The Pulse
Feb. 14, 2025

The city is set to install a dedicated bus lane along parts of 101 Street downtown, one of eight streets that will see changes to give buses priority over other vehicles.

The bus lane is part of a suite of changes set to be installed across the city in 2025 and 2026 that are meant to improve operational efficiency and reduce travel times along major bus routes using a relatively small budget, a city report said. Council approved $7.1 million for the planning, design, and implementation of the transit priority measures in the 2023-2026 budget.

The city has planned changes along the following streets:

• Jasper Avenue (95 Street to 109 Street)
• 101 Street (Kingsway to Jasper Avenue)
• 97 Avenue (105 Street to 109 Street)
• 97 Street (107 Avenue to 118 Avenue)
• Hewes Way (23 Avenue to 28 Avenue)
• 118 Avenue at 80 Street
• Whyte Avenue (99 Street to 109 Street)

The city will adjust traffic signal phasing on each route so that buses can move through intersections more efficiently, a city spokesperson told Taproot. Other changes include queue jumps on 97 Avenue and Jasper Avenue, which will allow a bus to proceed before other traffic when a traffic light turns green; parking restrictions on 97 Street; and intersection modifications on Whyte Avenue, Jasper Avenue, and 97 Street. The city will extend sidewalks to make boarding and disembarking buses easier and to reduce pedestrian crossing distances at intersections. The entire list of changes is laid out in a council memo.

Daniel Witte, board chair of Edmonton Transit Riders, told Taproot that as Edmonton's population grows, it's important to improve the transit experience to encourage ridership.

"We don't want the 40 people in one bus to be stuck behind three or four cars, meaning they can't get through an intersection," Witte said. "This is about identifying spot locations that are in most need of congestion (relief) as our population grows, and addressing those with very effective and targeted remedies that make the transportation experience better for everyone."

Witte said that the city could have been more ambitious. "The fact that with the majority of these measures we're only seeing signal timing changes is a bit disappointing," Witte said. "I think that we, ideally, (would have) a lot more transit lanes and bus lanes implemented in the city in the places that we need them. Even things like queue jumps and transit priority signalling are so, so good and effective. It would be really great to see some more of those implemented."

City administration is currently planning bus rapid transit routes that will have dedicated bus lanes for at least 75% of the route. Two of the routes include parts of Whyte Avenue. The Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy also calls for dedicated transit lanes on Whyte Avenue. As part of the transit priorities project, there will not be dedicated bus lanes installed on Whyte Avenue, the city said.

Witte said he had hoped the transit priority measures and the bus rapid transit routes on Whyte Avenue could be paired together. "If we can get those done simultaneously so we don't have to redo work and switch up the road five or six times — if we can only do it once or twice, I think everyone would prefer that."

• Edmonton city councillors revised the proposed Public Spaces Bylaw to remove restrictions on protests, skateboarding, and feeding feral cats after hearing public feedback. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told reporters that city council wants to protect free expression, noting that spontaneous protests, like those after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, should not require permits or risk fines. The bylaw still prohibits behaviours like panhandling near roads, public drug use, and loitering in bus shelters, but Sohi stressed an approach that prioritizes connecting people to services over punitive measures. Council is set to vote on the revised bylaw at its Feb. 25 meeting.
• A host of free Family Day activities are happening in downtown Edmonton the afternoon of Feb. 17. The Edmonton Arts Council is hosting music and skating in Churchill Square throughout the day, the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Royal Alberta Museum are offering free admission, the Citadel Theatre is holding several free shows, and the Stanley A. Milner Library has a full day of programming planned.
• The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce hosted a closed roundtable discussion with federal minister Terry Duguid, who is responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada. The discussion focused on the potential effects of U.S. tariffs on Alberta's construction and manufacturing sectors. Bianca Parsons with the Alberta Food Processors Association said the tariffs threat has "triggered anxiety," but many companies are now seeking non-U.S. suppliers and trying to expand their domestic client base.
• Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee decided not to hold a disciplinary hearing into a complaint against Const. Michael Zacharuk, who fractured the skull of a handcuffed and detained man during a takedown in 2019. While McFee said the officer may have used excessive force, he determined the misconduct was "not of a serious nature." McFee ordered Zacharuk to undergo additional training, but the ruling cannot be appealed to the Law Enforcement Review Board. A lawyer for the injured man said he is considering whether to apply for a judicial review of McFee's decision.
• Edmonton is hosting a neutral-site Professional Women's Hockey League game on Feb. 16, the fifth stop in a nine-city Takeover Tour. With the league looking to expand west, the sold-out game at Rogers Place between the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge is a chance for Edmonton to showcase its potential to become home to a PWHL team, said Charge forward Danielle Serdachny, who is from Edmonton.
• Edmonton offers "substantial affordability" for renters, according to a blog post from the real estate company Zoocasa, which calculated how much after-tax income a dual-income household needs to meet the "30% rule" for a two-bedroom apartment. In Edmonton, a dual-income household must make $66,200 after taxes for 30% of their income to go toward renting a unit at $1,655 per month, while the average dual-income household makes $105,600, according to Zoocasa.
• The Alberta Energy Regulator, which oversees energy development in the province, appointed former industry executive Rob Morgan as CEO. In his 40-year career, Morgan helped expand several oil and gas companies, including Strathcona Resources, which saw production rise from 17,000 to 187,000 barrels per day while he was top executive. The regulator's last CEO, Laurie Pushor, who vowed to improve transparency following allegations of a culture of fear and misused funds, resigned last fall. A recent peer-reviewed journal article found that the regulator is failing to monitor and manage spills. The paper's author, Kevin Timoney, told climate news outlet DeSmog that it is a "fully captured regulator."
• Emissions Reduction Alberta is investing $55 million through the TIER program into 15 projects to create "cutting-edge technologies" that lower emissions and reduce energy costs. The list of recipients includes Edmonton-based Future Fields, which is expanding its recombinant protein production capacity by more than 200 times with a new facility.
• The Edmonton Elks have signed American wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. He is returning to the Elks after a season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he ranked fourth in the CFL for receiving yards in 2024.
• Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is calling for Health Minister Adriana LaGrange to be fired amid corruption allegations involving Alberta Health Service contracts. If claims made this week in a lawsuit from former Alberta Health Services CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos are true, it would be the worst scandal in the province's history, Nenshi said. In a statement, LaGrange said some allegations are "clearly false, while others will need to be investigated further as part of the auditor general's work and the government's internal review of this matter."

On this day in 1986, the story of one of Edmonton's oldest former garages was told.

The two-storey Strathcona Garage, at 81 Avenue NW and 105 Street NW, has served many different uses over its 113 years. When owner Otto Edinger had it built in 1912 for $40,000, he originally planned for it to be used as a hotel for the many travellers visiting Strathcona at the time. By the time the building opened, however, the upper floors were used for apartments and offices.

The ground floor of the building was designed as a car dealership with a small service department, and large windows designed to display the vehicles inside. At the time, cars were a luxury item that only the wealthy could afford (it had been less than a decade since they had started showing up on local streets). That quickly changed. Over the 1910s, the price of cars dropped to within reach of many middle-class Edmontonians. With prices falling and car ownership rising, the service part of the Strathcona Garage grew, and eventually replaced the dealership. Soon, the garage was one of Edmonton's busiest "motor hospitals."

Edinger didn't hold on to the garage for long, though. When it was built, Edmonton and Strathcona were in the middle of a real estate boom. But with the start of the First World War in 1914, Edmonton's economy cratered. Edinger was unable to make payments to the Riverdale brickyard that provided the materials for the building, and in 1919, he lost the garage to foreclosure. J.B. Little, the brickyard's owner, acquired it at auction.

The auto garage operated for more than 30 years after Little took over. It eventually shut down in 1943. The building's second floor continued as office space and apartments but was eventually condemned due to safety concerns. In 1973, the former garage traded brakes for steaks when it was leased to The Keg, which performed extensive renovations to the building.

The steakhouse operated for more than 40 years and closed in 2020. The next year, Alberta designated the Strathcona Garage as a historical resource because of the role it played in Alberta's automotive history.

Despite its long and varied history, the future of the garage remains uncertain. A few years ago, someone purchased it intending to restore its original function as a hotel. However, that plan fell through, and the building was sold for $3.6 million in a receivership sale last year, with little news about its next chapter.

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.

• Feb. 14: Transit Smokehouse Valentines Paint Night starting at 5pm at Transit Smokehouse & BBQ
• Feb. 14: MacEwan University Griffins vs. University of Alberta Pandas starting at 6pm at Saville Community Sports Centre
• Feb. 14: Lunar Night Market Series starting at 6pm at LAST Modern Event Venue
• Feb. 14: Sweetheart Snowshoe & Kicksled starting at 6pm at Whitemud Park and Ravine
• Feb. 15: Love Your Neighbourhood Walk: Garneau starting at 10am at Kaffa Roaster & Studio
• Feb. 15: Let's go to the movies! - Black History Month Event starting at 1:45pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Feb. 15: Cocktail Class - Amaro Cocktails starting at 7pm at Cocktail Culture
• Feb. 16: Female Tackle Football starting at 12pm at Foote Field
• Feb. 16: Swing​'n Skate starting at 1pm at City Hall Plaza

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 6: It Takes Two: Dynamic Duos at Citadel Theatre
• March 7: Women and Wealth Gala at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• March 7: The Lord of the Rings Symphony at Winspear Centre

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