The Pulse: Jan. 10, 2024

When Mykola Holovetskyi tried to board an Edmonton Transit Service bus for the first time, the recent newcomer from Ukraine didn't have cash or an Arc card but instead only his credit card on his phone. What happened next prompted a big idea.

"I thought, 'OK, probably they have tap-to-pay or something like that; I could probably use my credit card to pay,'" Holovetskyi told Taproot. "But unfortunately, no, I couldn't do that. I had to buy either a paper ticket or get myself a plastic card. This is a significant gap in the adoption of modern technology, so I wanted to bring a change to that."

The experience gave the founder of startup community MovEd the idea to hold a govtech hackathon that targets transforming some of these anachronisms into processes that work for more people.

Why do you have to call Edmonton's Dedicated Accessible Transit Service to add a new destination, and why isn't there real-time tracking for users to see where their bus is during the pickup window? Why does the Canadian Revenue Agency still send security codes through snail mail? Could innovation improve Alberta's emergency alert test system?

Holovetskyi, a tech entrepreneur who specializes in digital transformation for both the private and public, has planned the govtech hackathon for March to address these problems. All challenges are on the table. "We plan to tackle all the levels of government," he said.

And any innovations created could be used in Alberta or other jurisdictions across the country, Holovetskyi said. "If they can improve services here, they can improve services somewhere else."

• The city is set to present its approach to encampments in court on Jan. 10 and 11 in response to a challenge from the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights. In a release, the city said its encampment response prioritizes the needs of unhoused Edmontonians while taking into account how encampments impact the broader community, adding that while numbers vary daily, excess shelter space has been available throughout 2023 and in 2024. The city said it will also present evidence in court about the negative impacts of encampments on the broader community, such as increased public complaints, environmental damage, and safety and fire concerns, while also highlighting its efforts to offer shelter and support to those displaced during ongoing closures.
• The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights lost its bid on Jan. 9 to stop the removal of the eighth and final encampment identified as "high-risk" by the city and Edmonton Police Service. Justice Kent Davidson of the Court of King's Bench deferred any further decisions until hearings scheduled on Jan. 10 and 11. Residents of the encampment, located at 95 Street and 101A Avenue, refused to leave when approached by police and city workers on Jan. 9, and were later joined by advocates and supporters from the community. The scene turned tense in the afternoon as police arrested one person on site. The city said in a release that while its planned closure of the camp adhered to a December court order, it modified its plans "given the number of third parties onsite." Crews instead cleaned parts of the site, removing vacant structures and debris, but allowed occupied tents and their residents to remain.
• The Edmonton Police Service held a technical media briefing on Jan. 9 to display a collection of weapons, including knives, swords, brass knuckles, and other items discovered inside an abandoned case at the Dawson Ravine encampment. Media also reported that police displayed graphic images of people killed in encampment fires, along with other safety hazards emergency crews and city workers have encountered while removing encampments. Deputy Chief Warren Driechel said police have so far taken down 120 structures affecting 100 people, and removed about 2,000 needles and 50,000 kilograms of waste.
• City snow-clearing crews focused on major roads as Edmonton was hit with its first significant snowfall of the winter. The city aims to clear major roads, collector and bus routes, and industrial areas within five days, said Valerie Dacyk with the city's infrastructure field operations. Around 100 snowplows, sanders, and graders were out clearing snow and applying traction materials. Residential areas will be cleared once there is a five-to-10 centimetre snow pack.
• Edmonton Transit Service has extended the validity of all 2023 adult, youth, and senior paper transit tickets, as well as Family/Day passes, to Dec. 31, 2024, as it continues its transition to the new Arc fare payment system. While paper tickets and passes will be phased out once the Arc payment system is fully implemented, ticket packs displaying the 2023 expiry date can still be purchased and used throughout 2024.
• About 10% of Edmonton Police Service staff are currently on leave for various reasons, Chief Dale McFee told Postmedia in a December year-end interview. The police service is working to support its members through specialized reintegration programs and has partnered with Wounded Warriors Canada to provide additional mental health support. McFee said his priority is the well-being of officers, particularly those with psychological injuries, to ensure they can return to duty in good health.
• The federal government announced nearly $7.3 million in funding to support 18 Alberta-based organizations to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence. The support includes funding for several Edmonton-based organizations, including $400,000 for the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society, $500,000 for the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association, $238,000 for the Queer and Trans Health Collective, and $394,050 for the Kaleo Collective. The funding is part of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• TELUS customers in parts of Edmonton and St. Albert experienced service outages on Jan. 9. A cut cable disrupted internet, TV, and landlines, though cellular service was unaffected. TELUS said it is working to restore services, though the number of affected people and the restoration timeline remained unclear.
• The Edmonton Elks have released quarterback Taylor Cornelius and linebacker Adam Konar, the team announced Jan. 9. The Elks will open their 75th season with a game June 8 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium. Season tickets are on sale now.

On this day in 1891, Edmonton's first school board considered if it needed a new school for the growing settlement.

Up until the 1880s, Edmonton had a population of just more than 250 people and no real public or private education options. In 1881, residents pooled funds to build a schoolhouse on land donated by the Hudson's Bay Company, and also elected school trustees. The one-room school was opened the next year in the river valley, becoming Alberta's first free public school.

When class wasn't in session, the schoolhouse moonlighted as a meeting hall and, occasionally, a courthouse.

In 1885, residents formed the Edmonton school district, a first for both the community and what would become the province. The district had the power to use taxes to fund the school. Three years later, the Edmonton Catholic School Board formed, teaching out of St. Joachim's Roman Catholic Church.

In 1891, the school chairman issued a report. By that time Edmonton had expanded, and the small wooden schoolhouse could not handle the number of students hoping to attend despite several additions built over the years. The report addressed calls to construct a building that could provide a place for "good high scooo(sic) training.". While the 1891 report concluded the time was not right to build such a school, that decision would not last long.

In 1895, College Avenue School was built on Macdonald Drive. The four-room building was the first of many brick schools built in Edmonton over the coming decades, and taught both elementary and high school students. The school's principal, Ken W. Mackenzie, later became the first mayor of the City of Edmonton (prior to 1904, Edmonton was a town.)

The early 1900s saw Edmonton grow rapidly, and thus the need for more space for students. In 1902, both Queen's Avenue School on 104 Avenue and Grandin Street School on 101 Street were built.

The original 1881 schoolhouse continued hosting students until 1904 when it was retired. MacKay School was built on the lot adjacent to the original site in a ceremony that reflected Edmonton's new status as a city. The original schoolhouse was relocated and converted into a residence. But a century after it opened, in 1981 the 1881 schoolhouse was restored to its original location. There it remains as a monument to the origins of public education in Alberta.

Public education is quite different in Edmonton today. What was once a handful of schools has grown to be hundreds spread across the city. But some pressures have not changed, including the need to keep up with a growing population. Both Edmonton's public and Catholic school districts have seen heavy spikes in the number of students during 2023, prompting calls for new schools to be built and increased funding.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton. ​

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Community Coffee at Edmonton Unlimited
• Blue Monday and Your Business starting at 3pm at the ATB Entrepreneur Centre
• Edmonton Tech Wednesdays starting at 5:30pm at GRETA Bar YEG

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Jan. 11: Agri-Food — Education Session starting at 10am online
• Jan. 11: Salary Vs Dividends — How to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner online
• Jan. 11: A Taste of China: Hand-Pulled Noodles & More starting at 6pm at Get Cooking
• Jan. 12: Cultivating Future Leaders starting at 12pm at YWCA Edmonton Cushing House
• Jan. 12: Food For Thought: A Culinary Bookclub starting at 1:30pm at the Stanley A. Milner Library
• Jan. 16: You Otto Be Joking starting at 7:30pm at Otto Food & Drink

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.