The Pulse: Jan. 6, 2025

In 2024, Taproot reported on several stories that continued to evolve after we published them. Here are some updates.

Service providers partner, move, face barriers

The original stories: In 2024, we noticed two trends among social service providers in Edmonton. Some partnered to improve their work, while some tried to expand out of the downtown to serve different areas of the city. In April, Boyle Street Community Services took over the day-to-day operation of the CHEW Project, as the centre struggled with staffing and new requirements, and Youth Empowerment and Support Services also provided specialized training. This happened as Boyle Street was operating from a hodgepodge of locations in the inner city after leaving its former building just north of Rogers Place. In January, Boyle Street's Elliott Tanti told Taproot the move actually streamlined services for the people that the different providers serve in overlapping ways. For example, Boyle Street moved its triage program to a Bissell Centre building, where clients could also meet a housing or youth services worker, or retrieve mail, a bus pass, or pet food. As for services moving out of the inner city, in January the George Spady Society successfully applied to move its medically supported detox program to a building beside the Jasper Place Transit Centre. Around the same time, Boyle Street appeared before the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board to reapply for a permit to open an overdose prevention site in Ritchie. The SDAB had denied Boyle Street a permit because the proposed building wasn't universally accessible. Boyle Street reapplied after adding a ramp to the proposed building's design.

Then what? The CHEW Project's partnership with Boyle Street and YESS has allowed it to expand hours and even consider an outpost in Calgary. Meanwhile, Boyle Street's Ritchie overdose prevention site stalled. In May, some Ritchie residents opposed the project at an SDAB hearing, and in June, the SDAB denied Boyle Street's permit once again, this time because it didn't adhere to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles. Boyle Street dropped the project in December.

What's next? Boyle Street will recombine its services in central Edmonton once the King Thunderbird Centre opens in 2025. The organization, meanwhile, has said little about its project in Ritchie since dropping it in December, but the provincial ministry of mental health and addiction said that because "development permits have been repeatedly denied or revoked by the city's Subdivision Appeal Board, Boyle Street is no longer moving forward with their application and Alberta's government is no longer providing funding for the opening of a new drug consumption site in the Strathcona area." In Jasper Place, the George Spady Society's medically supported detox program is scheduled to move to its new location in the first half of 2025.- Stephanie Swensrude

City continues Chinatown investments

The original story: In March, Taproot reported that most of the City of Edmonton's $1 million Chinatown Recovery Fund was awarded to security efforts. The city's Brett Latchford said one of the fund's goals was vibrancy, though $622,000 went towards installing security upgrades like roll shutters at businesses. William Lau, who has worked with both the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative and YEG Chinatown Re:VITA, said the emphasis on security was due to community demand. Latchford, meanwhile, discussed a Chinatown Vibrancy Fund.

Then what? In April, the city launched a $480,000 Chinatown Vibrancy Fund. The recipients were announced in October. The funds were reallocated from the Downtown Vibrancy Fund, based on a motion by Coun. Keren Tang. The largest investment was $90,000 for two years of the Chinatown Summer Festival, held by the Edmonton Chinatown BIA; the smallest was $7,000 for the Chinatown Peace Walk with Indigenous Elders, also held by the BIA. Close to $41,000 was invested in Azure Dragon of the East, the second in a four-part mural series by Busyrawk. That mural is now complete. Another project, the $20,000 Chinatown Chow Down by Linda Hoang, is running until April. Taproot covered vibrancy updates that happened outside the fund, too: Stories on the imminent opening of Boa & Hare, the June opening of Little Bon Bon by the team behind Yelo'd, and a storytelling map led by Emily Chu.

What's next? Many of the projects that received funding have yet to be executed. Chinatown Dining Week is back from Jan. 16 to 26. The BIA will organize Lunar New Year celebrations, and the Van bLoc Party by Van Loc will have a special edition during the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival. Busyrawk's next mural, Black Tortoise of the North, is in concept development. Some of the roll shutters in the area will be beautified through a BIA-led project. Plus, Tang's successful motionincludes another $480,000 for Chinatown vibrancy in 2025, plus the same amount in 2026. - Colin Gallant

Strathcona County affordable housing development faces delay after delay

The original story: In 2024, an affordable housing development at the old Clover Bar Lodge in Strathcona County that has been in the works since 2022 faced delays. As Taproot noted in a March newsletter, some residents attended a public hearing in February to speak against Heartland Housing Foundation's development at 100 Fir Street. The development had already been reduced to 115 units from 200 units due to its size and potential impact on parking, mature trees, and neighbourhood character, but opponents wanted the building's scope to be further reduced. Council voted 5-4 to send Heartland back to the drawing board to address resident concerns, but the motion was later rescinded because one councillor had voted in error. This sparked a special March 12 meeting, where council voted 5-4 to reopen readings of the rezoning bylaw. On April 9, council voted 5-4 to approve the rezoning, which now included 126 parking stalls both on the surface and underground.

Then what? Heartland told Strathcona County council that requiring underground parking would make the project unviable as it would add about $4.5 million to the cost. The foundation proposed moving to surface parking only, which would result in a reduction of up to 20 townhouse units in the development. Ward 4 Coun. Bill Tonita said he was concerned to see the number of units decrease again. "We have a real shortage of affordable housing. We have a project that we've been working on and we've seen it whittled back from where we initially began and we've seen it come back several times," Tonita said. "When we take 20 or 25 (units) off of this list, to me, that's 25 families that we cannot house."

What's next? There's no set date for a public hearing to switch to surface parking. Heartland said it plans to host more public consultations this year. Ward 2 Coun. Dave Anderson said he didn't want the project to come back even smaller at the next meeting. "I don't want this coming back to us again, to be sitting here in four months from now (and hear), 'The cost of construction went up and we need to make the project even smaller.' It puts it in a really precarious situation for me and I'm really struggling." - Stephanie Swensrude

Correction: This story has been update to more accurately reflect what is proposed to change in the Heartland Housing Foundation's rezoning.

• A Phase 2 parking ban on residential roads across Edmonton will begin at 7am on Jan. 7 and last about 10 days. Snow clearing is expected to last about 72 hours in each neighbourhood. Residents must remove vehicles from roads to avoid tickets, and can check the Roadways Snow Clearing Map or subscribe to notifications for progress updates. The ban will be lifted on weekends, and parking is allowed on completed roads.
• Edmonton city council has appointed four new members of the Edmonton Police Commission. They are Carola Cunningham, Zahro Hassan, Daniel Jones, and Renée Vaugeois. Their terms are set to end Dec. 31, 2026. The selection process attracted more than 180 applicants, the City of Edmonton said in a release.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is recruiting diverse and community-minded candidates to join their team, emphasizing not only physical fitness but also communication, empathy, problem-solving, resilience, and teamwork. More information on recruitment and qualifications is available online.
• Edmonton Transit Service is set to introduce a new tap payment system by mid-2025, allowing riders to pay using credit cards, Visa and Mastercard debit, or phones. The City of Edmonton is already replacing ARC card readers with the new machines at no additional cost to the public, and testing for the updated system is scheduled to begin early this year.
• Edmonton residents can dispose of their natural Christmas trees through curbside collection starting Jan. 20, or by taking them to a Community Recycling Depot or Eco Station. Artificial trees in good condition can be donated, while those in poor condition should be taken to an Eco Station or placed in black garbage carts. The City of Edmonton is encouraging residents to properly sort holiday waste by recycling wrapping paper and safely disposing of hazardous materials like batteries.
• The Edmonton Police Commission hasn't publicly disclosed the honoraria paid to its members since late 2017, despite a requirement to make the payments public, Postmedia reported. In response to Postmedia's inquiries, the commission said it will make an effort to improve transparency by separating honoraria from other budget items in future reports.
• Edmonton saw a significant increase in the removal of homeless encampments in 2024, with nearly 9,500 sites dismantled, marking a 42% rise from the previous year. Despite efforts to clean up and coordinate resources through initiatives like the navigation and support centre, Edmonton still faces challenges, with about 5,000 people experiencing homelessness but only about 2,000 shelter spaces available.
• While opioid-related deaths in Alberta have dropped 53% compared to September 2023, Edmonton continues to record the highest number of overdoses, with 395 deaths so far in 2024. Experts attribute the provincial decline to various factors, including changes in drug supply, and access to treatment and naloxone kits.
• Dale McFee is set to become Alberta's top civil servant after he steps down as chief of the Edmonton Police Service in February. In an interview with CBC, he reflected on his six years in the role, during which he helped the police service navigate challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, debates over police funding, and public safety issues in Edmonton. McFee's tenure included addressing rising calls for police reform following the global response to George Floyd's killing, managing tensions with city council, and overseeing responses to significant incidents like the 2023 killings of two EPS officers.
• In an op-ed published in Postmedia, John McDougall, the former chair of the Edmonton Police Commission, argued that the Edmonton Police Service has made improvements despite criticisms regarding use-of-force incidents. McDougall argued that data often cited by critics contains errors and lacks context, noting that EPS has improved its ability to reduce use of force amid increasing dangers. He also pointed to initiatives like mental health partnerships and diversity in recruitment efforts.
• Edmonton-area municipalities are expected to vote on whether to remain or withdraw from the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board after the province announced it would suspend its funding for the regional planning organization and make its membership voluntary. St. Albert's city council will discuss its position on Jan. 21, amid concerns the defunding could undermine regional growth plans and previous collaborative efforts.
• The Northlands Coliseum, closed since 2017, isn't expected to be demolished for at least another two years. The City of Edmonton has allocated $35 million for the demolition, and has plans to transform the site into an urban village with residential, commercial, and retail spaces.
• In an article for the Rat Creek Press, Edmonton Public Schools trustee Trisha Estabrooks highlighted the board's recent decision to declare six previously closed schools as surplus because of high maintenance costs and a lack of provincial funding to operate unused buildings. While some community groups have made use of the vacant school spaces, the overall costs of upkeep outweigh any rental revenue. The surplus school sites will undergo a government review process, with the potential for the province or municipal partners to acquire the properties before they are made available on the open market.
• The introduction of political parties in the 2025 municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary could stifle independent thought and force candidates to adhere to party lines, experts argue. Despite the Alberta government's decision to allow formal parties in municipal elections, a public survey showed 70% opposition, and local officials have expressed concerns about the change. While some candidates plan to run as independents, others see advantages in party affiliation due to fundraising benefits.
• Dianne Kipnes, a prominent figure in Edmonton known for her contributions to education, healthcare, and philanthropy, died on Dec. 26 at the age of 81. Her legacy includes the establishment of the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation, which has significantly supported the community, along with her work with the Kipnes Centre for Veterans and the Edmonton Opera. A funeral service was held on Dec. 30 at the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Edmonton.
• The average price of a detached home in the Edmonton area rose to $540,000 in December 2024, marking a 10.6% increase from the previous year, but a 25.4% decrease in monthly sales compared to November 2024. Prices for duplexes, townhomes, and condos also increased. Edmonton's overall housing inventory dropped 24.6% year-over-year, contributing to a seller's market in 2025.
• The Strathcona Food Bank in Sherwood Park is planning to build a new facility called the Nourish Centre to help it better meet rising demand. The food bank is launching a $5-million capital campaign to fund the project, aiming to raise half that amount within the next six months. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the move-in anticipated by the end of 2026.
• Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi announced he will run for the Edmonton-Strathcona legislature seat following Rachel Notley's resignation, which will trigger a byelection. Observers say Nenshi, a former Calgary mayor, could strengthen his presence in Edmonton and elevate the party's profile by securing a seat in what is considered the safest NDP riding in the province. The byelection must be held by June 30, and the NDP is expected to acclaim Nenshi as its candidate later this month.
• Leon Draisaitl's upcoming $14 million annual contract with the Edmonton Oilers is proving to be a bargain as he leads the NHL in several key areas, including goals and game-winning goals, Postmedia sports journalist Robert Tychkowski wrote. Draisaitl's exceptional play has been crucial for the Oilers, especially during Connor McDavid's absence, and has helped the team to a strong record in recent games.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Ukrainian Christmas Eve on the "Julian" calendar starting at 4:30pm at Chateau Louis Conference Centre
• Messed Up Mondays starting at 6pm at Pub 1905
• Silent Book Club starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Jan. 15: Edmonton Arts Council Survey Project Presentation at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre
• Jan. 16-26: Chinatown Dining Week
• Jan. 17-19: RiverCity Bluegrass Festival at Edmonton Inn

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