The Pulse: Nov. 7, 2024

The Edmonton International Airport is working to attract visitors and residents to explore its campus, and also to help local companies to get their products and services to larger markets.

"Our core business is being an airport and getting people to and from where they want to go, but we're really leveraging the other assets that we have to provide services and activities … and drive people to come and maybe spend some more time at the airport over and above just driving in to take a plane headed wherever they might be going," Raelyn Kruitbosch, director of real estate and property management at the airport, told Taproot.

Kruitbosch said YEG has been an "airport city" or "aerotropolis" for more than 15 years. The airport's footprint is nearly 7,000 acres, thanks to the prairie geography and distance from Edmonton, so it has plenty of room for warehouse, distribution, manufacturing, and logistics companies, as well as entertainment and hospitality businesses. Kruitbosch said YEG is one of two airport cities in Canada — the other is another prairie city, Winnipeg.

The airport is focusing on four "development clusters" — distribution logistics, aviation and technology, light industrial, and commercial development. "We're looking at all different clusters of development and taking advantage of the land that we have … so that we're creating a place where travellers can stay," Kruitbosch said. "They can play here, they can shop here, and they can use it as a launching point to explore Edmonton as a region."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be that you fly in and leave the airport right away. You could stay here and do some of those things, even land and create the airport as your home base as well."

There's the Premium Outlet Collection YEG and Costco Wholesale on the premises. There's a golf course, race tracks for both cars and horses, and a casino. YEG offers a dedicated shuttle bus to move visitors around the campus, and even encourages visitors to "make exploring Airport City the reason for (their) trip."

But the airport isn't only trying to attract tourists. The region's population south of Anthony Henday Drive is growing, with residential construction permits reaching new highs in the region.

"The catchment area, I guess you would say, for some of these services and capabilities is definitely Edmonton, Leduc, Beaumont, Devon, that whole region, because at the end of the day, airports are an economic driver for the whole region that they operate in," Kruitbosch said.

The airport also houses what Kruitbosch calls a living lab, where it provides incubator space to local startups through the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre.

• Edmonton Public Schools is seeing high enrolment, with numbers growing by the equivalent of one modular classroom full of students per day, according to a report discussed by trustees on Nov. 5. This year, the division enrolled about 120,000 students, compared to about 115,000 students last year, and many newer schools south of Anthony Henday Drive are relying on modular classrooms, including some in "unconventional spaces." The division ultimately needs 50 new public schools built in the next 10 years, said board chair Julie Kusiek.
• Zocalo, a greenhouse-cafe in Little Italy that closed last January after a fire, began welcoming back customers, who are "super pumped" to return, said co-owner Miranda Ringma. The business is now partnering with Love and Fantasy Flowers to run the flower shop and Aspen Coffee Roasters to manage the cafe. Construction on the greenhouse is expected to last a few more months.
• The Edmonton Public Library launched the Palace Project App, which gives library users free access to audiobooks and eBooks, including exclusive content from Audible for the first time. Demand for digital content has increased by 57% since 2018, the library says.
• Global Sport Resources, a recreation facility equipment supplier, was ordered to pay $200,000 after a worker died while doing demolition and reclamation work at the Tofield arena in March 2022. The company pleaded guilty to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety Code. As part of a "creative sentence," the penalty includes a $25,000 fine, $75,000 to STARS Air Ambulance, and $100,000 to the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association.
• St. Albert city council's 5-2 vote to stay part of Edmonton Global creates some hope for improved collaboration in the region, Postmedia reported. Five regional municipalities have signalled their intention to leave the agency over the past year. Edmonton Global CEO Bruce Malcolm said the St. Albert vote shows confidence in the agency, which has been improving transparency and communication.
• CBC News Edmonton has launched a 24/7 streaming channel, which offers free TV, news, and entertainment. The channel is available online, on the CBC News App, or on CBC Gem. The broadcaster says local stations are "expanding across the county this year," with similar channels launching across Canada.
• Deloitte Canada announced the winners of its Technology Fast 50 program, which recognizes achievements and growth in the technology sector. Two Edmonton companies made the list: Jobber was recognized in the Enterprise-Industry Leader category and OneSoft Solutions was recognized in the Clean Technology category. Calgary-based Neo Financial was named the fastest-growing technology company in Canada.
• The Edmonton City as Museum Project published an article on the Métis ironworkers who contributed significantly to building Edmonton's downtown in the 1960s and 1970s. Workers at the time who did the most dangerous construction jobs downtown, including building the CN Tower, were nearly all Métis men who trained as ironworkers, said retired ironworker Tom Daniels.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid returned to the ice for the team's Nov. 6 game against the Vegas Golden Knights, after a quick recovery from an ankle injury sustained on Oct. 28. McDavid was originally projected to be sidelined for weeks.
• The Athletic evaluated the latest performance of the Edmonton Oilers prospect pool, which is performing much better than the prospect pool at the end of last season. Additions by CEO Jeff Jackson since August 2023, including top prospect Matt Savoie, will bring "bigger, stronger, more rugged players" to the team's roster in years to come, said sports writer Allan Mitchell.
• The Alberta government is ending its distribution program of publicly funded vaccines for community medical clinics. Shipments of the vaccines stopped in April when the province's distribution contract expired, and clinics didn't get COVID-19 or influenza vaccines for the fall immunization campaign. The province now plans to distribute select vaccines to about two dozen community medical clinics, compared to 500 to 600 clinics before the contract expired.
• The Alberta government is proposing to "modernize" provincial access to information rules by splitting the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act into the Access to Information Act and the Protection of Privacy Act. The former act will bring Alberta in line with other jurisdictions, update language, and streamline processes, the province says. The changes would also extend the timeline for FOIP requests from 30 calendar days to 30 business days, Postmedia reported. Alberta's privacy commissioner has been investigating the province's freedom of information rules since last August after journalists found provincial departments were failing to abide by public disclosure laws. The investigation will continue until at least December.

Here are opportunities to help municipalities prioritize rezoning measures, plan urban agriculture, manage heritage assets, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• Priority Growth Area Rezoning — The City of Edmonton is proactively rezoning select sites within three parts of the city that have been identified as having the greatest potential for development and density. Administration has created a refined list of sites proposed for rezoning, based on past public feedback, which can be viewed on an interactive map. Drop-in engagement sessions for the 156 Street NW and Stony Plain Road NW Corridors, the Wîhkwêntôwin (Oliver) and 124 Street NW Corridor, and the University-Garneau Node are set for Nov. 7, Nov. 12, and Nov. 13 respectively, while digital engagement opportunities for all zones are open until Nov. 24.
• Urban Agriculture Plan — The City of St. Albert wants to understand what aspects of urban agriculture are important to residents as it drafts a plan for the practice. A survey is open until Nov. 14.
• Dr. Woods House Museum and Heritage Assets — The City of Leduc is inviting residents to share their views on the Dr. Woods House Museum and other heritage assets in the city, which will help administration plan for long-term management of heritage assets. In-person engagement sessions are happening Nov. 14 and Nov. 18.

More input opportunities

• Until Nov. 15: Vision Zero Street Lab Evaluation — Northmount (City of Edmonton)
• Until Nov. 18: Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal Draft Design — Glenwood West (City of Edmonton)
• Until Nov. 18: Election 2025 Survey (Strathcona County)
• Until Nov. 22: Application to join the 2024 Lite Up the Nite Parade (Town of Morinville)
• Until Nov. 25: Vision Zero Street Lab Exploration — Jackson Heights (City of Edmonton)
• Until Nov. 29: Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal Draft Design — La Perle and Belmead (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 31: Business Improvement Areas 2024 Business Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 31: Building Relationships to Shape Our City: Connecting with under-heard communities (City of Edmonton)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Building Equity into Green Homes starting at 12pm online
• Unity Manor: Voices of Trust starting at 12pm online
• Lecture | Ian MacLaren – Paul Kane's Travels in Indigenous North America starting at 5pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Edmonton Data Science Social starting at 5:30pm at Campio Brewing Co.
• Art Exhibition Opening Reception starting at 7pm at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• The Jim Cuddy Band - All The World Tour starting at 7:30pm at the Winspear Centre
• Jocelyn Gould Quintet part of Women in Jazz Weekend starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite
• Until Nov. 8: YIKES! Film Festival at the Creative Hive
• Until Nov. 9: Broad View International Film Festival at Metro Cinema

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 14: Wellness Lunch and Learns: Financial Well-being online
• Nov. 14: Here's Nina at the Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Nov. 16: All is Bright 2024 at the 124 Street and Area

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