The Pulse
May 7, 2024

Edmonton's interim city manager Eddie Robar told the hosts of Episode 262 of Speaking Municipally that he doesn't plan to merely warm the seat while city council looks for a permanent replacement for Andre Corbould, who resigned in March.

"I don't think we're going to sit idle on anything," Robar said. "I keep telling people I'm in the best seat in the house because if I mess it all up, I just go back to my old job — and I'm OK with that."

Robar said one of his goals is to improve clarity between council, city staff, and citizens. For example, the unrest among city employees that nearly caused a strike suggests a needed realism about the city's capacity, he said.

"When we ask people in our groups, in our workplace, to achieve expectations (for) service standards that are unachievable, and you're putting that on the employee, I think that is a disservice to the group," he said.

Robar said that mentality also applies to the recent 8.9% property tax increase, when Edmontonians wanted justification for expensive capital projects. Though it's the operating budget that determined the tax increase, he said council needs a clearer picture of the maintenance costs that new capital projects add to the operating budget.

"I think we've got to do a better job of identifying that for council, so they understand (what) the impact of approving 10 new subdivisions looks like," Robar said. "We need people in there to cut the grass, we need people in there to plow the streets, we need people to fill the potholes."

One of Robar's priorities is to meet citizen expectations. Barring that, he said, the city must at least be aligned and clear on what it's capable of given its revenues.

"One of my trackers as a record has always been about managing expectations — what we can deliver for what we have — and making sure that people are well aware of what they can get from us for the tax money that they're putting in," he said.

• Edmonton is finalizing a permanent energy-efficiency retrofits program, which will replace previous rebate programs and initiatives. The Clean Energy Improvement Program, which closed its pilot last year due to high demand, offers homeowners upfront financing for energy-saving upgrades, which would be repaid through property taxes over up to 20 years. Council needs to approve the program at a public hearing on May 13. If approved, the City would borrow $20 million to fund improvements to about 300 residential and 16 non-residential properties over the next three years.
• The City of Edmonton is working on improvements to the infill fire protection assessment program to allow developments to be built more quickly, according to a report discussed at council's utility committee on May 6. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services currently completes a fire flow analysis manually, but the City plans to introduce a "required fire flow calculator" and automate the process using geospatial technology. It also plans to integrate the assessment process into the land development application to help reduce delays.
• A curbside steel and wood seating area on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton has been officially named the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavilion in a nod to the years-long efforts of Edmontonians to establish a space honouring the local actor known for his roles in Firefly and Castle. The Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) erected the seating area as part of its larger Placemaking Project to install permanent street furniture in the area. Whyte Avenue business Vivid Print added the vinyl decal naming bestowing the pavilion with its new moniker. "They just did it, and it was a huge hit. Everyone is loving it," said Annie Melnychuk with the OSBA.
• Fort Edmonton Park is marking its 50th anniversary with a weekend celebration from May 18-20, including entertainment from a roving guitarist, a fiddler, and the Bullies of Basin St. band, along with contests, giveaways and special demonstrations. Visitors can purchase tickets online in advance.
• The Edmonton Oilers are set to face off against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with the first two games in Vancouver on May 8 and 10. Outdoor watch parties are set to take place in the Ice District in Edmonton for Games 1 and 2. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled at Rogers Place in Edmonton on May 12 and May 14. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and B.C. Premier David Eby made a friendly wager ahead of the series, where the loser must make a legislative statement in the winner's team jersey. While the Oilers lost their regular season games against the Canucks, the Oilers are a "different team now," Leon Draisaitl said. "We're going into Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. We don't care about what happened in the regular season," he told reporters.
• Tara Strohschein, an Edmonton chalk artist and Edmonton Oilers fan, is using her skills to create artwork in her neighbourhood that celebrates the team's playoff run. Her art, which takes one to three hours to create, has become a local highlight. Strohschein says her upcoming piece will feature Oilers forwards Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Leon Draisaitl.
• The Alberta NDP leadership race has attracted candidates with competing visions for the future of the party. Five people are in the running, including former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, who has garnered significant support, and MLAs such as Sarah Hoffman, who advocate maintaining traditional NDP values. The race has sparked discussions on whether the NDP should target voters across the political spectrum or stick to its core principles. Party members will vote for their next leader on June 22.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Intro into Machine Learning starting at 11am at Edmonton Unlimited
• Dropping Workplace Truthbombs on Neurodiversity starting at 12pm online
• Refill with Infill: Transportation Choices as a Catalyst for Development starting at 5pm at Iron River Surfaces
• Edmonton Screen Industry Office Community Town Hall starting at 5pm at CKUA Radio Network
• Celebrating Edmonton Metro's Best New Communities starting at 5pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Book Launch: Walking Into God by E.D. Blodgett starting at 7pm at Audreys Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• May 16: Cocktails and Creatives at Red Star
• May 21-24: Upper Bound at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• May 24-25: UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival at Borden Park

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.