Edmonton Minute: Night Mayor, Lynx Air, and More Peace Officers

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

This Week In Edmonton:

• City Hall will be quiet for the remainder of the month as Council and its committees are on summer break. When the Councillors return next month, it will be a busy session as deliberations will begin on a new four-year budget. We’ll be bringing you some more information about the budget in the coming weeks - stay tuned!
  
  
• The Pope is coming to Alberta and taxpayers are footing the bill. In addition to approximately $20 million from the Province and $35 million from the federal government, the City of Edmonton is contributing $1 million in-kind. This includes the use of Commonwealth Stadium for the Papal Mass, but does not include the cost of policing and security.
  
  
• KDays is back after a 2-year hiatus. The 10-day festival begins on Friday. Music, fireworks, midway rides, games, and delicious food will fill the Edmonton EXPO Centre & Exhibition Grounds. New features for this year include a strongman competition, a vintage market, and an immersive art exhibit.

Last Week In Edmonton:

• At the last Executive Council meeting, the possibility of a “night mayor” was discussed. Sectors that operate outside of weekday business hours, like the hospitality and entertainment industries, are unable to find assistance during their peak operating times. The City is exploring how best to support the nighttime economy and a night mayor is on the table. Cities like Toronto and Vancouver have similar offices. The position would be a largely symbolic, unelected one. Couldn't the City just provide better service to taxpayers, instead of introducing new (and probably expensive) symbolic positions?
  
  
• Lynx Air took its first flight. The new, low-cost carrier now offers five flights per week from Edmonton to Toronto and on to St. John's. This week, the schedule is expanding to include flights to Halifax, with the potential for more routes if these are successful. Let’s hope Lynx Air is able to avoid the chaos that other airlines have been experiencing.
  
  
• Downtown safety has been a major topic of concern in Edmonton, and nine new peace officers have been added to the payroll to assist with transit patrols. The new officers graduated from their eight-week training program to join a team of approximately 90 other members. Their presence comes along with other recent measures, like banning drug use and loitering at transit stations.

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