The Pulse: Dec. 6, 2024

The City of Edmonton has presented five new options for bike lanes along Victoria Promenade in Wîhkwêntôwin as part of its renewal program for the neighbourhood.

The lanes on the picturesque street, which overlooks the river valley, have been contentious at some points in the past.

In July 2022, the city removed 20 on-street parking stalls along 100 Avenue to install two, one-way bike lanes that were protected from vehicles. Some area residents signed a petition to encourage the city to remove the lanes. That December, city crews changed the temporarily-modified bike lanes back to the previous configuration, as the modification "did not meet the needs of a cross-section of community members." Since then, cyclists traveling eastbound on the south side of the street have a protected bike, while cyclists traveling westbound must now share vehicle lanes with drivers.

The city has presented its five options for bike lanes along 100 Avenue, between 117 Street NW and 121 Street NW, and is asking residents to share feedback until Dec. 13.

Some options involve a two-way protected bike lane on the south side of the roadway. This design would require a cyclist to transition across vehicle traffic at 121 Street NW, where the bike lane would switch from two-way to one-way. The city previously said a two-way bike lane was not possible due to physical constraints and safety. One of the options with a two-way bike lane involves removing about half of the vehicle parking along the street to widen the pedestrian promenade.

The other options involve one-way bike lanes on each side of the roadway. This design would mean cyclists don't have to transition across traffic at 121 Street NW. One-way bike lanes would result in a reduction in vehicle parking. One option involves a 50% reduction and the other has no parking at all.

The city said each design option will require it to remove all trees from the south side of the roadway. Replacement trees would be planted where feasible, the city said.

The changes to Victoria Promenade and 100 Avenue are just one part of Wîhkwêntôwin's neighbourhood renewal, which will involve rehabilitating or replacing asphalt, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, and improving the transportation system for people walking, biking, and driving. This is the second phase of public feedback for the neighbourhood's renewal. The first phase of feedback that took place in the summer shows the city may install traffic-calming measures, add new protected bike lanes, and close streets to vehicle drivers to create parklets.

This phase of public feedback also shows the city's plan to remedy a missing link in the neighbourhood's bike network. The documents present several options for a protected bike lane that would connect the protected Victoria Promenade bike lane down the eastern part of 100 Avenue, all the way to 109 Street, where the protected lane begins again.

• After four days of debate, Edmonton city council approved adjustments to the 2025 budget, voting 8-4 for the operating budget and 11-1 for the capital budget. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said changes made through his 11-part omnibus amendment, which draw money from other sources to reduce the tax increase, respond to affordability issues while protecting essential services. The adjustments set a 6.1% property tax increase for next year, down from the proposed 8.1%. The average Edmonton property owner will pay about $813 in taxes for every $100,000 in assessed home value in 2025, about $47 more than in 2024.
• Canada Place in downtown Edmonton closed on Dec. 5 due to flooding and water damage, and Service Canada says its two offices in the building will be closed until Dec. 9. The Service Canada passport office in Canada Place is the only location where Edmontonians can request urgent or express passport deliveries. Canada Post delivers passports in 20 business days but isn't currently an option due to the ongoing strike. The closest Service Canada branches that provide passports in 10 business days are in Red Deer and Calgary.
• The City of Edmonton is encouraging residents to try minimizing holiday waste, when Edmontonians produce nearly double the waste compared to the rest of the year. Tips include using the WasteWise app to learn how to properly sort waste, buying locally sourced gifts, or getting gifts from reused materials at the Waste-Less Holiday Market at the Reuse Centre on Dec. 14. Batteries, broken Christmas lights, and other items that can hurt workers should be disposed of at Eco Stations. More tips are available online.
• Generational wealth transfer from baby boomers to millennials and Gen Z is affecting the Edmonton real estate market, according to Drew Carlson with eXp Realty. Inheritances can allow some young people to enter the market or become landlords, and some get sizeable gifts from parents who are still alive but downsizing, said Carlson. In Edmonton, a gift of $200,000 would cover about 47% of an average-priced $428,959 home. Under a 25-year amortization period with a five-year, fixed rate of 3.99%, this would mean a $1,203 monthly mortgage payment, according to a report on wealth transfer by Zoocasa.
• Royal LePage predicts that home price appreciation will return to normal longterm trends in 2025, although Edmonton will see a "much more aggressive" increase than most of Western Canada, after unprecedented sales volumes in 2024. Edmonton is forecast to see a 9% rise in aggregate home price year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to the national average of 6% and Calgary's 4%. In the same period, the median price of a single-family detached home in Edmonton is expected to rise 12%, and the median price of a condo is expected to rise 8%.
• Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault, who recently left his cabinet position after criticism for his shifting claims of Indigenous identity, testified that he is not Indigenous before a House of Commons committee. Boissonnault has been described as Indigenous in public communications from the Liberal Party. Postmedia reported that a company Boissonnault founded before becoming an MP described itself as fully Indigenous-owned to apply for grants designated for Indigenous businesses, but the bids were unsuccessful. Boissonnault said his former business partner Stephen Anderson used his name without consent.
• The Edmonton Arts Council announced the recipients of this year's Edmonton Artists Trust Fund awards, which help provide financial stability to artists as they "renew, develop, create, or experiment." A total of 20 Edmonton artists will receive $15,000, for a total of $300,000. The list of recipients is available online. The trust fund is held by the Edmonton Community Foundation.
• Postmedia published a deep dive on the recent financial struggles facing the Edmonton Elks, and why the team was sold in August to private owner Larry Thompson. Postmedia reported that Thompson was told the team will lose $3 million to $4 million annually for at least three more years, after the team lost $16.6 million over the past four years.
• The provincial and federal governments signed a bilateral agreement to improve access to drugs for rare diseases. An initial investment of $162 million over three years will support access to three drugs — Poteligeo, Oxlumo, and Epkinly — along with diagnostics and screening. The governments are still working on an agreement for the federal dental plan and pharmacare, Postmedia reported.
• Alberta Municipalities released a statement expressing concern over the province's decision to stop funding the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board and the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board, and to make participation on the boards voluntary. The association says the decision will undermine economic competitiveness in the regions and hinder collaboration efforts.
• An Alberta government bill that proposes changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act has received three readings and now awaits royal assent, even though the province's privacy commissioner Diane McLeod expressed concerns about transparency and privacy protection. The bill creates new exemptions for which documents can be provided to the public, including documents or communications created by or for the premier, ministers, or the Treasury Board, CBC reported.

On this day in 1977, commuters were frustrated by delays in the construction of Edmonton's new pedway network.

Pedways were having a bit of a moment in the second half of the 20th century. While the idea to create indoor walkways that take pedestrians off streets has been around since at least the 1910s, cities started embracing pedways after the Second World War. London began building a pedway network in the 1950s and '60s as part of its reconstruction efforts. Chicago began connecting some of its streets with short underground tunnels around the same time.

It isn't hard to see why the idea caught on in Edmonton, where winters can test even the hardiest of pedestrians and parkades are ubiquitous. During the '60s, the city was also booming, growing in both population and profile.

In 1968, in the wake of its urban renewal strategy for downtown, the city approved a plan for a pedway system. Calling it a plan is maybe a bit generous, though. What the city approved didn't offer much vision on what the pedway system would eventually look like, or how it would be built. It wasn't until the 1970s, with a flood of new downtown construction, that the pedway project began in earnest, much of it driven by developers wishing to connect their buildings.

Edmonton's first pedway officially opened in 1974. It was an above-ground connection that linked Edmonton Centre to a parking garage across the street. The network soon grew, with both the city and property owners adding new connections to stores, hotels, and civic buildings. Edmontonians embraced the new network, praising it for warmth and convenience. (It is worth noting there was also a clear class element, with office workers remarking the pedways kept them separated from people on the street.)

In 1978, with the opening of the Churchill and Central stations, the pedway system connected with the newly-built LRT system. Over the next decade, Edmonton would invest almost $65 million in expanding both the pedway system and the LRT.

But the positive perception of the pedway didn't last. In the 1980s, downtown began to decline and some suggested the pedway system exacerbated the problems, leading to empty streets and reducing foot traffic to businesses along Jasper Avenue. While new tunnels and connections continued to spring up, opinions on the network soured. The lack of a clear plan for the system also created a disorienting labyrinth for users, with inconsistent signage, hours, and ownership. These sentiments continue into the present day — in addition to many expressing safety concerns about pedways.

Despite this, the past decade has seen the pedway continue to grow. Today, the network runs for more than 14 kilometres and connects about 40 buildings. And it's growing yet again. Construction continued this summer on a $26-million underground tunnel to connect Churchill station to the Station Lands development.

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 this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• Dec. 6: FAVA Fridays starting at 3pm at Orange Hub
• Dec. 6: Voices in âniskôverberation: Issue 14 Launch Party starting at 5:30pm at La Cité francophone
• Dec. 6: A Night of Rising Stars starting at 6:30pm at St. Basil's Cultural Centre
• Dec. 6-8: Books2Buy Sale at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Dec. 7: Adventures in Snacking starting at 9:30am at Lucky Supermarket
• Dec. 7: Orchid Plant and Media Sale starting at 10am at Orchid Resource Centre
• Dec. 7: The Legacy Project Conference starting at 11am at AJ Ottewell Centre
• Dec. 7: Monthly Mastermind starting at 12pm online
• Dec. 7: Open Mic starting at 6:30pm at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• Dec. 8: Matinee: Littlebirds starting at 2pm at Yardbird Suite
• Dec. 8: Regina Pats vs. Edmonton Oil Kings starting at 4pm at Rogers Place

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Dec. 12: Creating a User-Friendly Website Experience online
• Dec. 19-21: An Evening with Kevin McDonald at Grindstone Theatre
• Dec. 29: Audreys Book Club at Audreys Books

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