The Pulse: Feb. 3, 2025

This week, council is scheduled to vote on changes to the zoning bylaw meant to improve developer compliance on landscaping, a rezoning application in Blatchford, and whether to borrow money to build new ramps on Anthony Henday Drive.

There is a public hearing scheduled on Feb. 3 and a city council meeting scheduled on Feb. 4 and 5.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• Council is scheduled to vote on changes to the zoning bylaw in an attempt to improve landscaping for new developments at a public hearing on Feb. 3. The city collects securities from developers to ensure they meet landscaping requirements. In the past, administration collected the full deposit amount before construction began, and developers were 100% compliant with providing securities. In 2017, the city started to collect a smaller security amount after construction was complete to remove a development barrier. Since that change, compliance has fallen to less than 20%, and two-thirds of sites inspected did not comply with landscaping regulations. The proposed bylaw changes would revert regulations to a model that is similar to the one used before 2017.
• Land in Blatchford located between the community's two LRT stops could be opened for development, should council approve a rezoning application at a public hearing on Feb. 3. Administration has proposed rezoning the parcel to allow for buildings of between six and 14 storeys. If council approves the application, crews would begin construction of infrastructure like streets, landscaping, and utilities.
• Council will be asked to approve borrowing $6.55 million to finance the addition of ramps at 137 Avenue NW and Anthony Henday Drive.
• Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning application pertaining to Beljan Development's project to redevelop St. Anthony School at 10425 84 Avenue NW. The vote was rescheduled from the Jan. 24 public hearing. While the lot's current zoning allows for a building of up to five storeys, the rezoning would allow for a building of up to nine storeys. Some residents oppose the application, saying that redeveloping the parking lot will affect the theatres, businesses, and special events in the area and the new development will congest traffic. Those in support said adding housing will make the neighbourhood more vibrant, and add customers and audiences for the businesses and theatres nearby.
• At a meeting on Feb. 4, council is scheduled to review reports that were presented to various committees in January, like an environmental impact assessment, a grant funding program for affordable housing, and a new bylaw banning the sale of knives at convenience stores.
• Council will meet in private to discuss collective bargaining, an intergovernmental matter, and naming rights for the Edmonton Elks partner field.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

• A citywide parking ban took effect on Feb. 2 in Edmonton for crews to clear snow from major roads. The ban prohibits parking on arterial roads, collector roads, bus routes, and roads within business improvement areas, and is expected to last five days.
• Edmonton city councillors Aaron Paquette and Ashley Salvador voiced support for increased police presence on public transit in response to concerns about safety and drug use, but noted that deployment decisions rest with police leadership. A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service said that transit-related calls are increasing, but that crime severity in LRT stations and transit centres fell 6% between 2023 and 2024.
• Some Edmonton homeowners are questioning major increases in their property assessments, which will mean higher property taxes. The median assessed value of a single detached home in 2025 is $465,500, an increase of more than $35,000 from last year's $428,500. While the City of Edmonton warned assessments would increase because of rising home values, realtors noted that the assessed values don't always align with market values.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, including a 10% tariff on Canadian energy products. In a statement posted online, Smith said she will collaborate with the federal government and other provinces on a "proportionate response" while continuing diplomatic efforts in the U.S. to advocate for the tariffs' removal. Edmonton businesses and government officials are exploring how to mitigate the effect of the tariffs, which Edmonton Global CEO Malcolm Bruce called a "significant shock to Canada's ability to conduct economic activities."
• CUPE 3550, which represents education support workers at Edmonton Public Schools, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the school board, accusing it of unfair labour practices. The union represents educational assistants, therapists, and other support staff who have been on strike since Jan. 13.
• Edmonton recorded 441 opioid-related deaths from January to October 2024, surpassing the city's total for all of 2020. While opioid-related deaths have been trending downward across Alberta, Edmonton numbers are the highest in the province and nearly double those of Calgary.
• Canadian Blood Services is moving its main blood donation clinic in Edmonton from the University of Alberta campus to a new location at Whitemud Crossing on the south side. The agency said the new clinic will open in April and offer improved accessibility and parking for donors.
• Some Alberta parents are facing significant increases in their daycare bills when the province replaces its existing child-care subsidy program with a $15-a-day flat rate on April 1. The change means some families will pay hundreds of dollars more per month.
• The Weeknd will perform at Commonwealth Stadium on July 19 as part of his After Hours Til Dawn tour, the City of Edmonton announced. Tickets go on sale Feb. 7 through Ticketmaster.
• Bird watchers in the Edmonton area are excited about an influx of rare owl species, including great grey owls, northern hawk owls, and boreal owls. Experts attribute the sightings to cyclical changes in the birds' food supply. "This year has definitely been the year of the owl," said Dale Gienow with Wild North.
• A profile in The Globe and Mail discusses how Cree wrestler Sage Morin is using the sport to overcome personal tragedy and find healing. Morin, who competes under the name "The Matriarch," is a rising star in the Canadian independent wrestling scene. "It feels important when they see this Indigenous woman come out, and I'm not a villain and I'm not a victim. I'm victorious," Morin said.
• The University of Alberta published a tribute to Peter Meekison, a political science scholar and former Alberta deputy minister who played a key role in shaping the Canadian constitution, including the amending formula. Meekison, who died on Jan. 20 at age 88, was remembered as a "giant of Prairie politics" and a mentor to generations of students.
• Edmonton Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson took first place in the hardest shot competition at the team's annual skills competition. His shot came in at 107.6 mph.

The latest draft of Edmonton's much-discussed public spaces bylaw will be hard for city council to pass, the co-hosts of Episode 293 of Speaking Municipally said.

City administration began to review the bylaw in 2022, based on public input about safety and inclusivity, with plans to consolidate bylaws that regulated the conduct of transit passengers, parkland users, and those in public places, all while absorbing provisions from several other bylaws. In February 2024, council sent the resulting draft bylaw back to administration with instructions to examine alternatives to ticketing those who break the rules. It also asked administration to analyze data, and research anti-racism and the criminalization of poverty. At that time, the hosts of Speaking Municipally questioned elements of the draft, including why it sought to ban cycling on grass. Meanwhile, Taproot's managing editor, Tim Querengesser, told CBC's Alberta at Noon about the connections between the draft bylaw and the province's role in creating the Edmonton Public Safety and Community Response Task Force.

The latest draft bylaw, set to be discussed at a public hearing during the Community and Public Services Committee meeting on Feb. 10, is not likely to change city council's mind, said co-host Troy Pavlek.

"There are improvements here," Pavlek said. "But I think, broadly, administration fell really, really short, and council is going to have a hard time approving this."

Both Pavlek and co-host Mack Male said administration has made more changes than council asked for. "Some of these (changes), I think, are probably not too controversial," Male said. "Others may be a little more questionable."

Male said he was puzzled by elements in the draft that are adapted from the traffic bylaw. Male also pointed out the bylaw would mean people aged 14 and under would be able to bike on the sidewalk, regardless of wheel size, but that it makes no mention of drivers parking in bike lanes. (In fact, the only rule in the draft that would regulate how drivers use motor vehicles is where they can park and drive in city parks.) Elsewhere, Male said reducing fines for open drug use, in most cases, from $250 to $25, was a strange response to "public pushback" on the prior draft. He said the dollar amount is moot because he predicts it will not be enforced.

"It is a bit about, like, we're just writing down expected behaviours, and if that's the case, then does it matter if the fine is $250 or $25? We don't have people walking around ready to hand out $250 fines anyway."

The hosts noted that councillors will either send the draft bylaw back to administration yet again or move for it to go to a full council vote and then onto another public hearing.

Many have already shared their thoughts on social media. Edmonton Downtown Business Association executive director, Puneeta McBryan, said she spoke in favour of the prior draft and encourages citizens to share their views about the new draft at the coming hearing. Coun. Ashley Salvador, meanwhile, provided context on the bylaw, particularly about its ability to regulate street preaching, for Reddit users during a lively Ask Me Anything session.

The Jan. 31 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast includes discussion of surplus school sites and new mentions of artificial intelligence in city documents. It also features another segment with the creators of Edmonton Food Faves We Crave. Plus, Taproot's managing editor, Tim Querengesser, provides an update from the Taproot newsroom. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.

A moment in history was missing from the Jan. 31 edition of The Pulse, but we thought you might still like to read it, so enjoy!

On this day in 1951, those looking for a party were getting ready to hit one of Edmonton's hottest clubs.

The advertisement for the Rainbow Ballroom on Whyte Avenue might not seem exciting to us in 2025. It promised Waltz Night Wednesdays, Old Time dancing on Friday, and music by the Golden Spark Orchestra. However, the expansive dance hall was one of the anchors of Edmonton's nightlife for decades.

Built at Whyte and 108 Street in 1948, at the beginning of a construction boom, it wasn't long before lines of young dancers stretched along the side of the building on Friday and Saturday nights.

Once inside, party-seekers would find a large wooden dance floor big enough for the hundreds of patrons the Ballroom would attract on a busy night, as well as a bandstand and concession. The walls were decorated with painted murals depicting the Rocky Mountains, which surely felt outdated as the orchestra music of the '50s gave way to the rock-and-roll of the '60s.

Many of Edmonton's most popular and well-known musical acts played at the ballroom during its lifetime. Tommy Banks and the Muirhead Orchestra both performed there in the early days. During the 1960s, the Rainbow was the regular home for one of the city's most popular rock bands, The Lords (known at the time as the A&W Lords because they were sponsored by a local burger drive-in). The dance hall's rock days were immortalized by a live album, Direct from the Rainbow Ballroom, which features performances by The Lords, Mary Saxton, and Southern Freeway.

The Rainbow Ballroom remained a staple of Edmonton's nightlife into the 1970s, but it eventually shut down. In the 1980s, it was briefly a bingo hall before returning to its roots as a Mother's Music store. In the '90s, the building was replaced by something diametrically opposed to a music venue: A bank.

Whyte Avenue has long been the brightest light in Edmonton's nightlife scene. However, the street has received less attention over the past few years, with increasing shop vacancies. During the same time, the city has encouraged more vibrancy in other parts of the city, such as last year's pilot project for a special entertainment district along Rice Howard Way downtown.

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 today in the Edmonton area.

• Future Energy Generation with Amit Kumar starting at 12pm online
• Black History Month 2025 Official Opening Ceremony starting at 1pm at Citadel Theatre
• SDGSA Workshop: Crafting a Better World starting at 4pm at University of Alberta (TELUS International Centre)
• Messed Up Mondays starting at 6pm at Pub 1905
• nêhiyawêwin (Cree Language) Classes starting at 6pm at Edmonton Public Library (Highlands)
• Up Close: Mozart, Brahms & Ravel starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre
• Why should we talk? starting at 7pm at University of Alberta (TELUS International Centre)
• Live Wires: Electricians at the Heart of the Solar Revolution starting at 7pm online

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Feb. 10-14: Non-Profit Week 2025 at Edmonton Chamber of Volunteer Organizations
• Feb. 13: Mind Your Business: Navigating Tariffs at Royal Glenora Club
• Feb. 14: Sweetheart Snowshoe & Kicksled at Whitemud Park and Ravine

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