The Case for the Spaceport (Part 1 of 2)
Edmonton, we have a problem.
It is a problem that has plagued this fair city for decades. Generations upon generations of Edmontonians have struggled with it, fought with it, and succumbed to it. It is a problem that causes us endless hours of debate, squabbling, fist-shaking, scoffing and coffee slamming. It is a problem that costs taxpayers millions of dollars, year after year, and if left unsolved will continue to cost all of you, your children, your children’s children, and their children’s children’s cyborg iChildren until the end of time; or when Edmonton is swallowed by the giant Megalopolis of ‘SpruceAlbertWooduc”.
Edmonton’s problem is this: we have an identity problem.
We don’t know what our city is, and we are often in great conflict to settle on a single, solitary identity. That one idea, that one “thing” that we, as Edmontonians can hang our touque on. Other cities have it.
Calgary has an identity; people all over the world know Saddletown as “The Gateway to the Rockies,” a city of Commerce and Cowboy hats! Vancouver has an identity; it’s Canada’s West Coast Metropolis! You can ski and surf in one day, while never being more than 20 feet from a shop that will sell you a $9 cup of coffee.
No friends, Edmonton doesn’t have one. Not a Single Identity. We are awash with sub-identities, and as much as people try to pin one down, we can quickly take their sub-identity, crumple it up, and put into one of those weird cigarette tubes that you see downtown.
For example: (more…)
David vs. Goliath vs. Airport
By Gregg Beever
I consider myself to be a reasonably politically savvy dude. A steady RSS feed of the CBC, the Edmonton Journal, and Jeff’s daily link dump here at the edmontonian arms me with just enough knowledge to claim my wildly inflammatory political opinions aren’t completely unfounded.
I’m familiar with the majority of the local and national movers and shakers, and I mostly understand political and electoral speak.
Mostly.
Plebiscite is a word that has been kicked around a lot with the coming closure one of the Edmonton City Centre Airport’s (ECCA) runways next month. I understood what the word meant, in context, but had to look it up in the dictionary to be sure I grasped the meaning completely.
There is virtually no way to look up a word in the dictionary without feeling stupid. I know, because I do it often trying to avoid sounding like a dolt in front of you guys.
Now you know why I mostly write about movies. Movies are easy and fun; the petition to keep the ECCA open is complex and not that much fun to read about. So let’s discuss it, shall we?
A night on the town, Edmonton Arena Project style
(Editor’s note: We’ve got a great take on the downtown arena open house from Paul coming up.
After you read his thoughtful thoughts, check out all the other arena links. I kind of short-changed you in the Headlines to give you the full arena package here. You’ll forgive me in about 15 minutes, when you’re a freakin’ expert on the open house.)
Behold, the future of downtown Edmonton. (?)
By Paul Poulsen:
When it was announced that we would have a new art gallery in the heart of downtown, I couldn’t have been less excited. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not anti-art. It’s just that I’m more of a monster truck/pie eating contest kind of guy. The art gallery was a project I didn’t really care about and I truly thought I would never step foot in the building.
Well imagine my surprise when I found myself looking forward to attending the Edmonton Arena Project Open House last night (May 6th).
At the Art Gallery of Alberta.
The Katz Group has done some homework.
I anticipated seeing some drawings of the proposed arena complex and some rah-rah propaganda. What I wasn’t prepared for was the depth of work and research that has already gone into the arena project.
The Katz Group obviously spent an enormous amount of time preparing answers for any questions proponents or opponents may have. From peak hour traffic volumes to environmental impact plans, there was an answer for every question imaginable.
Really cool.
Almost.
The one topic left unspoken was how this this was going to be paid for. That said, I understand the importance of secrecy while the Katz Group and city council are negotiating who will pay how much for what.
So what did I take from the event aside from the fact that the conceptual drawings look really, really cool? I left the AGA even more firmly entrenched in my position that Edmontonians should be willing partners to get this development built.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want to give Mr. Katz a blank cheque. But I really and truly believe this is a once in a generation kind of project that all Edmontonians should be excited about.
Not everyone thinks millionaire hockey players suiting up for a billionaire need any help from taxpayers.
You’re not a hockey fan? So what.
I hate have a strong dislike for children but I fully accept that I’m partially responsible to pay for schools. I only use public transit when going to an Oilers game, an Eskimos game or the Indy yet I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that my tax dollars went to fund the new LRT expansion.
Before I ever heard of the Edmonton Arena Project, I swore that there would never be a reason for me to step foot in the Art Gallery of Alberta. Yet, last night, there I was.
I’m willing to bet that once this arena is built (and it IS a case of “when” not “if”), even the most ardent opponent to this development will attend a concert, a sporting event, or some currently unforeseen occasion, and be truly impressed with what the Katz Group and city council worked to build on their behalf.
—–
(Now, back to me.)
Journal: Edmontonians flock to arena open house…Not convinced, not at all…Edmonton citizens both blast and praise Katz Group executives at open house
Sun: Katz’s downtown arena open house draws hundreds…Selling the idea of downtown arena
Metro: Public gets peek at Arena District
CBC: Katz Group holds open house on arena plans
CHED/iNews: Katz Group hears positives about arena district project
Global: (I mentioned my troubles with the video player, so just work your way around to find their story. Sorry.)
CTV: Edmontonians gets a glimpse at Katz Group’s plan for new arena
All too common
You already have that feeling of dread, don't you?
By Gregg Beever
South Edmonton Common is not a place I visit often. At least not anymore.
Six years ago I would travel to the “retail power centre” daily, working for Best Buy. It was my first intimate exposure to the modern retail mentality; a big box culture where everything centered around the bottom line.
Morning meetings discussing the previous day’s sales numbers were followed by an emphatic cheer session. Best Buy’s stock numbers hung up-to-date in the break room while managers on the sales floor hovered over their charges reminding them ad nauseam to sell each and every customer on a Product Service Plan.
The flat linoleum wasteland was packed with patrons desperately seeking a poorly paid staff member, who barely knew a Firewire cable from their shoelace, for electronics advice.
When I quit to move on to my current job the general manager tried selling me on staying, like he was selling me a car stereo.
“Don’t you like opportunity?” he asked. A question I assumed was meant to be rhetorical.
Working only 37.5 hours a week to ensure I wasn’t legally full-time, and therefore did not qualify for benefits, was all I needed to know about the “opportunity” at Best Buy and how much the retail giant cared about the needs of its employees.
I packed up, left for greener pastures, and have scarcely been back to South Common since.
This weekend, however, I returned to Edmonton’s southern beacon of commercial progress in search of some hockey gear. (more…)
Big Sexy Speaks: “Why I want a trade.”
By Number 44 (as imagined by Colin MacIntyre)
Hair makes the man.
What up Babies.
So I’m in my mansion, packin’ up my hockey bags (one for equipment, the other for hair product ) when I got to thinkin; Big Sexy owes you an explanation.
I realize a lot of you might have been upset with that interview I gave over the weekend, where I said I don’t want to be here anymore, and that I want to be traded. Yes, I realize I was probably going to be traded this summer anyway, and yes, I realize I may have already been traded, had I not broken my hand on that Iggy’s superdense skull, but I had to give that interview.
I had to get some stuff off my chest, stuff that’s been tearing me apart, like a rip in your favorite Armani suit. You know what I’m talking about, right?
I said that the experience of being back in Edmonton wasn’t the experience I was expecting. That’s putting it midly. My time in Edmonton has been a complete wrecking ball of a freakshow nightmare trainwreck. So what changed? Why was I so excited to come home, to play for the Oil, and now I’m filling up my Escalade with Premium at the Domo, chomping at the bit to get the rock out of here?
Well, consider the following:
Why we can’t have nice things
By: Colin MacIntyre
Don’t you just love Spring?
Without a doubt, Spring has to be one of my favourite seasons. Easily in my top three, right in the middle of ‘Fall Season’ and ‘Hockey’ Season. I enjoy having daylight past 4:36 in the afternoon, enjoy the fresh air blowing through my open/ice free windows and of course, the sweet sweet song of the prairie magpie.
Unfortunately, my enjoyment is often tempered; cut far too short by the one thing that truly ruins the season, for at least the first six weeks after the snow finally disappears into its melty melty grave:
Potholes.
If the City of Edmonton isn't here to fill this in, in like 7 minutes, we are going to freak out.
Actually…no wait, its not Potholes. Its Pothole Whine.
“Pothole Whine,” is that general nasally, high pitched, eardrum stabbingly painful noise that emanates from the people who complain, almost without sleep, water, or a Timmie Hoes Double Double, about potholes. You see them on the T.V. news, you read their opinions in the ‘Letters to the Editors.’ Heck, some of them are probably even web savvy enough to be blogging and tweeting about Potholes right now!
“I H8TE THESE POTHOLES ON MY STREETZ’ they’d say, in 140 characters or less.
They complain that there are potholes on their street, in their driveway, that they are too big, that there are too many, that the City isn’t doing enough to fix the potholes, that they hit a pothole in their Grand Cherokee and it made them send the text message they were typing to the wrong person, blah blah blah, Yak Yak Yak, Baaah Baah Baaaaaah.
Now I can sympathize with people who don’t like potholes. Not only do I own a car, but I also drive it! Everyday too! Yes, potholes are a wee bit of a nuisance, and yes, if the pothole is big enough, it can do some serious damage to your car. And yes, I recognize that Edmonton, being a northern wintry city, can have a fair number of potholes. There may be thousands, maybe millions of potholes, just waiting to grab one of your wheels, which STILL have the winter tires on, and mangle your wheel alignment and steering column.
My problem though, is that these Pothole Whiners are a very loud, screechy, vocal group of people, who often direct their lethal audio frequencies at our local government and elected officials, particularly when it comes to the Budget. They care about one thing and one thing only: that 100% of their tax dollars go to eradicating the potholes in their Cul-De-Sac, and not a PENNY to be spent on anything else. If the PW’s had their way, Edmonton would have a 24-hour “Pothole Tactical Eradication Squad,” with a staff of 10,000, each carrying a nuclear powered pothole shovel, and just to be on the safe side, 5 Pothole seeking Stealth Helicopters.
What this means for the rest of us, is that the government, reeling under the excruciating onslaught of the Pothole Whining Lobby, rarely earmarks any money for cool stuff. Like LRT Expansion to the four (or is it five?) corners of the city. Like those Pyramids they were going to build over the Highways. Like Water Taxis. Like a Summer Olympic Bid. Like a skateboard ramp going from Government House, over the North Saskatchewan River, to Hawrelak Park.
We can never ever get these things, because the politicians submit to the Pothole Whiners, promising more and more money to fix the potholes, in hopes that they a) will get re-elected and b) keep their hearing.
Maybe its a psychological thing, that after a months and months of complaining about the cold bitter winter, and the snow filled cul-de-sacs, that when spring comes along, people just have to complain about something. Which is a shame, because in my opinion, potholes can be fun! Dodging them while driving is not only a great way to exercise ones driving reflexes, but scare the bajeebers out of any passengers, Particularly to ones who are texting.
In the meantime, I’m still going keep my windows open, enjoy the fresh air, and suffer through the Whining for a couple more weeks.
At least until the magpies all return.
Colin MacIntyre likes potholes, and puddles, and wishes he had a stealth helicopter. You can hear him on CJSR‘s ‘Makin Whoopee’ Tuesday Mornings 7am to 9am or online at www.makinwhoopee.ca. He’s also on Twitter.
By: Colin MacIntyre
Don’t you just love Spring?
Without a doubt, Spring has to be one of my favourite seasons. Easily in my top 3, right in the middle of ‘Fall Season’ and ‘Hockey’ Season. I enjoy having daylight past 4:36 in the afternoon, enjoy the fresh air blowing through my open/ice free windows and of course, the sweet sweet song of the prairie magpie.
Unfortunately, my enjoyment is often tempered; cut far too short by the one thing that truly ruins the season, for at least the first six weeks after the snow finally disappears into its melty melty grave:
Potholes.
Actually...no wait, its not Potholes. Its Pothole Whine.
“Pothole Whine,” is that general nasally, high pitched, eardrum stabbingly painful noise that emenates from the people who complain, almost without sleep, water, or a Timmie Hoes Double Double, about potholes. You see them on the T.V. news, you read their opinions in the ‘Letters to the Editors.’ Heck, some of them are probably even web savvy enough to be blogging and tweeting about Potholes right now!
“I H8TE THESE POTHOLES ON MY STREETZ’ they’d say, in 140 characters or less.
They complain that there are potholes on their street, in their driveway, that they are too big, that there are too many, that the City isn’t doing enough to fix the potholes, that they hit a pothole in their Grand Cherokee and it made them send the text message they were typing to the wrong person, blah blah blah, Yak Yak Yak, Baaah Baah Baaaaaah.
Now I can sympathize with people who don’t like potholes. Not only do I own a car, but I also drive it! Everyday too! Yes, potholes are a wee bit of a nuisance, and yes, if the pothole is big enough, it can do some serious damage to your car. And yes, O recognize that Edmonton, being a northern wintery city, can have a fair number of potholes. There may be thousands, maybe millions of potholes, just waiting to grab one of your wheels, which STILL have the winter tires on, and mangle your wheel alignment and steering column.
My problem though, is that these Pothole Whiners are a very loud, screechy, vocal group of people, who often direct their lethal audio frequencies at our local government and elected officials, particularly when it comes to the Budget. They care about one thing and one thing only: that 100% of their tax dollars go to eradicating the potholes in their Cul-Du-Sac, and not a PENNY to be spent on anything else. If the PW’s had their way, Edmonton would have a 24-hour “Pothole Tactical Eradication Squad,” with a staff of 10,000, each carrying a nuclear powered pothole shovel, and just to be on the safe side, 5 Pothole seeking Stealth Helicopters.
What this means for the rest of us, is that the government, reeling under the excruciating onslaught of the Pothole Whining Lobby, rarely earmarks any money for cool stuff. Like LRT Expansion to the four (or is it five?) corners of the city. Like those Pyramids they were going to build over the Highways. Like Water Taxis. Like a Summer Olympic Bid. Like a skateboard ramp going from Government House, over the North Saskatchewan River, to Hawrelak Park.
We can never ever get these things, because the politicians submit to the Pothole Whiners, promising more and more money to fix the potholes, in hopes that they a) will get re-elected and b) keep their hearing.
Maybe its a psychological thing, that after a months and months of complaining about the cold bitter winter, and the snow filled cul-du-sacs, that when spring comes along, people just have to complain about something. Which is a shame, because in my opinion, potholes can be fun! Dodging them while driving is not only a great way to exercise ones driving reflexes, but scare the bajeebers out of any passengers, Particularly to ones who are texting.
In the mean time, i’m still going keep my windows open, enjoy the fresh air, and suffer through the Whining for a couple more weeks.
At least until the magpies all return.
Colin MacIntyre likes potholes, and puddles, and wishes he had a stealth helicopter. You can hear him on CJSR’s ‘Makin Whoopee’ Tuesday Mornings 7am to 9am or online at www.makinwhoopee.ca. He’s also on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thecolinium
We heart buttons
By: Colin MacIntyre
There are few things in life more enjoyable than signing a Canadian cellular phone contract.
It’s an event so wonderful, so mindbendingly full of joy, that the Cell-Co’s have to limit our signings to once every three years.
Yes, we've used this photo before. But what other image, than that of the Zack Morris phone, pays homage to cell phones of old?
Recently I was able to take part in this experience, having decided it was time to upgrade my cellular phone. Not that there was anything wrong with my phone mind you. It performed its functions admirably: I could talk into it, I could hear people talking in it, I could take blurry low resolution pictures and send misspelled messages using something called T9 word.
Alas, my phone was way past its normal cellular life span, having reached the ripe old age of 13 months. I’m actually amazed it worked so well, considering that 1 Cell phone month = 18 human years. So with that, I went out to my local cell-co mart, and came home with a little bundle of cellular joy: a Borkberry.
For those who aren’t aware, a BorkBerry is a brand of ‘Smartphone’, which has become the standard amongst the cellphone buying populace. A Smartphone is much very much like your normal phone, as in your normal ‘picture taking, music playing, Lady Gaga ring tonin’ phone.
However unlike your normal cellphone, you can access the Internet, send and receive emails, and generally behave like you’ve stuffed your computer into your pocket. To be fair, there are many kinds of smartphones: There are Borkberrys, as well as those phones made by that fruit company, and, more recently, phones made by that cute, scampy Internet search engine, who just seem to be getting into everything these days. Except for China (Zing!).
Now, one of the reasons I acquired a Borkberry was to satisfy this curiosity about these little devices. They seem to be everywhere! Businessfolk, Hollywood elites, Politicians, all seem to have these things. Hell, I’ve seen people whom I’d question whether they could tie their shoes, typing away on Borkberries! So what IS IT about them that fuels their popularity?
What is it about them that makes people who pay dozens of dollars to attend sporting events, presumably to watch said event, ignore said event, to tap away with their thumbs on a 3-inch keyboard? What is it that makes people who are out enjoying the company of other people ignore those people to stare into a little LCD screen?
After a couple weeks of research, I am happy to say I have solved this mystery, and the answer is so simple, so blatantly obvious a symptom of the human condition, that frankly, I’m a little embarrassed to even report it.
It’s the buttons.
See, we humans are a simple animals. We like simple things. Kitties riding Roombas. A well placed tennis ball into the groin region of an unsuspecting male. Chocolate Rabbits. We also, like pushing buttons. Nay, we LOVE pushing buttons.
Ponder if you will, all the joy you’ve received in life due to pushing buttons. The snooze button on your alarm clock. The satisfying ‘Click’ of your clicker pen. All those buttons you have on your TV remote! Yes, there actually is something on your televison, but if you actually stay on a channel and watch, you won’t be pushing buttons! We just love pushing buttons! Heck, that’s why an ever-growing percentage of us spend our days in front of computers, pushing thousands of buttons per day and NOT. ONE. PERSON. COMPLAINS.
And what do smartphones have a lot of? It’s buttons; lots and lots and lots of tiny, clickable, satisfying, buttons. If you have a smartphone with a physical keyboard, chances are you have approximately 47 buttons in the palm of your hand. If you have on of those touchy smartphones well you can have a bajllion different buttons as well!
So there you have it. Mystery Solved. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to ice my big toe. I…uh…was checking my messages when I walked into a mailbox. ‘Smart’phones indeed.
Earth Hour…monthly?
By Gregg Beever
Pointless, idle conversations are the order of business in our apartment. For instance, last week my roommate and I spent half-an-hour theorizing the various quantum realities created by Marty McFly meeting his parents in 1955. Not exactly critical, world-saving dialogue.
Sitting in the dark for Earth Hour Saturday night, however, we did
manage a little world saving, to go along with our dreams of owning a
Mr. Fusion equipped DeLorean. Edmonton’s power consumption between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. dropped three percent; a temporary dip in an otherwise steady release of carbon dioxide into the night’s hazy air.
“It seems darker this year,” my roommate, Mark, pondered. “Last year we had enough light to play chess.”
Indeed, it did seem Earth Hour was darker for 2010, a solitary candle on the coffee table was necessary to avoid a complete black out. I even taped a sheet of paper around the candle for a larger, softer light source. No way that goes wrong, right?
Going without power, even for an hour, illustrated just how much we depend on electricity. It’s like camping in your house, temporarily devoid of basic amenities; a little domestic adventure. Mark, unfortunately, chickened out on the adventure of pooping in the dark. The filthy cheater opted to turn the bathroom light on.
Earth Hour in Edmonton is slowly gaining momentum with 28 businesses and buildings registering to take part in the event this year. While our energy reduction was not as significant as 2009 (5.2 percent) organizers say that Earth Hour isn’t so much about the drop in power as it is raising awareness for energy efficiency and climate change.
I think it could be both.
Our climate problems are becoming more intense by the day and any drop in power, even a temporary one, would seem beneficial. In fact, why not take Earth Hour to the next step and make it a monthly affair rather than an annual one? Every month we could make a small dent in our electric bill and collectively give the environment a little breather.
Every movement has to start somewhere. Earth Hour began in one city, Sydney, Australia, in 2007 and became an international event one year later.
How awesome would it be if Edmontonians started a monthly Earth Hour? Super awesome, that’s how awesome!
We’ll make a party out of it. You guys could all come over every month, crowd tightly into our tiny apartment and play a rousing game of “Hey! Who’s touching my ass?” in the dark. Afterwards I’ll treat you dirty, earth-saving hippies to Cafe Mosaics and you can order whatever vegan dish you pretend to like.
Two shots at Cafe Mosaics in one year! Say goodbye to those advertising dollars, Jeff.
Like “Cheers.” But with guns.
This party is now cancelled.
By Janine Edwards
So, the City of Edmonton and the Public Safety Compliance Team are closing the Gingur Sky Lounge for two weeks. First of all, who is this “Public Safety Compliance Team” and why did they never find out what happened to the three-pawed bear menace that was stalking children in downtown Edmonton?
The second thing… why does the PSCT want to shut it down? This bunch of professional party poopers think that Gingur Sky is dangerous. Really? Just because there’s been a string of violent incidents at a nightclub… you think it’s dangerous? Wow, you guys don’t know how to party.
Okay, so there are fights, and shootings, and stabbings… but have you BEEN to Gingur Sky? The bar is filled with wanna-be thugs. I don’t think closing down Gingur Sky is the answer. Oh no. In fact, I think it’s the OPPOSITE of the answer.
Let’s keep the bar open. It’s in a shady, uninhabited part of Edmonton, right? So keep the nightclub around – and start using the violence as a selling point! Let’s make this bar into a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Anything can happen at Gingur Sky! Bring your weapons – bring your drug money… Settle your scores on Saturday nights at Gingur Sky!
This benefits three main groups:
- The Police. Is it the weekend? Then you know that shit is going down at the club tonight! You know that come 2a.m., you need to get down there and bust someone for dealing, weapons charges, or a shooting. The Police should build a station nearby for just such an occasion.
- Journalists. Forget chasing that stupid peahen! Instead, you know that something is going to happen at Gingur Sky. Infiltrate the scene. Meet the locals. Stand with your camera crew across the street – ready to strike. The news will pretty much write itself.
- The Public! That’s right… you, yourself will benefit. You’ll know which bar to avoid, and hopefully, the bad guys will start taking each other out. The ones left standing will be arrested by police, and the cycle will continue until Edmonton is pretty much crime free. Chief Boyd should run on this platform. Wait – do they even run? Maybe he can run against Mandel.
Keeping Gingur Sky open is a benefit to EVERYONE. It will make our city streets safer, and give the criminals a place to call their own. Until they’re sent to jail.
Or, they’ll all team up and become Super Villians. But I think you need a doctorate for that.
Gregg Beever wants to do, and don’t, you
Good news Edmonton, it’s March!
Christmas is over and St. Valentine has packed his chalky candy hearts away for another year, meaning a flood of suddenly singles will soon be prowling the city’s nightlife looking for love.
Wait…what?
I’ll bet that’s what you are thinking, but lets face it, Edmonton, this is time of year when a lot of people become single. We’ve all been there, no one wants to dump their boyfriend or girlfriend before Christmas, or on Valentine’s Day, so we gut it out. Sure, it’s cowardly, but breaking up is hard; we can hardly be blamed for not wanting to make it any harder. So we wait.
Then in late February – BLAM! – pull the trigger, execution style!
So to prep you for Edmonton’s forthcoming 2010 spring singles season I’ve compiled a list of dating dos and don’ts. Once you’re finished reading I guarantee you will be ready to sow your wild oats, or whatever bad prairie analogy you want to use. (more…)
World Class? Expo 2017 and growing Edmonton smarter
(Editor’s note: This post was sparked by debate about smart growth, infrastructure investment and whether a World’s Fair is needed to convince the population to spend the money.)
We’ve seen our economic growth in the West spawn climate change, resource depletion, social unrest, terrorism and global poverty via our consumption over the last century. It’s now clear that if we are to survive the next 100 years, we need major course correction by 2020, as the East is following our fossil fuel footsteps.
With over half the world’s population now booming in urban areas, the solutions to our global problems will be found and forged locally through smarter land-use and mass transit. The free market cannot address our problems alone, as the answers lay beyond the bottom lines of businesses who profit from the plights they’ve provided us. Broader, bolder leadership from governments is needed worldwide to reduce footprints and conserve energy, which is to say, doing more with less.
It’s in this context that Edmonton’s proposed EXPO 2017 theme, Harmony of Energy and Our Future Planet, while well intentioned, seems vague and slightly off the mark.
By sharpening the focus on sharing solutions, we could issue a five-year challenge in 2012 to nearly five hundred cities with populations of more than one-million, inviting them to bring delegations of engineers, bureaucrats and politicians to showcase their greenest projects and proposals.
Edmonton would then become an energetic nexus of cutting edge urban planning in the summer of 2017, when we would again be a logical host for the ICLEI World Congress, as well as other events like the World Social Forum. It’s against this backdrop that broader discussions of renewable energy, scientific research, technological innovation, as well as progressive provincial and national policy-making should take place. (more…)
Help a fellow citizen, a public servant
(Reprinted with permission from Adam at The Unknown Studio.)
I’m sure many Edmontonians heard and were disgusted by the vicious, unprovoked attack on a City bus driver this week. According to passenger accounts, someone boarded the bus, got miffed that the driver wouldn’t allow him to ride unless he paid, and even when passengers fronted this guy the change to ride, he started punching the driver, dragging him off the bus and mercilessly beating him.
When I heard this story, I felt sick to my stomach. Of course it was a random act of violence. That’s what made it so terrifying.
Thankfully, as City Councilor Don Iveson pointed out in a recent tweet, the alleged perpetrator was apprehended:
“An ETS bus operator was assaulted very seriously this morning. Police caught the guy. Assholes beware, buses have cameras http://is.gd/5bMXA“
But now an Edmonton-area family has to worry about a father and brother who did nothing but his job. I asked the City of Edmonton on Twitter if there was somewhere people could donate money to help the family out. Hey, it’s the season of giving, and I don’t know about you but if my dad were in a condition like that I would be so grateful to have the community rally behind me and help out.
That’s what it means to be part of a society. Helping others.
The City responded this afternoon:
“Trust fund has been established @ River City Credit Union (any branch) for ppl who wish to donate to driver Tom Bregg’s recovery.”
I know it’s not a whole pile of cash, but I’m going to be donating $50 to this fund, and hopefully Tom Bregg’s family will have one or two less things to worry about this holiday season.
I challenge each and everyone of you readers out there to throw some money toward the Bregg family as well. Pledge your donation in the comments, and get to any River City Credit Union branch and donate to the fund.
And stay safe out there, everyone.
Nuclear Power: Not green but not that scary
By Gregg Beever
It’s winter, isn’t it? Kind of tough to tell these days.
Winter brings shorter days and shorter days mean the lights stay on longer. Our winter heating bills double as we jack the thermostat in an effort to combat hypothermia. It’s the time of year our already rabid consumption of energy becomes insanely intense.
Edmonton, like many other city around the globe, is growing along with its insatiable energy needs. So how is Edmonton and the rest of Alberta going to fuel the future?
Before you answer, remember, we have to do it cleanly and greenly. You know, that whole global warming thing.
A few months back I was at the Greyhound Bus Station on a delivery errand. As my package was being processed a young woman cycled up to the door carrying several large, bound stacks of paper. Dressed in earthy tones she had natural, mid-length hair, wore no obvious make-up and was equipped with the kind of proper cycling gear that suggested her bike was her main mode of transport. In short, she was the type of girl that makes my hippy heart flutter.
It came as no surprise, then, that the stacks she placed on the conveyor belt beside me were posters for an environmental advocacy group. The poster read “A Truly Green Future…Does Not Include Nuclear Power,” a slogan belonging to the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Alberta (CNFA).
It occurred to me, as I was driving home, that I should have picked her brain about it. Why should Alberta be nuclear free? What makes nuclear power not “truly green?” Would that girl have given me her phone number?
These were all questions that demanded answers. Since I’ll never get the answer for that last one, I’ll have settle for answering the first two. (more…)
DEDfest: Thrills, chills, laughter and booze make for a great night!
It is that time of year again. Halloween is right around the corner. Horror films are beginning to take over the cinema world for a few weeks and if you live in a city big enough, you probably have a horror film festival that you could attend. Some are world famous, others, not so much. Last Friday night I attended DEDfest (Day 2 of 4), Edmonton, Alberta’s horror film festival. To be fair, this is the first year of the festival, although it is run by some of the same group that ran last year’s Deadmonton festival.
The Friday showing consisted of two big showings: Neighbor and Return of the Living Dead. It is the first time since 1985 that Return of the Living Dead has been seen in Canada on 35MM. Like many horror fests, short films were spread throughout the two marquee films. Here is a quick review for each film I saw that night.
To get the crowd in the laughing mood, Clowning Around was unleashed on us. It was a terrible looking trailer that really just played off the title of the film, essentially it was just like the faux trailer Don’t, in front of the Grindhouse double feature. I am still not sure if this is an actual film or just a trailer made for laughs.
Next up was the short film, Thirsty, based on a Joe Knetter story. It was directed by Andrew Kasch and stars Wrong Turn 2 director Joe Lynch, Michael Bailey Smith (The Hills Have Eyes) and Tiffany Shepis (a scream queen herself of many horror films!). Lynch is on a cross-country drive when he starts to crave a frozen slushy. His destiny seems to not want him to get his slushy, as it keeps providing complications attempting to thwart his slushy efforts. This is full of laughs from the start and was one of the best shorts at the festival.
Next up was a few trailers of older films, Savage Streets, Punk Rock and another I cannot recall. These looked terrible but the Linda Blair exploitation/revenge flick Savage Streets is supposed to be quite good.
Every year Adam Green makes a Halloween short film. The Tiffany Problem, King in the Box and last years The Tivo are fantastic. This year’s film is Jack Chop. It is a real short short, running just over two and a half minutes, but it is so entertaining. Jack Chop is just a parody of the Slap Chop infomercial but I can say I was laughing (and so was most of the audience) for the entire two and a half minutes. Take a gander at it here!
Finally we reached our first feature film, the debut (at least to Edmonton) of Neighbor. This movie prides itself, with the tag on one of the posters, as the film that “caused its own editor to vomit.” (more…)
Save Local TV. No, Save Local Cable. Or the CRTC?
This really has nothing to do with the story.
By Gregg Beever
Fall is upon Edmonton and with it the onset of a brand new season of television. What a great time of year to plunk yourself down in front of your TV! The days are getting short, it’s cold outside, your couch is warm and inviting, it’s the perfect occasion for a little escapism.
Every time I turn to bask in TV’s warming glow, however, I get caught in a shouting match between Canadian broadcasters and the cable and satellite TV providers. You’ve probably witnessed yourself the Local TV Matters spots where a little wormy guy talks to people (read: actors) on the street about the state of local television programming.
The conversation goes something like this:
“Did you know that cable and satellite providers hate local television and want to drive it out of business?”
“No, that’s horseshit!”
“They also said they slept with your Grandmother.”
“Gram gram?”
You get more of the same when the cable providers step up to the soap box, wailing about an unforgivable tax on TV.
I decided that neither ad campaign was helping me, in any way, understand the issue. If the Canadian broadcasters and cable providers ran dueling campaigns comprised entirely of wet fart noises I would be just as informed. That being the case, I thought I’d try and figure it out with the best investigative journalism Google could provide. (more…)
Fashion’s a stranger
We’ve had some great help with Edmonton Fashion Week from two fashion experts (here and here), both showing off their designs this week.
Now, Gregg Beever channels my own lack of fashion sense and looks for some really old school inspiration.
Hey again, Edmonton, what’s the haps?
Abbreviating words like “happening” signifies what a hip and cool dude I am. As such a “with it” fellow I have my finger placed firmly on the cultural pulse of the city.
How do I manage to keep myself so current? Why I read the edmontonian of course, Edmonton’s only online magazine that delivers hard hitting journalism written by handsome, sexy authors. Thanks to the edmontonian, I know that this week is Fashion Week in E-town.
Admittedly, I’m never all that up to date on fashion. Remember at the turn of the century when That 70’s Show was at it’s peak, Ashton Kutcher wasn’t (creepily) married to Demi Moore and Topher Grace wasn’t helping to ruin Spider-man? There was this brief revival of 70’s fashion. I was the guy in 2005 decked out in bell bottoms and dangerously wide collars going “this is still cool, right?”
If a lesson is to be learned, it is that fashion is cyclical, sooner or later everything that was old is new again. It creates a frightening precedent. Some fashions don’t deserve another go around. (more…)
Edmonton Fashion Week – Cottage Industry
A first-person look at Edmonton Fashion Week. By new fashionista Lauren MacDonald
I am really just a baby when it comes to this industry. I am scrambling to learn as much as possible, and get my career started while I am still in school.
Lately I have given up my social life in exchange for long nights gathering meters of bias cut chiffon ruffles. Parties and pubs have been replaced with drafting and draping, cutting and sewing, snipping threads and putting zippers into the last few pieces.
I have really enjoyed every moment of it though, and after 2 and 1/2 months, dozens of meters of fabric and trim, and several hundred cups of coffee the collection is just about finished.
(Photo: Erika Atkey)
This season I concentrated on using a lot of texture, in laces, velvets, fine silks and faux leathers. The richness of the fabrics is contrasted by the colour palette which I left fairly neutral, featuring mostly blacks, greys, creams, and browns, with pops of burgundy and red to spice it up a bit.
My inspiration came from a variety of different places, I accidentally ended up referencing the 1950′s a lot, I like the silhouettes of that decade, and so they managed slip into the collection. I also kind of did my own version of some classics that have been in style for a while. There are leggings, but made of velvet and quilted pleather, pencil skirts with fringe, ruffles, and studs (not all in the same one, it’s not THAT textured), and some classically cut cocktail dresses with extra low backs, bows, or interesting fabrics like sheers.
I also collaborated with JEX jewelry for the collection. The lovely Miss Amanda Jex did some beautiful original pieces to correspond with the garments, and we worked together on some head pieces as well.
I am excited to show at fashion week for the first time. It provides a really great opportunity for young designers to show their lines and gain industry experience. It also provides a great venue for local musicians as well. On Wednesday, local singer/songwriter Sans Aids will be playing, as the models walk.
Hopefully fashion week will help me reach a larger market than I otherwise would, and get people interested in my brand. I am hoping to sell the majority of the clothes on my blog, but if I don’t at least I will have a killer fall wardrobe.
What’s coming to Gariepy Block?
[Have I told you guys how much we love it when we get guest bloggers? And not just because it means we get to play Brickbreaker for like 8 extra minutes instead of working. Don't get me wrong, that's great - but it's so cool to see what you guys have to say. It's especially cool when someone like our buddy Mack D. Male contributes because, as he's proven here, he's quite the super sleuth. You're a regular Magnum P.I., Sir! - sally]
By Mack D. Male
If you’ve been downtown near Jasper Avenue and 100th Street lately, you may have noticed the signs – something is coming this fall:
I’ve done some sleuthing online, and I have some information to share. But first, it’s time for a history lesson!
The building in question is known as Gariepy Block. Here’s what the Edmonton Historical Board plaque near the front door says:
In 1893 Joseph H. Gariepy built his first frame building here at the northwest corner of Jasper Avenue and McDougall Avenue (100 Street). Later a three-story brick building was added just west of it. The telephone exchange was located on the third floor of this latter building. The C.N.R. also had the property under lease for a number of years. The Gariepy and Lessard Store is remembered as one of the outfitters that supplied Klondikers for the 1897-1898 Gold Rush. The block was replaced by this existing building in 1961.
Joseph Gariepy went on to play a prominent role in Edmonton’s history. He was a founding member and president of the Edmonton Board of Trade, and served as an Alderman on Edmonton Town Council in 1896. He died on July 6, 1927.
Now then, what’s launching this fall? Is it something that Joseph Gariepy would have been proud of? (more…)
THE UGLY TRUTH with Cherie Bucy
Got problemz? Well, you’ve come to the right place. The Ugly Truth is a new advice segment we’re featuring, written by a very good friend of mine who can find top notch answers to even the most difficult questions. We want you to write in or tweet with your questions about anything; dating, welding, geography, performing minor surgery, escaping criminal prosecution….you name it, Cherie Bucy* can help you with it.
*Not her real name. Uh d-uh.
dear cherie,
I wish more people in edmonton would read my multi-authour web log. What should I do?
signed,
the schmedmonschmonian.
Dear schmedmonschmonian,
The ugly truth is…that i don’t know the first thing about blogging. So, to help you with your quest, I employed an age-old, time-honored method for finding much-needed information: I Googled it.
See? Real website.
Now, admittedly, I became a little distracted when Google suggested similar searches, like ‘Successful Blonds’ and I discovered that there is an ENTIRE WEBSITE dedicated to this subject. However, eventually i got down to business and found a couple blog articles you might find helpful. they are:
http://www.avivadirectory.com/successful-blog-launch/
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/06/10/successful-blogging/
Ironically, the first link, about how to launch a successful blog, had crashed by the time I sat down to write this. But when I first found it, it worked for several whole minutes, and though it seemed a little technical for me, it may be useful for your purposes.
Understand, I’m a little old school and have yet to completely embrace the wonderful world of the internet (to drive my point home, I should tell you that i still use the yellow pages…yes, the paper ones).
Guest Blogger: Derek Clayton, ‘the dedmontonian’
[We're thrilled to bits to welcome our very first guest blogger to the edmontonian! We hope to do this weekly, so if you're a blogger and want to write something for us, send an email. Since not all posts are for all people (read=Sally is scared senseless of horror movies), we're rating this post 18A for hilariously racy humour and references to very scary movies...which is undoubtedly just going to make you animals want to read it all the more.]
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Hello fellow freaks and sicko-fants.
The Dedmontonian here, guest-blogging on the edmontonian! Thanks to Sally and Jeff for the chance to spill my twisted seed on yet another online avenue foolish enough to give me a soapbox.
As you probably guessed by my lame attempt at Cryptkeeper-ish puns, I’m a horror fan. Back before George Lucas stole my attention (and my parents’ wallets) with the “star war”, I was a little ghoul delighting in the creepier side of life. I had my little Mego Frankenstein and Dracula on me at all times. I loved Hilarious House of Frightenstein and thought the Gruesomes were the best thing about the Flintstones. I didn’t want to be in the Scooby Gang; I wanted to be the crazy old guy in the glow-in-the-dark pirate costume chasing those meddling kids around the harbour.
And this is where I tell you a bit about my plans for world (or at least civic) domination. I’m promoter/programmer/organizer of DEDfest: Hellberta’s Horror Festival. Our goal, besides bringing the best new independent horror movies to Edmonton’s movie screens, is to champion our city as the “horror capital of Canada”. And if you dig around in Edmonton’s past, you’ll find we’ve been quite the little hub horror film and TV shows over the years. (more…)
