The Pulse: Oct. 31, 2024

Here's what you need to know about Edmonton today.

Want this in your inbox? Sign up to get The Pulse by email. It's free!


Essentials

  • 4°C: A mix of sun and cloud. Fog patches dissipating in the morning. Wind up to 15 km/h. High plus 4. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 1 or low. (forecast)
  • Orange: The High Level Bridge will be lit orange for Halloween. (details)
  • 6pm: The Edmonton Oilers (4-5-1) play the Nashville Predators (3-5-1) at Bridgestone Arena. (details)

Someone looks out from an open kitchen.

Connected Kitchen takes over old EPIC location with ambitions to support a tough industry


By Colin Gallant

The Connected Kitchen Project has a new home in downtown Edmonton where it aims to create a landing pad for entrepreneurs in the gruelling hospitality industry by providing access to commercial kitchen space, and even mental health support.

"This space is holding the door open for those that are coming behind us," Michelle Frechette, the founder of The Connected Kitchen Project Foundation, told Taproot. "It is for micro- to (medium-sized) food producers — anybody that needs (a kitchen for) more than about 30 hours a week. We're helping find other space, pairing them with people, and finding other kitchens, too. This is for the newcomer. This is for the people building their food business."

The Connected Kitchen opens on Nov. 1 in its basic form at 10344 105 Street NW. The location was once called the 5th Street Food Hall that eventually rebranded to EPIC Market. Its four commercial kitchens, one specifically for plant-based food production, are already open to members. Memberships start at $50 per month, with a minimum three-month commitment, or $400 per year. The first members are King of Tarts, Wealthy Juice, and On The Edge Coffee, with others in the works, Frechette said.

Frechette is the owner and CEO of Connected Kitchen Management, the company that operates the space. She has big ambitions for the business. Frechette aims to eventually sell food at a retail counter, offer hot lunch service, create a co-working space, host events, produce workshops, provide resources for members, and more. For now, though, Connected Kitchen is exclusively operating the commercial kitchens but is open during the day to allow the public to take a look, or even just to offer people a washroom if they need one.

She knows the goals are large but is not deterred. "Not everybody understands an entrepreneur," she said. "Since the beginning, people have been telling me that this dream is too big, there's too many components, I'm making it too complicated … (But) you can't fail if you never stop."

Frechette is paraphrasing advice here from Jennifer Keith, the co-founder and CEO of EPIC. Keith and other EPIC team members guided Frechette as she navigated the former food hall.

"When Michelle approached us about taking over the downtown space and shared her story and vision for it, I thought immediately that this could be a great opportunity for someone new to come in and bring a renewed energy and a different, positive direction for the space," Keith told Taproot in an email.

Keith added that EPIC left the 105 Street spot because its new location at Station Park in Old Strathcona was purpose-built for operational efficiency and to EPIC's aesthetic sensibilities. "With the downtown location, we had to retrofit and we inherited a lot that didn't quite work for what we wanted the space to be," she said.

Frechette has operated Veg Head Killer Food — the plant-based, Latin-inspired food truck where she said she works as "head taco slinger" — for about six years. The Connected Kitchen has been an ongoing concern for about seven years. Frechette hails from Prince George, British Columbia, where the Connected Kitchen began to take shape but never reached a full form. Frechette brought the idea with her to Edmonton when she moved here for a second time last fall. She said the journey has taught her, firsthand, how prevalent stress, mental health difficulties, and addictions are in the hospitality industry.

"I myself am five-and-a-half years sober, and it is woven into the way I operate everything," Frechette said. "We want our membership to apply to not just up-and-coming food producers, but the membership will also provide restaurant owners (with) services and support that they wouldn't have access to otherwise. It is extremely isolating if all you do is get up in the morning, go to work, work, go to bed, think about work, dream about work, wake up, and work, work, work. That's what owner-operators do."

Continue reading

Headlines: Oct. 31, 2024


By Kevin Holowack and Mariam Ibrahim

  • Edmonton Transit Service is proposing to expand service by adding 99 buses over the next two years to meet increasing demand. The plan, outlined in a report presented to council's executive committee, includes more frequent service on popular routes, enhanced weekend and airport services, and the introduction of conventional service to growing neighbourhoods. The need is driven by Edmonton's population growth, alongside a 28% increase in weekend ridership and a surge in on-demand service requests, officials say. ETS aims to secure funding through the Canada Public Transit Fund, with new buses projected to arrive by 2026.
  • Alberta hospitals are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, which is likely to continue, experts say. The virus has caused 98 deaths in the province since the end of August, compared to one death from influenza, and has hospitalized 1,065 Albertans. Many are being hospitalized because COVID-19 is exacerbating other health problems, they haven't received their latest round of vaccinations, and the majority are more than 65 years old, said Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta.
  • Edmonton city council's executive committee approved the sale of eight city-owned lots in the Quarters district for below-market value to e4c, a non-profit that supports vulnerable people in the inner city. The organization plans to build a facility with 19 single-person transitional housing units, about 50 shelter beds, office and service spaces, a women's emergency accommodation centre, and potential commercial space.
  • Human error led to asbestos exposure incidents affecting more than a dozen workers at Edmonton Public Schools last year, CTV News reported, based on documents obtained through a freedom of information request. The documents detail multiple cases, including a flood cleanup at Greenfield Elementary School, where 15 workers were "potentially exposed" after handling asbestos-containing materials without proper containment.
  • Edmonton city council's urban planning committee accepted administration's Climate Resilience Planning and Development Action Plan, which sets out 15 high-level priorities related to climate resilience. The City is expected to launch public engagement on the plan in the coming months. Many of its actions require changes to the City's zoning bylaw and are expected to take more than two years to implement.
  • The City of Edmonton contracted the First Nations Inspection Authority, an Indigenous-owned and operated company, to provide electrical, plumbing, gas, and HVAC inspections for buildings across the city. The partnership is a "meaningful part of our work towards a broader goal of strengthening relationships with Indigenous peoples," said Deputy Mayor Erin Rutherford. The City's efforts to reduce barriers for Indigenous businesses is guided by its Indigenous Procurement Framework, created in 2022.
  • The Edmonton Police Service recovered seven paintings that were stolen from the Grey Nuns Community Hospital. The paintings were returned to the artists, who were delighted to get the pieces back. Police said the person who stole the paintings willingly returned them and wasn't charged, adding the individual has mental health issues.
  • City of Edmonton staff and representatives of Scandinave Group held an information session at the John Janzen Nature Centre for the company's proposed Nordic spa in the Brander Gardens neighbourhood, near the North Saskatchewan River. Scandinave CEO Steve Arsenault said most public feedback so far has been positive, with concern mostly focused on traffic. Feedback will be developed into a report to help council decide on the rezoning application.
  • Jeff Bell of Edmonton Global wrote a blog post highlighting various metrics that suggest the Edmonton Region is "responding effectively" to rapid population growth when it comes to housing. Data on housing affordability, housing starts, and housing diversity show the region is an "attractive destination for new residents" and a "compelling case for balanced urban development," Bell wrote. Taproot Edmonton's ongoing Housing Complex series is exploring issues from across Edmonton's housing system.
  • Families and advocates are calling for a national inquiry in the wake of a series of incidents in August and September where nine Indigenous people were killed by police across Canada, including in Alberta. Among those making the call are the Assembly of First Nations and Edmonton Griesbach MP Blake Desjarlais. Nadalie Lightning of Maskwacis, whose 15-year-old grandson was killed by the Wetaskiwin RCMP on Aug. 30, shared her story with journalist Brandi Morin for Al Jazeera.
  • The federal government responded to the Alberta government's application for a judicial review of Ottawa's carbon tax exemption for homes that use heating oil, which Premier Danielle Smith said is unfair to people who heat their homes with natural gas. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Justice Minister Arif Virani called it a "political stunt" ahead of the UCP leadership review. Less than 1% of households in Alberta rely on heating oil, which is mostly used in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, the Alberta government said in a release.
  • The Edmonton Elks have brought on Chris Morris as the team's new president and CEO. Morris spent 14 seasons as an offensive lineman with Edmonton's CFL team and recently served as head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears for 12 years. Meanwhile, seven Elks players, including receiver Eugene Lewis, left tackle Martez Ivey, and centre Mark Korte, were named to the West Division All-CFL Team.
Permalink
Screenshot of the search function on the City of Edmonton's main online maps tool

Calls for public engagement: Map tool, Strathcona County election, Vision Zero


By Kevin Holowack

Here are opportunities to help municipalities create better tools, plan elections, evaluate street safety measures, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

  • Edmonton Maps Website Usage Survey — The City of Edmonton wants to improve its main maps website, maps.edmonton.ca. Residents can share their experiences and impressions of the tool by completing a survey until Nov. 6.
  • Election 2025 Survey — Strathcona County wants to know how residents might be affected by concurring dates for the next municipal and federal elections, both currently set for Oct. 20, 2025. The municipality wants to know if residents are more likely to vote if the municipal election was moved two days earlier, and if residents are interested in working the municipal election. A survey will be open until Nov. 18.
  • Vision Zero Street Lab Evaluations (McKernan and Northmount) — The City of Edmonton is evaluating its Street Lab installations in the McKernan and Northmount neighbourhoods, which have new safety and traffic-calming measures. McKernan residents can complete a survey until Nov. 5, while a survey for Northmount will run Nov. 1 to Nov. 15.

More input opportunities

Photo: The City of Edmonton is planning updates to its online map tool, which can be used to find information about addresses, zoning, development, schools, and more. (City of Edmonton)

Permalink
A title card that reads Taproot Edmonton Calendar: edmonton.taproot.events

Happenings: Oct. 31, 2024


By Debbi Serafinchon

Here are some Halloween events happening today in the Edmonton area.

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

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

Permalink