The Pulse: April 18, 2024

Edmonton Unlimited has hired Tom Viinikka, the current CEO of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office, as the permanent replacement for its former CEO Catherine Warren, whom its board parted ways with in January.

"Tom provides a number of dimensions that make him an excellent fit for Edmonton Unlimited," board chair Lindsay Dodd told Taproot. "He is well known in the community and has a history of building really mutually beneficial connections across the community. That's the role of the CEO at Edmonton Unlimited — to build those connections, and leverage and support all dimensions of the innovation community."

Viinikka assumes his new post on May 15, replacing interim CEO Launa Aspeslet, who will resume her role on Edmonton Unlimited's board. Aspeslet took over after Warren was dismissed on Jan. 22. Dodd said he could not say when Edmonton Unlimited signed a deal with Viinikka, citing confidentiality. Edmonton film commissioner Dorian Rowe will fill Viinikka's shoes at ESIO temporarily as interim CEO.

Both Edmonton Unlimited and ESIO serve at the pleasure of the City of Edmonton. In 2022, Innovate Edmonton, which was created from the dismantled Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, rebranded as Edmonton Unlimited. The organization's mission is to harness innovation for economic development. Meanwhile, ESIO supports the development of Edmonton's screen industries.

Dodd said the choice to leave ESIO for Edmonton Unlimited was Viinikka's to make, and asserts it should be a smooth transition for both organizations. The ESIO wished Viinikka well in a statement.

"No organization owns their staff," Dodd said. "Tom, as a strong leader, has a very strong succession plan … The ESIO has been very supportive of Tom."

Viinikka hasn't always served city-owned organizations. He co-founded techy screen-industry companies vrCAVE and AlignVR, and was president of Omen Capital Group from 2015 until joining ESIO in 2021.

"My entire career, I have been an entrepreneur and supported entrepreneurs. It is an honour to collaborate with such a high performing team at Edmonton Unlimited—working with innovative, bold entrepreneurs in our local ecosystem," Viinikka wrote in an announcement.

Dodd says Edmonton Unlimited is excited to see how Viinikka will build a new strategy for the organization. In January, as news Warren was leaving broke, Dodd told Taproot that founders "often step aside in order to make way for new leaders to come in and grow the organization, and that's what this organization is going through."

Over at ESIO, a town hall scheduled for April 18 has been rescheduled for May 7, so the office can "better prepare" for Viinikka and Rowe to answer questions, a representative told Taproot in an email.

Photo: Departing Edmonton Screen Industries Office CEO Tom Viinikka, right, poses opposite his interim replacement, Dorian Rowe, during a film shoot for Dept.9 Studios in Oct. 2023. That company's president and COO, Don Depoe, stands between them. (Supplied)

• The Edmonton Transit Service will implement spring service changes on April 28. The changes reflect typical spring ridership patterns and include the suspension of service to post-secondary schools until the start of the fall term. Several routes remain detoured to accommodate renewal work on 132 Avenue, Valley Line West construction, and other projects. Starting in early May, the Summer Streets program will convert vehicle lanes along Victoria Park Road, Saskatchewan Drive, and Calgary Trail into walking and cycling paths, which will affect some transit routes.
• The City of Edmonton released the final draft of its District Policy and 15 district plans, which will go to council during a public hearing from May 28 to 30. Residents are invited to attend a virtual information session on April 22, 23, or 24, which will cover updates to the policy since public engagement in 2023 and explain how Edmontonians can participate in the public hearing. District planning is a key part of the City Plan, and the new documents represent a "significant milestone in streamlining and modernizing our planning framework," the City said in a release.
• Rainbow Refuge, a program from the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers that supports 2SLGBTQ+ refugees, is struggling due to high demand. The program, founded in 2015, started with 15 members and now has more than 600, who represent more than 60 countries, many of which have laws that criminalize same-sex relationships. While permanent residents are funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the federal government doesn't fund refugee claimants, meaning program organizers have had to pull together funds from city grants, donors, and fundraisers from the Fruit Loop Society of Alberta.
• The former Army & Navy building on Whyte Avenue and the parking lot behind it were recently listed on the market for $6.6 million. The well-known site has been mostly vacant since the store shut down in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a closure that disappointed many Edmontonians. The listing includes prices for both the building and the land, which could be sold separately.
• At a UCP fundraising dinner at the Edmonton Convention Centre on April 16, Premier Danielle Smith said the UCP is building support in Edmonton. The event drew around 1,300 people, 300 more than last year, and raised at least $455,000. "These are all unprecedented numbers, and at ticket prices that are also the highest they've ever been," said UCP president Rob Smith. "That passion absolutely is rooted in Danielle Smith." The UCP lost its only seat in Edmonton in last May's election.
• The Edmonton Humane Society is switching back to walk-in, in-person adoptions to make the process more efficient and lead to more animals being taken home on the day of adoption. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the society moved to an online, appointment-based approach to adoptions. Along with the change, the society is running its Spring Them Home event from April 19 to 28, during which all adoption fees and training class costs for adopted dogs will be reduced.
• Clare Bonnyman, host of CBC's This Is Edmonton podcast, spoke to business owners and City of Edmonton representatives about the proposed entertainment district along Rice Howard Way. The proposal would see Rice Howard Way restricted to pedestrian-only access from 11am on Friday to 11am on Sunday during summer months.
• CTV News highlighted Edmonton resident Aysha O'Brien, who set up a curbside DVD "library" on her block, a variation of the free book libraries set up in outdoor installations. O'Brien's library is themed after the movie rental chain Blockbuster and also holds candy and popcorn. She said the project was intended to cater to her neighbourhood, but people from across Edmonton have stopped by.
• The Alberta government introduced a new physician compensation model, which it developed with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) after "extensive consultation." The model is expected to see doctors paid based on hours worked and number of patients seen, but there is no timeline for when it will be in place, and many details have yet to be determined. AMA president Dr. Paul Parks called it a positive step but emphasized the importance of the model including physicians with smaller patient rosters.

Here are opportunities to inform city planning about neighbourhood and alley renewals in Glenwood and street safety in Brander Gardens.

• Glenwood (163 Street West) Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal — The City of Edmonton is refining its draft design for neighbourhood and alley renewal in Glenwood West. Residents can register for an online workshop on April 25 or complete a survey to ensure the design reflects the project's vision and guiding principles until April 29.
• Glenwood (163 Street East) Alley Renewal — The City of Edmonton has started planning and design work for alley renewal in Glenwood East. The project team invites residents to meet them at the Glenwood Community League on April 20 or complete a survey about their experiences using Glenwood East alleys until May 6.
• Brander Gardens Safe Routes to School — In summer 2023, the City of Edmonton completed planning, design, and implementation of various measures to improve road safety in the south-west Brander Gardens neighbourhood as part of the Safe Routes to School program. The project team now invites residents and families with children in Brander Gardens School and Tempo School to provide feedback about the upgrades through an evaluation survey before April 29.

More input opportunities

• Until April 30: Sports Hall of Fame nominations (City of Leduc)
• Until May 10: Healthy Aging Survey (Strathcona County)
• Until May 17: Your St. Albert: Themes and Meanings Survey (City of St. Albert)

Photo: The City of Edmonton's Safe Routes to School program aims to improve safety along routes to schools beyond the immediate surrounding streets. (City of Edmonton)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• A Vision of Home starting at 9am at Edmonton City Hall
• Mastering Sustainable Cash Flow: Indicators to Monitor for Business Success starting at 11am presented online by ATB Events
• Women in Leadership starting at 5pm at Derrick Golf and Winter Club
• Art Industry Night 2024 starting at 5pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• MindFULL: A Candid Conversation on Women's Mental Health starting at 5:30pm at the NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre (PIC)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 24: The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis at the University of Alberta
• April 26: Opening Reception: PANORAMADA at Harcourt House Arts Centre
• April 27: House of Bach — Sweet Suites at the First Presbyterian Church

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