The Pulse: Oct. 17, 2023

MacEwan University is seeking a new home for its Conservatory of Music following the sale of the Alberta College building that now houses it.

"We're in discussions with the Winspear Centre (for) Music to take the programming and operations of the conservatory," Lisa Rochman, dean of the School of Continuing Education, told Taproot. "Over the next two years, we're going to have more information about what this looks like."

Edmonton Public Schools recently celebrated its purchase of the Alberta College building, which it finalized in May for about $22 million following a lease agreement that began in 2019. Centre High students have been attending classes there since 2020, with the conservatory continuing to operate on the fourth and fifth levels.

The school board has given the conservatory until summer of 2025 to find a new home. Though MacEwan has made efforts to consolidate its offerings at its main campus in the past, Rochman said Allard Hall is a less-than-ideal home for the conservatory.

"It's a beautiful space, but it's not suited towards the way the conservatory runs with the individualized instructional model," she said. "I'm not a person who will ever say anything is completely off the table, but that is not the plan. We are in great talks with the Winspear and that is what we are looking forward to moving forward with."

Rochman said it's too soon to get into the specifics of how running the conservatory at the Winspear Centre would work, if it happens. The Winspear Expansion Project is still underway, and while discussions are ongoing, there aren't "a lot of firm details" yet, a representative of the Winspear Centre told Taproot in an email. The expansion is optimistically slated for late 2025, "contingent on a number of details," the spokesperson added.

Elizabeth Raycroft, a conservatory instructor, is disappointed by the department's impending eviction.

"I think it's a horrific shame that we lose a building that was purpose-built for music education," she said in an interview. "There has been, amongst teachers, a sadness, a distress that we weren't listened to and that we're not being given any really viable options."

• More than 200 people have registered to speak on the first day of the three-day public hearing on the city's proposed zoning bylaw renewal. As of the afternoon of Oct. 16, 106 people were registered to speak in support of the new bylaw, while 123 were opposed. If passed, the bylaw would reduce the number of zones across the city from 46 to 24, and would allow for more density in residential areas. The changes also aim to improve housing affordability, but some experts have cautioned that more density doesn't necessarily mean more affordable housing, and that additional regulations may be needed. "Higher density is generally associated with higher housing costs and worse affordability and that's a very big problem," said Wendell Cox with the Urban Reform Institute.
• The city is expanding its Window Repair Program to include all Business Improvement Areas. The grant program helps businesses replace broken or damaged windows by covering 50% of the cost, up to $2,500. The city has allocated $500,000 for the grant program, with about 25% already dispersed to local businesses. The Old Strathcona Business Association and Alberta Avenue Business Association have previously received funding to administer their own programs, and will be eligible for the city grant once they've used up their existing funding allotment.
• The president of Voice of Albertans with Disabilities is raising concerns about how the reduced snow and ice clearing budget will impact accessibility across the city. Katrina Breau said the city needs to look at snow clearing as a necessity. "I don't think they truly understand the full impacts of the snow on people with these types of limitations," Breau said. Included in the city's cuts is reduced funding for snow-clearing enforcement on private property owners, who are responsible for clearing their own sidewalks. The city has earmarked $275,000 for enforcement this year, compared to $1.05 million last season, and will have 26% fewer enforcement officers. On Oct. 24, council will consider a proposal to increase the snow clearing budget by $5 million to allow bus stops and some public paths to be cleared within 14 days of a snowfall, instead of 22 days.
• Canadian Blood Services is urging Edmontonians to donate blood between now and Nov. 11, as the need in city hospitals outpaces donations. The organization needs 3,600 donations in Edmonton, 2,800 in Calgary, and more than 1,000 in Red Deer. Donations could also be distributed across Canada to other hospitals in need, said Jasmin Vallarta, an Edmonton-based manager with the organization.
• Changing mortgage rates are impacting the ability of Canadians to become home buyers, even as home prices continue to fall, according to a new report from Ratehub.ca. The analysis, based on data from the Canadian Real Estate Association, found that home affordability declined in 10 cities across the country. In Edmonton, the average home price dropped $700 between August and September, but the average income required to buy a home increased by $1,390.
• Geoff Hastings is the new anchor of CTV News at Six. Hastings, who has anchored the 5pm broadcast since 2019, takes over the role following the departure of Erin Isfeld.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and winger Evander Kane are staying positive despite the team's 0-2 start to the season. Kane said the team is focused on getting its first win and regaining confidence. The Oilers will attempt to turn the tide on Oct. 17 against the Nashville Predators. McDavid noted that a win would put the team at 1-2, which was how the Oilers started last season.
• Sports news website The Athletic made a "bold prediction" that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will score 70 goals this season. However, Oil on Whyte writer Paul Taylor suggested the prediction is unlikely to come true, even though McDavid scored 64 goals last season and is "the best player in the game today."

The City of Edmonton's plan to reduce the number of community sandboxes from 770 to 100 over two years could dismay residents, say the hosts of Speaking Municipally.

"We've just lost 70, then to go from that to just 100 centralized sandboxes — that's quite the change," Mack Male said on Episode 237 of Taproot's civic affairs podcast. "At least we're getting some notice, but I think people are going to be pretty upset by that change."

The city announced on Oct. 12 that the number of public sandboxes will decrease from 770 to 700 this winter, then further decrease to 100 locations in the winter of 2024-2025. The sand is free for anyone to use to make icy sidewalks more passable.

"Changes are being made to the program over the next two winter seasons so that more resources can be dedicated to improving Snow and Ice Control service levels for Active Pathways, including bus stops and public amenities," the release reads. "The program will transition to fewer — but more centralized — sandboxes that are evenly distributed across neighbourhoods."

Male and co-host Troy Pavlek both noted that the decrease for 2024-2025 is dramatic. "There's a middle ground," Pavlek said. "There's an incremental way to do this."

The decision followed a call for public engagement in February that presented citizens with four options for the future of sandboxes: add more, maintain the status quo, replace community boxes with just eight larger bins, or reduce and redistribute the existing boxes.

"The two sort of neck-and-neck most popular options were reduce-and-centralize or status quo," Male said, noting that 35% opted for the status quo, with 33% choosing reduction and centralization.

The option the city is going with is expected to save $800,000, which will be reallocated to other forms of snow and ice control. Male opined that while this won't make a substantial difference, "every little bit helps."