The Pulse: March 13, 2026

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes a survey on development along Whyte Avenue, a town hall on transit accessibility, and additions to Edmonton's Vision Zero Street Labs project.

Prioritize Whyte Avenue has launched a survey advocating for capital investments in Old Strathcona ahead of municipal budget decisions in the fall. The group hopes to see funding for public spaces, sidewalks, patios, and transit infrastructure along 82 Avenue NW.

"From business to community, we're all in this together and we need your help!" the survey's preamble reads.

Council has funded similar initiatives in the area, like the pedestrianization of 83 Avenue, which began last summer. The city is also in the process of bringing Bus Rapid Transit to the avenue, and developing the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy, which is expected to be funded in the next decade. While these projects align with the coalition's goals, Prioritize Whyte Avenue worries that splitting the projects could wreak havoc on the corridor by lengthening the impacts of construction.

"The City of Edmonton should be learning from its mistakes and trying to focus construction/renewal into tighter timelines," its survey reads. "By merging these into one project, impacts on local businesses and festivals can be more time-limited and we can get closer to a renewed corridor sooner."

Prioritize Whyte Avenue is made up of four groups. Edmonton Transit Riders and Paths for People are not-for-profits that focus on commuter accessibility. The French Quarter and the Old Strathcona Business Association advocate for economic development in their business improvement areas.

Organizers told Taproot the survey has no concrete end date, but will remain open through spring. The group plans to publish survey results in the summer, ahead of bringing suggestions to city council as the city builds the four-year municipal budget in the fall.

• The City of Edmonton has seen a 15% increase in Workers' Compensation Board claims filed by city employees since 2021, totalling 5,226 claims, including 4,613 physical injuries and 613 mental health cases. City officials say Edmonton is considered high risk compared with other municipalities, prompting concerns about workplace safety and potential budget pressures. Councillors are calling for a plan to reduce injuries as the city prepares its next four-year budget, while Andrew Knack said the issue will be addressed during the budgeting process.
• Edmonton's 102 Avenue will be fully closed to vehicle traffic between 107 Street and 102 Street beginning March 16 and lasting until the end of the year. The closure will allow construction on the Valley Line West LRT project. During Phase 1, expected to last 20 weeks, 105 Street will maintain north-south traffic across 102 Avenue. Pedestrian access will be maintained via detours. Bike lanes along 102 Avenue were temporarily relocated to 103 Avenue in November 2025. The full closure aims to accelerate construction and reduce the overall effect on traffic.
• Acute Care Alberta released 16 recommendations following a review into the Dec. 22, 2025, death of Prashant Sreekumar in the Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency room in Edmonton. The report advises hospitals to prevent emergency room backlogs by not capping ward admissions and implementing triage doctors, specifically prioritizing the Edmonton region. Sreekumar's widow, Niharika Sreekumar, expressed her dissatisfaction with the report, calling it a "joke." The province previously announced triage liaison physicians for major Edmonton hospitals, which are not yet in place.
• Edmonton landowners have erected a blockade at a pumpjack site operated by MAGA Energy, saying the company has not paid its land lease for three years. Mark Dorin and Dale Braun say the unpaid lease means the company no longer has the right to access the property except to decommission the wells. The dispute reflects a broader problem in Alberta's oil and gas sector. An investigation by the Investigative Journalism Foundation found nearly 600 companies owed about $254 million in unpaid municipal property taxes and land leases by the end of 2024. Critics say the case raises questions about enforcement after the company was still approved for new well licences despite being in arrears.
• Edmonton activated its extreme weather response on March 12 to assist vulnerable populations as a significant winter storm hit the province. Environment Canada has issued warnings as the storm moves across Alberta, bringing 15 to 20 centimetres of snow to parts of central Alberta including Rocky Mountain House, Red Deer and Drumheller. Blowing snow and poor visibility are expected to make travel difficult on highways.
• Former Edmonton mayor Amarjeet Sohi and former city councillor Tim Cartmell have landed new roles. Sohi, who served as mayor from 2021 to 2025 and was also a federal minister, joined New West Public Affairs as a senior advisor. Cartmell, a two-term city councillor from 2017 to 2025, became associate vice-president of major capital projects at NAIT.
• Investigators with the Edmonton Police Service are seeking dashcam footage of a collision that happened March 10. Around noon, a 62-year-old SUV driver struck two 16-year-old girls crossing 122 Avenue at 96 Street. The teens were hospitalized with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained on scene. Police do not consider speed or alcohol factors and ask anyone with information to contact them at 780-423-4567.
• Alberta's Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides launched a $90 million pilot program to expand private school spaces across the province. Funded from Budget 2026 over three years, the program offers matching grants up to $10 million to eligible independent schools, prioritizing those serving students with specialized needs. It aims to create up to 6,000 new school spaces to help ease growing enrolment pressures.

On this day in 1959, Edmonton's first shopping mall was advertising its "pre-Easter" sales.

The ad promotes suits, egg creme shampoo, side bacon, and a preview of that spring's "modern lamps," in an ad bearing an illustration of one of the mall's totem poles. To celebrate the mall's opening in 1955, anchor tenant Woodward's had commissioned five totem poles from Kwakwaka'wakw artist Ellen Neel, which were installed outside the store.

When it was first built, Westmount was designed as an outdoor "shopping park," with 40 stores accessible from the exterior, and about 13,000 parking spots. In 1956, the Sahara Theatre opened at the mall, with one screen and just over 800 seats. It quickly became a popular date spot for Edmonton couples; the theatre included a desert-themed restaurant, making it the only place in the city where you could grab dinner and a movie in the same building.

The mall's success led to several expansions over the years. An extensive renovation in the 1960s involved enclosing the centre to create an indoor mall. More rounds of expansion ensued in the '80s and '90s. The theatre grew as well, eventually being named the Westmount Theatre and expanding to four screens.

The '80s are also when Woodward's decided to let go of the five totem poles that had stood at the mall for 30 years. One was donated to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia; it was later installed in Stanley Park. Another may have ended up in pieces in St. Albert. The fate of the other three is unclear.

Another expansion in the 2000s added a food court and an ice rink. But the mall's fortunes would soon decline. Some tenants moved to free-standing buildings in the parking lot, which still brought in revenue but reduced mall foot traffic. The theatre closed in 2011. Many large tenants, such as Home Depot and Walmart, had exterior entrances that eliminated the need to enter the mall. Soon, the building was full of empty storefronts and abandoned hallways, with many sections simply closed off.

Now, it looks like Westmount Shopping Centre will be returning to its roots as an open-air mall. Earlier this week, plans were unveiled to redevelop the site, removing many of the interior spaces and providing outside entrances to the stores, connected by pedestrian spaces. Construction is set to take place over the next 18 to 24 months.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.

Here are some events happening this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• March 13: All Abilities Paralympics Watch Party: Hockey Semi-Final Game starting at 11am at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• March 13: Entrepreneurship & Innovation at NAIT Summer Internship Mixer starting at 1pm at NAIT
• March 13: Fava Fest - Screen Day 2 starting at 6pm at The Orange Hub
• March 13: 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action starting at 6:30pm at Garneau Theatre
• March 14: Mobile Device Filmmaking Workshop starting at 10am at Concordia University of Edmonton
• March 14: Métis Beading Workshop starting at 10am at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• March 14: Book Launch with Sarah Steger starting at 11am at Audreys Books
• March 14: Heavy Hockey Showdown starting at 1pm at Downtown Community Arena
• Until March 14: Men's Volleyball Championship at NAIT
• March 15: Behind the Apron: Creative Sustenance with Titilope Sonuga starting at 12pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• March 15: Baroque Chamber Music Treasures starting at 3pm at Robertson-Wesley United Church
• March 15: Evening: Daniel Moir starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 21: MARCH at CO*LAB
• March 28: Journée FrancoFun Day at Royal Alberta Museum
• April 2: Imagine a Progressive Future: A Community Dialogue at St. Albert Inn and Suites

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

Need a hint for 1-Across? Here you go.