The Pulse: March 27, 2026

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes budget consultations in Edmonton, the City of Leduc, and Strathcona County, plus Parkland County's information sessions on changes to Acheson's industrial area.

The City of Edmonton has launched three ways to get involved in its 2027-2030 budget ahead of deliberations in the fall.

"The next four-year budget will be about trade-offs and weighing the diverse needs and perspectives of over 1.2 million Edmontonians," its website reads. "We want to know what matters to you."

One way to give your input on the distribution of funding is through the city's mock budget balancing tool. The exercise prompts users to increase or decrease expenditure to services such as police, transit, or road maintenance, and to adjust revenue by increasing or decreasing taxes, revenues, or fines. As legislation requires municipalities to post a balanced budget, the tool requires users to create a budget without a surplus or deficit left over.

"We want to know how you would approach balancing the city's four-year budget," the tool's pop-up reads. "There are no wrong answers as long as you balance the budget."

The city has also launched a survey for Edmontonians to highlight their top priorities in social services, construction timelines, and user fees.

"Our key consideration is finding a balance between continuing to deliver the services Edmontonians rely on, while limiting tax increases," the survey's preamble reads.

Drop-in information sessions will also be held throughout the month of April at schools, recreation centres, and community halls across all 12 wards. All forms of public engagement will be gathered until May 1, and will be shared with city council as the budget is formed in the fall. Staff from each branch and department gave in-depth budget presentations to council throughout March.

"City council is looking forward to talking to Edmontonians about the budget," Mayor Andrew Knack said in a March 25 press release. "Public engagement is vital to building a budget that reflects the demands of our growing city."

See below for links to budget consultations in the City of Leduc and Strathcona County.

• The City of Edmonton reminded residents that an elm tree pruning ban begins April 1 and will last until Sept. 30. This measure helps prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease, a contagious fungal infection transmitted by bark beetles that are active during this period and attracted to fresh tree cuts. It was first detected in Edmonton in August 2024, with seven trees testing positive. Residents should report signs of the disease to 311.
• Edmonton's downtown community revitalization levy could post a $412-million surplus by 2044, but only if no new projects are approved and the City meets revenue targets. The fund is currently in deficit and expected to dip further before recovering as developments generate tax revenue. Council has already earmarked $33.4 million for the Winspear Centre expansion, which could reduce the surplus. Officials say the outlook depends on market conditions as several projects still await funding.
• The City of Edmonton released its 2025-2026 Annual Service Plans, outlining priorities, performance targets, and budgets across transit, infrastructure, and waste services. Key initiatives include expanding cellular service in LRT tunnels, launching an integrated transit control centre and introducing a mobile hydrogen fuelling station. The plans also highlight a drone program for wildfire resilience, improved road monitoring and expanded recycling and food scraps collection for apartments and condos.
• NorQuest College in Edmonton is reducing its workforce by about 100 positions by mid-April 2026 due to financial strain and enrolment projections. The University of Alberta has also made strategic workforce reductions, while NAIT and Lakeland College report no current layoff plans. The trend across Alberta post-secondary institutions stems from stagnant provincial funding and a 65% drop in international student approvals following 2024 federal immigration cuts. The 2026 provincial budget includes a 3% operating support increase.
• The province's new electoral map raises the number of legislature seats to 89, with Edmonton gaining one seat overall but undergoing major boundary changes, according to the final report from the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission. Rapid growth in the south led to two new constituencies, while several central ridings will be consolidated and redrawn. The plan also introduces more hybrid urban-rural ridings, including two in Edmonton, following legislative changes. The new map will take effect for the next provincial election.
• Edmonton has avoided the "missing-middle" housing problem prevalent in other Canadian cities, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s Spring 2026 Housing Supply Report. Favourable zoning rules, downtown revitalization, and infill development opportunities contribute to affordable housing options. In 2025, middle housing starts, including townhomes and low-rise apartments, reached nearly 12,000. In February, the average single-family detached home price in Edmonton was more than $571,000.
• The Alberta government said it will propose a universal code of conduct for municipal councils across the province, including those in Edmonton and surrounding areas. The new system would replace local codes repealed in 2025. Complaints will be handled by independent third parties selected by municipalities from a provincial roster, with an appeal commissioner also appointed by the province. The legislation will also require a public "sunshine list" for municipal staff salaries.

On this day in 1969, Edmonton's storied candy store, the Palace of Sweets, was advertising its Easter treats.

When Douglas Jones first arrived in Edmonton, he didn't plan to become a candyman. He left his native Nova Scotia for Edmonton in 1920 to study at the University of Alberta. After graduating, he began working for a lumber company, where he supervised nearly a dozen lumberyards all over western Canada. After he retired, Jones went on to a few commercial ventures, including a newsstand.

Jones opened Western Canada News at 104 Street and 104 Avenue. In addition to newspapers and magazines, the stand would also sell candy. The sweet stuff proved so popular that it earned the business a second name: Palace of Sweets. After about two years, Jones moved his business a few blocks south into the Chisholm Block at 103 Street and Jasper Avenue NW, formerly the first home of the Edmonton Public Library.

The Palace of Sweets didn't just sell candy. It also made it. The 1969 flyer advertises homemade chocolates and other candies, cooked up in the massive kitchen in the basement of the store. And the operation made tons of the stuff — 250 to 300 pounds every day. It quickly became the place for locally made confections, and a weekly destination for families doing their weekend shopping downtown.

The Palace of Sweets remained a mainstay of Jasper Avenue for decades. In 1966, a fire started in the basement of the Chisholm Building and spread to other floors. The Palace of Sweets was destroyed. But it wasn't gone forever. Jones constructed a new building a year later and reopened the candy shop.

Fire couldn't stop the sweets, but economics could. By the 1970s, candy production had become more mechanized, and homemade confections had trouble competing against cheaper, mass-produced brands. The Palace of Sweets, by then at 10122 Jasper Avenue NW, sold its last piece of candy in 1974. Jones died in 1978 at the age of 80.

But the candy store left a lasting impression on those who spent their Saturdays browsing its shelves. Trips to the Palace of Sweets inspired chocolatier Carol Logan to open her own candy store on Whyte Avenue in 1990; when it burned down in 2003, the shop relocated to High Street, doling out candy for 22 years before it closed down on Dec. 31, 2024.

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

• March 27: FAVA Gala starting at 6pm at The Orange Hub
• March 27-28: The Warehouse Sale at The Creative Hive Event Centre
• March 27-28: Swan Lake at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
• March 27-29: GOBfest at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• March 28: Journée FrancoFun Day starting at 10am at Royal Alberta Museum
• March 28: Bissell Child Care Spring Open House starting at 10am at Bissell Child Care
• March 28: Stuff-a-Bus starting at 12pm at ICE District Plaza
• March 28: Info Session & Open Rehearsal with Franz A.J. Szabo starting at 1:15pm at First Presbyterian Church
• March 28: Record Swap & Artist Jam Night starting at 6pm at CKUA
• March 29: Fit For Tech starting at 9:45am at Black Tusk Athletics
• March 29: Easter Eggstravaganza starting at 12pm at Rutherford House
• March 29: Yassify Your Arc Card starting at 1pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
• March 29: Because starting at 2:30pm at Winspear Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 7: Deepening Your Relationship with Yourself at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• April 13: Green Drinks - April at The Buckingham Pub
• April 15: Indigenous Taste of the Market at Old Strathcona Farmers' Market

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.

Did you miss a Mini this week? Catch up in the archive.