Alberta Budget
You can listen live to the Alberta Budget at this website.
Or follow the commentary and information on Twitter.
Go with #ableg or #abbudget for the latest details from the budget, the latest reaction and all kinds of zings.
Update: Read the budget documents, and more, here. Still check the Twitter hashtags though (you don’t even need to be on Twitter to search it).
RIP Muriel
I’ve got some sad news to pass along, Edmonton.
One of the Valley Zoo’s mainstays, in their own meerkat manor, is no longer with us. Muriel, The Meerkat has died. Rather, she was put down on January 6.
Muriel was 14, which is quite old for the feisty animals.
She actually lived most of her life in the zoo’s administration building (likely doing data entrey and working overtime on weekends) because she was being picked on by the other meerkats.
The City says if you’d like to honour Muriel you can make a donation to the Zoo’s Makira Conservation Fund c/o Edmonton Valley Zoo, P.O. Box 2359, Edmonton, T5J 2R7.
1995-2010 (Photo: CoE)
Get your Olympic spirit on
View Edmonton Olympic Torch Route in a larger map
As promised, here’s a look at where the torch will be running today in Edmonton.
Of course, the torch doesn’t do any of the actual running. There are a bunch of cool people that carry it around.
If you’re heading out to see the torch relay, remember that there’s lots of fun stuff sprinkled along the way, including bands, singers, dancers, and various other performers and entertainment. Then the big finish is at 7pm in Churchill Square.
Whether or not you’re in the Olympic spirit this is going to mean delays for your trip home. Check here for street closures and look here for ETS route changes.
Expo Yourself
Yes, I’ve crapped all over the idea of Expo 2017 (spread the word and grow the dream) but in the effort of balance I’m telling you where you can find out more about the bold dream.
It’s at a city open house Tuesday night.
You’re invited to “view highlights, imagine the possibilities and share” ideas for Edmonton’s bid to host EXPO 2017.
Date: Tuesday December 8, 2009
Time: 3 to 8pm
Location: University of Alberta Foote Field, 11601-68 Avenue
Bid committee members and staff will be on hand to discuss the bid and answer questions.
Best headline ever
No, not that one up there, this one down here:
Laziness Is Not A Disability: Leave Accessible Parking Stalls for People Who Need Them
City of Edmonton FTW! It’s actually pretty cool to see them calling out lazy people.
Here’s more from the City on their awareness campaign:
This holiday season the City of Edmonton’s Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities (ABSPD) reminds all drivers to leave accessible parking stalls for people with disabilities.
Accessible parking is a concern year round. However, every December parking is in even greater demand as Edmontonians flock to malls, shopping districts and grocery stores to get ready for the holidays. This is why the City has proclaimed November 23 to November 27 as Accessible Parking Awareness Week.
“It is so important for all of us to remember that if you don’t have a disability, you can’t park in an accessible parking stall, no matter how busy you get,” said Councillor Tony Caterina. “For someone with a disability, having these stalls is not a privilege, it’s a necessity that gives them access to things the rest of us take for granted. If you don’t have a disability, there’s no good reason, and it’s illegal, to park in an accessible stall.”
“As someone with a physical disability, I can’t emphasize enough how much I rely on these parking stalls,” said Bob Macklon, chair, ABSPD. “Every time I leave my home in a vehicle, I am counting on having accessible parking wherever I go, whether it’s to the doctor’s office or to the movies.”
Parking enforcement officers will strictly enforce these bylaws during the holiday season. (My emphasis) Edmonton drivers should be aware that they can be fined if any part of a vehicle is found in an accessible parking stall.
Any vehicle parked in an accessible parking stall without a permit is subject to a $150 fine and an additional $100 if the vehicle is towed.
Parking placards for people with disabilities are issued by Alberta Transportation.
Stop, in the name of love
Love of not getting speeding tickets that is.
Photo: Edmonton Police Service
This week the city/police turned a few red light cameras into regular photo radar cameras as well. That means you could get nabbed for running reds AND/OR speeding through the intersection.
We mentioned this in Wednesday’s headlines but after a few e-mails today I’ve gone back and noticed that none of the stories mentioned all of the locations.
So, here’s a reminder of all of the the places you’ll be ticketed (now and in the future) for running red lights and speeding through intersections.
Oh, and you could try to not to do it all, regardless of intersection. But I’m not the boss of you.
Here’s a handy map created by a lovely gentleman.
This list is from the Edmonton Police Service:
Red light and speed violations*
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*Note: Some locations are still under construction.
Red Light Camera Locations (Red Light Violations)
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Going to Gorman
No, the powers that be at City Hall didn’t really want to throw all kinds of plans into a stop north of Clareview, just yet, but when the federal and provincial governments dangle the cheque you’ve got to get on board.
Now, here’s where you come in.
The City of Edmonton’s LRT Expansion Branch is working on the Gorman extension (north of 153 Avenue and west of Victoria Trail) and you can throw your two-cents into the mix tonight.
You know you love open houses, so here are the details:
Photo: City of Edmonton
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Time: 4 – 8pm
Location: Clareview Arena Hall, 3804 – 139 Avenue
Also, in my experience, there are usually cookies.
Why I’m going to ChangeCamp
A change will do you good.
We were going to do a story about this weekend’s ChangeCamp, but it’s been pretty well covered by outlets such as Vue Weekly and the Journal.
Instead, I decided, I will write about my own reasons for wanting to go. Perhaps it will convince someone who didn’t know about it, or know what it was about, to come out Saturday and talk about change.
First of all, I like the idea of a bunch of people who don’t really know each other getting together to try and figure out ways of engaging citizens.
Voter turnout at all three levels of government is terrible, people don’t tend to remember a lot from high school politics and civics classes, and the news can become a series of stories about boys in balloons instead of what your governments are up to. So, there’s clearly room to improve the level of debate.
Second, unlike most conferences and symposiums, you (yes, YOU) can show up Saturday morning and pitch an idea you want to talk about. You could be leading a discussion on that very topic within minutes.
There’s also lots of talk about data. The City (and provincial and federal governments) has lots of information. Everything from where buses are coming and going to where police officers are responding to calls. Data junkies, and people far better at computers than I, would love to have this made widely and freely available so they could build phone apps, wikis, maps, and all kinds of other helpful tools for you and me. Government just has to be willing to hand it over.
I suspect there will be talk about small pilot projects involving such data, what could be done if some other information was just made available and the best way to ask nicely to get it.
I’m also looking to meet people who are really excited to be a part of something here in Edmonton. They are going to be at ChangeCamp to try and engage with the wider community and I look forward to talking with them.
Maybe I’ll see you there.
Why join a community league?
It’s been mentioned around these parts before, but community leagues are a pretty neat part of Edmonton. (Bias alert: I’m on a community league.)
But why should I go on and on about why you should try and get plugged into your neighbourhood’s concerns, and how you could help, and how it’s a great community volunteer experience when I can get the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues to give you a couple of points to ponder.
“Take it away, Michael Janz, Marketing Director of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues…”
We can't mention enough that you get rewarded with good feelings...and city-wide discounts. (Image: www.efcl.org)
10 of the many reasons to join your Community League
- A Great Place to Meet Your Neighbours
- Social activities & events shared with your community at large
- Programs and recreation opportunities
- Community skate & swim times
- Discounts at City Recreation Centers and Tourist Attractions
- Safety programs and Crime watch cooperation
- Build new facilities for public use
- Input for planning your parks, green spaces, and urban development
- Discount tickets to major league sports games – Eskimos, Oil Kings
- Hall Rentals
Who cares about health care?
If you haven’t been paying attention, you might not have noticed that there’s a lot of stuff going down in Alberta health care.
Well, fear not (?) as the Alberta NDP is “on your side.”
The little party that could is zipping around Alberta over the next six weeks, talking to people in seven cities about health care. Rather, talking about what should or should not be cut by the governing Conservatives.
They’ve got details on Facebook.
The tour coincides with the next sitting of the Alberta Legislature, which begins October 26.
As the NDP states: “The goals of the public hearings are to gather information and provide solutions to some key questions by calling on stakeholders from various fields such health and wellness, seniors and family supports, business and municipalities and other groups. Some of these questions are:
- What difficulties has your family had accessing the health care that you need?
- How have growing wait lists impacted your health?
- How important is a fully-funded public health system to you?
- What are your highest priorities for health care in the future?
Edmonton is the site of today’s meeting. It’s at the Stanley Milner Library (the big one downtown), 3-5:30pm.
Go. Be heard. I don’t think the Alberta government is going to be holding any such meetings asking for input on where to make cuts to balance the budget. (Man, that would be inclusive governing…)
It’s FREE
This Sunday you can check out all kinds of City of Edmonton stuff for free.
Yes, free.
Now, we’re not talking about an Oilers game, or anything that costs an arm and a leg to see, but free is free.
Go here. It will be free. And possibly fun.
Some of the highlights include free swims at Bonnie Doon, Eastglen, Hardisty, Jasper Place, Kinsmen, Londonderry, Mill Wood, O’Leary and Peter Hemingway fitness, leisure and sports centres…and free skating at Glengarry, Kinsmen, Londonderry and Mill Woods (A) arenas…
Let’s see…there’s a free round of 9-holes at Rundle Golf Course (call now to book!), a free round of Pitch’n'Putt at Kinsmen…free admission (admission only) to places like Fort Edmonton Park, Muttart Conservatory and the Valley Zoo.
Instead of paying the admission price, the City is asking you to bring along a donation for the Edmonton Food Bank.
There’s also something called a Family Fun Sampler (which normally sells for $121) on sale for $49, Sunday only. The sampler gets you admission for two adults and all children of the household to Fort Edmonton, the zoo, the Muttart and one sports/fitness facility.
Edmonton transit has a few notes about service this Sunday.
If an event guide hasn’t fallen out of your newspaper or crossed your path in the last week, there’s a PDF version online.
Get your 2 cents ready
Whether you have something to say about any thing, or you’ve got something to say on certain things, tonight could be your night.
It’s information session 1 of 2 for the Southeast LRT extension. Tonight’s open house and info session is down in Mill Woods, 5-9:30pm. The follow-up will be Wednesday at the Old Timers’ Cabin.
Just another busy morning of LRTing.
(If West LRT is more your thing, you have to wait until next week.)
The sessions will allow you to take a look at just where the LRT will go over the next generation. You also get to ask questions of City and ETS staff, and give them your ideas and input.
If crime is more your thing (dealing with it, not actually being a criminal) then you may want to swing over Edmonton police town hall #3 tonight, at the Holy Cross Ukrainian Church, 7-8:30pm. This is part Chief Mike Boyd doing a new series of town halls and part community involvement in local and city-wide police issues.
(Interesting things that caught my eye: Southeast LRT meeting #2 is Wednesday, and so is the next police town hall…both of tonight’s venues will be somewhat easier to access once LRT runs west and southeast…)
You time things out right and you could hit both meetings and get all your questions answered/venting done for a little while. Isn’t engaged citizenry fun!
Why politics matter
Dustin McNichol is stepping up to talk politics here at the edmontonian. Politics matter. Really.
Dear Albertans,
Can we talk…about politics? Just for a little while? I promise I’ll be brief.
Before your eyes glaze over and you brush me off, let me explain. I know that politics is boring. Of course it is—who wants to pay attention to a bunch of old men in suits who drone on all day about nothing? Some of them have questionable judgment. I know that it’s often seen as childish, a waste of time, useless, irrelevant, etc…
Politics is full of strange rules and follows an even stranger logic. And, at the end of the day, it has no relevance on us or what we do with our lives anyway, right?
Wrong. (more…)
This membership drive needs some football
Done.
Now, since we’re not in the habit of one-word posts around here (though, that would be like taking Twitter to the EXTREME) I’ll give you a little more on what the heck that headline means.
The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) is kicking off its membership drive this weekend. With a football kicking contest. If that’s not clever, I don’t know what is.
The EFCL is the parent group of all the community leagues of Edmonton. There’s probably one right in your neighbourhood, right now.
Community leagues are great (bias alert: I’m in one) because they tackle issues around the corner from your house. Whether its new houses and buildings being built and their particular zonings, local crime or summer block parties, community leagues are the place to find out what’s happening and how you can get involved. League boards can also provide advice to City staff and councillors – sometimes without even being asked for it. ;)
Anyway, this Saturday at Clarke Park at 11am, the EFCL welcomes Mayor Mandel, an Eskimos player and others to the fall membership drive. There will be free hotdogs, pop and fun. Plus, the aforementioned field goal kicking contest. (You can kick better than the mayor, can’t you? Prove it.)
There are also six VIP Green & Gold Seats up for grabs.
The other neat thing is this fun is packed into about 90 minutes, so you can embrace your community spirit, kick some field goals, and have the rest of the day to digest the hot dogs.
Help Wanted
This came down earlier this week, but it’s worth noting.
The City of Edmonton has a bunch of boards, commissions and agencies that help do stuff around city hall.
Some of them look at issues, others get to decide stuff and make recommendations. Some of them are probably boring.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t all important, but let’s be honest. I covered a couple of library board meetings during college and while I think libraries are integral and important, the meetings lacked a certain pizazz.
But…if you’ve got some time, and you’ve got some interest in helping build a great city from the inside out (or if any of these specific boards catch your eye for reasons of personal interest) then you should apply to help out.
What’s the worst that could happen? You fall asleep at a meeting and accidentally vote to make every Friday night in Edmonton UFC-themed? (See Combative Sports Commission.)
From the City:
Advisory Boards
To provide advice and recommendations to City Council, apply for vacancies on Advisory Boards:
- Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities
- Community Services Advisory Board
- Edmonton Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee
- Edmonton Historical Board
- Landlord and Tenant Advisory Board
Decision-making Boards
To provide governance, direction or regulation, apply for vacancies on Decision-making Boards:
- Combative Sports Commission
- Edmonton Public Library Board
- Greater Edmonton Foundation, Housing for Seniors
- Non-Profit Housing Corporation
- Subdivision and Development Appeal Board
Application Packages
More information and application packages are available at Recruitment Overview or from the Office of the City Clerk, 780-442-4395.
Deadline for applications is 4:30pm, Wednesday September 30, 2009.
Edmonton Public Library’s new catalogue
Enhance.
I am the worst library patron of all time. I go through phases where I don’t go to the library for months, and then suddenly, I wake up with a burning desire to learn CSS, botany and the complete history of the tugboat, all at once. And just like that, I turn into the jerk who takes out 30 items at a time, keeping them all for weeks longer than I should, even though they’re on hold for other people.
So when I heard that the EPL (Edmonton Public Library) was revamping their catalogue, there was a moment where I dared to dream that some glitch in the matrix would cause whatever fines I had accrued (and despite my best intentions, there are ALWAYS fines accrued) to somehow magically be swept away.
Enhance.
But as you see here, no dice. There’s a better chance of us returning to the old card and stamp days than that happening. Now I’ll stop being a cheapskate and just pay the $3.50.
But I digress. I e-mailed Tina Thomas, media relations person for Edmonton Public Libraries, for some more information about the new catalogue.
The website, which has been developed in association with Ontario company BiblioCommons – who’ve also help pimp out the Oakville and Ottawa Public Library systems – is supposed to launch sometime this week to the general public. But, as all you twitter-folk already know, EPL has been tweeting the URL for people to try out, pre-launch.
The new catalogue will have “improved search capabilities,” according to Tina, who adds that it should also help users find whatever they’re looking for with a lot more ease. There’s also some new social networking elements, so users can comment, review and link to library materials.
“As a community-centered organization, we recognize that our customers have great input and opinions on our materials that they want to share,” Tina said in an e-mail. “They also want to access opinions and recommendations from users who share common interests. A social networking inspired catalogue helps achieve this.”
In the interest of science (SCIENCE!) I’ve been test-driving the catalogue myself, and in my opinion, it’s pretty sweet. The FAQ is very clear, and I found the whole site to be very intuitive. I also found it surprising, yet brilliant that you can follow people who like the same kind of stuff as you and see what they recommend..
I Saw the Sign…? (…I’ll show myself out)
By Lorraine Poulsen
A number of homes (and even some businesses) in the northeast end of the city have taken to wearing unique-looking signs that may take a bit of explaining to understand.
If you’re in the northeast, and you see these black bordered signs attached to the front of homes, you might think the signs identify the current owner of the house; but you would be incorrect.
In fact, the signs, which start with a year, followed by the name of a person and an occupation, are part of the Highlands Historical Society’s campaign to bring Edmonton history to life.
The date on the sign indicates the year the building was constructed, and the name is the identity of the person who either built or was the first occupant of the home. The sign also shows that person’s occupation.
Anyone who wanted a sign for their home or business was instructed by the Society on how to find the story of their property. By using the Henderson’s Directories (which contain information about people and businesses dating back almost 100 years), talking to long-time neighbourhood residents, and searching land titles, information on a particular location can be found and used to create the signs.
The owner of this sign, bearing the name William Bonk, said her research showed that Mr. Bonk built the home in 1952. In fact, he built any number of homes in the Highlands area. She says many of the architectural features Bonk built into this 1952 home such as coved ceilings, battleship linoleum and hardwood floors are still all part of this house.
Where’s my bus?
Dude, where's my bus?
Ah, fall.
There’s a crispness to the air, the leaves are changing colours, and your bus is nowhere to be seen this morning.
Now, before you go firing off angry e-mails to your city councillors, let’s just check and see that things haven’t been changed with your regular bus route with the ETS Fall Service Changes. You might find you’ve got time to do this, while waiting forever for that next bus…
Holy crap that is a lot of changes to a lot of routes. Thanks a lot, kids going to school.
Oh, alright, some of those changes are NOT just summer-to-fall changes, but permanent. (ETS: Improving stuff, eventually.) One of the biggies involves 102A Avenue closing to traffic, between 99 and 100 Streets.
p.s. stay in school
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (THE CITY SALUTES YOU)
How do you prove to your citizens that you’re cool, that you’re with it, that you’re hip?
You put out news releases, and citizen information, all about the summer’s biggest rock concert.
City of Edmonton, we salute you! (Fire!)
Remember to use transit when rocking out.
Lookin’ back/On the track/For a little Green Shack (sorry)
I was returning some books to the Old Strathcona Library recently, when I noticed a whole little party-style setup just South of the building. We’re talking picnic tables, art supplies, a cute little shelf that said “Outdoor Reading Room.”
Because I live in the neighbourhood and had never noticed this before, I wondered what the deal was. Was this for hobos? Was it for school children? Could I fingerpaint something and then read a Babysitter’s Club book? Would I be judged for asking?
I wandered around taking a few pictures, much to the chagrin of passers-by, who all looked at me like I was going to snatch somebody’s baby. What am I, Peter File over here?
Airport Closing? Make a video!
If you like videos filled with civic information (and who doesn’t?) you’re going to want to hit up the City of Edmonton’s “City Centre Airport Review” website.
The Review website has not gone away, even though the “review” is now done. The site has shifted gears to highlight the newest information on plans for the Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA) and they even have a sweet video all about closing the City Centre Airport.
I just want to download that great music they have in the video. It’s peppy, but puts me at ease.
The Commercial Hotel has wireless internet?! I think we just found our new headquarters, Jeff.
Listen Up! (Or watch up?)
These people are your employees.
It’s City Council day!
That means your city councillors are busy discussing important issues that directly (and sometimes nearly immediately) affect your life in the city.
On the list of big issues before summer break is the Scona Pool closure and the City Centre Airport closure. (Do we want to keep anything open anymore?)
You don’t have to head down to City Hall to find out what’s happening, you can listen and watch live, thanks to streaming audio of the meeting.
And it’s almost guaranteed safe for work. I mean, somebody could always go off…
F.Y.I.: Edmonton’s king o’ twitter, Mack D. Male (@mastermaq, for all you twatters), has graciously broken down the province’s new report on the potential for high speed rail between Edmonton and Calgary so that we can all enjoy it. Very much worth reading. Go read it.
…it’s okay; I’ll wait.
