The Pulse: May 29, 2024

Hot on the heels of investment successes, UpRow has launched the 2.0 version of its app marketplace that assists newcomers, all in the lead-up to its pitch at Inventures in Calgary and a trade mission to London.

Founder and CEO Kelise Williams, who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago with her family five years ago, created UpRow because of her own "rocky" experience.

"When I first landed in Canada, we never had credit cards (before). I didn't know that hotels needed a credit card to put on file," Williams told Taproot. "Hence, my first night in Canada, I spent the night in the lobby of a hotel."

Like many an entrepreneur, Williams saw a problem and set out to fix it. That led to the launch of UpRow, a facilitator for newcomers to access businesses and services, about two years ago.

"Since then, we have had 5,000-plus early adopters using the platform, helping us to validate the idea," she said. "It has been amazing."

Williams has developed her startup with the help of the Velocity stream of Alberta Catalyzer and Alberta Accelerator by 500, two programs launched as part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program. Those efforts paid off when the Edmonton Edge Fund awarded UpRow $100,000 to help integrate artificial intelligence into UpRow 2.0.

"The real gem behind UpRow is we use AI technology like a search engine to match people with services that they need," Williams said. "We are saying, 'Hey, it looks like you need this service, this person is offering a discount for newcomers, maybe you should check it out.'"

Discounts with partner businesses make up the other main new feature in UpRow 2.0, launched on May 25 with a virtual event for existing users and at an in-person event at Edmonton Unlimited on May 27. UpRow doesn't charge its users. Instead, it makes money from charging the partner businesses included in its directory and its discount program.

"We are targeting persons who don't have any established buying patterns," Williams said, explaining why companies want to be in UpRow. "Newcomers, when introduced to (a business), if it's a reputable source … they tend to be a customer of that company for a lifetime. You're getting very, very loyal customers."

Williams is in the due-diligence process to receive up to $51,000 from femme-focused investor The51, because she was a winner during the organization's pitch competition at last year's Inventures.

She hopes lightning strikes twice at the Inventures Startup Pitch Competition on May 29. There, Williams will pitch for $10,000 in the "Tech Triathlon: Quantum + AI + IoT" track. Hers is one of six Edmonton companies vying for a prize at Alberta Innovates's annual conference on tech across industries at Calgary's TELUS Convention Centre from May 29 to 31.

• More than 80 people have signed up to share their feedback during three days of public hearings on the City of Edmonton's proposed district plans. The plans are intended to support the city's growth to two million residents, focusing on the "15-minute city" concept where daily needs are within a short walk, bike, or transit trip from home. The proposals, which include significant bylaw changes and the creation of 15 new district plans, have sparked debate, with the majority of registered speakers not supportive of the changes. Postmedia obtained a confidential memo showing senior City administration initially planned to limit public access to the meeting, but it was ultimately opened to the public.
• Electric scooters and e-bikes will return to Edmonton streets on May 29 after the City of Edmonton finalized new three-year agreements with Lime and Bird Canada allowing year-round operation. The City has introduced a new vendor fee structure under its shared micromobility program, and expanded riding zones to address fleet management, parking, and street clutter issues. Last year, Edmonton saw record ridership with more than one million rides.
• Edmontonians are being urged to help manage and remove invasive weeds that threaten local ecosystems. This season, the City of Edmonton is focusing on five invasive species: Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, Creeping bellflower, Purple loosestrife, and Garlic mustard. Images of the weeds and other resources are available online.
• NAIT is receiving $43 million from the provincial government to plan a new advanced skills centre aimed at expanding apprenticeship training by 4,200 seats annually, though the facility isn't expected to open until 2029. This expansion is aimed at addressing Alberta's skilled trades labour shortage, especially in construction, transportation, energy, and manufacturing sectors. Apprenticeship registrations at the school are up about 28% this year over the previous year.
• The 45th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival, happening in Gallagher Park from Aug. 8-11, announced its 2024 lineup, including headliners Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, alongside acts like Ben Howard, KT Tunstall, and Black Pumas. Tickets go on sale online on June 1. Weekend passes range from $117 to $234, and children under 11 and seniors over 80 can attend for free.
• The Edmonton Police Service is urging motorcyclists to exercise caution due to increased risks on the roads. Sgt. Kerry Bates encouraged riders to be aware of conditions such as sand and gravel, and to practice road safety to reduce collisions. Over the past five years, Edmonton has recorded 635 motorcycle collisions, with 60% resulting in injury, police said.
• The federal government announced more than $18.7 million in funding for 264 projects from the 2022 Enabling Accessibility Fund call for proposals. Organizations in Edmonton that received funding include Mile Zero Dance, Jewish Family Services, and Sage Seniors Association. The funding was announced as part of a new call for proposals, with $14.7 million allocated for small-scale construction projects to improve accessibility.
• The Edmonton Oilers face a challenging Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, who play a different style than their previous playoff opponents. Despite some struggles in maintaining leads and capitalizing on power plays, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is confident the team can adjust and improve their game. The Oilers squandered an early 2-0 lead against the Stars in Game 3, ultimately losing 5-3 and falling behind 2-1 in the series. Game 4 will be crucial as the Oilers aim to even the series at Rogers Place on May 29.

On this day in 1934, some concerned citizens were calling for Edmonton to have fewer candy stores.

The call came from W.A. Gunn, a representative for a group of wholesalers in the city. Gunn wasn't a dentist. Instead, he expressed concerned that the swelling number of confectioners might result in too few customers to keep them all afloat, as well as push down wages (he argued the same was likely to happen for cafes.)

The idea of the city straining under too many candy shops sounds odd — especially when one considers this happened during the Great Depression, when luxuries like candy would seem like an obvious thing to cut to save money. But in reality, candy sales boomed in many places during the 1930s. Confectionaries were relatively cheap businesses to start and ingredients were often cheap to buy. And candy was even marketed as a cheap alternative to actual meals.

It's hard to pin down exactly how many confectioners were in business in Edmonton in 1934. But it wouldn't be surprising if Edmontonians turned to candy to help them through the tough decade. The city has always had a bit of a sweet tooth.

In Edmonton's early years, general stores commonly made candy and sold it along with other goods. As the city grew in the early 1910s, though, dedicated candy kitchens opened, many of them along Jasper Avenue, to create homemade chocolates and confections. Edmonton's biggest sweet success story got its start around then when the Pavey Candy Company opened in 1914.

Pavey quickly made a name for itself. Within a year, the company had gained a reputation for its high-quality candies, including its lemonade powder, buttercups, and "sherbitt powder," as the Edmonton Bulletin reported.

But over the 1910s, Edmonton's candy makers weathered hard times, including the need to find alternative ingredients due to rationing and restrictions during the First World War. But the 1920s saw success return, particularly for the Pavey Candy Company. It expanded not only the variety of confections it offered but also where they were sold. Before too long, Pavey was exporting its candy and chocolates all over Western Canada from a small brick building on Jasper Avenue. The demand was so great that the company built a larger facility east of downtown.

Pavey wasn't the only candy company to strike it big with sweets, though. By 1945, Edmonton had at least five sizeable companies dedicated exclusively to treats. Most made chocolate, with one cookie company among them. So strong was the city's sweet tooth that in 1940, Edmonton children joined a national strike when chocolate bar prices rose by a few cents.

Dedicated confectioners and candy shops continued to be a common sight in Edmonton into the later part of the century. But, eventually, they began to shut down, crowded out by changing retail habits and national and international brands that could take advantage of mass production.

Still, Edmonton's love of local sweets has never fully disappeared. The city still hosts several specialty candy shops, which often deal in higher-quality or difficult-to-find confections. Local chocolatiers also continue to form a small but successful industry in the city, though they are now dealing with record-high prices for cacao following shortages this spring.

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.

• Lake Stewardship Community of Practice Forum starting at 9:30am at Snow Valley Lodge
• Tours for Tots | Moody Masterpieces starting at 10am at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• State of the City of Leduc Luncheon starting at 11:30am at the Royal Hotel Edmonton Airport
• Controversy @ Noon: Rejection: "Frame" or Reframe? starting at 12pm online
• DisruptHR YEG 11.0 starting at 5pm at the Cineplex Odeon Windermere and VIP Cinemas
• Behind the Scenes at the 2024 AccessAbility Symposium starting at 5pm at the NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre (PIC)
• Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars — Game 4, Scotiabank Fan Park, and Ford Tailgate Party starting at 5pm in the ICE District
• Edmonton Heritage Council Annual General Meeting starting at 5:15pm at the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre
• Fallen Heroes: Their Journey Home starting at 7pm at Landmark Cinemas 8 (St. Albert)
• Road to Joy: Yay for YONA starting at 7pm at the Winspear Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• June 5: TELUS CSW Cohort 5 Demo Day at Edmonton Unlimited
• June 7-9: Writers' Guild of Alberta Conference 2024 at the Coast Edmonton Plaza
• June 9: Food Tour Experience at Bountiful Farmers' Market

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