The Pulse: June 20, 2025

Lexi Pendzich's latest event puts her love of art, skateboarding, and do-it-yourself culture into the hands of the community.

The free event, SKATE WORLD at Canora Courts, takes place on July 12 at the namesake skate park on the grounds of the Canora Community League. It is a drop-in art project and outdoor photo show that centres on skateboarding. The name comes from Pendzich's ongoing series SKATE WORLD. The series tells the stories of the skateboarding community in the region, especially women and LGBTQ+ individuals, using photography, video, graphic design, built objects, and a podcast.

Pendzich exhibited SKATE WORLD last year at the Art Gallery of St. Albert after she was the artist-in-residence for hcma, an architecture firm, in 2023. Much like what Pendzich did during the residency, event attendees can design their own Tech Deck (miniature toy skateboards) and build skateboarding obstacles from clay.

"I want to get people inspired by DIY cultures, like the one at Canora Courts," Pendzich told Taproot. "I hope that by bringing new people there, this project kind of invites people to get excited and think about how they can use their creativity for placemaking."

Pendzich is exhibiting a portrait of Nick Steinhubl, the non-binary founder and coordinator of Canora's DIY skate park at the SKATE WORLD event. Steinhubl works on community clean-ups, making sure the courts are welcoming, and coordinating the homemade skate obstacles on site.

Pendzich said skateboarding is becoming more inclusive, and pointed to the Tigers Skate Club for women, girls, and people of other genders, as an example. The club holds lessons and meet-ups, and created its own branded skate deck in collaboration with The Source Snowboards & Skateboards. Tigers is one of the hosts of a skate meetup at a temporary downtown skate park that will celebrate both National Indigenous Peoples Day and Go Skateboarding Day, which both fall on June 21.

Canora Courts is also focused on inclusion and safety, and it is one of the partners for the June 21 event.

Pendzich received $2,000 as part of the second round of projects funded by We Belong in Jasper Place. (Taproot covered the first slate of projects in March 2024.) The funding means she's able to keep admission free, serve refreshments, and provide art supplies.

"It's definitely incredible to be backed by funding because producing work and printing stuff is not cheap," Pendzich said. "I think making things accessible is crucial to creating community and bringing people together in ways that they can express their ideas."

• The City of Edmonton is making traffic changes to accommodate work on the Yellowhead Trail conversion project, which will remain in place until construction is finished in 2027. Starting June 21, lane restrictions between St. Albert Trail and 121 Street will extend east, and Yellowhead Trail will have two lanes in each direction between St. Albert Trail and 97 Street. Earlier this month, traffic on 121 Street was reduced to single lanes between Yellowhead Trail and 121 Avenue.
• Edmonton Transit Service is relocating some bus stops at Century Park Transit Centre to accommodate construction from June 29 to Aug. 30. The routes 56 West Edmonton Mall, 709 Southgate, 716 Leger, 717 Leger, 721 Rutherford, 722 Allard and 729 Leger will be parking at temporary bus stops along 111 Street. The routes 1 Leduc, 518 Mill Woods, 707 Southgate, 715 Leger, and On Demand Transit will park at a grassy curb north of the transit centre. Several other routes will move to different bays or be detoured.
• A section of 106 Street in downtown Edmonton, from just north of Jasper Avenue to just south of 102 Avenue, will be closed starting June 23 to accommodate construction for Warehouse Park. Improvements on 106 Street will include new sidewalks, road reconstruction, a bike lane, and new lighting. The section will be closed for the duration of construction. The City of Edmonton says the Warehouse Park Project is proceeding on time.
• Coun. Michael Janz said he will introduce a motion to have a proposed deal between the City of Edmonton, the province, and Oilers Entertainment Group to build an event park by Rogers Place put to a referendum in the fall municipal election. Janz, who shared his proposed referendum question on his website, said he opposes one business "getting an enormous pot of gold from the premier" in a deal that was "essentially done behind closed doors." A public hearing about the proposal is scheduled for June 26.
• Arsene Arcand, a local artist known for his soapstone carving, has been selected as the City of Edmonton's next Indigenous Artist-in-Residence. A nêhiyaw (Cree) artist from Kipohtakaw (Alexander First Nation), Arcand said he hopes to use the position to share his own work and also help young Indigenous artists showcase their talent. His work is currently available at the Bear Claw Gallery in Edmonton and a gallery in Canmore. He is on Instagram and Facebook.
• Criminologist Temitope Oriola wrote an op-ed about the qualities he wants to see in the next chief of the Edmonton Police Service, stressing the "non-negotiability" of education outside of policing, inclusive leadership qualities, and someone who would "stay out of politics." The Edmonton Police Commission should give the chief a clear "reform mandate," and it should be made clear in the hiring process that the commission is the boss of the chief and the police department, Oriola wrote.
• Dave Cournoyer wrote on his blog about what's at stake in the three upcoming provincial byelections in Edmonton-Ellerslie, Edmonton-Strathcona, and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Cournoyer suggests Edmonton-Ellerslie is a "very safe" win for Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, but tactics used by UCP candidate Darby Crouch to frame Nenshi as an "out of touch outsider" may affect other ridings. With some polls showing rising UCP support in the city, Edmonton-Ellerslie will be a "practical test of whether the growth in support is real." The byelections are on June 23.
• Ontario-based food processing company Sofina Foods was ordered to pay $330,000 after one of its workers died after being trapped in an Edmonton smokehouse. The company, which pleaded guilty for failing to ensure the worker's safety, was ordered to put the money toward a workplace training program.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is in the final year of his eight-year contract and will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Following the Oilers' second consecutive Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, McDavid said that winning is his top priority when considering a new contract. The three-time Hart Trophy winner amassed 26 goals and 74 assists in 67 games this past season, and added 33 points in 22 playoff games.

On this day in 1941, photos were published from a garden party fundraiser at the home of Maj.-Gen. William Griesbach.

William Antrobus Griesbach had a lengthy résumé. In addition to a distinguished military career that saw him serve in three wars, Griesbach was also a lawyer, federal politician, and the youngest mayor in Edmonton's history.

Griesbach was born in Saskatchewan, though his family moved to Edmonton when he was young. After attending college in Winnipeg for a few years, he returned to Edmonton to study law.

His military career began in 1899 when he enlisted in the Canadian Mounted Rifles to fight in the Second Boer War. So eager was he to enlist that Griesbach reportedly hid a chunk of coal in his clothes during his recruitment, as he wasn't sure he would reach the minimum weight required. He would later write that his experience in South Africa mostly taught him "how not to do things". After returning to Edmonton, he turned down the chance for a permanent military career and instead practiced law.

He next served as an alderman for a couple of years in the early 1900s before winning the mayoral race in 1906. At just 28, he was the youngest mayor in the city's history. His age earned him the nickname "Edmonton's Boy Mayor". However, he wasn't mayor for long. He served his one-year term and declined to run for re-election.

During this time in Edmonton, Griesbach stayed connected to military life. He was a major voice in calling on Ottawa to establish a militia in Edmonton. When the government did establish the Alberta Mounted Rifles in 1908, it made him a lieutenant in the regiment.

When the First World War broke out, Greisbach was promoted to major and given command of the 49th Battalion, which was raised in the Edmonton area. The unit took part in many battles throughout the war, including at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and Mons.

Upon returning to Canada after the war, Griesbach returned to politics, this time at the federal level. In 1917, he ran for the Conservatives in Edmonton West, defeating Frank Oliver, who ran as a Liberal. Griesbach served as an MP until 1921, when he was appointed to the Senate.

When the Second World War broke out, Griesbach was made a major-general and became the inspector general of the Canadian Army in Western Canada. He would hold that position, as well as his senate seat, until 1943, when declining health forced him to retire. It would prove to be a short retirement. Griesbach died of a heart attack in 1945.

Given his decorated military career and impact he's had on Edmonton's military history, it's not a surprise that Griesbach's name remains in the city. Shortly after his death, the Griesbach Barracks were established north of Edmonton. The site of the original base is now a residential neighbourhood, also named after Griesbach. And the land that the former base was on is now part of a massive redevelopment plan that the city approved last year.

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

Here are some events happening this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• June 20: Summer Solstice Celebration starting at 9:30am at Audreys Books
• June 20: Cindy Baker's 50th Birthday Performance Art Celebration starting at 12pm at Latitude 53 Gallery
• June 20: Cocktail Class - Violet Hour Cocktails starting at 7pm at Cocktail Culture
• June 21: Ultimate Garage Sale - Junk In Your Trunk Edition starting at 9am at Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day: Reclamation starting at 12pm at Art Gallery of Alberta
• June 21: CNFC Indigenous Peoples Festival starting at 12pm at Borden Park
• June 21: Sober Homies Society Launch Party starting at 1pm at Eastwood Community Hall
• June 21-22: Thousand Faces Festival at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• June 21: Chinatown After Dark starting at 6pm at China Marble Restaurant
• June 22: Fort Saskatchewan / Lamoureux/ Edmonton RVA Bike Tour starting at 9am at West Rivers Edge Pavilion
• June 22: Gay AF Market starting at 12pm at Bellevue Community Hall
• June 22: Sunday Supper Club: A Toast to Fan Favourites starting at 6pm at The Marc

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• June 24: Who Put Fruit in My Beer and Why Is It So Good at The Underground Tap & Grill
• June 26: From Idea to Impact: How Wean Green Grew with Purpose online
• July 5: Street Sparks: Ride, Learn & Explore at Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar

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