The Pulse
July 8, 2024

The CHEW Project's partnership with Boyle Street Community Services and Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) has helped it emerge from challenging times, expand hours, and now even consider an outpost in Calgary.

Starting in April, Taproot reported a "perfect storm of factors," which included new mandates for numbers of staff that had to work at all times, had forced the Community Health Empowerment & Wellness Project, or CHEW, to limit its hours for the queer youth clients it serves to just two days a week.

In response, CHEW partnered with Boyle and YESS. Boyle took over day-to-day operations and YESS, an organization that works with vulnerable youth, provided CHEW's staff with training.

Taproot caught up with CHEW three months into the new partnership. Glynnis Lieb, executive director of the Fyrefly Institute for Gender and Sexual Diversity at the University of Alberta, which oversees CHEW, said the organization is now open three days a week and is in the process of hiring two new staff to allow it to expand its open days to five days a week. "It's been in a big part thanks to our new partnership with Boyle as well as YESS," Lieb said. "Boyle has assigned one of their shelter managers to oversee the floor at CHEW and YESS has been providing specialized training."

The partnership has also led to better care for the youth that access the service, Lieb said. "(There is) cross-pollination across shelters and, of course, because Boyle has multiple different specialized sites and supports, they're able to cross-refer youth who fit our program and vice versa … It's been so beneficial to be able to share those resources and knowledge, and they're doing an absolutely fantastic job of running the floor service."

The Fyrefly Institute has also received funding through a Calgary charity to establish a CHEW chapter in that city. "We're looking at replicating the model we've now established with Boyle and YESS here, and partnering with a community organization in Calgary to do the same thing," Lieb said.

Though the Fyrefly Institute is based in Edmonton, it has a presence in southern Alberta. The institute started Camp fYrefly, a summer camp for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, in Edmonton in 2004, and the camp has now expanded to Kananaskis in Alberta, as well as to locations in Saskatchewan and Ontario.

A social service expanding instead of shrinking goes against current trends. Outloud St. Albert, a support service for queer youth, ceased operations in May. The Bissell Centre and Jasper Place Wellness Centre have both had to adjust services after municipal funding ran dry — Bissell in March, and Jasper Place last August. "It feels really good to be not just talking about the problems, but actually doing something," Lieb said. "That's the big thing, because we spend a lot of time talking about how people are struggling."

Boyle Street Community Services, meanwhile, had its development permit revoked for a second time for a health hub that it's trying to build in Ritchie at 10119 81 Avenue NW. The subdivision and development appeal board said the property lacks natural surveillance that could prevent crime. The co-hosts of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast, discussed the board's decision on Episode 267.

Photo: The Fyrefly Institute oversees the CHEW Project, a centre for vulnerable 2SLGBTQ+ youth. (University of Alberta)

• The City of Edmonton activated its extreme weather response on July 8 as temperatures are expected to reach up to 35°C. The City will provide water stations and spaces for vulnerable people to cool off, and peace officers will carry water bottles to distribute to people in need. The hot, dry conditions in Alberta have significantly increased the wildfire risk, especially in the province's north. Residents are advised to stay hydrated, seek cool indoor spaces, and be mindful of air quality advisories due to smoke from ongoing wildfires.
• Funding has expired for a City of Edmonton overdose prevention pilot program that had nurses and outreach workers from Boyle Street Community Services respond to drug poisonings downtown, including at the Stanley Milner Library, transit stations, and pedways. A memo to council from administration says the program ran out of funds, and a provincial funding request was unsuccessful. An application to a Health Canada program is still pending. The $3.3-million pilot was a success, said Marliss Taylor of Boyle Street, handling more than 440 overdoses and distributing 20,000 naloxone kits.
• Edmonton's Mill Creek Outdoor Pool will reopen at 12pm on July 8 after extensive renovations, including improved accessibility, a new waterslide, and updated change rooms and washrooms. New programs like Deep Water Aquafit and Learn-to-Swim classes will be available, and a concession stand will offer snacks and swimming essentials.
• A new eight-storey residential development is being planned for the vacant lot at 99th Street and 89th Avenue in Strathcona, which was the former site of Wild Earth Foods. Councillors approved a rezoning application from Pangman Developments at a public hearing last week, though residents have concerns about a potential lack of ground-floor commercial space and amenities.
• An ad hoc committee of regional mayors has recommended changes to Edmonton Global, including its funding model, governance, and communication practices. The recommendations come after several municipalities signalled their intentions to withdraw from the regional economic development organization because of concerns over fees and their return on investment. The specific recommendations remain confidential.
• Leduc city council is set to revisit a decision to open emergency overnight shelter spaces during extreme cold weather. Council passed the motion to open the spaces in a tight vote last month, after that city's sole homeless shelter stopped operating because it couldn't find a suitable location. Some councillors argue the city doesn't have the necessary resources to address homelessness and suggested that Leduc should send people in need to the navigation and support centre in Edmonton. A spokesperson for the province said it doesn't recommend organizations outside of Edmonton rely on the centre, which already operates near capacity.
• Strathcona County has received $690,000 from the federal Active Transportation Fund to build a multi-use trail and amenities connecting to a new footbridge that will link the community with Edmonton across the North Saskatchewan River. Construction on the $38.6-million footbridge is expected to be done in 2025.
• Shawna Pandya, an Edmonton physician, is set to become the first Canadian woman to be a commercial astronaut. She will participate in the IIAS-02 mission in partnership with Virgin Galactic, focusing on upper atmosphere research and microgravity studies. The flight is expected to happen in a few years.
• Edmonton's real estate market experienced an 11.4% slowdown in residential sales from May to June, although sales were still 10% higher than they were in June 2023, according to new figures from the REALTORS® Association Of Edmonton. While single detached home prices dropped slightly, condo prices and rental rates increased.
• The Canadian women's 3×3 basketball team achieved a perfect record and won the gold medal at the FIBA 3×3 Women's Series at the Ice District in Edmonton over the weekend, with a 21-11 victory over Dallas 3XBA in the final. Michelle Plouffe scored 14 points in the final, and her sister Katherine was named MVP of the match. The team is now preparing to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 3x3 tournament drew more than 100 teams, which organizers said indicates the growing popularity of basketball in Edmonton.
• Edmonton Oilers CEO and interim general manager Jeff Jackson is earning praise for his bold moves on the first day of NHL free agency, signing Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, and re-signing Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, and Adam Henrique. Analysts say the decisions demonstrate Jackson's commitment to strengthening the team.
• Kent Davidson has been appointed as Alberta's new chief justice of the Court of King's Bench. Davidson, who began the role on June 23, has a long history of public service and legal experience. He replaces Justice Mary Moreau, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Edmonton International Street Performers Festival at Churchill Square
• Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton
• Summer BBQ Kickoff starting at 5pm at the Balwin Community Hall

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• July 19-28: Rubaboo Arts Festival at Workshop West Playwright's Theatre
• July 24: Family Nature Nights at Jackie Parker Park
• Aug. 15-25: Fringe Festival

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