The Pulse
Dec. 17, 2021

After years of waiting for the green light to develop surplus land, the University of Alberta Properties Trust will seek city council's approval in 2022 for its first residential redevelopment plan and begin consultations on turning farmland into a new south Edmonton neighbourhood.

The goal of the arm's-length land trust is to generate revenues to fund teaching and research at the U of A, which faces increased financial pressure from the provincial government. It's modelled after a University of British Columbia land trust that was dubbed a river of gold.

Recently appointed CEO Greg Dewling said in an email interview it is too early to forecast how much the trust will earn for the U of A. "The expectations are high; we are working very hard to meet those expectations," he told Taproot.

The land trust was established in 2015 but only received provincial government approval to develop specific parcels of land in 2020.

"Michener Park is the first of several properties that the trust will develop in the coming years," Dewling said. "Stantec was engaged in 2020 to assist the trust in planning and rezoning the entire parcel. Two public engagement sessions have been held in 2021 which informed the design and submission to the city."

Area residents have been told the former 380-unit student housing site bordering South Campus will grow into a mixed-use area of 750 to 950 low- to high-density units, with commercial space anchored by a grocery store. "We anticipate the project will take five to seven years to complete. Market conditions will dictate the uptake of parcels and absorption of homes," Dewling said.

• A temporary 24/7 homeless shelter has opened at Commonwealth Stadium, as the city continues experiencing extreme cold. The shelter is operated by the Mustard Seed and currently has capacity for 50 people, though this will increase to 200 on Dec. 20.
• The city has extended the Phase 1 parking ban for an additional one to two days because crews have been unable to clear snow from some main roads on which vehicles have remained parked. Since Phase 1 began, 186 tickets have been issued.
• The impact of the smaller than expected increase to the Edmonton Police Service budget for 2022 is something chief Dale McFee is still considering. "Rule number one is we're going to protect the jobs of our folks, and we're going to protect public safety the best we can with the resources we have," he told CTV News. Michael Elliott, president of the Edmonton Police Association, called council's decision "sad and disappointing" on social media. "One does not require a crystal ball to predict the future of crime & disorder in Edmonton," he warned.
• City council voted unanimously to keep Edmonton Transit Service fares at $3.50 on Dec. 15. Fares were set to increase to $4 with next year's budget — the city will replace the $3.45 million in lost revenue with money from the 2022 COVID-19 funding strategy.
• Two harm reduction organizations are filing an emergency injunction against the Government of Alberta, hoping to stop the province from mandating IDing at supervised consumption sites. The organizations — the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society and Moms Stop the Harm Society — are currently embroiled in a lawsuit against the province after it made sweeping changes to how SCSs are handled in Alberta.
• CBC Edmonton's Make the Season Kind campaign saw more than $920,000 raised for Edmonton's Food Bank, as of Dec. 16. The effort's goal was $500,000.
• The Edmonton Elks will open the 2022 regular season on June 11 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions.

Art and markets

• Thirty-five local pop culture vendors, artists, designers, and brewers will offer gifts at the Pop Culture Market on Dec. 18.
• The Edmonton Potters' Guild will present a Christmas market on Dec. 19.
• Pro Coro will stream its annual winter performance of David Lang's Pulitzer Prize-winning work The Little Match Girl Passion on Dec. 19.
• The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's rendition of Hollywood for the Holidays — with music from Star Wars, The Sound of Music, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and more — will run Dec. 28-30.

New Year's Eve

• House of Hush Burlesque will ring in the New Year with a celebratory speakeasy.
• Strathcona County will host a free New Year's festival with snowshoeing, fire dancer shows, pony rides, princess story times, and more from 4-8pm.
• Travel back to New Year's Eve 1923 and solve the murder mystery of Glitterby's Mansion. Dress the part as a gangster or flapper!
• Midway will kiss 2021 goodbye with a countdown and confetti drop.

Get in the holiday spirit

• Naked Café will present a Cozy Café Christmas on Dec. 17.
• Get that perfect holiday card pet picture courtesy of the Orchards Residents Association on Dec. 17.
• Kid Connect will host the free All Is Bright Christmas Fest on Dec. 18. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the Hope Mission and a gift for a "give a gift, get a gift" exchange.
• Celebrate the winter solstice, Dec. 18, with a free festival from Innerverse Connect.
• The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Magic show will run Dec. 18-22.

Photo: House of Hush will ring in the New Year with flair. (Aaron Pederson/Violette Coquette)

Local entrepreneurs saw many highs and lows in 2021. While some found great success, other businesses have had to overcome never-before-seen adversity. So, what does it take to start, maintain, and succeed as an entrepreneur in Edmonton?

On Entrepreneurs of Edmonton, hosts Chad Banman and Matthew Donnelly seek to answer that question.

Their show talks to local entrepreneurs about their biggest failures, make-or-break decisions, the creation of healthy work cultures, managing doubt, and more. In that way, it's similar to the Mawji Centre's Let's Do Coffee, a podcast previously recommended in this space.

Since kicking off in March of 2021, Entrepreneurs of Edmonton has spoken with Geoff Stewart from Rig Hand Distillery, Jacquie Fenske from Fifendekel, Blaine MacMillan from Cowan Graphics, and Sophie Gray from DiveThru, among others.

If you want to know the secrets, trials, tribulations, and successes of local businesses and the people behind them, you can listen to new and old episodes on Buzzsprout, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

You can listen to podcast picks from Taproot on Listen Notes or Spotify.