The Pulse: July 17, 2023

When city council returns from its summer break, it will face a much-delayed discussion of the Edmonton Police Service funding formula that has been marinating in dire warnings about strained resources and unsafe streets.

"There is a game being played here, and it's important to be mindful of that. We, of course, have a funding formula for the police just for this year," Speaking Municipally co-host Mack Male said on Episode 227, noting that the discussion of what to do with the remaining three years of this budget cycle is now set for Aug. 22, after several postponements. "(The police) craft and build up this narrative over the months leading up to this very important discussion."

For example, the death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware at the Belvedere LRT station and other violent incidents led Det. Jared Buhler to warn Edmontonians to avoid "any interaction with anyone that gives you any sense of uncertainty, because you can literally end up with a knife in your chest." Meanwhile, police say they lack resources despite the addition of sheriffs, peace officers, and funding for the Healthy Streets Operations Centre.

"On Twitter, at least, all the responses are 'Oh my god, things are falling apart under Mayor (Amarjeet) Sohi,'" Male said. "The police don't have any accountability here. It's all about our terrible politicians. And so that's what's going to contribute to making that really difficult, important decision for council so much harder than it needs to be."

Meanwhile, council will have to reap what it sowed when it excluded salary adjustments from the one-year interim funding formula it agreed to in October 2022. Podcast co-host Troy Pavlek likened that decision to "pulling the pin out of a grenade and sliding it under the desk and hoping it doesn't go off." It has indeed gone off, with an arbitrator awarding back pay amounting to an estimated $19.7 million: $4.1 million for 2021, $8.4 million for 2022, and $7.2 million for 2023.

"Council doesn't want to raise taxes at the fall supplementary budget adjustment," Pavlek said. "What's going to get cut in order to manage this lump sum payment to the police?"

Hear more about these issues, as well as the opioid crisis, road investment, the Wolf Den, Capital City Pilots, and a national urban park in the river valley on the July 14 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast.

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has sent a letter to David Lametti, Canada's justice minister and attorney general, to advocate for bail reform following the death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware, who was stabbed on July 9 at a transit station in an apparent random attack. Police arrested and charged Jamal Joshua Malik Wheeler with second-degree murder. He was supposed to be under 24-hour house arrest, according to Sohi's letter. "I struggle to comprehend why someone who could be a risk to others was released into our city without a plan in place to ensure they would not reoffend," Sohi wrote. More than 200 people gathered at the Belvedere LRT station on July 15 to remember Nkundabatware and call for justice.
• Edmonton has seen an increase in the number of garden suites built in the last few years, rising from 59 in 2018 to 125 in 2022. The number could rise even higher this year, with Cantiro Homes currently building 24 garden suites in two rows of 12 behind new single-family homes in Rosenthal. The boost in what some planners call "gentle density" could accelerate if the new zoning bylaw goes ahead as planned in 2024.
• The Urban Green Cohousing project, which has been in the works for more than a decade, is finally opening this summer. According to the Canadian Cohousing Network, the four-storey building with 26 private units is the first of its kind in Edmonton. Unlike co-operative housing, where owners contribute toward a collective mortgage, co-housing emphasizes social interaction between neighbours who each own their own units but also share some communal spaces.
• The Edmonton Stingers and Edmonton Riverhawks are enjoying "robust crowds" this summer, CTV News reports. "We just want to make sure we have the best fan experience possible," said Reed Clarke, president and CEO of the Stingers. In contrast, the Edmonton Elks have seen attendance trend downward, and not just because the team has lost 20 straight games at home. "If we look at attendance in the CFL, it's been going down the entire decade since 2012," said Brian Soebbing, an associate professor in the faculty of kinesiology, sport, and recreation at the University of Alberta.
• The 1983-1993 Edmonton Chimos, a women's hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League, has been inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame. The Chimos were the dominant women's team in Alberta at the time, capturing every Alberta provincial championship, except for one, from 1982 to 1997.
• The second annual Goodwill Fashion Show, held on Whyte Avenue on July 15, showcased the Mission Impact program, which helps people with barriers or disabilities find work and job training. The event featured models from Kello Inclusive, the non-profit talent agency that launched last year to support inclusivity for models and actors.
• Noisy construction work at the legislature grounds will now finish by 9pm each day, following complaints from nearby residents. The city had granted a permit with extended work hours to help get the rehabilitation project completed more quickly. The province told CTV News that demolition work should be finished in a few weeks.
• Former Alberta justice minister Kaycee Madu has been cited by the Law Society of Alberta, which alleges he "engaged in conduct that undermined respect for the administration of justice" when he called Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee about a traffic ticket he received on March 10, 2021. The citation could lead to a law society hearing, which could result in a reprimand, suspension, fine, or even disbarment.

This week will see the crowning of a culinary champion, professional development for people in tech, a field trip to visit downtown developments, a networking event for female founders, and a showcase of Edmonton's Arts District.

• July 17, 5:30pm: Masters of the Food-I-Verse — Finals at Workshop Eatery
• July 18, 12pm: Creating a Market: Build Demand, Not A Mailing List, presented by Technology Alberta at Edmonton Unlimited
• July 20, 3pm: Designing Downtown Field Trip with UDI-Edmonton Metro
• July 20, 7pm: #RealTalk Founder Meetup — Edmonton Pop-Up, hosted by CWN Silicon Valley at Work Nicer Beaver House
• July 21, 9am: Coffee with the Chamber: Arts Edition, hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce at the Citadel Theatre

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

Photo: The Citadel Theatre is inviting business leaders to learn more about three centrepieces of the Arts District on Friday. (Citadel Theatre/Facebook)