The Pulse
July 24, 2026

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes two surveys about trees and shrubs, as well as an opportunity to give input on art along the Valley Line Southeast LRT.

The City of Edmonton is gathering feedback until Aug. 4 for a new 10-year Urban Forest Management Plan, which will guide the management of all trees, shrubs, and vegetation within city limits, including on private and public property.

The survey asks how the city can support Edmontonians in growing the tree canopy on private land and stewarding the urban forest. To help reach its goal of growing the urban tree canopy from 13% to 20% by the year 2071, the city said it will plant 900 trees on public land every year.

The survey asks how much time you spend in the urban forest and what activities you do. It asks what should be prioritized, listing things such as aesthetics and beauty, climate benefits, recreation, and cultural practices.

It also asks about naturalization, which is the process of transforming manicured landscaping such as medians, boulevards, and utility corridors into something more reflective of the natural region. The city said it will naturalize 40 hectares of land each year to help reach its tree canopy goal.

At the same time, the city is running a survey about landscaping on private property — specifically, resilient landscaping that is better able to withstand extreme weather like heat, droughts, and floods, while supporting local wildlife. That survey is open until Aug. 5.

"While publicly-owned lands like parks and natural areas help the city to adapt to our changing climate conditions, private lands also play a critical role in these efforts," the survey preamble says. "Landscaping on private property, for example, adds shade for cooling, helps prevent flooding, and cleans Edmonton's air, making properties, neighbourhoods, and the city more comfortable and livable."

The zoning bylaw says existing trees and shrubs should be preserved unless it's necessary to remove them for a proposed development. It also requires that most residential lots have a certain number of trees based on their width. If a developer keeps a mature tree on the property, it can reduce the number of new trees it must plant on the property; preserving one mature tree can count as the equivalent of up to three new trees toward the property's minimum planting requirement, depending on the maturity of the tree.

The city survey lays out possible new options to protect mature trees on private property, including charging a fee or requiring a permit to remove a mature tree, with the revenue funding city-wide tree planting.

Some councillors and many Edmontonians have called for a private tree protection bylaw, but administration has repeatedly recommended against one. A city report from February said a private tree bylaw would be complex and costly and could burden homeowners and infill builders. The city noted there are site constraints in redeveloping neighbourhoods, as well as tensions between tree retention targets and densification goals.

In May, city council approved amendments to the zoning bylaw that added smaller buildings to the landscape securities program, which administration has put forward as one alternative to a private tree protection bylaw.

• The City of Edmonton lifted its poor air quality response and extended its extreme heat response through the weekend, with cooling spaces, masks, bottled water, and 29 hydrant water stations still available. In a release, the City said people should call 211 and press 3 for Crisis Diversion Teams or call 911 in an emergency.
• Edmonton reported 37 complaints about animals left in hot vehicles between May and July 20, up from 33 during the same period last year. The City said it can issue a $500 fine for a first offence and $1,000 for a subsequent offence under updated bylaws. "In a matter of minutes, the temperature within a vehicle can rise to dangerous levels, making it unsafe for animals left in that vehicle, even if it doesn't feel particularly hot outside," animal protection officer Sgt. Emma Fillion said.
• As Edmonton copes with unpredictable weather this summer, CBC looked at how festivals are adapting their emergency plans after severe storms forced evacuations and cancellations. Taste of Edmonton safely evacuated nearly 5,000 people during a thunderstorm on July 18, while the Neon Skies Festival suspended its show and ultimately cancelled the night's performances. KDays, meanwhile, uses shelter-in-place protocols when appropriate to avoid sending crowds into dangerous weather, while the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is closely monitoring wildfire smoke and has cancellation insurance in case conditions become unsafe.
• Edmonton cyclists criticized the province's bike lane complaint website as the government said final decisions on municipal bike lanes will depend on public feedback and technical information. Keith Heslinga of Bike Edmonton said the government's website is biased and doesn't allow for positive feedback, while the province said people who want to leave positive feedback can use an open-ended comment section on the site.
• A lightning strike in north Edmonton damaged a sidewalk and a fire hydrant. A photo circulating on social media showed a scorched section of sidewalk and 50-centimetre crater near 129 Avenue and 129 Street. The City of Edmonton said crews will remove and replace the damaged section of sidewalk in the coming weeks.
• Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called on the province to disclose the cost of the Oct. 19 Alberta referendum. The NDP estimated the vote will cost more than $130 million, based on estimates put forward by various sources. "The government should be up front. The government should be transparent. The government should tell people the truth about the full cost of everything they do, particularly this referendum campaign," Nenshi said. Elections Alberta has not released an estimate for the cost of the upcoming vote.

On this day in 1979, Edmonton's successful dinner theatre was putting on a production by a celebrated local playwright.

Stage West would eventually become an entertainment empire and leave a significant impact on the theatre community not only in Edmonton, but all of Western Canada. But the company got its start because of a nice bathroom.

Eugene Pechet moved to Edmonton in 1928. As a travelling salesman, he spent a lot of time staying in hotels across the west. Apparently, Pechet was so impressed with the private bathrooms at North Battleford's Auditorium Hotel (a rare luxury in 1942), that he bought the entire business. That was his first hotel. Twenty-four more would follow, including several in Edmonton.

In 1974, Pechet picked out a plot of land on the western outskirts of Edmonton for his newest project, the lavish Mayfield Inn. The hotel contained a disco, high-end restaurants, and a number of buffets. It also held an amenity that had been gaining popularity in the United States but was still unknown in Canada — a dinner theatre.

Pechet brought his son Howard into the business, taking him away from his PhD studies in English literature. The younger Pechet founded Stage West in 1975, establishing Canada's first dinner theatre. The company had a rocky start, with its first three productions failing to wow audiences. Soon, however, Stage West began to see success with a bold model: attracting stars from cancelled popular TV shows to headline its productions. Eventually, almost the entire cast of M*A*S*H had performed in some show at Stage West, in addition to faces from Three's Company and The Jeffersons, plus comic actors such as Victor Buono. By the time the theatre staged Mors Draculae by celebrated local playwright Warren Graves in 1979, Stage West was a firm success.

Success led to expansion. Stage West opened similar dinner theatres in Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg and Mississauga, in addition to hotels and a casino elsewhere in Alberta. Howard Pechet produced and wrote many of Stage West's productions, as well as other shows that toured around Canada and the U.S. In 2008, he was awarded a world record as the most prolific theatre producer, credited with 485 productions at the time.

In 1987, a fire broke out at Edmonton's Stage West during a sold-out show. The blaze completely levelled the building, doing $2 million in damage.

However, it was not the final act for the dinner theatre. The company rebuilt and returned to the stage, putting on shows until the Edmonton location was sold off to new owners and renamed the Mayfield Dinner Theatre in 1993.

Howard Pechet continued to write and produce plays for several years. He passed away in 2025 at the age of 76. Stage West still survives, although only its Calgary dinner theatre remains. The company's legacy in Edmonton continues through the Mayfield Dinner Theatre, which is closing out its 2025-2026 season this weekend with the final performances of Hurry Hard, a comedy about curling.

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.

• July 24: Chamber VIP Lounge at Taste of Edmonton starting at 2:30pm at Churchill Square
• July 24: Lawn Summer Nights starting at 6pm at Commonwealth Lawn Bowling Club
• July 24: Post Malone Presents: The BIG ASS Stadium Tour starting at 7:30pm at Commonwealth Stadium
• July 25: Multicultural Festival starting at 9:30am at Mill Woods Town Centre
• July 25: ECAMP Curiosity Walking Tours - Strikes, Struggles and Success starting at 10am at Royal Alberta Museum
• July 25: Nifty Thrifty Clothing Swap starting at 10am at Nifty Thrifty Store
• July 25: Summer Block Party starting at 1pm at Rice Howard Way
• July 25: Anecdote Coffee Tasting starting at 1pm at Square 1 Coffee (Glenora)
• July 25: Suya Fest - Rooftop Edition starting at 4:30pm at Citizen on Jasper
• July 25: Steam Roller '26 starting at 5pm at SNAP Gallery
• July 25: Magpie Festival: Closing Party featuring Fanny's Follies and Brasstactics starting at 9pm at Mile Zero Dance
• July 25-26: Sherwood Park Highland Gathering at Broadmoor Lake Park
• July 26: Summer Clothing Swap starting at 11am at Earth's Refillery Coop
• July 26: A Salute to 1967! starting at 5:30pm at Varscona Theatre
• July 26: Bike Month Critical Mass starting at 6pm at Alexander Circle

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• July 28: Mocktails & Masterminds with Kevin Jones starting at 6pm at Sherbrooke Liquor (St. Albert Trail)
• July 30: YEG Wine Experience - The Wine Lovers' Beer Tasting starting at 6pm at Monolith Blind Enthusiasm Brewery
• July 31: The Art of Gluten-Free Tasting starting at 5:30pm at Sweet Castle Bakery
• Aug. 1-3: Edmonton Heritage Festival at William Hawrelak Park
• Aug. 1-4: BioRob 2026 at Edmonton Convention Centre
• Aug. 4: Sounds from the Valley: Lindsey Walker starting at 7pm at Snow Valley
• Aug. 5: Family Nature Nights: Movement in Nature starting at 6:30pm at John Walter Museum
• Aug. 6: IP Made Simple with Shalon McFarlane starting at 6pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Aug. 7: Bikes & Beverages x Grow Together YEG starting at 5pm at The Buckingham Pub
• Aug. 7-16: Alberta on the Plate

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.

If you need a crossword fix during Taproot's summer break, check the archive for puzzles you've missed, and subscribe to YEGwords for even more.