The Pulse: April 17, 2024

YEG Ballroom is hosting what it believes to be the first ball of its kind in Edmonton on April 27 at The Freemasons' Hall.

This is not a ballroom ball like the European partner dance, and it's not a drag show. Instead, the Spring Dream Mini Kiki Ball will combine pageantry and dance contests in a way that crystallized during the 1980s in New York City, especially in Harlem. Ballroom was built by racialized queer people wanting a safe space to have fun, escape the challenges of daily life, including racism, and embrace fantasy.

"As far as I know, this is the first kind of function like this in Edmonton," Amelia Altmiks, YEG Ballroom's co-founder and projects director, told Taproot.

Ballroom began to enter mainstream consciousness in 1990 when both Madonna's video for "Vogue" and the documentary Paris Is Burning came out. More recently, ballroom culture has been celebrated on Beyoncé's Renaissance album, and on TV with Pose, Legendary, and RuPaul's Drag Race.

At a contemporary ball, guests should expect a nightclub environment where contestants and spectators dress up to a certain theme. There's a runway, judges, a DJ booth, and an emcee who hosts and provides a vocal performance. Some categories are about walking like a model, while others involve performing the five elements of vogue.

The Spring Dream event theme has a lot of room for interpretation, Altmiks said.

"We were thinking 'spring dream' because it has that new life," she said. "Also, there's the dreamy possibility of the ethereal, so if people want to be in more dreamy looks or more mythical looks, they could also opt for those."

Altmiks, who performs drag and burlesque under the names Lucian and Luna LaPearl, formed YEG Ballroom last year alongside dancer Mavi Tolentino. Part of her motivation was to establish a space that celebrates queer people of colour in the grand tradition of ballroom.

"I do truly believe that we have to make that space for ourselves," Altmiks said. "The intent really comes from wanting to create space for everyone."

Since the ballroom scene is still relatively new to Edmonton, Taproot set out to explain a bit of its history and how it all works.

• The City of Edmonton is preparing for wildfire season and urging Edmontonians to play their part by adhering to fire bans and restrictions and to be mindful of actions that could spark fires. There have been more than 145 wildfires in Edmonton since Jan. 1, and last year's historic season in Alberta included "significant grass fires" that "came close to communities," said Edmonton Fire Rescue Services Chief Joe Zatylny, noting firefighters train throughout the year to remain prepared. Alberta Wildfire is also preparing for a challenging season this year, with about 850 firefighters ready to combat the increased fire danger due to drought conditions.
• The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 has filed a bad-faith bargaining complaint against the City of Edmonton with the Alberta Labour Relations Board, after it said the city refused to allow the union's strategic advisors to be present at the negotiation table. This dispute comes as negotiations for a new the Edmonton Transit Service collective agreement, which expired on Dec. 30, were set to begin. "It's creating a bad working relationship," union president Steve Bradshaw said.
• Edmonton pinball enthusiast Dave Formenti achieved an extraordinary high score of 6.2 billion points on a Foo Fighters pinball machine at Sherbrooke Pub, a feat that earned a nod from the game's chief designer, Jack Danger. Formenti's accomplishment came after years of playing pinball, a hobby he shares with his wife. "I'm terribly grateful for people acknowledging that it's something a little bit special," Formenti said.
• Edmonton's Cameron Heights Community League will build a new community hall with support from a $699,085 grant from Alberta's Community Facility Enhancement Program. The new facility will provide space for community league programming, events, and activities in the neighbourhood, which has a lack of community gathering spaces. It will be the 128th community league hall in the city, according to the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is grappling with a $1.9-million budget shortfall due to unexpected high repair and replacement costs for its aging fleet. In a conversation with Coun. Keren Tang livestreamed on Facebook, Fire Chief Joe Zatylny highlighted the challenges of managing increased costs across the board, including fuel and maintenance. Tang said the challenge is compounded by decreased provincial funding for infrastructure. "We have a government that's telling people to move here, they're giving folks a moving bonus for certain trade workers, yet they're not funding communities to develop the infrastructure to keep these people in place," she said.
• Edmonton has shown a slight improvement in office vacancies in the first quarter of 2024, with a modest decrease of 0.6%, according to a report from CBRE Canada: Commercial Real Estate Services. Edmonton's office vacancy rate stands at 22.3% downtown and 19% in the suburbs, as discussions continue about converting less desirable office buildings into residential spaces to revitalize the city's core. Despite a push for municipal financial support for conversion projects, Edmonton's city council recently rejected a motion for an incentive program.
• Former Edmonton city manager Andre Corbould has joined Danchilla Consulting, the company announced. Corbould left his role with the City of Edmonton on April 3, after a little more than three years in the position.
• Victoria Golf Course will open on April 17, followed by Riverside Golf Course on April 18, the City of Edmonton announced. Rundle Golf Course and Victoria Driving Range are already open to the public. Golfers in Edmonton can book tee times and lessons for both youth and adults online.
• Recreational properties near Edmonton are seeing increased demand, with Lake Wabamun properties experiencing a nearly 20% price jump, the highest in Canada. The average price for a single-family detached recreational home in Alberta was about $1.238 million at the end of 2023, according to the 2024 Spring Recreational Property Price Forecast by Royal LePage. Tom Shearer of Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate said areas like Wabamun Lake, Pigeon Lake, and Lac Ste. Anne appeal to buyers because their proximity to Edmonton offers a quick escape for city residents.
• Edmonton's neonatal intensive care units are operating beyond safe capacity levels, risking the health of vulnerable infants, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said in an open letter to Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and Alberta Health Services. LaGrange said the province is willing to transport infants to other cities or provinces to ensure they receive necessary care. Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley said raising the option of transferring babies out of province for care is a "declaration of failure by this UCP government."
• Alberta's 2024 budget includes a $21-million increase in operating funding for the province's affordable housing providers, raising the total to $75 million for 2024-25. This boost aims to support the maintenance and operation of more than 60,000 government-subsidized homes for more than 110,000 Albertans, addressing rising costs and ensuring low-income individuals and families have access to affordable housing. Edmonton-based Civida said the funding will help it maintain and renew its housing while managing pressure from inflation.
• The Canadian Association of Journalists announced the finalists for its 2023 awards, including Edmonton photojournalist Amber Bracken and Edmonton journalist Brandi Morin. The winners will be announced at a gala in Toronto on June 1.
• Edmonton Oilers fans are expressing frustration over the high cost of tickets to the NHL playoffs at Rogers Place, with prices for the first round about 25% higher than they were last year. The least expensive ticket for Game 1 was a verified resale ticket for $283 in the upper bowl. The Oilers are once again hosting watch parties at ICE District Plaza and Scotiabank Fan Park. The events have free admission and are open to all ages, though space is limited. Rogers Place will also host indoor watch parties for away games with a $5 entry fee benefiting Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. The foundation is also selling 50/50 raffle tickets for the first round of the playoffs, with proceeds benefitting the Kids With Cancer Society, Ben Stelter Foundation, and the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
• Edmonton Oilers player Evander Kane was given a maintenance day on April 15, sitting out the team's match-up against the San Jose Sharks. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Kane would have played if it was a playoff game, but he wanted to give him time to rest and heal. Kane has been the subject of significant scrutiny this season, and was recently fined $5,000 for slashing Calgary Flames player Dryden Hunt in an April 6 game.

On this day in 1919, James Ramsey, otherwise known as Edmonton's "Merchant Prince," was selling Easter clothes.

Ramsey shaped the way shopping worked in Edmonton, but the foundations of what became his retail kingdom began thousands of kilometres away. He was born in 1864 in Michigan. His family soon moved to Ontario. He was just 13 years old when he got his first retail job, working in a general store in Plattsville, Ontario. From there, he built connections in Toronto, Montreal, and New York.

In 1910, Ramsey made his first trip to Edmonton and was impressed by the business potential in the growing city. It was on that trip that he linked up with real-estate investor Robert Tegler, who was planning a massive new modern office block for the city. Ramsey returned to Ontario, but it wasn't long before Tegler reached out with a good offer to lease the bottom floor of his new building to Ramsey, who would establish a retail store. Ramsey packed up and moved to Edmonton.

When the James Ramsey Ltd. department store opened in 1911, it became an overnight success. Literally. It cost Ramsey around $19,000 to construct and stock his store — but it brought in almost half that amount in sales on its opening day alone.

Ramsey used his extensive retail experience to change the way Edmontonians spent their money. While most local shopkeepers would round prices up to the nearest five cents, Ramsey priced his goods down to the specific cent. This forced shoppers to adopt using pennies, which until then had mainly been ignored in the city. He also offered mail-order shopping and produced semi-annual catalogues, which reached customers in the rural areas that surrounded the city.

His tactics worked. From the beginning, the store was almost constantly expanding. The store grew larger in 1912, and once again in 1913, when an eight-storey expansion was added to the Tegler Building. And then it grew once again, in 1914, when Ramsey made a deal with John Kelly, a blacksmith-turned-developer who had just constructed the Kelly Building next door. Ramsey leased out the first floor of Kelly's building to continue expanding his retail offerings.

By the 1920s, Ramsey ran one of the largest department stores in western Canada — sprawling 175,000 square feet and employing hundreds. It housed more than 20 different departments — everything from groceries to furniture, to building supplies and clothing. In 1927, Ramsey built a final expansion to his store. While the new expansion was added to the Kelly Building, it was done in a different style from the original and became known as the Ramsey Block.

Not content with just being a businessman, Ramsey also succeeded as a politician. He was first elected as an Edmonton alderman in 1914. After his two-year term, he set sights on provincial politics. He was elected as the representative for Edmonton East in 1917 and took over as leader of the province's Conservative party for about a year. Ramsey's decade-long stint in politics came to an end in 1923, when he failed to win in a run for mayor of Edmonton.

In 1928, Ramsey ended his reign as the Merchant Prince of Edmonton (a nickname whose origins have been lost). He sold the department store to the Eaton Company for $1 million (about $17.5 million in 2024 dollars). Then, Ramsey did what so many of us would do if we had a vast fortune, by retiring somewhere much warmer. Ramsey moved to the Bahamas and was there until his death in 1939.

The year after his death, the Alberta government purchased the Kelly Building and Ramsey Block, then sold them to a private company. While the Tegler Building was demolished in 1982, the Kelly Ramsey Building remained on Rice Howard Way as a reminder of one of Edmonton's most storied and enduring businesses. However, in 2009, a fire linked to arson gutted the building, damaging it enough to force tenants to move. It remained empty until 2013 when it was demolished.

But the Kelly Ramsey Building rose again, at least partially. Construction soon began on the 25-storey Enbridge Centre on the site. The original brick and granite of the Kelly Ramsey building, saved during its demolition, were used on the three-storey podium of the new office tower, preserving some of the site's history as a centre of commerce. The building might soon become part of a new attraction in Edmonton, as the city has proposed turning Rice Howard Way into a pedestrian-only entertainment district.

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.

• Creating a Competitive Canadian Media Fund Application starting at 11:30am presented online by Digital Alberta
• An Evening of Presentations | YEG Reconnect starting at 5:30pm at Road 55 Studio
• Gardening 101 starting at 6pm at the Stanley A. Milner Library
• Solar energy and pollinators: How can we have the best of both worlds? starting at 7pm at the Edmonton Public Library — Strathcona
• National Canadian Film Day: Bones of Crows starting at 7pm at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 21: A Garland of Ragas at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• April 23-25: Canadian Hydrogen Convention at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• April 25: Wellness Lunch and Learns: Thriving Through Difficult Conversations presented online by REACH Edmonton

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