Public engagement in Edmonton: February 12-18

Alright, we’re back again with a look at ways you can get involved and informed this week. If you’ve got an event you think fits for this public engagement post, send it on over.

Avenue Edmonton’s Best Neighbourhoods survey is open once again. While this isn’t technically related to government or city issues, it’s still fun to put in your two cents and vote for your favourite neighbourhood (which is Strathcona, obvs.) This year’s survey issue is also going to include stories about the metro region and suburbs.

Illuminate is March 8. image: Edmonton Youth Council

For International Women’s Day, the City of Edmonton Youth Council is hosting “Illuminate” – a discussion open to women and non-binary people to speak about their experiences with gender discrimination, violence or inequality in their personal or professional lives. There’s a call for speakers right now if you want to put your name forward or know someone else who should be sharing.  

Monday

The city council meeting starts up at 1:30 p.m. The agenda is online. Monday’s agenda is the “public hearing” related to zoning and bylaws. I don’t spot any big or controversial items this week.

Council Services Committee is talking about office budgets, travel schedules and office furniture. The meeting is at 9:30 a.m. and the agenda is online, but this one is in the councillor’s boardroom so it’s not in public. 

City council and committee meetings all stream live (when they’re in public). 

A map of vacant land available for gardening.

The City is opening up a bunch of its own vacant land for gardeners this summer, and you can get your application in starting today. It costs $200, with half of that refunded if you clean up your garden at the end of growing season. Check out where the lots are and get more details at the City’s website.

Tuesday

City council’s meeting continues today, starting at 9:30 a.m. You can see the agenda online. Items include that city hall fountain, an update on the Kihciy Askiy (Sacred Earth) site in Whitemud Park, designating the West End Telephone Exchange a historic resource, and following up on the City’s side of a potential team-up with the public school board down in Heritage Valley. The meeting will stream live. 

There’s a public meeting about the 105 Avenue streetscaping plan (now into year five, somehow) Tuesday 4 – 8 p.m. at Iconoclast Coffee. The old designs are getting a refresh, mostly to take into account new bike infrastructure. 

A map of the E.L. Smith plant and proposed solar farm. image: Epcor

Epcor wants to add a solar farm to the E. L. Smith Water Plant in the river valley and you can check out those details at an open house Tuesday night, 6 – 8 p.m.  at Good Shepherd Elementary School. This is a plan people are already fighting.

At lunch on Tuesday, the President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Francyne D. Joe, is speaking at NAIT at a free event. 

Wednesday

If city council doesn’t finish its meeting Tuesday they continue today with the same agenda. 

Thursday

We got a sneak peek of what the future Centre LRT line could look like last week, but you can see more details at a series of open houses which begin this Thursday at the Matrix hotel, 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. The next sessions are February 27 and 28. (This is the LRT line that will run down Whyte Avenue and connect to the downtown.)

Friday

It’s Time poster. image: City of Edmonton

The City’s “It’s Time” program is hosting a lunch at the end of the week, focused on financial empowerment. It’s Time is a gender-based violence and sexual assault prevention initiative.