The Pulse: April 10, 2024

Several city-owned lots in The Quarters are in the process of being sold to developers, giving at least one city councillor a glimmer of hope that there is legitimate progress to revitalize the 106-acre neighbourhood.

"There are some active land sales and I know (of some) solicitation of proposals," Coun. Anne Stevenson told Taproot. "So, that's certainly something that I think is important."

Two land parcels the city owns in The Quarters — the Koermann Block and lots close to Rowland Road — are now up for sale, and they carry incentives for developers of up to $1.5 million in city money to service the site into a state that can allow redevelopment. The city specifies it wants affordable housing on the listing.

A spokesperson in Stevenson's office confirmed the city will use the incentive money to "de-risk the investment and support the intent of having affordable housing on these sites."

Work to revitalize The Quarters, an expanse of land that's largely being used as surface parking across 18 city blocks, began with a community visioning exercise in 2006. The area was formerly Edmonton's residential and commercial hub before that activity shifted westward, leaving many of the original buildings to fall into disrepair. The announcement of Canada Place in the late 1970s is often cited as a significant change that pushed much of the remaining vibrancy (and buildings) out.

The city first started work on a plan for The Quarters in 2009. It anticipated that, once fully built, between 18,000 to 20,000 people would call the neighbourhood home, up from the current 2,500 or so residents. The plan roughly coincided with several other plans the city started at the time for redevelopment in the core, including Blatchford (2010), West Rossdale (2014), and the Exhibition Lands (2017).

Like many of those planned redevelopment sites, the amount of new housing added in The Quarters has been incremental. But unlike those sites, Stevenson said, The Quarters is unique because the city does not own all or most of the land — an important distinction. "I think that's a unique challenge to The Quarters and one that I think is at the heart of where we're at right now."

Beyond the incentives that offer public money to spur development in The Quarters, Stevenson said she hopes the city can change any specific zoning to cut potential barriers and continue conversations with existing landowners "to understand what barriers they see (and) what, from their perspective, are the pieces that need to be in place to help get them to a point of developing."

Finally, Stevenson said the city's new approach to parking-lot permits could offer a significant boost. The policy will allow existing lot owners to apply for temporary permits but also require improvements before those permits are issued. "Those (owners) who choose to not take that approach will be prioritized for enforcement," Stevenson said. "Either we're improving the streetscape or improving the look and feel of the area through enhancements, (or) conversely (we're) shutting them down and potentially creating a situation where the holding cost of those parcels, when they don't have active parking on them, maybe incentivizes property owners to develop or to sell on to someone who's more focused."

• The City of Edmonton launched the Chinatown Vibrancy Fund, a grant program allocating $480,000 to support community projects to help enhance Chinatown's vibrancy, inclusivity, and cultural significance. The fund is part of more than $1 million invested since 2022 for post-pandemic recovery efforts in Chinatown. Local businesses, community members, and the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society welcomed the grant, emphasizing the need for more involvement and action to ensure the area's viability and appeal.
• Edmonton city council will consider new regulations on knife sales in convenience stores in response to concerns about safety and the prevalence of knives among youth. There's been an increase of Chinatown businesses selling knives, swords, brass knuckles, and bear spray, Sandy Pon of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society told council's urban planning committee. A report on options available to council is expected by late summer or September. The Edmonton Police Service announced this week that the owner of a downtown smoke shop faces charges after police seized more than 100 illegal weapons that were being sold in the store.
• The City of Edmonton announced the opening of its municipal golf courses for the 2024 season. Rundle Golf Course is scheduled to open on April 10, offering an 18-hole course suitable for beginners and families, while the Victoria Driving Range is already open, with extended summer hours of 9am to 9pm beginning May 1. Edmontonians can book tee times and lessons online.
• The Edmonton Public School Board announced that Oliver School has been renamed to wîhkwêntôwin School, aligning with the recent renaming of its surrounding neighbourhood to the Cree term meaning "circle of friends." The change comes as part of a broader effort to rectify the historical injustices associated with the neighbourhood's previous namesake, Frank Oliver, who was known for policies targeting Indigenous peoples and immigrants.
• Hundreds of Edmontonians gathered at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Observatory at Coronation Park to safely view the partial solar eclipse on April 8. The TELUS World of Science, which co-hosted the viewing event, also livestreamed the eclipse for those who couldn't see it in person.
• Alberta Health Services is investigating after Perla Estrada, an undocumented woman, said she was denied an emergency C-section at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton unless she paid $5,000 upfront. Estrada, who is originally from Mexico, was later admitted to the Misericordia Community Hospital where she gave birth to her daughter. Advocates and health experts criticized the denial of care based on immigration status. AHS policy states that emergency care should not be denied due to lack of medical insurance.
• A daytime shooting at a construction site in southeast Edmonton on April 8 killed two men, including Buta Singh Gill, a prominent member of the city's South Asian community and owner of Gill Built Homes. The shooting, which also left one man with serious life-threatening injuries, is not believed to be connected to recent extortion-related cases targeting home builders in the South Asian community. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who worked with Gill while both were employed by Edmonton Transit Service, highlighted his significant contributions to the community.
• The Edmonton Oilers are taking a cautious approach with captain Connor McDavid, who has a lower body injury and hasn't participated in the team's last two practices. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the decision on McDavid's participation in the team's April 10 game against the Vegas Golden Knights will be a collaborative one that includes the Oilers medical team. "He's day-to-day. It's a maintenance thing," Knoblauch said.
• Edmonton Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais is the Oilers nominee for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the Edmonton chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced. The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the NHL player who best showcases perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Meanwhile, the Art Ross Trophy for most regular-season points could be awarded to a player other than an Oiler for the first time in five years. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning is currently in the lead with 136 points, with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche following with 133 points. Oilers captain Connor McDavid trails with 130 points.
• The Edmonton Elks announced three new additions to their roster by signing Hergy Mayala, Shane Richards, and Hunter Steward. The Elks also placed defensive lineman Chauncey Manac on the retired list following his signing in January 2024.
• The Alberta government introduced legislation to establish the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE), a new Crown corporation that will focus on the province's approach to mental health and addiction treatment, with a focus on recovery. Critics have raised concerns about the potential for political influence over its activities and research, while Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams said the province has to listen to "whatever evidence comes out of the best possible research." The province said CoRE will collaborate with universities and other institutions for research, with an annual operating budget of $5 million.

On this day in 1950, Edmonton was looking at new ways to span the North Saskatchewan River.

The effort was kicked off by a report recommending five new bridges, issued by P.L. Pratley, who was serving as Edmonton's cross-river structural consultant. When it came to bridges, Pratley knew what he was talking about: the Montreal bridge designer was behind some of the country's best-known crossings, including Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge and Halifax's Angus L. Macdonald Bridge.

Most urgent, in Pratley's mind, was a bridge that would cross the river at 123 Street. The bridge at Groat Road would be built in this area and opened five years later. But he also saw the growth of residential neighbourhoods in the city's deep west end (growth that would continue into the next decade), and proposed a bridge at 142 Street to connect the north and south sides of the river.

It would be almost two decades, but construction finally started on what would become the Quesnell Bridge in the late 1960s. The five-lane girder bridge cost about $6 million to construct (which would put it at around $51 million in 2024 dollars.) The new bridge was named after the nearby neighbourhood of Quesnell Heights, which was itself named after … someone. There are several possibilities, but no one is exactly sure who.

The bridge was integrated into the new Whitemud Freeway. The predicted growth of Edmonton's west-end neighbourhoods continued into the 1970s and '80s, with the bridge and the freeway serving as a vital link for local traffic. By the 2000s, it had become the busiest bridge in the city, handling around 120,000 cars each day — far more than it was originally designed for.

It wasn't until 2008 that the first major rehabilitation project was done on the then-40-year-old bridge. The project involved adding more lanes, extending the bridge's lifespan, and assessing how it would weather a changing climate.

The rehabilitation wrapped up in 2011. That was also the year the Quesnell Bridge got its most famous and controversial feature — the Talus Dome. The $600,000 art piece formed of stainless steel orbs is a reference to the shape of rock debris in the area before the bridge's construction. The reception was decidedly mixed, both for the sculpture itself and its location alongside a busy freeway. The city defended the decision, citing the location as the entrance to many river valley paths and expressing a desire to avoid concentrating public art in just a few places. (That said, Edmonton now has a new public art strategy that departs from the regime under which the Talus Dome was commissioned.)

Thirteen years after its introduction to Edmonton, the Talus Dome is still one of the city's best-known pieces of public art: some Edmontonians admire it, others ridicule it, and at least one has become trapped inside it.

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.

• 2024 Eric J. Hanson Lecture starting at 9:30am at the University of Alberta — TELUS International Centre
• Business Innovation Showcase starting at 4pm at NAIT — Feltham Centre (CAT)
• Prairie BioEconomy Guild: Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. starting at 5pm at Brewsters Unity Square
• Spring Info Eve starting at 5pm at the Gibbons Community Cultural Centre
• Emotional Regulation & Mindfulness Part 1 starting at 7pm online

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 23-25: Canadian Hydrogen Convention at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• April 25: Sustain YEG meetup at Edmonton Unlimited
• May 10: State of the City Address at the Edmonton Convention Centre

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