The Pulse: Dec. 12, 2024

After receiving accolades and financial support from the United Nations, a team that includes the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation, the Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre, and the Edmonton Shift Lab is gearing up for a wider retail launch of its board game focused on Treaties.

"Because of all the pieces involved, we want to make sure everything's 100% done perfectly well," Sam Singh, a co-founder of the now-shuttered Shift Lab project from Skills Society, told Taproot about Exploring wâhkôhtowin. "Our plan is it'll be out in 2025."

With gameplay designed by Roberta Taylor, Exploring wâhkôhtowin is already playable for free online through Tabletopia. Two to four players traverse the board collecting cards that tell stories about Indigenous-settler relations in history that honour "the spirit of friendship in which the original treaties were signed," reads the Tabletopia page.

"Our intention was to focus on: What does it mean to be a Treaty partner? What does it mean to embody Treaty, currently?" Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, the former executive director of Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation and current Alberta New Democratic Party MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford, told Taproot.

Calahoo Stonehouse is a Cree and Mohawk woman from Michel First Nation who was a key collaborator on the project. "We found that there was a missing gap around how we got where we are as Indigenous peoples," she said. "This board game really is meant to be an interactive, accessible way to look at the history of legislation, colonialism policy, and agreements."

Exploring wâhkôhtowin dates back to work that Shift Lab started in 2016, and eventually became one of its three anti-racism prototypes. Shift Lab used systems- and design-thinking to develop the game with the partners, and much of the work took place at Skill Society's Action Lab. The game was funded by the Edmonton Community Foundation, the province, the Edmonton Heritage Council, and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Its name, "wâhkôhtowin," refers to "the kinship interwoven in relationships, communities, and natural systems."

Years after work on it started, the game is now receiving global attention. In November, Singh travelled to Portugal for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum, where Exploring wâhkôhtowin was one of 10 projects selected from about 1,800 applicants for recognition by the Intercultural Innovation Hub.

That hub will now provide the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation with a US$20,000 grant, as well as one year of capacity-building and mentorship support to help the game grow.

Singh said the physical version of the board game will be distributed through Pe Metawe Games, an Indigenous-owned game store.

• Edmonton city council approved $8.3 million in grants through the Indigenous Housing Grant Stream of the Affordable Housing Investment Program (AHIP), which will help fund 93 affordable housing units. The stream was introduced in 2023 to encourage more Indigenous-led affordable housing. Earlier this year, council approved $19.2 million in AHIP funding, which will support the creation of 275 new affordable housing units and 22 rehabilitated units. Taproot's Housing Complex series explored ways city council can and can't improve the housing system.
• Boyle Street Community Services has dropped its application to develop a health hub in Edmonton's Strathcona neighborhood after failing to secure permits and funding from the provincial government. The proposed facility, which included harm reduction and mental health services, faced mixed reactions from the community, with some residents citing safety concerns and others emphasizing the urgent need for local support.
• Edmonton Public School Board trustees voted 5-2 against requiring candidates in the next municipal election to do criminal record checks. In October, Edmonton city council also voted against the requirement. The Alberta government's recent changes to local elections legislation include giving municipalities and school boards the option of requiring criminal record checks.
• Edmonton Heritage Council executive director David Ridley published a blog post looking back on the year's accomplishments, including new stories on the Edmonton City as Museum Project website, a new grant application portal, and the addition of 46 stories from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit storytellers to the Commonwealth Walkway project. "Future initiatives will focus on making heritage more inclusive, interactive, and relevant to all Edmontonians," Ridley wrote.
• The City of Edmonton will continue running its Civic Youth Fellowship from 2025 to 2030 thanks to a partnership with Canadian Race Relations Foundation and IslamicFamily. The partners are contributing a combined $250,000 to the program, which the City will match to create at least 13 paid 10-week fellowship positions. The program provides opportunities for youth and young adults to work on capstone projects that are aligned with the City's anti-racism and reconciliation plans.
• The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has completed its investigation into the case of a man who was killed by a stray bullet while inside his apartment in 2022 as three Edmonton Police Service officers tried to arrest a robbery suspect outside. The investigation found the suspect pointed a gun at the officers, which was later determined to be a BB gun. The suspect was shot 12 times, while several bullets entered the apartment where the man inside was struck in the chest, but it's unclear which gun fired the round. Investigators concluded the officers' use of force was reasonable and proportionate.
• Common Ground, a project led by University of Alberta professor Jared Wesley that aims to help Albertans overcome political divides, has released an online toolkit to help navigate political polarization. The toolkit contains a "common lexicon of political behaviour" and will also have interactive games in coming weeks. Wesley spoke to The Gateway about the goals of the Common Ground initiative.
• Alberta's privacy commissioner is investigating the provincial government's refusal to release pension plan survey data after multiple Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act requests. The government launched the survey in September 2023, the same day a provincial report said that Alberta is entitled to 53% of Canada Pension Plan assets. The multiple-choice section of the survey provided no way to express opposition to leaving the CPP, and the parts of the open-question section that have been made public were heavily redacted, Postmedia reported.
• Celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary says he plans to build the world's largest AI data centre in northern Alberta. The centre, dubbed "Wonder Valley," will be built near Grande Prairie in the District of Greenview, which is partnering with his company O'Leary Ventures to buy and develop thousands of acres. In an interview with CBC News, O'Leary said people "should be very skeptical" but "they should just watch, because we'll be very transparent as we develop this."

Here are opportunities to inform municipal planning on neighbourhood renewal, business, entertainment, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• Wîhkwêntôwin ᐄᐧᐦᑫᐧᐣᑑᐃᐧᐣ Neighbourhood Renewal — The City of Edmonton has produced a second round of design options for the renewal of Wîhkwêntôwin, based on past public engagement. The last chance for residents to provide feedback through a survey is Dec. 13.
• Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) Patron Experience Survey — The City of Edmonton wants to know how residents perceive the 13 BIAs across the city. The organizations are defined as specific geographic areas where local businesses have a formal association that's supported by the City of Edmonton. A short survey can be completed until Dec. 15.
• 104 Street Entertainment District — The City of Edmonton is considering designating part of 104 Street, between Jasper Avenue and 104 Avenue, as an Entertainment District, which would periodically close the street and allow food and alcohol service on it. In spring 2024, nearby Rice Howard Way was piloted as an Entertainment District, and the City wants to "build off of the success of that project." Residents who live, work, or otherwise frequent downtown can complete a survey until Dec. 17.

More input opportunities

• Until Dec. 15: Northeast River Valley Park Strategic Plan (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 15: 2024 Festivals Survey (Town of Morinville)
• Until Dec. 16: ETS Trip Planner Testing Recruitment (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 20: Passenger Rail Master Plan Survey (Government of Alberta)
• Until Dec. 20: Medical assistance in dying engagement (Government of Alberta)
• Until Dec. 20: Towards 40 Survey — 106 Street NW Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 20: Engage and Play: Shaping Public Recreation (City of Edmonton)
• Until Dec. 31: Central Nisku Local Area Redevelopment Plan (Leduc County)
• Until Dec. 31: Business Improvement Areas (BIA) Business Survey (City of Edmonton)
• Until Jan. 5: West Jasper Place Rezoning — 95 Avenue NW (City of Edmonton)
• Until Jan. 5: Strathcona Blok99 Rezoning (City of Edmonton)
• Until Jan. 12: Budget 2025 Consultation (Government of Alberta)
• Until Jan. 15: Building Relationships to Shape Our City: Connecting with under-heard communities (City of Edmonton)
• Until Jan. 15: Land Use Bylaw Redesign (Parkland County)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Celebration of Industry Champions starting at 10:30am at Royal Glenora Club
• Evolving Edmonton: Vision and Progress starting at 11:30am at Royal Glenora Club
• Glow Golden Seniors Day starting at 1pm at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Holiday Kitchen Party starting at 6:30pm at Meuwly's
• Chef JP Dubaldo's INA MO Pop-Up Dinner starting at 6:30pm at EPIC Market
• Volya Live starting at 7:30pm at Capitol Theatre
• Holiday Train - Edmonton Stop starting at 8:15pm at Edmonton CPKC Station
• Until Dec. 15: Singing Christmas Tree at Edmonton EXPO Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Dec. 22: The Little Match Girl Passion at All Saints Anglican Cathedral
• Dec. 30: Audreys Book Club at Audreys Books
• Jan. 6: Silent Book Club at St. Albert Public Library

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