The Pulse: Feb. 21, 2024

Omar Mouallem says few know that what became Stampede Wrestling held its first-ever event in Edmonton in 1948.

"It was founded as Klondike Wrestling in Edmonton," Mouallem told Taproot. "It had its first show at the Edmonton Sales Pavilion (at Edmonton Northlands). The reason that it became part of Calgary lore is that about 10 years later (co-founder) Al Oeming … sold it in order to, I believe, start the Edmonton Game Farm."

Mouallem is the director of Making Kayfabe: The Private Lives of Indie Wrestlers, which streams on CBC Gem starting Feb. 23. It's the followup to his previous film, The Lebanese Burger Mafia.

He said Edmonton's deep wrestling history and its current renaissance are part of the inspiration.

"Some of my most core memories revolve around wrestling," Mouallem said, recalling trips from his childhood home in High Prairie to Edmonton to see World Wrestling Entertainment and Stampede Wrestling matches as a child. He stopped watching during WWE's notorious Attitude Era, but came back in "recent years" when he started a family and wanted something cheap and fun to do.

It was then that he noticed that wrestling had changed for the better. "There are a lot of promotions like Love Wrestling (in Edmonton) and WrestleCore in Vancouver, and many more all over North America, that are embracing something else — this fun, inclusive, and campy form of entertainment and performance art," Mouallem said.

The WWE once owned Stampede Wrestling. Mouallem said the organization bought up many independent clubs and had a near-monopoly on the sport during its zenith. He credits American alternative outfit All Elite Wrestling with taking back market share since its founding in 2019 and catalyzing a shift in wrestling culture, including here in Edmonton.

"It's a game changer," Mouallem said. "What I think AEW has also brought to it is this more inclusive culture, because they've had openly gay and trans wrestlers. I think it has helped to bring in a new audience. And I think, maybe more importantly, it's helped inspire a new generation of wrestlers, indie wrestlers, who maybe were previously afraid of the culture or the environment that they would be stepping in if they trained and got in the ring."

Making Kayfabe is not a talking heads documentary. Instead, Mouallem is the main subject, and he trained for three months with Michael Richard Blais of the Clandestine Wrestling Society to do so. The film culminates in a Clandestine— and Love Wrestling-presented match last June at The Rec Room's South Edmonton location. Mouallem, who's also an award-winning journalist and author, transformed into "Fake Nooz" Neville Anderson, a heel who drew the passionate ire of the audience.

• The City of Edmonton is facing a potential labour disruption as about 5,000 workers represented by CSU52 are poised to go on strike or be locked out by their employer if the parties don't come to an agreement. A strike or lockout would impact a variety of city services, including emergency call operations, recreational facilities, services at the Edmonton Public Library, and some Edmonton Police Service support roles, though essential services such as snow clearing and garbage collection would continue. The city has offered a 7.25-per-cent wage increase from 2021 through 2025, and has asked the Alberta Labour Relations Board for permission to hold an employer proposal vote, which would allow city workers to vote on the offer.
• Edmonton city council approved a rezoning application for the George Spady Society to move its detox unit from its current location downtown to a larger space at 156 Street and Stony Plain Road. The move is intended to add capacity, increasing the number of detox beds to 41 and residential recovery beds to 19. The centre's supervised consumption site will remain at its downtown location as it is not allowed to operate at the new site in west Edmonton.
• EndPovertyEdmonton says it is assessing how funding cuts by Edmonton city council have impacted the organization's ability to deliver its poverty eradication initiatives. In a statement posted Feb. 20, the organization's board noted that council cut its 2024 funding by $600,000, with further reductions planned for 2025 and 2026. "This is a period of uncertainty and a challenging time for everyone involved," the statement says. The organization also announced the departure of its executive director, Erick Ambtman, but did not announce a replacement.
• A new City of Edmonton report shows a high demand for more off-leash dog parks, particularly in suburban areas. The city piloted 19 pop-up dog parks across Edmonton from May to October 2023 and has plans to make several permanent in neighbourhoods like Summerside and Meadowlark Park. Coun. Michael Janz said dog parks are a cost-effective way to foster community. Council's community and public services committee will review the report at its Feb. 26 meeting.
• A transit safety and security town hall is scheduled at Mill Woods Town Centre on Feb. 24 for residents in southeast Edmonton. Ward Karhiio Coun. Keren Tang and representatives from Sifarish, a business and community network, appeared on Global News to preview the meeting and discuss community concerns. Tang said representatives from the Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Transit Service, the city's Neighbourhood Empowerment Team, and Bent Arrow will be at the meeting.
• Explore Edmonton says the NHL Heritage Classic generated $25.3 million for the local economy, including a demand for 18,000 room nights in local hotels. The game between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers happened at Commonwealth Stadium last October and featured a week of events in the city.
• A new mural dedicated to the late Edmonton Oilers forward and mental health advocate Colby Cave was unveiled at the CASA Centre in Edmonton. The artwork, designed by Edmonton artist Rahmaan Hameed, celebrates Cave's legacy and supports mental health initiatives for children and youth. It was commissioned by Cave's widow, Emily Cave, in collaboration with CASA, and funded by the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.
• The Griff, MacEwan University's student news outlet, took home publication of the year at the Nash student journalism conference, which took place in Edmonton from Feb. 16-18. The Griff won the award alongside the Western Gazette after both publications received the same number of votes.
• Parking fees at Alberta Health Services facilities will increase beginning April 1 to reflect rising inflation and maintenance costs. While rates will vary, the prices will rise an average of 75 cents in large markets and 50 cents in smaller markets, AHS said, adding that parking rates haven't been adjusted in more than eight years.
• The Alberta government announced the 2024 wildfire season will begin 10 days earlier than the traditional March 1 start because of increasing wildfire risks due to warmer temperatures and below-average precipitation. Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said the earlier start will allow the province to better direct resources, with plans to hire 100 new firefighters. During the 2023 season, Alberta saw a record 1,092 wildfires that burned more than 2.2 million hectares and prompted multiple prolonged evacuations.
• With at least 25 million COVID-19 rapid tests set to expire in March, the Alberta government is coordinating with the federal government to bring in additional tests with longer expiry dates, CBC reported. The test are expected to begin arriving in Alberta in the coming weeks and will be distributed for free through participating community pharmacies.
• The Edmonton Oilers will honour Black History Month during their game against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21. A special jersey featuring a logo inspired by African textiles, designed by Alberta artist AJA Louden, will also be on display. "My hope is that people (feel) seen," Louden told CTV News. The logo is one of four commissioned by the Oilers to celebrate cultural communities.
• The Edmonton Stingers have re-signed Canadian forward and University of Alberta alumnus Brody Clarke for the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League season, marking his fifth year with the team. Clarke was the team's leading scorer in 2023. "This organization and these fans have watched me grow into the player I am today and I take great pride in wearing this city on my chest," Clarke said in a release.

As council sends the proposed public spaces bylaw back to the drawing board, the city as a whole needs more patience with community-based solutions that don't require enforcement to change social disorder, advocates said on Episode 251 of Speaking Municipally.

Cheryl Whiskeyjack, executive director of Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, said she is already working with the city on programs that look for solutions beyond fines, like the Community Outreach Transit Team.

"The wonderful thing about that partnership is that we are also building capacity in people who work in enforcement to have a different conversation or develop different tools to work with people," Whiskeyjack said. "These strategies need time to take root and show outcomes … It takes time to develop these relationships with folks that we're meeting in these spaces, to develop trust with people that we're meeting in these spaces."

Items proposed in the bylaw included new and increased fines for behaviours like open drug use, loitering, and riding bikes on grass. On Feb. 14, council sent the proposal back to administration for changes. The episode was recorded before this decision.

Fellow guest Omar Yaqub, servant of servants for IslamicFamily, said fining unhoused people does not make less people become unhoused. Fixing long-term problems requires long-term solutions.

"We have tools that we know of work," Yaqub said. "We have partners who want to be part of the solution, engage with the city, and collaboratively work together. And together we can solve these problems. Not in a month, not in a season, but over time."

At the Feb. 14 meeting, council directed administration to create a report on alternatives to ticketing.

Hear more about the proposed bylaw, anecdotes about lived experiences of difficulty existing in spaces, and Whiskeyjack and Yaqub's work to find solutions on the Feb. 16 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast. You'll also hear discussion on the Katz Group's lawsuit against Boyle Street Community Services.

On this day in 1920, a short-lived Edmonton airline run by a transportation magnate was preparing to take to the sky.

The Edmonton Aircraft Company was founded in early 1920, when businessman John "Jock" McNeill bought a wooden biplane. McNeill partnered with a few others — including pilot and instructor Keith Tailyour — with the plan to create a passenger airline that connected Edmonton and Calgary, and later connected to Peace River.

While the city's aviation history stretches back to the early 1900s, the Edmonton Aircraft Company was only the second aviation firm in the city. To house his fledging airline, McNeill leased a small parcel of land north of downtown and built a hanger on it. It was the first hanger on what would later become Blatchford Field.

In July 1920, Tailyour and M.R. Jennings made a successful Edmonton Aircraft Company flight to Calgary in two hours and 30 minutes. The trip marked the first passenger flight between the cities.

The Edmonton Aircraft Company wasn't McNeill's first transportation firm. Originally from Scotland, McNeill arrived in 1910 and quickly bought the Twin City Transfer Company. Specializing in moving and storing belongings for newcomers to the city, the company found significant business due to Edmonton's booming population.

McNeill soon expanded by forming Alberta's first taxi company, which still exists as Yellow Cab. He's also credited with starting Edmonton's first private ambulance company, as well as being an integral part of the city's first bus business. McNeill's home, a two-storey brick house in Norwood, was seen as a testament to his family's financial success and is recognized as a municipal historic resource.

Unfortunately, The Edmonton Aircraft Company was not as successful as McNeill's other ventures. About a year after its founding, Keith Tailyour took a job as a flight instructor at CFB Borden, where he was killed during a training exercise. Without a pilot for his airline, McNeill sold off both his plane and the hangar. After less than two years, Edmonton's second aviation company was no more.

The aviation landscape in Edmonton is much different today than in McNeill's time. Blatchford Field is no longer an airfield but is rather being developed into a residential neighbourhood. Late in 2023, the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station started operating well ahead of its estimated opening in 2025.

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.

• Edmonton Innovation Peer Forum starting at 1pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Telling the Story of your City starting at 6pm online
• Nokomis Gizis: Astronomy Panel starting at 6pm at the McMullen Art Gallery
• Opera Pub starting at 7pm at the Blue Chair Cafe

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Feb. 27: Science on Tap: The Future of Foods at Fargos on Capilano
• March 5: BioAlberta Annual Policy Forum at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• March 7: Distiller's Symposium at CKUA Radio Network

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