The Pulse: Dec. 20, 2024

Numbers give news context, heft, and depth — and 2024 had lots of them. For example, the number of people without stable housing in Edmonton increased by more than 2,000, to 4,697. Meanwhile, a private-sector report called for governments to invest $427 million in the city's downtown, transit ridership rose 12% above pre-pandemic levels, and we learned the city's debt financing for the Yellowhead Trail freeway conversion will grow by $105 million.

As Taproot prepares for a holiday break, we're sharing which numbers might matter most in the years ahead.

0

That's the number Coun. Andrew Knack talked about in a motion that followed council's Dec. 4 approval of a 6.1% property tax increase for 2025. The motion, which Knack worked on with Coun. Tim Cartmell and Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, pitched zero-based budgeting for council's work on budgets for the 2027 to 2030 cycle. Knack said his colleagues are frustrated with the status quo and that this might be the salve.

"I think it's time for a true foundational budget," Knack said during the meeting. "It's not going to be easy, but it's going to allow the next council to fully understand where all of our dollars are going."

Zero-based budgeting starts a budget at zero rather than using a past budget as a starting point. Knack's successful motion means all City of Edmonton departments, agencies, boards, and commissions will present to council before the numbers are crunched for the 2027 to 2030 budget process.

Though Knack talked of going "line by line" through the budget, some question if it's possible. Allan Bolstad, a councillor from 1992 to 2004, wrote that the line-by-line approaches were already tried — and failed. Bolstad said the process is too intensive to be effective.

17

That's how many kilometres of new active transportation routes the city told Taproot it would build in 2024. That came more than a year after Edmonton's city council voted to invest $100 million in active transportation infrastructure. The 2024 promise comprises 10 routes covering 17 kilometres, budgeted in the $100 million pledged in 2022.

The cost of the bike lane investment has roused emotions since 2022, among both those wishing the build-out would accelerate and those wishing it would hit the brakes. In December, during budget adjustment discussions, Coun. Karen Principe introduced a motion to cut $67 million from the $100 million council endorsed in 2022, but it failed.

• The City of Edmonton is holding a New Year's Eve celebration at Churchill Square with free entertainment, fire pits, food trucks, and fireworks. The event starts at 6pm on Dec. 31, with fireworks displays at 8pm and again at midnight. The Entertainment District on Rice Howard Way will feature activities from 6pm to midnight. Stanley A. Milner Library will host a screening of The Princess Bride at 2:30pm.
• Edmonton city council received a report showing that a disproportionate number of people released from jail live in Edmonton compared to other Canadian cities, which is partly due to a high concentration of prisons. Three times as many inmates are released in Edmonton than in Calgary, and Edmonton's jails have the capacity for 3,405 inmates, compared to Calgary's 1,111, the report says. Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee said the high concentration of prisons contributes to inadequate support systems and higher recidivism rates, while Coun. Michael Janz said it's "not fair" for Edmonton taxpayers to pay for Canada's "social ills and challenges."
• The Edmonton Public School Board heard from two youths and members of the public about concerns over reports of children of undocumented workers being denied access to school. Marco Luciano, director of Migrante Alberta, said his organization has heard of at least six children not allowed to attend school. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said schools require documentation to ensure children are legal residents, a law that advocates say should be revisited.
• Muriel Stanley Venne, a Métis matriarch and advocate for Indigenous rights, has died. Founder of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (Esquao) and Women of the Métis Nation in Alberta, she devoted decades to advancing justice, equality, and awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women. Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak joined others in mourning her loss, honouring her as a mentor, ally, and trailblazer whose work profoundly shaped advocacy and policy.
• The City of Edmonton closed its bidding process for 53 new high-floor LRT vehicles, which will replace 37 aging trains on the Capital Line and Metro Line and help accommodate service growth for the lines' extensions. Six international bidding teams expressed interest, of which four will be invited to submit a proposal, the City said.
• The Edmonton Police Service has permanently extended its partnership with the IT company Technology North for an employment program for people with autism. The program connects people with work in redacting body camera footage. The police service says the project aligns with the skills of the Technology North team and helps with the ongoing adoption of police body cameras, which began in September.
• The Alberta government says it is implementing a new compensation model for family doctors that will improve attraction and retention. The new approach moves away from a mostly fee-for-service model and offers incentives for having a high number of patients and providing after-hours care. The Alberta Medical Association previously said that delays in finalizing the deal had negatively affected access to health care, and a survey earlier this year found 90% of family doctors were concerned about the viability of their practices and 60% were considering leaving Alberta.

On this day in 1946, a funeral was held in the Freemason Lodge downtown.

The group's history in the area stretched back nearly a century and a half. In 1882, the first Mason lodge in what is now Alberta was founded by 13 members living near Fort Edmonton. It would last about six years before dissolving due to low membership. Other lodges began to form in the 1890s as the region's population continued to grow.

In 1903, construction began on the original Edmonton Mason Hall, on 102 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue. The upper floors of the building served as the location of the group's meetings and rites, while the first floor was rented out — Alberta College taught its first classes there, and it was later replaced by a cigar factory. A replica of the first Mason Hall still remains in Fort Edmonton Park.

Membership continued to grow through the first decade of the 20th century, and the group soon outgrew the original hall. In 1911, the group sought to fund the construction of an elaborate new hall by selling shares in the new building, but the response was underwhelming. It would take another 19 years before the new hall would begin construction.

When the cornerstone was placed in 1930, it was for a building that matched the Masons's craftsman roots. The new hall was designed by celebrated architect William Blakely, known for buildings that include the Christ Church Anglican Parish and Garneau Theatre (Blakely was a Freemason himself). The four-storey building was finished with brick and artificial stone. The Gothic design gives it a medieval feeling that sets it apart from the other buildings on 100 Avenue NW. Facing the street are two entrances — one for the public, the other for members. On the second storey, facing the street, there are six small alcoves above the windows, which were intended to display statues. The sculptures were ordered, but never actually arrived. To this day, no one — including the Freemasons themselves — knows what they were supposed to depict.

The main floor is dominated by a large auditorium with a sprung dance floor covered in oak. That space was not only for Masonic events, but also to bring rental income to the lodge by booking it for public events. Aside from the offices and meeting areas, the hall boasted the city's first lending library, as well as the first passenger elevator in the province.

Nearly a century after its construction, the Freemasons's Hall is still one of the most striking and intriguing buildings in Edmonton's core. It remains an active meeting place for the city's Masons, we well as a well-used performance and gathering space. Earlier this year, the hall's grand auditorium served as the spot for the first YEG Ballroom event, thought to be the first of its kind in the city.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.

Taproot is taking a holiday break as of Dec. 20 and will return to your inbox on Jan. 6. There are many events to explore in and around our city over the next few weeks.

• Dec. 20: Friday Afternoon Book Club - The One starting at 1:30pm at Stony Plain Public Library
• Dec. 20: Jingle Jammin' starting at 3pm at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• Dec. 20: Chinatown Writing Club starting at 7pm at Van Loc
• Dec. 20-22: Winter Wonderland at EPIC Market
• Dec. 21: Book Signing of Lucky Ducky - Book 2 in the Maddy Whitman Mystery Series starting at 12pm at Makers Keep (Kingsway Mall)
• Dec. 21: God Is A Scottish Drag Queen Christmas Special starting at 4pm at Metro Cinema
• Dec. 21: A Musical Holiday starting at 4:30pm online
• Dec. 21: Holiday Nostalgia starting at 7pm at ArtsHub Ortona
• Dec. 21: A Songwriter's Solstice starting at 7:30pm at CKUA
• Until Dec. 21: Girl Brain at Roxy Theatre
• Until Dec. 21: An Elegant Affair: A Very Count Basie Christmas at MacEwan University
• Dec. 22: The Little Match Girl Passion starting at 7:30pm at All Saints Anglican Cathedral
• Until Dec. 22: Cycle at Mile Zero Dance
• Until Dec. 22: Krampus at Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre
• Until Dec. 22: Little Dickens at Roxy Theatre
• Until Dec. 22: The Blank Who Stole Christmas at Rapid Fire Exchange
• Until Dec. 24: A Christmas Carol at Citadel Theatre
• Until Dec. 24: It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol at Varscona Theatre
• Dec. 28: Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert starting at 2:30pm at Winspear Centre
• Dec. 28: Pub Night December starting at 6:30pm at Ritchie Hall
• Until Dec. 28: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at Festival Place
• Dec. 28-29: New Moon, New Year: A Twilight Drag Show and Dance Party at Double Dragon
• Until Dec. 29: Die Harsh - A Christmas Musical at the Orange Hub
• Jan. 3: Flavours of the Orient: Fruit Tour starting at 6:30pm at Lucky Supermarket
• Jan. 4: Monthly Mastermind starting at 12pm online
• Jan. 4: Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert starting at 7:30pm at Jubilee Auditorium

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