Edmonton Minute: Art Installation, Knife Sales, and LRT Fare Gates

Edmonton Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Edmonton politics

This Week In Edmonton:

• This morning, at 9:30 am, there will be a Special City Council Meeting. On the agenda is a private City Manager Recruitment update. Tomorrow, at 8:30 am, the Agenda Review Committee will meet to set the agendas for several of October’s Committee meetings.
  
  
• There is a new art piece in Sir Winston Churchill Square. This 32-foot interactive installation aims to enhance the downtown area with vibrant colours and serve as a backdrop for photos while showcasing local artists. During winter, it will remain in the Square to brighten the nights, and in summer, it will travel to festivals and City facilities. Designed by local agency Vignettes Showcase Inc. in collaboration with Métis artists, the piece features a roof that allows visitors to look up at the sky and includes a rotating mural that represents different interpretations of home. The installation also has programmable LED lights that change colours, adaptable for special occasions. If you don't want your tax dollars spent on things like this, sign our petition demanding City Hall accept that Edmonton Must Get Back To Basics.
  
  
• After becoming the first airport in Canada to adopt drone logistics in December 2021, Edmonton International Airport is moving ahead with integrating drone deliveries into its logistics. Using something called a Sparrow drone, Volatus Aerospace has been launching drones from a drone terminus in Leduc to a spot in Pat Wilson Park. In the next phase of the project, using a Canary Drone which weighs 20kg, Volatus will be able to fly at predetermined heights along the drone route. The drone can carry packages weighing 4.5 kg up to 25 kilometers. The goal of the drone delivery business is to take over from expensive-to-operate vehicles for the final mile of delivery or for delivery in areas where it’s difficult to take a wheeled vehicle.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• The Urban Planning Committee considered testing fare gates at two LRT stations in order to make riders feel safer and limit the amount of people who avoid paying fares at the stations. The Committee looked at a plan that would install the gates at Churchill and Belvedere Stations. The plan comes with large up-front costs, $4.2 million for the gates and CCTV cameras, and $3 million for attendants and maintenance during the pilot. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) said that the money could be better spent elsewhere, and recommended that the City extend service hours to generate more fare revenue. To enhance safety, they proposed increasing the number of transit peace officers or enhancing their training and authority, enabling them to make arrests or carry Tasers. Councillors deferred the matter to the next Council meeting in early October.
  
  
• The Community and Public Services Committee looked at new rules for stores selling legal knives. Options on the table were banning knife sales at convenience stores, banning sales to minors, requiring stores to secure knives, and creating a new business license category for convenience stores. Concerns were raised about the associated costs given that City staff estimated a cost of $940,000 for implementation over two years. The move would also potentially delay business license applications as resources would be redirected to this initiative. The Committee deferred a decision until the next Council meeting on October 2nd, in order to allow all members of Council to weigh in.
  
  
• Federal authorities have initiated the demolition of 518 affordable homes, originally built as military housing. Residents of Edmonton's Griesbach neighborhood are now facing eviction as the federal Crown corporation Canada Lands Company aims to transform the area into a more upscale urban environment, which could displace approximately 2,000 tenants. Despite promises to increase the supply of affordable housing, many former residents have expressed frustration over the lack of suitable relocation options, as rental prices in the area have spiked significantly.

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