The Pulse: Nov. 1, 2023

As the Edmonton Transit Service decommissions older fare machines, the adoption rate of its new smart-fare system is nearing two-thirds of Arc-eligible riders, exceeding expectations.

In September, Arc users accounted for 63% of Arc-eligible fares — that is, the U-Pass, adult fares, and youth/student fares, which were added on Sept. 25. That resulted in 55% of total revenues coming from Arc in September, the most recent month for which data was available.

"Other jurisdictions that have implemented smart fares — I'll just caution, it wasn't necessarily done in a phased manner like we're doing — but they typically had, at the high end, maybe 30% adoption until they eliminated their paper fare products," Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, branch manager for ETS, told Taproot. "We will see a sharp increase, obviously, when you take away the older traditional fare products."

Efforts to reduce conventional fare payment continue with the decommissioning and replacement of older fare machines at LRT stations and transit centres starting on Nov. 1. For now, the new machines will still sell individual paper tickets, but the ultimate goal of Arc is to go completely paperless, including the elimination of the current physical monthly pass. The decommissioning process should take "a few weeks" and be completed by the end of the year, Hotton-MacDonald said.

Will there be growing pains as the new machines replace the old ones? Hotton-MacDonald doesn't think so.

"We have a lot of the vending machines already in place, and this is just adding even more," she said. "We're also working on plans to ensure that we have the older style ticket validators for people that are still using paper tickets. But we highly, highly recommend people switching over to Arc if they're able."

Some transit users have experienced outages at fare validators, which read the cards at the bus door or entry to proof-of-payment zone in LRT stations.

"We recently learned some validators were having technical issues and are working closely with our vendor to resolve these issues," Hotton-MacDonald's office said in an email. "When validators appear to be offline, riders can still tap their Arc card. Once the validator is back online, any transactions made during the offline period will be reflected in the account."

These outages have created some strain on bus drivers.

"Like any new technology, the Arc card has come with its glitches," Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw told Taproot. "When it doesn't work, and you've got maybe half a dozen or a dozen passengers … holding up the operator who has a set schedule that he or she needs to keep to, that can be frustrating for them."

• The community and public services committee passed a motion calling for the city to increase funding to attract events to Edmonton from the current $500,000 to $2 million. A city report showed that Edmonton has hosted eight major national and international events in 2023, generating an estimated $64 million in economic activity. According to the report, the city spent about $1.6 million to help fund the events. Workers and businesses in Edmonton count on the city hosting major events, Do North Events CEO Stephen Bourdeau told the committee. "We are an event city. It is what we do. We have such a strong sector here," he said.
• Edmonton Public Library workers and other city administrative staff represented by the Civic Service Union 52 are preparing for a potential strike as contract negotiations with the city stall. Two polls done in September found 86% library workers and 70% of city staff represented by the union are willing to strike over their request for a wage increase. The union members haven't had a contract since 2020 and haven't had a raise since 2018. The city and union have jointly applied for mediation, but if it isn't successful, union president Lanny Chudyk said workers could strike as soon as late December.
• Boyle Street Community Services held a memorial for 118 people who died between June and October, many of whom were homeless. The majority of deaths were caused by opioid poisoning, but other social issues contributed, said Lina Meadows, a manager with the agency. As the colder temperatures approach, advocates are concerned about encampment fires and a lack of adequate housing. Boyle Street holds a memorial each quarter to honour community members who have died.
• The Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre has received more than $40,000 in donations to replace supplies that were damaged in a fire at its office building on Oct. 24. The Zebra Centre, which operates on the seventh floor of the building, had to close temporarily due to the fire. Services have now resumed at different locations in the city while restoration work is completed. The Edmonton Police Service is investigating the fire, which was deliberately set.
• In an op-ed published by Postmedia, Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board CEO Karen Wichuk argues that a lack of affordable and attainable housing threatens the region's economic growth and social well-being. Collaborative action from all levels of government, along with the private, public and non-profit sectors is necessary to tackle the housing crisis, she wrote. "Housing challenges aren't constrained by municipal boundaries, nor can they fall to one order of government alone," she wrote. The board will hold a symposium, called REenvision Housing, at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Nov. 2.
• Edify Magazine revealed its Top 40 Under 40 class for 2023. Among the Edmontonians honoured this year was Coun. Andrew Knack, who was recognized for making "thoughtful decisions with the city's future at heart." Others included on the list were Kayli Avveduti, executive director of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, and Tarek Fathelbab, team lead for Immigration and Multicultural Relations for the city.
• Maisie's Magical Christmas House in north Edmonton is once again lighting up the neighbourhood with an over-the-top festive display. The home is decked out with $150,000 worth of Christmas and Halloween lights and decorations, with the theme of "Halloween Invades Maisie's Magical Christmas House," said homeowner Jerry Dolynchuk, who began adding spooky decor to the holiday display in 2020. Dolynchuk is encouraging visitors to bring donations for the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society, with a goal of raising $10,000.
• The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Sam Gagner to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000. Gagner, who joined the Oilers on a professional tryout, scored eight goals and had six assists with the Winnipeg Jets last season before having hip surgery. This will be Gagner's third time playing for the Oilers.
• The Alberta government has tabled a new bill to strengthen its position in lawsuits to recover healthcare costs from opioid manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and consultants. The bill proposes three changes to the existing legislation, introduced in 2019, including adding consultants as liable parties, and defining "active ingredients" as an "opioid product." Alberta has joined two class-action lawsuits launched by the B.C. government. A hearing to certify the class action is set for November.

On this day in 1930, Edmonton was recovering from a particularly rowdy All Hallow's Eve.

Halloween has long been a popular observance in Edmonton. The spooky holiday, with roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, arrived as a children's celebration with Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1880s. Edmonton's earliest known Halloween party was in 1902, held as a fundraiser for the local hospital. It included the kinds of things we'd expect at any modern Halloween party — costumes, games, and, of course, sweets.

By the 1920s, going door-to-door for goodies had become a solid part of the holiday's traditions. Back then, costumed kids would often call out "Halloween apples!" when the door was opened. Edmonton might hold claim to the coinage of a different call: A 1922 Edmonton Bulletin headline referring to "Treat or Tricks" is, so far, the oldest recorded reference to the "ultimatum" at the heart of trick-or-treating.

Tricks were a big part of Halloween in the early 20th century. While modern pranksters might use toilet paper or eggs in their shenanigans, old Edmonton revellers could get more extreme with their pranks. Outhouses would be tipped over. Gates would be stolen. And roads would be blocked by stolen items.

Some homeowners would go to great lengths to defend their homes from Halloween hooligans. Many people put guard dogs to work, but at least one person in 1927 was said to have used "trained bees" to ward off pranksters.

Newspapers published after Halloween often had accounts of the holiday damage. Things were particularly wild in 1930: Newspaper reports list hundreds of street signs torn down, a street car derailed, and at least one person injured on Halloween. Eventually, severe pranking and vandalism began to fall out of favour. That, combined with increased police presence on the night of the 31st, meant Halloween pranks began to decline in the later part of the decade.

Pranks might not be as big a part of Edmonton's Halloween as it used to be, but the spooky spirit remains strong in the city. A lot of that comes in the forms of elaborate displays and haunted houses, some of them massive undertakings, which are peppered throughout the city.

This is based on a clipping found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse — follow @VintageEdmonton for daily ephemera.