One Year Headlines (But not one year OF headlines)
This was the picture from our very first post. It's from our Great Smitty's Adventure.
Let the week (or four days) of patting ourselves on the back begin, because we’re 1!
Knowing us we’ll probably do some navel-gazing too. We just can’t self-congratualte without our high-school era low-self esteem kicking in.
Don’t you like us?! Look at us! We’re pretty!
*ahem*
Yes, the edmontonian turns 1 today. And while I won’t bore you now by patting myself on the back, I’ll do it later. Trust me. :)
No, right now we’ll do what we always do, we’ll talk about what’s going on in Edmonton. Like Councillor Jane Batty’s vendetta against emergency vehicle sirens (so loud!), former Sun columnist Kerry Diotte entering what’s becoming a crowded Ward 11 council race, a couple of stories dealing with Edmonton Police disciplinary hearings and examinations of what happens when things go bad, plus that darn Indy.
Cake and punch will be served in the atrium later.*
from the Edmonton Journal:
Alberta wrong on pension issue (Malcolm Mayes has a great cartoon on this.)
U.S. laws could backfire: minister (So, what you’re telling me, Environment Minister Rob Renner, is that oil companies that desperately want to go green can’t do it when customers demand a greener product. Right…)
Gravel pit neighbours irate at shrinking buffer zone
20 new spider species found (This is great for science but bad for nightmares.)
Proposed budget short on teachers (You might not think anything of that headline. Until I tell you the budget is for the school board. Which usually requires, you know, teachers.)
Flagpoles will make Epcor Tower tallest
Epcor crusader carried the torch for city taxpayers
Burying provincial treasures puts our history out of reach (All the good stuff will be in an old slaughterhouse. I’m not kidding.)
Edmontonian captures ‘Miss Elegance’ title (Damn, flippin’ right we’re elegant.)
And from the Calgary Herald: Alberta’s regulatory changes to save oil and gas sector $170M
from the Edmonton Sun:
Hate crime down in Edmonton: Report
from The Canadian Press:
Government members vote down rival’s bid for extra caucus funding (No more money for the Wildrose Alliance. Who didn’t see that coming?)
Ex-Redwater MLA killed in car crash
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Batty hopes for more discretion in overnight fire truck siren use (Except when the fire trucks or ambulance are on the way to her house, I bet. Then she’d probably want everyone to hear the emergency vehicles and get out of the way. Oh brother…)
Edmonton Startup weekend – No talk, all action (It’s June 25-27.)
from CBC Edmonton:
Low-income Edmontonians struggle to access healthy food
Assault victim alleges double standard of justice (Some interesting facts dug up by CBC regarding the case of Constable Mike Wasylyshen, a son of a former police chief.)
Police van was hot, crowded, disciplinary hearing told (As Andrew Hanon writes, it’s been a long, long time since this incident and memory fades.)
So, not a good PR day for the Edmonton Police Service.
Former Sun Columnist running in city election (And Metro says another new candidate entered the Ward 11 race.)
from CTV Edmonton:
Abandoned gas station sites across Edmonton under review (The city considers incentives for people to buy the empty and/or contaminated land.)
Future of Edmonton Indy still unclear (Would it be ironic if the race continued, but had to move from the City Centre Airport to Leduc? Probably just delicious coincidence.)
from Global Edmonton:
High water warning (I thought the North Saskatchewan was looking a little high and fast.)
*There’s no cake. No punch. And no atrium. But we will talk about the last year, online news, and that darn cat, later.
Hey, right now, I’ll take any comments or ideas for the daily headlines. What’s good, what’s bad, what’s boring, what do you want more of?
Poster Wars
There’s a battle out there on Edmonton’s streets. A battle that you might not know is even happening.
I was recently a soldier in this fight.
The fight for prime poster space.
This is where musicians wage war.
I’m not in a band, I don’t normally organize or host events, so I hadn’t really thought about all those poster poles on Whyte and Jasper Avenue. Oh sure, I’d stop and look at them when a poster caught my eye, or I was waiting for a light to change and had time to see who was playing next at the Starlite.
There are also a few boards and walls, some sanctioned for posters and some not, where you’ll see bands, musicians, DJs, plays and many more events being advertised in 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 14.
But I didn’t know about the silent war that was being waged.
It was a crisp Sunday afternoon when Sally and I ventured up and down Whyte Avenue to put up posters for #YegSwap. The sun was shining, our staple gun was full and we had a stack of freshly printed posters.
It was very quickly I learned we would have to poster over others. Now, sometimes this is not a problem, as the event has already occurred, or it’s from the 9-11 Truth people and deserves to be covered. But there’s only so much space for posters and there’s only a few key areas our eyes fall while walking by these poles.
The choice had to be made to poster over other people’s events.
Sally had no qualms about this, a veteran of many poster tours through her years of music, in this and other cities. I was somewhat wary.
But like a grizzled general she informed me we would have to do it. There was no other choice but to claim prime poster space as our own.
Good luck finding these under a pile of new posters.
I didn’t realize how soon I would find out this cut-throat approach was the way of the poster.
I managed to snap a photo of some of our posters, by the Varscona Theatre, the day after we traversed Old Strathcona. (Seen to the right.) Trust me, they weren’t visible for long. Most of the posters quickly disappeared into a sea of new events. People are ruthless and won’t stop to cover your next show, your next play, your charity event even.
Next time I poster, I’m going out again and again.
And don’t worry folk singers, rock stars and the DJ who doesn’t even play for a month but feels the need to poster over events happening this week, your displacement of my #YegSwap posters will not go un-avenged.
If we can’t all get along, leaving this week’s events for all to see this week, I shall join your feudal battle and take no prisoners.
My staple gun is ready.
Enchanted, I’m sure
The headline is supposed to allude to the word “enchante” which will in turn allude to our latest festival. I’ll keep future headlines clear and direct. (Or at least funny and punny.)
It’s time once again for francophone music stars to shine. Edmonton Chante kicks off its 6th year Thursday.
There are plenty of Alberta artists in the mix. Check the schedule to find out when and where everyone is playing.
Checking out french and French-Canadian music is a central affair, as the venues are on Whyte Avenue, near Whyte and downtown.
I’m going to stop you before you tell me that you don’t speak French and this wouldn’t be your kind of thing. Music (like food and love) is a universal language, thus eliminating excuses not to embrace Edmonton, and Alberta’s french heritage.
Vive la Revolution!
Will you follow this man into hilarious and through-provoking battle?
It’s time to FRINGE!
If you know what that means, you’re already super-psyched.
If you have no idea, or just vague inclinations about what that could mean, you should hit up the Fringe Theatre Adventures website. They’re the people that run the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. They’ll even help out first-time fringers with explanations of how things work. (Wouldn’t it be great if more things laid it out like this?)
This year the fringe turns 28, and the theme is “Stage a Revolution.” (I actually kind of like just waiting to see what the theme will be each summer.)
You can buy tickets online. And man, are there choices! But isn’t part of the fun just throwing caution to the wind and choosing to see whatever is next, whatever is closest or whatever has the funniest name?
I’m aiming to catch Letters to Noce, because I failed to get off my lazy butt and see it during NextFest. I’ll also be sure to hit the beer tent at least once. And with other busking and fun happening for free, you don’t even have to see a bunch of shows to have a good time.
I’m also aiming to get disgruntled, at least once, with how many people have invaded my neighbourhood…but I digress.
FRINGE!
Litter Enforcement, or, It’s not worth it people
Apparently, if you don't feed the new space ashtrays you get a $250 ticket
Starting August 16, there’s going to be a big ol’ fine attached to littering on Whyte and Jasper Avenues. Here’s the story from the Journal.
It’s the last phase of a Capital City Clean Up pilot project, that began with a public education campaign and installation of the new space ashtrays.
Not being litterbugs ourselves, Sally and I have been wondering whether $250 is actually enough of a fine to deter folks.
First we tried to figure out some going rates for litter enforcement.
Earth’s General Store heads east
This is where Edmonton environmentalism lives.
It’s only moving like 12 blocks. But I got your attention. Hippy.
Yes, the venerable green store is movin’ on up to the east side of Whyte Avenue.
The current store is a tucked-away standard of 82 Avenue, nestled upstairs in the 108-109 Street block. It’s been there forever. (Or like 18 years.)
I have it on first-hand knowledge that their removable-head toothbrushes are great.
Owner Michael Kalmanovitch announced earlier this year that he’d like to expand the business. And to keep his bank loans down, he asked customers (and all Edmontonians) to lend him a few bucks.
They lent him way more.
Walk This Way
Whyte Avenue on a busy Saturday afternoon.
This is the first in a series of community profiles looking at Edmonton’s “walkable neighbourhoods.” Searching online, it appears the condition of sidewalks, street lighting and other infrastructure stuff makes up the “walkable neighbourhood” criteria. I think instead we’ll look at what makes you want to live in the neighbourhood ,and how close the important stuff is; a grocery store(s), shops, businesses, restaurants, workplaces, transit and other amenities. Let’s say within a 10-15 minute walk. Agree or disagree, let us know what you think. Tell us about your experiences in these neighbourhoods and others we might not have walked yet.
WALKABLE WHYTE
Pancake Park
Pancakes is serious business.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I live in Old Strathcona. That why I keep stumbling into events in Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park. It’s also neat to see how a park can transform itself event to event.
(People frequently call this “Gazebo Park” though the city’s website says it’s been named for the good doctor since 1989. What’s up with that?)
This Saturday it was New Democrat MLA Rachel Notley‘s pancake breakfast.
Yum.
Pancakes, lots of syrup and sausages. That’s how politics works.
First one to eat 50 wins.
The NDP spends 80% of their legislative office budget on syrup.
Oil City gets foxy
Some reno work is already happening.
This has been a week of stories about bars no longer serving up alcohol in Edmonton. First it’s Stolli’s, and now it’s The Fox.
Until today, what I knew about The Fox could be summed up pretty easily:
- It was the scene of a some higher profile violence, like shootings.
- It was once called The Fox and the Hound (or Fox and Hound).
- It was downtown, across the street from a Swiss Chalet Express, which is local by the geographic designation of deliciousness.
Before we get to the new details, some background…
Whyte people like jokes
This story could test my “funny” skills, so I’m either going to wow you with my humour or play it totally straight.
Read on about Edmonton’s newest comedy club to see which way it goes.
Party like it’s 1299
Last week I had mentioned how I inadvertedly bumped into the Edmonton Turkish Festival, as it was just down the street from my home. This week, I totally love Dr. Wilbert McIntyre (Gazebo) Park.
Lords and Ladies, the Class of 1328.
This Saturday it was the Knights of the Northern Realm taking over the park for their annual summer festival of swordplay, potions, a medieval market and dancing.
These guys don’t mess around.
They’ve got 14th century armour and weapons, and they seriously swing that metal. A great moment came when the pairs of fighters had been knocked down (literally) to two. The crowd could focus a little more on the same battle and we all grimaced and let out a surprised “Oh…” when one knight took a flail hard to the chest. It was that moment when we realized there was some reality to the show.
Don’t worry if you missed the medieval fun, you can still get your Hundred Years-groove on throughout the year, as the Knights hold a number of events, including a fall feast.
Michael Ignatieff gets silly in Edmonton
It's not always the fun kind of fireworks when Liberals come to Alberta.
If you’re not following the federal political scene, you might have missed the fact Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was in Edmonton this past Tuesday and Wednesday (…er, I think it’s fair to assume not everyone in Edmonton would follow the Liberals…?)
Alex Abboud has a really interesting rundown on Ignatieff’s Tuesday night town hall over at his blog. You should definitely check it out.
In town for Canada Day, Ignatieff was also spotted at the Silly Summer Parade on Whyte Avenue.
We would have had photo evidence for you, but Sally got all hopped up on delicious Two Rooms coffee and kept yelling “IS THAT HIM?!” every time somebody in a glittery clown wig paraded by. Overstimulated, she went down for a nap, and we missed the “silly” Ignatieff photo (if you snapped one, drop us a link to it in the comments).
No festival too small
Shopping: Turkish style
The colours and culture of Turkey were on display this weekend.
While on my usual trek to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market Saturday I stumbled into one of Edmonton’s smaller festivals.
The Edmonton Turkish Festival took over Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park for the weekend.
Like any good festival celebrating ethnic or geographic heritage, there was food, music, dance, crafts, jewelry and other goods to introduce everyday Edmontonians to Turkish culture.
You got to take the cup and saucer home!
While enjoying my kebab and my Turkish coffee* (I would have chosen a fruit-less and slightly more manly tiny cup had I known you got to take it home) I wondered if Edmonton even had a large Turkish population.
Uh…we do not. According to the 2006 Census just 1,250 people describe themselves as being Edmontonians of Turkish descent. So good for those guys for throwing together a yearly festival!
We’ve got lots of parks, a short summer worth jamming festivals into and lots of proud Edmontonians willing to share their history and delicacies (I’m looking at you, tiny coffee) with us. Just enjoy.
I hope the Edmonton Turkish Festival is back next year. I want a complete set of tiny coffee cups.
Collect the whole set.
*the Turkish Coffee was strong, sweet and just delicious
A “Shell” of Itself
This old Shell station is being ripped up.
Who’s noticed the bulldozers ripping things up on Whyte Avenue at 100 Street?
We did. The disappearance of Platz Shell Service (9950 82 Avenue) was reported by the edmontonian one week ago. After closing up the station a final time, June 15, the Platz crew packed up the service side of things and headed over to the Ottewell neighbourhood…and that leaves a gas station to be disposed of.
Shirley Lowe, president of the Old Strathcona Business Association is waiting to see what’s going to happen to the site.
This lot at 105 and Whyte has been empty for a decade. (Thx JP!)
Whyte Avenue already has an empty lot. The contaminated Esso site at Whyte and 105 Street is now in its second decade of vacancy.
In an e-mail, Lowe says the fate of Whyte and 100 Street remains to be seen.
“How badly contaminated is this (Platz location) and does Shell care?”
“Is the remediation requirement a residential standard?” she asks. “If so, this can be rezoned.”
Underground fuel tanks need to be dug up.
The site remains under ownership of Shell Canada Limited, and there are no solid plans for the property.
Meanwhile, work has begun on removing the station’s underground fuel tanks.
Senior Communications Representative, Jackie Panera, tells the edmontonian they don’t know what the remedy for the abandoned gas station is.
“We are still determining the long-term future of the site and if we are going to sell the property,” Panera writes in an e-mail. “Since we have not determined what we are going to do long-term with the property, we don’t have timelines to share with you today on remediation plans.”
The Shell rep notes the company is monitoring its tanks for leakage during the removal process, as per Alberta Environment requirements.
So, just to recap: Shell is deciding whether they’ll build anew or sell the property. For the moment though, it looks like people living and visiting Old Strathcona may want to get used to looking at another empty lot.
We have a winner!
This robot likes to party on Whyte.
This image of Xeldon, the “Telus repairman of the future,” can be found in the window of the old Edmonton Telephone Historical Centre (Telus), on 83 Avenue, between 104 and 105 Streets.
Congratulations to Deja Springfield for being first with the answer. We’ll be by with your Greenwoods’ gift certificate, and for your wacky winner’s photo, soon.
Also fun, you can find more Xeldon at his new home, the Prince of Wales Armoury (10440 108 Avenue), where he’ll tell you about the history (and future?) of the telephone in Edmonton.
Thanks for testing your Edmonton knowledge with the edmontonian. We would have also accepted an answer of Xeldon being in “2003.”
Whyte Avenue’s Empty Lots
This lot at 99 and Whyte has been empty for a decade.
Since I first moved to Edmonton there’s been this big empty lot at the corner of 82 Avenue and 105 Street. It used to be a gas station.
The old gas tanks left a lot of contamination in the soil and so it continues to sit, the underground being cleaned by Imperial Oil (Esso), and will likely remain a fenced-in field for years to come. What an eyesore in the city’s showcase neighbourhood.
(For a thorough rundown check out this 2006 story from Vue Weekly.)
Former Platz Shell now a shell of itself.
Now a second gas station on Whyte Avenue is closed up and I dread a new empty lot will take its place. Platz Shell Service (9950 82 Avenue) has moved on. The crew picked up and headed up to the Ottewell neighbourhood.
A thought did strike me, however, as I pondered the other two gas stations on Whyte (an Esso at 99 Street and another at 109 Street). If the future is going to include more mass transit (and I think it should) and walkable neighbourhoods such as Old Strathcona, aren’t we going to see more empty lots where gas stations once sat?
Let’s hope they aren’t all as dirty as the one entering its second decade of decontamination.
Gone are the days of full service.
