The Pulse: March 6, 2026

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes a call for photos of snow on roads, an invitation to provide input on several Edmonton playground renewals, and a survey about budget priorities in Leduc.

The Edmonton Bike Coalition wants your pictures of "sneckdowns," a snowy phenomenon that reveals road space that isn't being used by vehicles.

The term "sneckdown" originally described a neckdown, or curb extension, that is created by snow, but the definition has expanded to include any underutilized road space. "When snow falls and gets packed down, it highlights unused or excess road space that could be re-allocated for safer crossings, traffic calming, bike lanes, or wider sidewalks — often without impacting drivers at all," the coalition said in its newsletter. "In other words: snow becomes a free urban planner."

The coalition asks those out walking, biking, or rolling to snap pictures of sneckdowns and send them via email or by posting on social media with the hashtag #YEGSnowStories. Aaron Budnick, a volunteer with the coalition, told Taproot the photos will be used for public education and advocacy around street design. For example, when the city rebuilds roads through the neighbourhood renewal process, the coalition will use the photos to show specific locations where road space could be allocated to pedestrians.

The updated Complete Street Design Standards, which council approved in July, call for traffic-calming measures on all local and collector roads. The standards will be applied in new neighbourhoods and through renewal projects in established neighbourhoods. A report on the changes said it costs significantly more to install safety features after a street or road is built than to build them during initial construction. For example, a curb extension can cost up to $100,000 to install after a street is constructed, but as little as $9,500 if included in the initial design of the street.

• Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack called on the Alberta government to collect its own education property tax, saying municipalities should not act as intermediaries. Speaking during Edmonton city council's review of municipal operations on March 5, Knack said the current system leaves residents confused because a significant share of their property tax bill goes to the province rather than the city. The issue has drawn renewed attention as the province's 2026 budget includes an increase to the education property tax.
• Alberta's Court of King's Bench dismissed a legal challenge seeking to reinstate Junior Figueiredo as president of Alberta Soccer. Justice Stephanie Wanke ruled the court lacked jurisdiction and that the four member associations of Alberta Soccer that filed the case did not have standing to challenge the five-year suspension for workplace misconduct. The groups, including the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association, argued the organization failed to follow its own bylaws when removing Figueiredo, but the judge said they had not demonstrated a direct personal impact from the decision. Figueiredo said he is preparing his own legal challenge. Alberta Soccer officials said the suspension followed an investigation that found merit in misconduct complaints against him.
• Edmonton's NAIT is seeing an increase in women pursuing skilled trades, with a 70% rise in women apprentices over the past five years, now totalling 1,000. Despite this, women remain underrepresented, making up less than 10% of tradespeople in Alberta. Apprentice Brooklyn Jackson attended NAIT's Build Her Up conference to make connections among women in trades.
• Roadside Supply Ltd., a road construction company in Ardrossan, east of Edmonton, is facing 12 workplace-safety charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges come after worker Cody Gogol was severely injured in April 2024, when a steel guardrail crushed him at the company's welding shop, causing skull fractures and vision loss. The charges allege improper rigging, makeshift clamps, and failure to report the injury or preserve the scene. Gogol returned to modified duties less than a year later. The company is scheduled for its first court appearance on March 12 in Sherwood Park.
• A rental company faces charges nearly two years after a fatal tent collapse at the Westlock Meditation Centre northwest of Edmonton. Alberta Special Event Equipment Rentals & Sales Ltd. faces 10 counts under the Occupational Health and Safety Act related to the July 2024 collapse that killed Valerie Pham, who had travelled to the event from Minnesota, and injured dozens of others. Investigators allege the company failed to properly anchor and install the large event tent before severe winds hit. The company is scheduled to appear in court April 22 in Westlock.
• The Edmonton Oilers acquired forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. In the trade, Chicago received forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft. The Oilers also placed forward Curtis Lazar on long-term injured reserve. General Manager Stan Bowman says the team is likely finished making moves ahead of the trade deadline.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended her government's plan to tighten eligibility for seniors benefits after the province projected a $9.4-billion deficit in the provincial budget. Beginning July 1, the income threshold for the Alberta Seniors Benefit will drop by about 9%, a move expected to save the province $23 million in 2026-27. The government says the lowest-income seniors will not be affected. The Alberta NDP criticized the change, arguing it will further strain vulnerable seniors facing rising living costs.

On this day in 1978, the now-iconic "bubble houses" in Wîhkwêntôwin were making their public debut.

The seven brick townhouses, dubbed "cyclops houses" by the Edmonton Journal at the time, had quite a bit of public interest. The homes, "standing like mysterious sentries on the north side of 102nd Avenue," as the paper put it, were built in the 1920s. The plastic bubble windows that turned them into Edmonton landmarks were part of a $100,000 renovation by Lorden Wolfe Development Corporation. Rent was $500 a month for 1,200 square feet.

The renovations were described as an attempt to preserve the rowhouses' past while introducing a modern idea. One could see that as a microcosm of the neighbourhood formerly known as Oliver, one of Edmonton's oldest and most architecturally diverse neighbourhoods.

The neighbourhood is now a central one, connected directly to downtown. But in Edmonton's early years, it was considered part of the west end, somewhat isolated from the core. There are about nine blocks of empty land between the neighbourhood and downtown — a sizeable distance at a time when most trips were made on foot. Urban development started in the 1880s. Many of the first buildings in the neighbourhood were religious, such as St. Joachim Catholic Church, giving the area a distinct French Catholic character compared to other parts of Edmonton.

The isolation made the neighbourhood a less attractive place to build in. But that would change with the introduction of the streetcar in 1908. With an easy way to get to the offices and businesses downtown, the neighbourhood's population skyrocketed. New houses quickly went up; the flood of new Foursquare-style homes and bungalows, as well as new Protestant churches, somewhat diluted the French Catholic flavour. In 1911, Oliver School was opened, named after politician and newspaper owner Frank Oliver. This would lead the area to be referred to informally as "Oliver," and the name would become official in 1937.

By the 1920s, the neighbourhood had become a fashionable place to live. The residents spanned a wide range of income levels. Wealthy families built large, single-family homes with river valley views along the southern and western boundaries, while more modest rowhouses and apartments housed labourers and office workers.

Oliver experienced another population boom in the 1950s, as did most of the city. This led to a demand for more housing. In 1961, the eight-storey Valleyview Manor was built at 12207 Jasper Avenue NW, becoming one of Edmonton's first high-rise apartments. This signalled another change to Oliver's architectural identity, as single-family homes would be replaced with many high-rises and walk-ups in the International style, while the area also became more car-centric.

The 1980s saw further densification, with more mid- and high-rise buildings appearing in the neighbourhood. That trend has continued to the current day, with several new towers in various stages of construction over the past few years. In 2025, the neighbourhood's name was changed to Wîhkwêntôwin, Cree for "circle of friends," in response to the community's desire to cease being associated with Frank Oliver's racist legacy.

The neighbourhood now has the highest density in the city, and its mix of historic buildings, walk-ups, and residential towers provides an architectural timeline of Edmonton's growth. The city is pursuing a neighbourhood renewal project for Wîhkwêntôwin, which would include adding more green space and traffic calming measures.

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.

• March 6 and 8: Fava Fest
• March 7: Orchid Plant and Media Sale starting at 10am at Orchid Resource Centre
• March 7: Gastronomic workshop of the Multicultural Gastronomic Table program starting at 1:30pm at 17416 115 Street NW
• March 7: Our Community, Our Responsibly - Annual Fundraising Iftar starting at 4:15pm at ARCA Banquet Facility
• March 7-8: International Women's Day at Fort Edmonton Park
• March 8: Zine Workshop starting at 12pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
• March 8: International Women's Day Dinner and Discussion 2026 - Resistance Rising! starting at 5pm at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• March 8: International Women's Day Monologues for Women starting at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church Until March 8: Sound Off at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns
• Until March 8: Books2Buy at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• March 8: International Women's Day Mini Retreat starting at 10:45am at Prairie Garden and Adventure Farm
• Until March 15: SkirtsAfire

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 14: The Amy's House and Night of Artist Gala at Bonnie Doon Centre
• March 22: Seedy Sunday at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• March 26: Get Ready in the Neighbourhood at YWCA Edmonton Cushing House

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

This week's puzzles were made by guest constructor Jeff Nachtigall. If you missed any of his crosswords, catch up in the archive.