How did the NDP go from 5 seats to more than 50? Where did Prentice and the PCs go wrong? What does this mean for the NDP going forward? Who will the cabinet ministers be? On the Galleria project, why is Council now supporting it? Do we really need this project? Is it a social enterprise, or should the private sector really be taking this forward if it is actually needed? With such a successful season, why are the Edmonton Rush at risk of leaving the city? There’s a lot of great things happening downtown, but why are there so many vacant storefronts still? Will the new stuff be more pedestrian-friendly?

We discuss those questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

• #abvote 2015 Results Dashboard
• City Council endorses phased approach to Edmonton Galleria project, but many questions remain
• NLL hopes Rush finds a way to remain in Edmonton
• A colorful window into downtown Edmonton’s transformation

Thanks for listening!

We start with an interesting discussion about the buildings going up around town. Some of the new buildings going up will bring a splash of color to an otherwise beige array of structures. How do we feel about that? (hint: we love it). There’s also some great public art with the Alex Janvier’s selection for the winter garden and we share our thoughts on that too.

Then we get into the budget. Why was everyone so disappointed in the budget? What could Prentice have done differently? What does this mean for the election? Has the PC strategy backfired? The Galleria is not mentioned in the budget, so it looks like it won’t receive any funding required to go forward. What does that mean for the project?

We both like Little Brick, but what is it that we like about it? What could other local business owners learn from them? Metro has listed Edmonton’s best streets. Do we agree? What others should have been considered? We discuss those questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

• Is MacEwan’s splash of lime green too much for Edmonton?
• Alex Janvier Named as Signature Artist for Rogers Place Public Art
• What does Alberta’s Budget 2015 mean for Edmonton?
• Little Brick
• Downtown Edmonton Galleria project set for its likely curtain call
• What’s Edmonton’s best street?

Thanks for listening!

1. Ryan Smyth’s retirement &  the success of the Edmonton Rush
2. The Galleria Project
3. The end of the Great Divide Waterfall, the start of Light the Bridge
4. Edmonton would fare well in the zombie apocalypse

In the first topic, we talk about Ryan Smyth’s retirement, a positive note to end a negative season on for the Oilers (even though we’re sad to see him go). We also talk about the Edmonton Rush and the amazing season they’re having! Moving on to the Galleria, we talk about the latest developments in the project. Mack is still opposed, Graham is now onside with the project. In our third topic we applaud the end of the Great Divide Waterfall, and look ahead to LEDs on the High Level Bridge. Finally, we talk about the popular post on how Edmonton would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse (spoiler: we’d do well!).

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

• Ryan Smyth joins the Edmonton Rush for their final game of the regular season
• Organization Needs Fixing – OilersNation
• The Edmonton Galleria Project
• Councillor’s turn off the tap for Edmonton’s Great Divide Waterfall
• Light the Bridge
• Canadian Cities Most and Least Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse

Thanks for listening!