The Pulse: Oct. 3, 2024

After reporting a successful first year, Edmonton hopes to continue making Rice Howard Way pedestrian-only for both stand-alone events and regular programming.

The summer street party series was a success, said Quinn Phillips, director of communications and marketing at the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, with nearly 650 people visiting the downtown entertainment district on its busiest day, which was Aug. 10.

"You can't really argue with the numbers of people coming down there," Phillips said. "I think it also just sets us up to be able to host events of all different kinds down there now."

City council approved opening a downtown entertainment district in the spring. On Saturdays from June 1 to Aug. 24, the business association ran programming such as live music, games, and art installations. Now that the district has been established, any organization can apply to close the street to vehicle traffic and hold a party there.

The organizers of the Economic Developers Association of Canada Conference in Edmonton chose to activate the downtown entertainment district on its opening night on Oct. 1. Tom Girvan, the city's director of downtown vibrancy, told Taproot there are pedestrian-only events planned for Rice Howard Way and other downtown streets this winter, too.

About 8,000 people came to the pedestrian-only Rice Howard Way during the summer event series, Girvan said. (For reference, downtown Edmonton's population was about 6,200 in the 2021 Statistics Canada census.) Restaurants along Rice Howard Way reported increased revenue and guest counts, Girvan said.

Not every business on Rice Howard Way was buoyed by the entertainment district. Wendy Turner, owner of The Artworks, said not many additional customers came into the store during the summer series. "Our sales were not increased from the increased activity, although it was definitely nice to have the additional energy on the street," Turner said.

Turner thought the signage for the events could have been improved. Drivers passing by would have seen "road closed" signs, but not much indicating that it wasn't closed for construction. "We're faced with that on a pretty regular basis downtown, and people are used to that, but they're also avoiding the area because of that."

• Edmonton city council approved the new District Policy and 14 district plans. The changes, along with the Zoning Bylaw approved last year, represent "major strides in streamlining how planning and development happens," and make it easier to build in Edmonton, which is seeing record numbers of new residents and housing development permits, said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. The policies and plans now in effect replace 54 planning documents that dated back to the 1980s. Council has not yet approved plans for a 15th district called Rabbit Hill.
• Edmonton city council unanimously voted to proceed with banning convenience stores from selling knives not used for cutlery. Administration will draft a bylaw for council to vote on in the coming months. If approved, the rules would require stores to be placed in a new business category when they renew their licences, so it will take years for Edmonton's 500 to 600 convenience stores to be covered. Administration also warned that it cannot proactively enforce the bylaw without more funding.
• A group of Strathearn residents living near the Valley Line Southeast LRT is calling on the City of Edmonton and TransEd to address an unpleasant high-pitch screeching sound that trains make while rounding a bend at the top of Connors Hill. City officials say they are working with TransEd to reduce rail noise by "applying extra grease" to the tracks in Strathearn and two other areas. Volume levels are as expected and comply with the project agreement and bylaws, said Edmonton Transit Service branch manager Carrie Hotton-MacDonald. "But we're going to continue to try and work with the community because we understand it's a concern for them," she said.
• Edmonton city council approved offering prorated tax forgiveness to owners of derelict properties as an incentive to clean up their properties quickly. Last fall, Edmonton became the first Canadian city to create a tax subclass for derelict residential properties, with a tax rate about three times higher than average.
• A cattle drive through Edmonton's downtown, from Churchill Square to Fan Park at ICE District, took place Oct. 2 to mark the start of Rodeo Week, which is running until Oct. 5. To surprise Edmontonians, organizers did not announce the cattle drive beforehand. Canadian Finals Rodeo returned to Edmonton this year, where it was created in 1974, after being held in Red Deer for the past few years.
• The City of Edmonton marked its second year as a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities with an event at City Hall on Oct. 2. Edmonton was the first Canadian city to join the global network in 2022.
• Advocates and officials marked Disability Employment Awareness Month at City Hall on Oct. 2, aiming to raise awareness about the working experiences of people with disabilities and make Edmonton more inclusive. In a social media post, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the City of Edmonton is a "leader in hiring diverse employees, and incorporating diverse perspectives."
• AECOM has signed a subcontract to design Phase 1 of the Capital Line LRT South Extension project, which is being built by Capital Line Design-Build Ltd., a member of Ledcor Group of Companies. AECOM also did work on the Valley Line project and previously helped the City of Edmonton develop a policy framework for light rail transit planning.
• The province has decided against the idea of allowing grocery and corner stores to sell liquor. The Alberta government's review found the change would "significantly harm" small businesses, and liquor store owners say the market is already saturated.
• At the Alberta Municipalities convention in Red Deer last week, delegates voted 85% in favour of asking the province to reverse its ban on vote-counting machines in municipal elections. Premier Danielle Smith said soon after that Albertans should expect hand-counted ballots to be the only option in future municipal elections, and possibly provincial elections. Delegates also debated the province's plan to expand the role of Alberta sheriffs, defeated a resolution to advocate for permanent residents gaining the right to vote in municipal elections, and heard Smith make off-script comments about the province taking over tax collection duties from municipalities.

Here are opportunities to help inform municipal decision-making for park and playground development, city centre planning, and more. Please only answer surveys pertaining to where you live.

• Edgemont Community Park Development — Based on a past phase of public engagement, the City of Edmonton has produced a recommended design for a community park in the Edgemont neighbourhood. Residents can review the design and complete a survey until Oct. 4.
• Playground Renewals — The City of Edmonton is renewing two playgrounds, the Allin Park playground at 15919 96 Avenue NW and the Tipton Park playground at 10849 81 Avenue NW. Residents are invited to review design options and complete surveys for both parks until Oct. 6.
• Centre City Area Survey — The City of Edmonton is doing a biannual survey to understand the experience of residents living in the city centre, with an aim to improve residents' experiences. The survey will be open until Oct. 10.
• Home Fire Safety Assessment - Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is inviting residents to take a home assessment and learn about best practices for fire safety. An online assessment tool will be available until Oct. 12.

More input opportunities

• Until Oct. 11: Towards 40 Program — Watt Common (City of Edmonton)
• Until Oct. 14: Al-Mustafa Academy Rezoning — 7814 83 Street NW (City of Edmonton)
• Until Oct. 15: Meyonohk Neighbourhood Renewal (City of Edmonton)
• Until Oct. 15: Vision Zero Street Lab — Ambleside (City of Edmonton)
• Until Oct. 20: Naturalization Site Plantings Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Nov. 7: Nature strategy engagement (Government of Alberta)
• Until Nov. 22: Application to join the 2024 Lite Up the Nite Parade (Town of Morinville)
• Until Dec. 31: Building Relationships to Shape Our City: Connecting with under-heard communities (City of Edmonton)

Photo: The City of Edmonton is renewing playgrounds in Allin Park and Tipton Park as part of its Playground Renewal Program. (City of Edmonton)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Seniors Takeover Day at the AGA starting at 10am at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Edmonton Solar Friends & Networking starting at 1pm at Ale Architect Brewery and Taproom
• Canadian Championship Dummy Roping starting at 1:30pm at the Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Wild Neighbours Café on Migratory Birds starting at 3:30pm at the Edmonton Valley Zoo
• Deep and Profound Memories: Japanese Canadians, Race and the Second World War Internment starting at 5pm at the University of Alberta (TELUS International Centre)
• Mayor's State of the County Address and Open House starting at 5:30pm at Beyond the Meridian in Sturgeon County
• Country on the Boat starting at 6pm on the Edmonton Riverboat
• Singles Pizza & Bowling Night starting at 7pm at Plaza Bowling Co.
• GRETA Goes Country starting at 9pm at GRETA Bar YEG

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 8: Broad View Film Club at the Edmonton Public Library (Strathcona)
• Oct. 10: Summit X – Startup TNT Pitch Night at Edmonton Unlimited
• Oct. 16: Launch Party 15 at Fan Park

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