The Pulse: March 13, 2024

Eleven community-building projects that will split nearly $50,000 in funding through the We Belong in Jasper Place initiative have been announced.

"A proposal review committee of local community members came together to assess the proposals," a release from the Stony Plain Road Business Association said. "The chosen projects all explore how we can strengthen the social infrastructure in west-central Edmonton through belonging."

The project was created in 2023 and is supported by the Stony Plain Road Business Association.

The 11 projects are spread across the district, which encompasses the Britannia Youngstown, Canora, Glenwood, and West Jasper Place neighbourhoods.

The High Park Community League aims to appoint "block captains" in its neighbourhood, and calls the project Playing with Blocks. Meanwhile, the North Glenora Community League has created what it calls the North Glenora Human Library, which will create a way to "check out" community members, library style, to meet and learn from them.

There are five projects in the heart of the district. Artist Allison Ochoa aims to create a spring festival. Freedom School of Dance will create scholarships. Jasper Place Community History will create community storytelling displays. The Red Road Healing Society will create an arts program for people receiving food support. And ch. cafeteria will offer jazz performances by Donald William Ross and friends.

In the centre-west part of Jasper Place, the Crestwood Community League will offer a Nordic walking program for seniors.

The other projects are the titular festival from International Festival of Winter Cinema Society of Alberta, Black History Month concerts by Garth Prince, and a series of block parties by Meadowlark Community League.

"We heard that boosting the community's sense of belonging would create a strong foundation for the community to build capacity to address broader issues," an engagement report by project partner Tilia Consulting reads. "We're focused on exploring the many different ways we can boost our community's sense of belonging — and create a more connected and welcoming Jasper Place District and beyond."

Photo: A $50,000 fund for fostering belonging in Jasper Place has now been disbursed to 11 projects. (Supplied/John Ellenberger)

• With more than 5,000 members of Civic Service Union 52 ready to strike as of 11am on March 14, the City of Edmonton is telling residents to plan and prepare for service disruptions and some facility closures. All recreation, sport, and leisure centres will be closed to the public with some exceptions, and all drop-in and registered programs at parks, attractions, and arts and heritage facilities will be cancelled. Business permitting and licensing will be paused, along with several inspection services. Essential services such as Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, Edmonton Transit Service, and waste collection will continue with minimal impact. The Edmonton Public Library announced all 21 branches will close, suspending all programs and extending due dates without late fees, while the Edmonton Police Service will temporarily suspend public-facing services like police information checks.
• Civic Service Union 52 president Lanny Chudyk met with Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi on March 13, but said the parties are no closer to reaching a deal. "The city continues to be unwilling to negotiate," Chudyk said. "The mayor can keep his head in the sand all he wants and wish the two parties would get together – but that directive comes from him." On the same day, Sohi and the rest of council released a joint statement saying the city's offer, which includes a 7.25% wage increase over five years, is a "fair and equitable deal" for both union members and "Edmontonians, who are facing their own affordability pressures." Alberta Jobs Minister Matt Jones said the province is monitoring the labour dispute closely.
• Edmonton city council compensation is increasing by 2.41% in 2024, with Mayor Amarjeet Sohi's base salary rising from $211,488 last year to $216,585, ranking him among Canada's highest-paid mayors. Councillors' base salaries are $122,363 in 2024, up from $119,484 in 2023. Council compensation is determined by a regulatory mechanism set by a council policy that was last reviewed in 2020. When asked by Postmedia about his salary, considering the city's financial challenges, Sohi said elected officials don't set their own pay. "What we get paid should be determined by an independent body of experts and community members. That's exactly what happened here," he said.
• The City of Edmonton has paused plans for a hydrogen fuelling station for city buses and private vehicles because the demand for hydrogen has changed, but a spokesperson said it will revisit the project when there is more "clarity and consistent demand". Despite the pause, two municipal hydrogen pilot projects are still moving forward, including testing on a hydrogen-fuelled bus. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the city is committed to exploring hydrogen technology but will do so cautiously, in light of past challenges with electric buses.
• Edmonton has completed a new solar photovoltaic installation at the Commonwealth Recreation Centre, featuring 1,128 panels expected to significantly offset the facility's energy needs. The project, which began operations in March and received $340,000 in funding from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, aims to produce 708 MWh of energy in its first year. A dozen city facilities now have solar photovoltaic installations in operation.
• Const. Dustin Adsett of the Edmonton Police Service is on trial for allegedly assaulting a man with a Taser during a March 2021 arrest, after responding to a call about a man pointing bear spray at officers. Adsett, who has pleaded not guilty, testified that when he arrived at the scene, he was shocked to see another officer, Const. Oli Olason, with his boot on the man's head. Adsett said he assumed the tactic was in response to Olason being bear sprayed, which informed his choice to use the Taser. Olason, who resigned from the police service in late 2021, is set to stand trial in May 2025.
• The Edmonton Police Service released footage of a cave shelter in the river valley inhabited by a person experiencing homelessness. Police said the cave was purposely dug to provide shelter and was discovered on Feb. 21 to have collapsed. It is now fenced off and police said its occupant was taken to the navigation and support centre the province opened in January.
• The Winspear Centre in Edmonton is set to receive $12.8 million in funding from the 2024 provincial budget for its expansion project that aims to enhance the venue with a new 550-seat acoustic performance venue, community spaces, music studios, and classrooms. The project, expected to create about 350 jobs, is aimed to be complete in 2025.
• The Alberta government introduced a new Alberta is Calling program offering a $5,000 refundable tax credit to attract 2,000 skilled tradespeople to the province in 2024. The province says the effort is intended to address workforce shortages in sectors such as construction and infrastructure, but critics say the effort falls short of promises to attract health and childcare workers the United Conservative Party made in the last election. Finance Minister Nate Horner also proposed amendments to expand the province's film and television tax credit program.

On this day in 1965, developers were trying to tempt homebuyers to move to the growing exurb of Sherwood Park.

Many of the villages, towns, and cities in the Edmonton region first sprang up between the 1850s to the early 1900s. But Sherwood Park got its start in 1951. That year, developers John Hook Campbell and John Mitchell sought approval to carve out space for a new country-residential community in Strathcona County. The pair originally pitched the idea of building around 100 homes on what was then farmland. The hope was to appeal to buyers who worked in the newly built refineries east of Edmonton. The Municipal District of Strathcona approved the plan in 1953. And within a couple of years, the first model homes were ready for the public.

But the community was not yet called Sherwood Park. When the first handful of families moved in during the winter of 1955, the hamlet went by Campbelltown, named after one of the developers. Yet that name wouldn't stick for long. In 1956, Canada Post demanded Campbelltown change its name. There was already a Campbelltown in New Brunswick, as well as one in Scotland and a couple in Australia, and this made mail delivery confusing. So, Sherwood Park was born. The name is a direct reference to the Sherwood Forest that featured in the stories of Robin Hood.

Prospective homebuyers were lured out to the nascent community with promises of "an entirely new way of living," according to one marketing brochure from the 1950s. Among the touted benefits were "50% lower taxes," "all-weather paved roads," and "the finest homes ever seen in Canada." Buyers were offered the choice of 68 Ranch-style home designs.

But despite the lofty promises, Sherwood Park's earliest residents had a rough experience. Sidewalks and streetlights were not in place. Telephone service didn't exist. Electricity was unreliable. The spring of 1956 brought new challenges, too. The water mains installed in the winter ended up bursting when the ground thawed, forcing many residents to rely on melted snow to flush toilets. And while the pipes might have been dry, the ground was not. Heavy rain and snow meant a wet summer, which turned the unpaved streets into a muddy mess. Freeing stuck vehicles became a regular occurrence for early Sherwood Park residents.

Despite these challenges, the community grew. A general store opened in 1955, and other businesses soon followed. For the first few years, Sherwood Park relied on a volunteer firefighting force — which was made up almost entirely of women. Most of the men in the community worked in factories, meaning they were in Edmonton during working hours. Women who did not work outside the community filled in the gap.

By 1959, Sherwood Park had swelled to 500 homes. That year saw the construction of the community's first firehall, its second school, and other services to cater to its growing population. New highway construction in the 1960s made it easier to commute between Sherwood Park and Edmonton, fuelling growth.

Sherwood Park listed a population of roughly 72,000 people in 2021. If it were a city, that would make it Alberta's sixth-largest. But, despite its city-like size, Sherwood Park never gave up its status as a hamlet. It's often said to be the largest hamlet in the world. It doesn't have its own government, instead falling under the umbrella of Strathcona County. To deal with the need to fund and provide services to such a large centre, the province has designated Sherwood Park as an "urban service area" that is often treated as a city. (It shares this title with Alberta's other seems-like-it-would-be-a-city-but-actually-isn't place, Fort McMurray.)

Sherwood Park has changed dramatically from those four model houses surrounded by muddy roads 70 years ago. This very (very) large hamlet continues to deal with a growing population and demand for more services. Just last month, Strathcona County agreed to a deal that would see an $85-million dollar multipurpose arena built in Sherwood Park, aimed to open in 2026.

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.

• A Conversation on Shared Leadership Models in the Non-Profit Sector starting at 4:30pm at the Victoria Golf Course Clubhouse
• DemoCamp 56 starting at 6:30pm at Amii
• Irrational Comedy starting at 7:30pm at the Irrational Brewing Company
• Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers starting at 8pm at Rogers Place

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 19: Alberta Women Entrepreneurs: Intro to Intelligent Automation For SMEs online
• March 21: WaiTALK Edmonton at AltaML Inc.
• March 25: Launch of The Prairie Gardener's Go-To for Grasses and The Prairie Gardener's Go-To for Herbs. at Audreys Books

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