The Pulse: April 29, 2025

A short film that embodies the spirit of a mural in Chinatown will screen at the first Edmonton edition of the FascinAsian Film Festival on May 10.

The mural and film are both called Azure Dragon of the East. Busyrawk, whose legal name is Young Ick Cha, created the mural, which is part of a series called The Four Guardians of Chinatown. He was part of the film team, led by director Jordon Hon. Odessa De Los Angeles and Joselito II De Los Angeles, of Intertwined Studios, made up the rest of the film crew. The mural is emblazoned with a poem by Catherine Wang and William Lau.

"The mural acts as the intersection where all these different disciplines converge, and it kind of holds as the gateway for people to get connected to this message," Cha told Taproot. "I wanted to extend muralism to be more than just urban vibrancy and visual beautification."

FascinAsian began in Winnipeg in 2021 and is focused on Asian-Canadian and Asian-American film talent. The festival now has editions in Calgary and Edmonton.

Two driving themes of the Azure Dragon of the East are inclusion and shared responsibilities, and that is conveyed by a voiceover in the film. The mural is located on Okîsikow (Angel) Way in what's sometimes called South Chinatown, just east of what's now referred to as downtown. The area was the original Chinatown in Edmonton before the construction of Canada Place, which displaced residents and business owners in the late 1970s. That history, as well as the legacy of Treaty 6, inspired Cha to honour all who have connections to the neighbourhood.

"Chinatown was built from exclusionary experiences," Cha said. "Chinatown was a safe haven for belonging. Fast forward to now, there's been encampment sweeps, and there's a lack of resources for our unhoused community members. These are exclusionary practices that we're perpetuating, and that's hypocritical."

Rather than a "making of" approach, Hon and his collaborators wanted to show people working together and depict the areas that surround the mural, not just the artwork itself. They shot parts of the film from rooftops at the Edmonton Chinese Freemasons Society building and the Hull Block.

"Chinatown is so visual," Hon told Taproot. "There are so many details, whether it's architecture or tiny things, like old menus from previous restaurants on display in some (currently operating) restaurants, and a lot of cultural decor. It's very exciting for me as a filmmaker to shed light and literally point the camera at these little things."

• The Liberals were projected to form government under Prime Minister Mark Carney following the April 28 federal election, though it was not clear late on election night whether the party would form a minority or majority government. The Conservatives, under leader Pierre Poilievre, were poised to sweep nearly every riding in Alberta outside Edmonton and Calgary. Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh announced he will step down as NDP leader after failing to win his riding of Burnaby Central.
• Heather McPherson of the NDP secured her seat in Edmonton Strathcona for a third consecutive term. McPherson was first elected in 2019. The riding has been an NDP stronghold since Linda Duncan won in 2008 and was one of two seats the NDP won in Alberta in the 2021 election.
• Amarjeet Sohi is expected to return to his position as mayor of Edmonton after failing to win the Edmonton Southeast riding for the Liberal Party, losing to Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal. Sohi, who served as a cabinet minister under Justin Trudeau and previously held the Edmonton Mill Woods seat, took an unpaid leave from his mayoral duties to run in the election. In his concession speech, he said he would be back at city hall "very soon," and ruled out any attempt to run in the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 20.
• According to CBC projections late on election night, the Conservative Party was poised to win nearly every seat in Edmonton, as well as in central and northern Alberta. Kerry Diotte defeated NDP incumbent Blake Desjarlais in Edmonton Griesbach, while the race in Edmonton Centre between Conservative Sayid Ahmed, Liberal Eleanor Olszewski, and the NDP's Trisha Estabrooks was still undecided, though Olszewski had a narrow lead. Conservatives were also projected to win in Edmonton Northwest (Billy Morin), Edmonton Manning (Zaid Aboultaif), Edmonton Riverbend (Matt Jeneroux), Edmonton Southeast (Jagsharan Singh Mahal), Edmonton Gateway (Tim Uppal), and Edmonton West (Kelly McCauley).
• University of Alberta students, researchers, and community members played a key role in shaping the ACCESS Open Minds project, which transformed youth mental health services across Canada. Edmonton sites, supported by U of A involvement, showed major improvements in faster assessments and quicker treatment starts for young people. U of A contributors Kevin Friese and Helen Vallianatos helped guide the project's development alongside national partners. Their efforts have now influenced standard youth mental health practices across Alberta through Recovery Alberta programs.
• In an opinion piece published in Postmedia, Cheryll Watson of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, criticized Edmonton's decision to eliminate physical parking machines in favour of a mobile-only payment system. Watson argued the move creates a barrier for seniors, students, and visitors, and negatively impacts downtown businesses and cultural venues by reducing foot traffic. The coalition is calling for free evening and weekend parking downtown to counter the effects of construction, bridge closures, and economic challenges.
• The Edmonton Oilers have extended their playoff series after their 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place on April 27. The best-of-seven series is now tied 2-2. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal. Several Oilers, including Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, and John Klingberg, have recently returned from injuries. Despite the win, the Oilers continue to feel the absence of Mattias Ekholm.
• The Supreme Court of Canada will hear an appeal from the Edmonton Police Service regarding the disclosure of officer misconduct records. The case involves John McKee, who faces drug and weapons charges related to a 2022 investigation. The police service wants to overturn a ruling requiring it to disclose "expunged" disciplinary records of the lead investigator in the case, Det. Jared Ruecker, arguing it would violate officer privacy and hurt the justice system. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada argues it has a constitutional obligation to release all relevant information to defendants and urged the court to dismiss the appeal.
• Former chief medical officer of health Mark Joffe blamed leadership failures and low vaccination rates for Alberta's growing measles outbreak. Joffe made the comments during a presentation at the University of Alberta. He also stressed the disease's severity in a Postmedia op-ed. His contract as chief medical officer with Alberta Health Services ended earlier this month and was not renewed.
• An illegal campfire caused a grass fire that temporarily closed Highway 63 near Fort McMurray on April 25, according to fire investigators. Firefighters from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, assisted by Alberta Wildfire, extinguished the blaze in the Quarry Ridge gully. The fire started on Ridge Trail and prompted a reminder to the public that open-air campfires are prohibited within Fort McMurray limits.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• 2025 Alberta Energy Efficiency and Innovation Summit starting at 7:30am at Westin Edmonton
• Womanition Connect Group Meeting starting at 11:30am at Edmonton Inn and Conference Centre
• SDX 49: Scope or Die starting at 1pm at Action Lab
• Sport Edmonton Annual General Meeting starting at 5pm at Rogers Place
• Community Conversation : Youth and Suicide Prevention starting at 6pm online
• Fraud: What it is, how it happens, and how to protect yourself starting at 6pm at Royal Bank (Baseline Road)
• Empanadas: A Handheld Taste of Argentina starting at 6pm at L'OCA Quality Market (Sherwood Park)
• April Low Pressure Book Chat starting at 6:30pm at Bailey Books
• Book Clubs of EPL: One eRead Canada starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Capilano)
• Universal Language – National Volunteer Week starting at 7pm at Metro Cinema
• Melissa Penney Book Launch starting at 7pm at Audreys Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• May 1: Startup TNT YEG Summit XI Finale at Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute)
• May 11: The NorthwestFilmFest Banned Book Fair at Metro Cinema
• May 17: Elks Fan Day at Emerald Hills Sports Pavilion

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