The Pulse: July 13, 2023

Three challenges related to people-tracking, land recovery, and downtown revitalization are now available for Edmonton entrepreneurs to pitch solutions to under the Capital City Pilots program.

"The city will benefit from new and innovative ideas, and participants will gain valuable experience and the chance to validate their solutions," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said at a July 12 announcement at Edmonton Unlimited. "Once these ideas are tested, they have the potential to expand into global markets."

The program, which was announced last year, aims to connect local innovators with the City of Edmonton to find solutions to urban problems. The first three challenges the program is getting innovators to tackle are:

• Data-Driven Downtown: Visualizing real-time population density in the core, including residents, workers, and tourists;
• Environmental Records for Contaminated Sites: Surfacing and organizing land-use information to identify contaminated sites such as former dry cleaners that could be cleaned up and redeveloped;
• Igniting Vibrancy in The Quarters: Imagining ways to use surface-level parking lots, parks, and existing infrastructure to enhance community well-being and foster economic growth in The Quarters.

"We wanted there to be a number of startups in our city that were well-positioned to put their hat in the ring," Edmonton Unlimited CEO Catherine Warren said of the topics chosen for the first challenges.

While Capital City Pilots is not a procurement program, it aims to give younger startups a chance to work with a large urban municipality, said program head Abbie Stein-MacLean.

"You don't really get to experience what it's like working with a customer the size of the city if you're just starting out," she said. "So it really allows innovators and entrepreneurs to help work through any potential pitfalls."

• City council's urban planning committee voted to recommend moving to the planning phase of the National Urban Park Initiative after debating the results of the pre-feasibility phase, in which partners selected Edmonton's river valley above other possible locations. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, an advocate for the location, said Edmonton must retain control of river valley lands and not transfer ownership to the federal government. City council must still vote on the proposal for the initiative to move to the planning phase, which administration said will not bind the decision.
• The Edmonton Police Service is urging extreme caution on transit and downtown following a fatal stabbing at the Belvedere LRT Station on July 9. The death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware came at the end of a weekend during which police said they responded to multiple violent events including weapons complaints, assaults, a carjacking, and shootings. Darren Derko, deputy chief of EPS's community policing bureau, said police resources are strained because of an increase in random violent attacks. In late June, EPS said that crime severity in several core neighbourhoods had decreased between November and February, but it was expected to increase in summer due to seasonal fluctuations.
• CBC spoke to businesses along Stony Plain Road that have been negatively impacted by construction on the Valley Line West LRT from downtown to Lewis Farms. Dennis Aronyk, the owner of Revolution Cycle at Stony Plain and 151 Street, said he's lost significant revenue since construction began in 2021 and forced customers to detour to the back of the building. Marigold Infrastructure Partners, which is building the line, said a six-block stretch from Groat Road to 139 Street that is completely closed to traffic and pedestrians will remain closed until November. Marigold is currently working on the design and aims to finish construction by 2027, but the schedule for testing and commissioning has not been determined.
• The southwest Anthony Henday Drive expansion project, which aims to widen an 18-kilometre section of the ring road, is closer to completion after the westbound and eastbound bridges over the North Saskatchewan River were opened to two-lane traffic on July 11. The contractor will now complete a new third lane for both bridges along with barriers, curbs, lights, and signage. While the area is still an active construction zone with reduced speed limits, Alberta Transportation said the expansion "remains on target to be completed this fall." The project began in 2020.
• Some customers of Urban River Adventures (URA), a local glamping company, say they are down hundreds of dollars after their reservations were cancelled 10 days before their trip to Wabamun Lake so that URA can expand its facilities. Steven Capp, the founder of URA, told CTV News the company can't access the funds because the payment processor is holding it, but he hopes to give affected customers their money back by the end of July.
• The 2023 Football Canada Cup got underway in Edmonton on July 9. The competition, which concludes on July 15, involves provincial teams of players under 18. Football Alberta executive director Tim Enger spoke to Global News Morning about the event.

Here are some opportunities to offer your input on various civic issues, including experiences with encampments, electronic fare payment for seniors, a proposed rezoning in Griesbach, and an urban national park in the river valley.

• July 2023 Mixed Topics Survey — The City of Edmonton's mixed topic survey for July asks residents about their experiences with encampments and how they have interacted with the Neighbourhood Revitalization Program. General comments are also invited. The survey is open until July 18.
• Griesbach Rezoning — The City of Edmonton is inviting residents to provide feedback on a proposal to rezone 2775 Sir Arthur Currie Way NW in Griesbach to allow for a mixed-use development. The proposal includes a six-storey residential building and the preservation of the William Griesbach Training Centre for commercial use. You can submit a question to the project manager or share your thoughts on the application until July 31.
• Arc Pilot Recruitment for Seniors — The City of Edmonton and Strathcona County are recruiting seniors who purchase monthly transit passes or tickets to test the Arc electronic fare payment system in September and October. Recruitment is open until July 31.
• River Valley Urban National Park Survey — Coun. Jennifer Rice is surveying residents of Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi about whether they want the City of Edmonton to move toward designating parts of the North Saskatchewan River Valley as an Urban National Park. Rice's survey contains one question and the opportunity to provide comments. No closing date was provided.

More input opportunities

• By July 13: Parent and caregiver survey in Strathcona County
• By July 19: Innovation Park Area Structure Plan (ASP) — Phase 2 in Beaumont
• By July 30: Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative (advise-level engagement) in Edmonton
• By Aug. 2: Allard Street Lab
• By Aug. 2: Orchards at Ellerslie Street Lab
• By Aug. 2: Webber Greens Street Lab
• By Aug. 31: Edmonton Business Census
• By Oct. 1: Pop-up Dog Parks Program Evaluation
• By Dec. 31: Public Engagement Feedback Survey

Image: A digital rendering of a proposed mixed-use development on Sir Arthur Currie Way in the Griesbach neighbourhood in north Edmonton. (City of Edmonton)