The Pulse: Sept. 4, 2024

Edmonton has fallen behind other cities when it comes to how it promotes and talks about itself to the outside world, the speakers on a panel focused on identifying ways to speak more positively about the city said recently.

"We do have a storytelling problem, and we do have a leadership problem when it comes to elevating Edmonton," Downtown Edmonton Business Association executive director Puneeta McBryan said at the event, titled Talking Up Edmonton. "I talk to my colleagues about what they're doing in cities all over North America, and there does seem to be a major difference in that in other cities the propaganda machine is well-oiled."

McBryan was joined on the Aug. 29 panel, held at Double Dragon, by Naheyawin CEO Jacquelyn Cardinal and University of Alberta chancellor emirita Peggy Garritty (who is also a board member with many organizations and an entrepreneur). Tegan Martin-Drysdale, board chair of Homestead Investment Cooperative, a new real estate investment project, acted as the discussion moderator. The event identified exploring how to "speak authentically and positively" about Edmonton as its key goal.

McBryan cited data from Explore Edmonton on the city's net promoter score, a market research metric that gauges customers' willingness to recommend something. The promoter score uses varying numeric scales and in Edmonton's case, it was measured from zero to 10. McBryan said the data shows the score is high for Edmontonians when talking about their satisfaction with life here and also from visitors when sharing impressions of the city. Where the score is low, however, is for residents when they talk to outsiders about Edmonton.

In January 2023, Explore Edmonton published a report summary that said the city's net promoter score fell four points between late 2021 and the main report's publication in early 2023 (though the document doesn't list Edmonton's precise score).

The panellists suggested improved civic pride and Edmonton evangelism might be what's needed now, and detailed outcomes they hope could result from it. Doing so, they said, could boost the economy, attract outside talent, inspire confidence for existing citizens to do business here, and keep more post-secondary graduates in the city.

Keeping students was of particular importance to Garritty. "(It's) heartbreaking that students don't see a future in this city and this province," she said. "We need to turn that around, because we will be potentially losing some amazing talent, just because they don't see a future in Edmonton."

• The City of Edmonton has detected Dutch elm disease in Edmonton for the first time, with four trees testing positive in the Killarney and Yellowhead Corridor East neighbourhoods. The City is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Alberta government to contain the spread, and has begun implementing an action plan developed in 2020 to combat the fungus. Residents can help by not transporting firewood, pruning elm trees during the recommended period, and reporting any signs of the disease to 311.
• EPCOR is updating its water conservation protocols to improve clarity and transparency for customers and account for seasonal usage, following a four-day water use ban in January due to malfunctions at the E.L. Smith water treatment plant. The new staged approach is outlined in a report reviewed at council's utility committee meeting on Sept. 3. The plan includes internal curtailment, voluntary public reduction, and mandatory public reduction of non-essential water use.
• Post-secondary students, including those at the University of Alberta, are experiencing major financial pressure because of high tuition and living costs. Edmonton students are grappling with significant rent increases, with the city experiencing the highest rent inflation among major Canadian municipalities. Many students say they are relying on parental support or making sacrifices to manage rising expenses. The University of Alberta Students' Union is advocating for more government grants to alleviate these burdens.
• NAIT has restructured its academic offerings by expanding from four to seven schools to enhance student experience and industry connections. This reorganization, which took effect Aug. 19, also includes the addition of two new deans, Agatha Ojimelukwe and Stephen McMillan, to lead the new schools. The changes aim to help NAIT accommodate more students as the institution continues to grow.
• Samson Cree Nation is grieving after RCMP officers in Wetaskiwin fatally shot a 15-year-old Indigenous boy from the community who had called police for help. Chief Vernon Saddleback and Grand Chief Cody Thomas called for improved accountability and communication in how Indigenous communities are policed. Izaiah Swampy-Omeasoo, a Samson Cree Nation councillor, has called for the officers involved to resign. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, and the RCMP are conducting their own internal investigation.
• The Edmonton Oilers have signed star centre Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year, $112-million US contract extension, which will make him the highest-paid player in NHL history at $14 million per year. Draisaitl, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, played a pivotal role in leading the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup final appearance since 2006.
• The Edmonton region is emerging as a prime location for data centres due to its strong energy infrastructure, expertise in artificial intelligence, and favourable geographic and economic conditions, according to a new post from Edmonton Global. The economic development agency also said the region's cool climate, abundant renewable energy sources, and low land and tax costs make it an attractive option for data centre investment.
• Edmonton's Joey Moss School is among 74 schools across Canada set to share $1 million worth of musical instruments and equipment provided by Canadian music education charity MusiCounts. The grant funding is being provided through the MusiCounts Band Aid Program and the new MusiCounts Slaight Family Foundation Innovation Fund.
• Recovery Alberta has officially taken over mental health and addictions services from Alberta Health Services (AHS), transitioning 10,000 employees on Sept. 1. The new agency is the first of four new entities created as part of the province's plan to overhaul AHS. The move, which has faced criticism for causing uncertainty and increased costs, will require more than $1 billion annually to operate.
• Canadian Western Bank (CWB) announced that its shareholders voted 99.78% in favour of a proposal from National Bank of Canada to acquire all of CWB's common shares. The transaction, which still requires regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed in 2025.
• Retired Edmonton piano teacher Daniel Chong, 66, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for sexually abusing two students. Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard said the sentence takes into account the "immeasurable amount of emotional pain" caused to the victims and noted Chong's lack of remorse or treatment. Chong will be listed on the sex offenders registry for 20 years and faces a lifetime firearms prohibition.

On this day in 1985, divers were attempting to rescue one of West Edmonton Mall's four submarines from the depths.

The marine mishap happened during a test of the Deep Sea Adventure ride, which opened at the mall later in 1985. The 40-tonne submarine apparently performed a little too well, as it fell off a track and sank to the bottom of the mall's artificial lake. All of this happened the day after the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, the Edmonton Journal noted at the time. Unlike the Titanic, though, getting the submarine working again was a pretty quick fix.

The Prairies aren't exactly the natural habitat for submarines, so it's a bit strange that West Edmonton Mall had four of them inside the same building (not to be confused with Edmonton's HMCS Nonsuch, which is a building that is also a ship. The mall would load up passengers into one of its four subs and take them on an underwater tour of its artificial lake, which was five metres deep. The subs had portholes installed, which allowed riders to observe the marine life in the aquariums that lined the lake's walls, as well as the artificial decorations and animatronics (including a giant motorized clam that inspired two weeks of nightmares for at least one future history columnist).

The West Edmonton Mall subs were the real deal — they were the first recreational submarines in the world at that time and were deep-sea tested by the Vancouver company that built them for the mall. Each of the subs cost $900,000. They were popular, too. The ride opened as part of the mall's Phase III expansion, which also brought the waterpark, the former dolphin show, Bourbon Street, and a replica of the Santa Maria, now known as The Ship. The submarines drew in residents and tourists alike. The Deep Sea Adventure ride also generated international attention, mentioned in newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times shortly after opening. And, perhaps most importantly, the ride gave dads all over Edmonton the chance to repeatedly joke about West Edmonton Mall having four submarines to the Canadian Navy's three.

But the popularity of subs didn't last forever. By the late 1990s, ticket sales were in decline and the subs were diving only half full. Maintaining a fleet of decade-old submarines also turned out to be expensive. By 1997, the ride was losing around $100,000 a year. Some attempts were made to sell the subs, but there were no takers. In 2005, the ride was decommissioned and the four subs were parked in various locations around the lake as decorations.

The subs met their end in 2012 when the mall decided to have them taken apart. The month-long operation involved cutting the subs into chunks that could be lifted out by a crane. While the submarines are long gone, much of the old Deep Sea Adventure ride still exists in the mall's lake. A few years ago, a YouTube channel dedicated to the mall did an underwater tour of the remaining decorations and artifacts from the ride.

Despite being gone for more than a decade, the West Edmonton Mall submarines remain submerged in the memories of many Edmontonians. The complex, often strange history of the mall was featured in Big Mall by writer Kate Black, published earlier this year.

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.

• Callingwood Farmers' Market starting at 10am at the Marketplace at Callingwood
• Sherwood Park Farmers' Market starting at 3pm at the Emerald Hills Shopping Centre
• Edmonton Tech Wednesdays starting at 5:30pm at GRETA Bar YEG
• Prairie on the Plate starting at 6pm at PlayWright
• CCMA Country Crawl Music Festival (until Sept. 14)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 14: Bikenbender Gravel Bike Race at Cooking Lake
• Sept. 15: Savoury and Sweet Strathcona Tour
• Sept. 18: Edmonton Story Slam at 9910

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