The Pulse
May 30, 2024

The Good Talk Collective is set to celebrate a year of small events that explore what it means to be a leader and work to heal loneliness, disconnection, and division.

Good Talk is "basically a place for anybody who's just looking to be in community with other folks also grappling with big questions about how they show up in the world," co-founder Lindsay Humber told Taproot.

The group's anniversary event runs June 7 at YWCA Edmonton Cushing House. Like all Good Talk events, it will raise money for the CHEW Project (serving vulnerable or homeless 2SLGBTQ+ youth), and will centre on a theme applied to leadership at home, in the community, or at work.

Shannon Price, Good Talk's other co-founder, said the idea is that being a leader doesn't only apply to business CEOs, presidents, or executive directors, but for many who work at home or in their communities. "I have a dissertation on this," Price said with a laugh. "When I think about leadership, it's doing the things that I need to do to show up the best that I can."

Price is an associate with Tilia Consulting, a firm that specializes in engagement, facilitation, and strategic communications, and also works at NAIT. Humber, Good Talk's other half (and owner of Tilia Consulting), said the group is its "own thing" but uses the Tilia infrastructure to "keep it out in the world."

The two formed Good Talk to exchange perspectives with others looking for connection. Part of the idea was to form a book club where no one had to read a specific book, and another was to fill a gap in connection they'd witnessed through their work at Tilia.

"It's an occupational hazard of our jobs — we're always asking folks around us about what's going on in their lives, about their thoughts, their experiences," Humber said. "One of the things that kept coming up, for me at least, was that folks around me were looking for structured spaces for community."

The June 7 event's theme is celebration, but Price and Humber said it's also about tracing threads through previous events' themes of joy, curiosity, creativity, courage, and change. Newcomers will learn what the collective is all about while returning attendees can draw connections between discussions thus far. Price and Humber also said Good Talk is a judgment-free zone. They want people to engage without fear or embarrassment.

"One of the things that Lindsay and I bonded over is that we don't like mayonnaise," said Price. It sounds odd at first, but Price said such banality can also create ease and form connections. The mayonnaise discussion "immediately elicits a response from people," she said. "People are either slathering that stuff all over everything or they hate it."

• City council continued listening to feedback on the City of Edmonton's district planning as part of a three-day public hearing set to wrap up on May 30. Most of what was expressed May 29 was critical, with speakers offering a variety of reasons for opposing the plans. The first day of the public hearing also drew a wide range of perspectives.
• Edmonton Public School Board trustees voted to bring a resolution to the Alberta School Board Association spring general meeting on June 3 in hopes of addressing provincial funding shortfalls. Trustees have repeatedly pointed to the province's funding model for the 2024-2025 year, which is based on a "weighted moving average," as contributing to shortfalls. In Edmonton, the formula underfunds schools by $27 million, or the equivalent of funding for about 4,000 students. The resolution calls on the association to advocate for provincial funding to increase proportionally with inflation.
• New numbers from Royal LePage show Edmonton and Quebec City are among the top choices for Canadians looking to relocate, based on factors such as cost of living and access to nature Edmonton emerged as the most popular choice for residents of the greater Toronto and Vancouver areas, while residents of the Montreal area favoured Quebec City. Edmonton was ranked the fifth-most affordable city in Canada.
• The Edmonton Radial Railway Society is among the groups being funded in 2024 through the province's Community Initiatives Program and the Community Facility Enhancement Program. The society, which runs the vintage High Level Bridge Streetcar and Fort Edmonton Park Streetcar, will get $125,000 for track maintenance and the continuation of safe operations.
• Edmonton Folk Music Festival attendees will be able to get to the festival using the Valley Line Southeast LRT this summer, something fans have been looking forward to since the line was announced in 2017. The Valley Line's Strathearn stop and Muttart stop will both provide access to the festival grounds. Tickets for the festival go on sale June 1.
• The Edmonton Police Service is investigating a fatal hit-and-run that killed a 13-year-old boy riding his bike in the city's southeast early in the morning of May 29. Police said they believe that have identified the vehicle involved in the crash as a blue Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback, but are still searching for it and the driver who fled the scene.
• Sonic Coating Solutions, a Leduc-based industrial painting and coating company, pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker. On Oct. 30, 2021, a worker died after being struck by a pipe in the company's facility. The company was fined $350,000, including the victim surcharge.
• Alberta Fish and Wildlife captured a bear near the Boys & Girls Club in Fort Saskatchewan on May 29. The "adventurous bear" was relocated to a "more suitable habitat," the City said online.
• CBC's This is Edmonton podcast spoke to Blatchford residents about settling into the sustainability-focused community and what it's like to live in a neighbourhood that has become a "political talking point."
• Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley marked what she expects to be her last day at the legislature as party leader on May 29. Premier Danielle Smith delivered a statement that drew a standing ovation from all MLAs, calling Notley "an effective parliamentarian" who "has remained committed to her principles." Notley didn't say whether she would function as leader in the legislature if Naheed Neshi, who isn't an MLA, wins the leadership race on June 22.

Here are opportunities to help inform civic politics, including applying for Edmonton's youth council or commenting on rezoning applications for affordable housing in La Perle and Lymburn.

• City of Edmonton Youth Council (CEYC) Applications — The City of Edmonton is recruiting seven people between the ages of 13 and 23 to join the youth council, which provides advice and information to city council on issues affecting young people. Interested applicants can review the position description and apply before June 9.
• La Perle Surplus School Site Rezoning — The City of Edmonton received an application to rezone the La Perle surplus school site at 9611 189 Street NW to allow for affordable multifamily housing. The site is currently a parks and services zone. Residents and ask a question or share their thoughts until June 9.
• Lymburn Surplus School Site Rezoning — The City of Edmonton received an application to rezone the Lymburn surplus school site at 7204 184 Street NW to allow for affordable housing development and the site's continued use as parkland. Residents can ask a question or share their thoughts on the application until June 9.
• Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Development Plan — Parkland County is engaging the public about updates to its Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Development Plan. Residents have a chance to share thoughts on both initiatives at a series of open houses happening June 10-14

More input opportunities

• Until May 31: 2025 Budget Planning Survey (City of Leduc)
• Until June 2: Belmont Surplus School Site Rezoning (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 2: Blue Quill Surplus School Site Rezoning (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 5: Castle Downs Park Concept Plan — Refine (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 6: Vision Zero Street Labs in McConachie — Evaluation (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 12: Vision Zero Street Labs in Wild Rose — Explore (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 12: Vision Zero Street Labs in Spruce Avenue — Explore (City of Edmonton)
• Until June 12: Vision Zero Street Labs in Glengarry — Explore (City of Edmonton)
• Until July 1: Bike Skills Park Feasibility Study (City of Fort Saskatchewan)
• Until July 2: Brand Strategy Survey (City of Spruce Grove)
• Until Aug. 31: Business Census (City of Edmonton)

Photo: Members of the City of Edmonton Youth Council provide feedback on policy proposals, coordinate events, meet with youth-serving organizations, consult with city administration, and more. (2022 General Assembly Meeting)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Ransomware Defense Webinar starting at 11am online
• Creatives Empowered — Community Conversation starting at 12pm online
• Artist Workshop | Yong Fei Guan and the Edmonton Goji Map Project starting at 4pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• DAMA Edmonton Monthly Meeting: AI Update starting at 5pm at NAIT
• Unlock Your Full Potential starting at 5pm at The Greenhouse at Riverside Golf Course
• Speaking Municipally Live: Untangling the housing knot starting at 6:30pm at the Foundry Room
• Kappella Kyrie Slavic Chamber Choir presents "Alleluia" starting at 7pm at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral
• Book Launch with Trisia Eddy Woods starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
• Concordia Symphony Orchestra: Canadian Impressions starting at 7pm at Concordia University of Edmonton
• Nerd Nite 81: Aquanerds starting at 7:30pm at the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• June 5: TELUS CSW Cohort 5 Demo Day at Edmonton Unlimited
• June 16: kihêw waciston Presents: Aysanabee at MacEwan University
• June 19: Dr. Marie Wilson: Keeping Reconciliation Alive at the Citadel Theatre

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