The Pulse: Oct. 6, 2023

Drones will be an increasingly important part of delivering goods, says the Edmonton International Airport's leader in cargo, who just returned from a summit in Brussels on the technology in the industry.

"The future goal is absolutely to deliver last-mile packages to businesses, and maybe ultimately to people's homes, by drone, thereby reducing vehicles from the road, reducing congestion, reducing pollution, and working towards our ambitious sustainability goals," Alex Lowe, director of e-commerce cargo and aviation real estate, told Taproot.

Lowe was a speaker during this year's Air Cargo Tech Summit, which took place in Belgium on Sept. 18 and 19. He used part of his time there to hear from tech entrepreneurs in the air cargo sector, some of whom work on drones.

"Battery technology is improving all the time. The capacity is going up and weight is coming down," he said. "The future is unmanned, electric-powered drones. And if we think more long-term … hydrogen-powered drones (are) a very realistic possibility in the future."

Edmonton has the only airport in Canada operating drones within controlled airspace, Lowe believes. Currently, that means a pilot working from a control centre can move drones between the airport and Pat Wilson Memorial Park in Leduc County, so long as there are watchers along the way. This is in compliance with a federal policy that drones cannot be operated beyond the line of visible sight (or BVLOS) without special exemption.

"We're now up to more than 1,700 scheduled commercial flights as part of that program," Lowe said. "It's really about testing and trialling and demonstrating to the regulators that this can be done safely, and really work towards pushing those regulations and those approvals forward."

Lowe called the journey for drones a "crawl-walk-run" process. "The next step for us, at the end of 2023 and into 2024, will be to bring online a larger drone that can carry more payload over a longer range and also incorporate a commercial delivery site, working closely with Leduc County to identify the most appropriate site for drone delivery," he said.

Another goal for the airport's future is opening its International Cargo Hub, into which the federal government invested $100 million in 2022. Lowe expects the first phase to be open and operational in 2028.

• More than 100 people gathered at City Hall on the evening of Oct. 4 to mark Sisters in Spirit Day, which coincides with the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The event included speeches, musical performances, and a vigil to honour the lives of women, two-spirit, and gender-diverse victims.
• Edmonton Public School Board chair Trisha Estabrooks announced she is seeking the federal NDP nomination for the riding of Edmonton Centre. She says her priorities will be housing, climate, the opioid crisis, reconciliation, and strengthening public health care. Estabrooks will continue to serve as a trustee for Ward D until a federal election is called, but she has resigned as board chair. A new chair is expected to be chosen on Oct. 10. Edmonton Centre is currently represented by Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault.
• Homicide detectives are investigating the suspicious death of a man in Chinatown, who was found unresponsive on a sidewalk around 97 Street and 106 Avenue just after 7am on Oct. 5. Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died on scene. Police said one person has been taken into custody, and an autopsy is scheduled for Oct. 6. The death comes amid increased concerns about safety in Chinatown, which was the site of two unprovoked murders in May 2022 that spurred a series of safety initiatives from the city, police, and the province.
• Volunteers from Canadian charity Trees for Life and the city's Root for Trees program joined local healthcare workers to plant 1,000 trees in Tawa Park at the Grey Nuns Hospital on Oct. 5. The initiative is part of the city's efforts to plant two million trees by 2050, said Craig McKeown with the city's parks and road services branch.
• The Governor General's office has apologized for awarding the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honours, to Peter Savaryn in 1987. Savaryn, who served as chancellor for the University of Alberta from 1982 to 1986, was a volunteer member of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a unit created by the Nazis to fight the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The U of A has not yet commented following the Governor General's apology, and an obituary posted following Savaryn's death in 2017 was still live on the university's website as of Oct. 5. The Governor General's apology comes weeks after the House of Commons recognized Yaroslav Hunka, who fought in the same unit as Savaryn. The U of A has since closed a $30,000 endowment fund in Hunka's name.
• MacEwan University president Annette Trimbee wrote an opinion piece for Postmedia describing accessible housing as key to Edmonton's long-term success. Students, who make up 10% of the city's population, could go elsewhere if there is not enough affordable housing available, Trimbee wrote. She also says MacEwan's plans to grow require stronger partnerships between government, industry, and communities to address the housing crisis, adding the school is actively seeking ways to collaborate on new housing solutions.
• The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released its latest Housing Supply Report, which examines housing construction trends in Canada's six largest metro areas in the first half of 2023. Across the county, home builders faced challenges due to tighter borrowing conditions, high construction and labour costs, and high interest rates. In Edmonton, overall housing starts fell 29% compared to the first half of 2022. Housing starts for single-detached dwellings fell 34%, semi-detached dwellings fell 19%, row dwellings grew 4%, and apartment dwellings fell 38%.
• The Style Experience FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup will return to Commonwealth Stadium on Dec. 9. Canada Snowboard held the inaugural event in Edmonton in 2022, which drew thousands of spectators, "sent shockwaves" through the snowboard industry, and attracted international interest. Like last year, crews will construct a massive snowboard jump in the stadium, with work expected to begin on Oct. 30 after the NHL Heritage Classic.
• The University of Alberta has opened a new year-round tennis facility, the Saville Tennis Centre, which has six courts in an air-supported bubble near the Saville Community Sports Centre. From September to May, the centre will be open to the public on a pay-and-play system. In the summer, the courts will be outdoors and open only to members.

This Thanksgiving long weekend offers the return of a haunting experience, performances of chamber music and folk rock, a chance to gaze at the stars, an art show and album release, and opportunities to express your creative self.

• Oct. 6, 7pm: Opening night of DARK at Fort Edmonton Park
• Oct. 6, 7pm: High Level Trio at Felice Noir
• Oct. 6-7: Gateway to the Stars at Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park
• Oct. 7, 1pm: The Last Vibrations of Summer with Wilfred Kozub at Holy Trinity Anglican Church
• Oct. 7, 6:30pm: Open Mic at the Carrot Community Arts Coffee House
• Oct. 8, 3pm: Abstract Versus Real by Ainsley Hillyard, presented by Cripsie at Mile Zero Dance
• Oct. 8, 7pm: Altameda with Small Paul at the Starlite Room

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

Photo: DARK offers frightful experiences, food, and fun from Oct. 6 to 29. (Fort Edmonton Park)