July 21 Northlands Headlines
Not yet.
Good morning, Edmonton. You know a day with downtown arena stories is going to be a busy day. So, dig in.
Among the news and notes from City administration’s answers to Councillor Ed Gibbons:
- Daryl Katz’s $100-million for the arena is more like $80 or $90-million, with the rest covering management over decades
- The City (you and me) will likely have to put up the money, probably borrowed, to cover the $125-million that will eventually be paid back through a ticket tax (that’s you again, if you go to anything at the arena)
- Katz Group and Oilers financials are yet to be fully opened up to City Council
- There’s nothing binding Daryl Katz to spend $100-million in development around the arena
- A community rink would be fully paid for by the City (why don’t we just build a couple of community rinks on the parking lot and call it a day?)
- The arena will cost more than $450-million when you factor in “soft costs” like design, street lights, LRT, transit, that community rink, sewers, and a bunch of other stuff I’m not smart enough to think of.
Northlands isn’t backing down. The non-profit agency wants to keep running Rexall Place if there’s a downtown arena. That likely doesn’t bode well for you and I making back any of the tax money council wants to throw into the downtown arena. There could be too much competition for arena events in a city Edmonton’s size.
On Northlands: They wanted council approval of $770,000 for new seats at Rexall Place. They got that. It’s money already in the Northlands budget, but anything over $750,000 needs a look by city council.
There were questions about Northlands’ finances (sure, councillors, I just happened to bring our audited statements with us to a meeting for a seat rubber-stamp…) and I suspect councillors will have an easier time to see the money details of Northlands than the Katz Group. Also, with council members sitting on the Northlands board, at least a few folks in City Hall yesterday should know how the non-profit is doing with cash.
Even a downtown arena fan thinks Daryl Katz could be the guy making all the wrong moves, and asking for too much money, on the deal.
Whew. That’s a lot of Northlands and arena talk. How about we shift gears for the rest of today’s Headlines? (more…)
July 20 Edmonton Headlines
It’s a big day at City Hall. There’s a new downtown arena report before council, with a few more details about how much more it’s going to cost to build a replacement for Rexall Place and that Northlands won’t sign a non-compete clause.
More information on what’s happening today, with answers to Councillor Ed Gibbons’ questions, here at this PDF. Some of the (non)answers, even if you’re in favour of the downtown arena, might make you groan.
Councillors will also discuss whether to give Northlands a little more than $700,000 to fix seats in Rexall Place.
The Way We Green, the City’s 30-year environmental policy is also up for debate. I don’t see why it wouldn’t pass. A few developers and pesticide-users were complaining about losing money, but Edmonton needs to have a document that helps shape our environmental policies – and we should have such policies underlying big decisions and projects.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, man of the people Kerry Diotte wants to talk about mosquitoes.
Don’t forget about the war on weeds. Councillor Bryan Anderson is trying to lead that for the City of Edmonton.
Another day, another historic building in the news.
Five years after a man died following a police chase, the fatality inquiry report carries a recommendation for emergency CPR training for officers.
Hey kid. Psst. Hey kid. You want some candy?
Alberta Hospital is trying to find a missing patient, and an escaped patient.
*****
We’re about a third through a ten-year plan to end homelessness in Alberta. That should stay in place for the new premier, and poverty has to become part of the plan.
Big oilsands equipment won’t be making its way to Alberta through Montana right now. I like that the Montana Department of Transportation took the time to have Imperial Oil fill out an environmental assessment. That shows dedication to preserving the environment.
Meanwhile…on the side of the border…China is making its moves to get into the oilsands game…Oh, and energy ministers want to find ways to send more oil and gas to places other than the U.S.
The Premiers are going to talk about the economy.
*****
Eight Edmonton restaurants, and one in St. Albert, made it into “Where to Eat in Canada.”
It’s Edmonton: The Musical, at the Avenue Theatre.
Edmonton Framework Agreement Headlines
So…they’re building a downtown arena.
What’s that?
The odd 9:30pm news conference caught you off guard? The vote behind closed-doors feels a little off? The fact nothing really changed from the last, seemingly tentative, steps forward, leaving construction costs $100-million short doesn’t sound like sound city planning?
I believe that is anti-Oiler, Anti-Edmonton talk.
Don’t you love the downtown, don’t you love your city?!
(I do recognize the deal uses terms like “framework” and “agreement in principle” but come on…)
On the plus-side, one can hope the City sticks to its guns and doesn’t move forward without making up the $100-million in missing money. Right now that is tied into asking the federal and provincial governments. A seat sale won’t be part of it. (We also have a pretty good idea for funding the arena.) The provincial government also has to approve a community revitalization levy (CRL) that can use taxes from a specified zone to help pay for the arena (the City has identified a pretty large swatch of the downtown for this). There has to be a public hearing on the CRL.
One can also hope Edmonton doesn’t become just another example of a city that handed money to a sports franchise to try and invigorate it’s downtown, only to be looking for ways to in invigorate it’s downtown a couple of years later. Design, and the “entertainment district” around the arena are going to be the most important parts of this.
Also, regardless of other reports and math, Daryl Katz is putting in $100-million, which is fantastic, but does account for less than 1/4 of the construction costs. That means the City of Edmonton (and/or other levels of taxpayer-funded government) must pay the majority of costs to build the arena. Katz may eventually pay $125-million of that back through a ticket tax, but you and I are paying to build his team’s arena.
Oh, and Northlands is gonna be pissed, because the Katz Group wants a non-competition clause, so Northlands doesn’t keep booking concerts, sports, the rodeo, etc… at Rexall Place. Which I presume will become some sort of housing location for wigs. (Northlands could end up non-existent, totally reinvented, or rolled into Edmonton Economic Development, as a result of all this.)
Alright, these are Edmonton Headlines, not just Arena headlines. Let’s dig in. (more…)
April 8 Edmonton Headlines
It’s all about being downtown. Our core is slowly building into an amazing, livable space and everyone wants to get in on that action.
The Oilers want a new arena downtown, the Royal Alberta Museum is moving in from Glenora. Oh, you didn’t hear?
It was announced the new Royal Alberta Museum (New!) will be built behind City Hall, north of 104 Avenue. It looks like it will be quite the new digs.
Though, while architecture may have imrpoved since the late 70-early 80s let’s try and not get crazy with tearing down everything to build new. That’s how we got the beige rectangle invasion around Jasper and 100 Street.
Speaking of downtown arenas…Northlands is ready to fight for concerts and large events. Which would throw the whole Katz Group plan into a mess; its those concerts and events they really want revenue from. And that would throw your tax dollars into a mess because the City of Edmonton is trying to work out a way to help pay for the downtown arena. It doesn’t necessarily mean bad things for Edmonton, heck we might get more concerts, but it certainly affects the profit of the Katz Group with a new arena.
The provincial government, spending on that museum, must be in a spending mood because the premier is expecting to talk with Edmonton’s mayor about some arena funding.
Oh, and while there’s plenty of parking downtown, some of it even free after 6pm, that may change with a new arena.
Outside of the downtown… (more…)
March 25 Edmonton Headlines (and a rant)
Good morning, Edmonton, and welcome to the end of another fine week.
After a few comments about the City of Edmonton’s downtown arena web pages in yesterday’s Headlines I think that’s where I’ll start today. Because I can’t just go into the weekend without fussing.
Internet and Coffee Headlines
The mayor thinks Edmonton should contract out more of its snow removal. This, as the City ponders buying more equipment to deal with snow. Hey, it’s totally an option. But…when there’s a big storm, don’t we always hear about how many of the “on-call” contractors don’t show up right away? Whatever we do heading into the end of 2011, it’s got to be different. I think it’s time to suck up the pride and copy ideas from other cities.
The mayor also wants more river valley money.
There are a lot of stories on the Scona Road construction today, but the Journal’s captures the neighbourhood feelings best. That’s my opinion, but I think people in Old Strathcona are more upset about a third lane coming off the James McDonald Bridge (the merge lane will be extended right up to Saskatchhewan Drive) than they are about six months of construction.
Sure, people are upset about the total closure (except some local access) of Scona Road, but work needs to be done. No, it’s the lack of consultation about the extra lane of traffic that’s most upsetting – as I’ve heard around the community. It also says, to me, that every time we take a step forward with LRT expansion and bus route improvements we take a step back by adding lanes for personal vehicles.
Edmonton’s police disciplinary process might need a tweak or two. One officer’s been winding his way through for eight years, to finally have the charges dropped.
The Edmonton Public School Board is the first board in Alberta to draft a policy on discrimination over sexual orientation.
Leaky roof? Sounds like you need an entirely new house. Or something.
You want more Edmonton news? Sure you do. (more…)
Edmonton Headlines of January 19
The City of Edmonton would like to remind you to clear a path for garbage collectors. Canada Post has a similar reminder about your mailbox. Atco and EPCOR want to get to your meters. Basically, move that snow!
The zoning has been approved for an arena and entertainment district on the north-edge of downtown Edmonton. Earlier this week City Council voted to have city administration start talking with the Katz Group about an arena deal. Now, neither of these approvals means the arena is a done deal.
But you have to wonder when something, that’s not a done deal, runs out of items to be approved.
Also, it’s good to see the remark about the Oilers not playing in Rexall Place beyond 2014 being discussed. It was a threat, and Councillor Don Iveson should be commended for calling it out. (Though it should be noted Iveson isn’t using the word threat. He’s calling it emotional blackmail.)
Rexall Place continues to be one of the busiest arenas in North America. That’s going to complicate all of this arena business. Especially when you consider Northlands has noted (not threatened exactly) to keep running our current arena if the group is cut out of the new arena by the Katz Group.
Enough about the downtown arena. There has to be something else in the news. Maybe something about snow… (more…)
Arena open house (and a new idea)
30,000 people have completed an online questionnaire, with hundreds of people attending these open houses.
As I’ve been mentioning, I attended the last of the downtown arena open houses, last week. It was a better time than I expected.
There was lots of information around the Robbins Health Centre at MacEwan University, and lots of Post-Its with ideas and questions going up on boards asking about things such as funding. (They kept calling them “stickies” though.)
I made it just in time for the discussion groups. (The first half of the evenings were open houses where people could check out information and ask questions of City of Edmonton staff, with the second half being the discussion groups.)
After an introduction about what we’d be talking about, and some history on the project, we were shuffled off into classrooms.
On the history of the downtown arena…it goes back to 2007. In February of that year we heard about renovating Rexall Place and the potential cost of that. Then, in 2008, we had a group look at whether downtown could handle an arena. They said it could. Soon after, Oilers owner Daryl Katz put forward his support for a downtown arena. (Initially $100-million for an arena, then it changed to $100-million for the entertainment district around the arena, then, seeing how everyone thought he was putting money into the arena in the first place, $100-million into the arena, then he said it would be $100-million for both arena and entertainment district.) The arena itself is supposed to cost more than $400-million. That leaves the City of Edmonton (you and me) on the hook for at least $300-million in the current plan.
For further reading, including how such an arena could/couldn’t fit into long-term plans, we were directed to the City’s Downtown Plan and The Way We Grow.
Here’s why the evening went better than I had expected: the discussion wasn’t split into for/against or pay for it/don’t give the billionaire a dime. There was some actual gray area amongst the group. I didn’t expect that and it was nice to know people are considering and thinking up all kinds of options for the arena (and for Edmonton, in general).
The biggest themes that kept coming up in the discussion the 14 of us had were:
- The city should get revenue of some sort if it puts money into the arena.
- The city should push ahead with its LRT plans. (Not exactly related to the arena, but it kept coming up, so it seems important.)
We were asked whether we were in favour of the Katz arena project, how to fund it, and a few items to the arena itself (design, impact on surrounding community, etc…). I think the facilitator did a good job of keeping the conversation going, making sure everyone had a chance to speak, and ensuring a few didn’t monopolize the conversation. It’s up to the recorder to make sure the important points, and feelings, are accurately captured and conveyed to city council.
I think my group leaned in favour of building a downtown arena. I don’t know if they necessarily leaned in favour of THIS arena plan though. I say that for a couple of reasons. The numerous other projects in Edmonton’s downtown (The Quarters, McCauley, Walterdale Bridge, 109 Street, 104 Street, LRT) that require city attention, and money, which could be jeopardized in some way, and the funding question. (more…)
What a weekend
This is going to be a good one, Edmonton.
Just worry about the weekend. Don't look at Tuesday.
The weather is hot and sunny, Conan O’Brien is here, NHL playoffs are on TV, and the Edmonton Rush are home tonight (7pm) and trying to secure some Rexall Place playoff action for the spring.
I’m always a sucker to mention Winnipeg bands coming through town. Nathan is one such band that is worthy of your ears.
Buddy Guy, the dude who calls Eric Clapton in that cell phone commercial, is playing the Jubilee.
I’m grooving to some We Are Wolves as I tell you they’re playing the Pawn Shop. What did we do before YouTube?
Ghostkeeper is at Brixx. The Old Wives are at New City.
And there’s more!
You won’t believe all the good stuff ShareEdmonton has for you.
It’s time for the Edmonton Women’s Show. Which I predict will, predictably, have some soap opera star in attendance. Yup.
Saturday offers the rare treat of seeing inside the Edmonton Law Courts, cells, courtrooms, and more. Without a summons to appear.
The Winspear Centre will be pop-y with A Chorus of Hits.
And Edmonton celebrates Earth Day this Sunday, April 18. It’s not in Hawrelak this year, it’s at the City Centre Airport. Fort Edmonton Park. (I have no idea why I thought this was at City Centre Airport. This is my bad, not ShareEdmonton’s.)
I’m already tired.
p.s. If you didn’t see it already, Nikki “I Believe” Yanofsky is returning to the Edmonton International Jazz Festival this June.
Rushing into the playoffs
(Yeah, I’m already sorry about my pun headline. Even though I reserve the right to use more Rush-related phrases.)
Ah, spring in Edmonton. The trees are thinking about coming back to life (though water is a crucial factor right now), windows open up, and the playoffs return to the City of Champions.
I’m not crazy, I really wrote that last part. Playoffs. In Edmonton.
No, more than a dozen NHL teams didn’t come down with food poisoning, throwing the Oilers back into the mix. I’m talking about the Edmonton Rush.
They play lacrosse.
And they could finish the season as the best team in the National Lacrosse League. They get to try to leapfrog to the top of the heap with a little Battle of Alberta action over at Rexall tonight.
The (usually good) Calgary Roughnecks are here to close out the Rush’s home-season. Edmonton will head to Washington for the final game of the season tomorrow. Wins in both mean they finish on top of the NLL West, and maybe the whole darn league.
That kind of makes tonight’s game against Calgary a big deal.
So, we’ll see you there wavin’ your banner all over the place.
Oh, and with a win in one of the weekend’s two games, the Edmonton Rush are hosting a playoff game in, this, their first taste of the post-season in a handful of NLL years.
Some stuff to do
Taking a look around Edmonton this weekend, here are a few items that caught my eye…
There are monster trucks at Rexall Place this weekend!!!!!!!
Nearby, and slightly quieter, is the Edmonton Renovation Show, at Northlands’ Expo Centre.
It’s almost Chinese New Year’s, so kick things off with a bang over at the big celebration at West Edmonton Mall. Plus, you get an excuse to go to that giant emporium of shopping goodness.
German Mardi Gras is this weekend. I hadn’t heard of this but before but it sounds like a good time.
The Art Gallery of Alberta’s got a party Saturday. Tickets at the door only. This place is popular.
Susan Aglukark is playing the Myer Horowitz tonight. Neat.
