The Pulse: June 19, 2023

This week, community and public services committee will meet on June 19, urban planning committee will meet on June 20, and executive committee will meet on June 23.

Here are some of the key items on the agenda:

• A refined draft of Edmonton's new Zoning Bylaw is ready for review. Administration says the latest draft incorporates input from community, industry, and other stakeholders. The next step is for the bylaw to proceed to a public hearing on Oct. 16, with approval anticipated by the end of the year. After the new bylaw takes effect on Jan. 1, 2024, administration has identified several opportunities to more closely align the Zoning Bylaw with the city's environmental and climate goals.
• About 50 existing buildings and two future developments have been identified to connect to the Downtown District Energy Initiative, though costs for the first phase of the project have increased by $7.7 million. Administration recommends funding the shortfall within existing approved budgets. The agreements with EPCOR to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the system, and with the Francis Winspear Centre of Music, where the District Energy Building is under construction, are ready for approval.
• Administration does not recommend advancing bylaw amendments to allow for indoor shisha consumption in public places, saying the practice "poses serious unmitigated health risks."

• Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for parts of north and central Alberta, including Edmonton. Between 80 and 120 millimetres of rain was expected by June 20, but some areas were expected to receive as much as 150 millimetres. Heavy rains can cause pooling water on roads, flash floods, and localized flooding in low-lying areas, according to the warning. While the rains were expected to bring needed moisture to parts of Alberta struggling with wildfires, the destruction of foliage and ground material such as grass and leaves may mean less manageable absorption rates in Edson where a nearby 300,000-hectare fire continues to burn, according to Global Calgary weather anchor Jodi Hughes.
• Canadian Blood Services is urging Edmontonians to donate blood this summer with more than 10,000 appointments that need to be booked between now and Labour Day. Summers can be challenging for donations as people are busy with vacations and other activities, said Tianna Doyle with Canadian Blood Services, but surgeries and accidents still happen, and the need for blood never stops. The organization uses a national inventory system, so donated blood in one place can help someone in need across the country.
• The Edmonton branch of a national non-profit organization called Mamas for Mamas is helping families that are struggling to find infant formula due to a Canada-wide supply chain struggle that began in 2022. The organization, which began in Kelowna in 2016 and expanded to Edmonton in 2022, provides parents with free items like diapers, formula, and other basic essentials. Health Canada has acknowledged the limited supply of infant formula, but in a statement to CBC said it is now getting easier to find on store shelves, with large amounts arriving since mid-May, and that "regular shipments will continue for the coming months."
• The first-ever Edmonton Drag Festival was held on June 17 at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park and featured drag performers from across Canada. Organizer Conroy Smith said the family-friendly event was created to promote messages of tolerance and togetherness, and to counter recent protests against drag performers and events in the US and Canada. "We're just here to have a good time and be ourselves and show love and diversity within our community that shows love to you as well, despite our differences," Smith said. The festival worked with the Edmonton Police Service and the City of Edmonton to ensure a safe environment, erecting fences with back curtains around the festival grounds and having extra on-site security.
• Sylvia Galbraith, an 82-year-old yoga teacher, has been teaching at the Central Lions Recreation Centre in north Edmonton for more than two decades. Her students come to her yoga classes with a variety of challenges, including arthritis, back issues and artificial hips. Galbraith said she promotes mindfulness and the importance of listening to one's own body in her classes. "I think when they see a person of my age, and my shape, they figure, well, they can do it too," she said.
• The Edmonton Elks have yet to win a regular season game after losing 22-0 against the BC Lions in Vancouver on June 17. It was the first time since Aug. 15, 1976, that the team failed to score any points against an opponent. "Any time you don't score points in the CFL game, it's certainly concerning," said head coach Chris Jones. The Elks will try to break their CFL-record home losing streak on June 25, when they host the Toronto Argonauts at Commonwealth Stadium.
• The Edmonton Stingers hosted their first Indigenous Celebration Night on June 17, broadcasting their game against the Montreal Alliance in English and Cree on 89.3 the Raven. Before the game, which the Stingers won, the Canadian national anthem was sung in Cree, and fans were treated to a halftime performance from the Indigenous musical Bear Grease. The event was jointly hosted by the Stingers, the Indigenous Edmonton Entertainment Group, and Windspeaker Media.

There are celebrations throughout the city for National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21. Other events this week include conferences on economic justice and queer advocacy, a talk from a Canadian icon, a workshop on inclusivity in the circus arts, and an infill gala.

• June 19-20: A Well-Being Economy for Alberta: Healthy People, Healthy Planet from the Parkland Institute
• June 20: Jann Arden: My Story, for the Edmonton Public Library's Forward Thinking Speaker Series
• June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day at the TELUS World of Science, the Royal Alberta Museum, and the Art Gallery of Alberta
• June 22-24: Community & Connection: 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocacy Conference at Robertson-Wesley United Church
• June 23, 11am: Considering Inclusion in Movement-Based Practices, part of the Alberta Circus Arts Festival
• June 23, 6pm: IDEA 10-Year Anniversary Gala at the Royal Glenora Club

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

Photo: TELUS World of Science Edmonton is hosting an Indigenous vendors' market as part of its festivities for National Indigenous Peoples Day. (TELUS World of Science/Facebook)