Centre, also called okimaw peyesew kamik, at 107A Avenue and 101 Street. Executive director Jordan Reiniger said the agency has addressed issues with its previous permit, which had been revoked, and was able to negotiate conditions with members of the surrounding community that satisfied their concerns. In late May, Reiniger explained at a hearing that the facility will deliver health-related services to people but will not be a shelter. Boyle Street says it has successfully reached 80% of its fundraising goal for the project without government support.
• The province's Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service recently found that an Old Strathcona landlord breached the Residential Tenancies Act when it forced a senior tenant from his apartment by raising rent from $870/month to $1,500/month. According to the decision, the rent increase was an "economic eviction" and "not a genuine rent increase." The landlord was ordered to pay the tenant one month's rent plus costs. Tim Patterson, a lawyer at the Edmonton Community Legal Centre who worked on the case, said the centre has seen an increase in tenants experiencing problems with landlords over the past year, including landlords who raise rent to force people from their homes. Laura Murphy, a researcher with the Affordable Housing Solutions Lab at the University of Alberta, explained that tenants are generally at the mercy of third-party and financialized landlords, who are accountable to investors and shareholders rather than tenants. In Alberta, there are no caps on how much a landlord may increase rent.
• The Edmonton branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress issued an open letter calling on the organizers of the Russian pavilion to withdraw from the Edmonton Heritage Festival for the duration of Russia's war against Ukraine. The letter, addressed to the Russian Heritage Cultural Development Association and the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association, asks for the move to be made out of respect for Ukrainians who are subject to occupation and oppression and "the sensitivities of those whose families and friends are suffering the effects of the war." The Ukrainian Canadian Congress issued a news release in late May expressing its concerns about the Russian pavilion participating in the festival.
• Officials lifted wildfire evacuation orders for Edson and Yellowhead County at 6pm on June 15, but evacuation alerts remained in effect. More than 8,000 residents of Edson were required to leave when the order was first issued on June 9. Christine Beveridge, Edson's chief administrative officer, said recent rains have given firefighters about 14 days of reprieve to assess impacted areas and do damage control. However, as of June 15, an out-of-control wildfire was still burning within 1.5 kilometres of Edson's southern edge and more than 300 firefighters were working in the region. Officials have stressed that Alberta's forests remain dry following months of drought-like conditions, so recent rains are not expected to provide lasting relief.

A company that uses AI to help mining operations save money and decrease greenhouse-gas emissions, won the Edmonton portion of Startup TNT's Investment Summit VII.

NTWIST charges companies $200,000 to generate $2 million in savings, co-founder and CEO Chowdary Meenavilli said in his pitch on June 15. In the future, NTWIST plans to charge a fee per tonne of CO2 emissions avoided through the optimization the company offers.

Suncor, Vale, and Sherritt are among NTWIST's repeat customers.

"We pretty much have all the big customers in Canada, we are going after the international market right now," Meenavilli said.

There are competitors in this space, but NTWIST has the ability to make a difference quickly, he said. "It's a plug-and-play that we go in, install, and it starts producing the results, rather than waiting months or years to make things happen."

Kerry Russell, who has been with Startup TNT since its first summit in 2020, said his fellow investors heard good things about the company.

"We talked to one of your customers who told us they invested $200,000 with you and now are saving $200,000 a month in their electrical bills — that's impressive," he told Meenavilli after his pitch.

Two companies received side deals at the event: SPI Utilities Solutions, which has developed a dry-ice tool for cleaning high-voltage equipment without turning off the power, and Areto Labs, which develops spam- and harassment-blocking software for social media channels.

Summit finales took place in three other Prairie cities at the same time. Omnee won in Saskatoon, Standard Carbon won in Winnipeg, and OraQ won in Calgary. Each winner is expected to get at least $150,000 in investment.

Photo: NTWIST CEO Chowdary Meenavilli presented to investors at Edmonton Unlimited on June 15, 2023, at the finale for Startup TNT's Investment Summit VII. (Startup TNT/YouTube)

This weekend offers coffeehouse R&B, classic rock, and meditative music, as well as a walk through history, a scoot past murals, and a groundbreaking basketball game.

• June 16, 7pm: Friday Nite Live: Jillian Treidler at the Carrot Community Arts Coffee House
• June 16-18: Rock the District in ICE District's Fan Park
• June 17, 10am: Walking the Footsteps of Early Black Edmonton with the Edmonton City as Museum Project
• June 17, 7pm: Edmonton Stingers Indigenous Celebration Night at the Edmonton Expo Centre
• June 17-18: The Sounds of Nature at the Royal Alberta Museum
• June 18, 2pm: Now Hear This: Shumaila Hemani and the Sufi Ensemble at the Orange Hub Black Box Theatre
• June 18, 6pm: Mural Scooter Experience Guided Tour with Epic Experiences

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

Photo: A rendition of the musical Bear Grease will be performed as part of the halftime show at the Edmonton Stingers basketball game against the Montreal Alliance. The game will also be broadcast in Cree on 89.3 The Raven. (Bear Grease Live)