A 242M Capital Line Item Increase

This week we discuss an updated capital budget, and a new train. Plus, the police commission declines to show up to a council meeting in this, the city of champions.

Here are the relevant links for this episode:

Police commission

• City councillors call relationship with Edmonton police commissioners 'unhealthy' and 'frustrating'
• Sean Amato's tweet thread

Capital budget

• Edmonton council approves increase to $10.4B capital budget to build housing, renew roads and fix facilities
• Edmonton adds $262 million in capital spending on buses, LRT vehicles, infrastructure repairs and housing

Capital Line LRT

• News Release: City awards Design-Build contract for Capital Line South LRT Extension project
• Edmonton's Capital Line LRT to extend south as council approves bylaw to borrow $585M
• Cost for Edmonton Capital Line LRT south extension balloons by $242 million, council approves in secret

Transit ridership

• News Release: Transit ridership up 130 per cent
• Open Data Catalogue

More scooters

• News Release: Third e-scooter and e-bike vendor coming to Edmonton's streets

Blatchford

• Edmonton city councillor's idea to sell some undeveloped Blatchford land sputters out

City of Champions

• Should Edmonton bring back 'City of Champions' slogan?

From the Taproot newsroom

• Sustainable fashion house hosts runway experience to build city's scene
• New doc recreates Edmonton's norm-busting Flashback nightclub
• Taproot Edmonton roundups

Rapid fire

• News Release: City adds new water bottle-filling stations
• YEG Departures Roadway construction to end this fall
• 58 per cent of Canadians not following Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup final: survey

Business membership

• Introducing Taproot Edmonton's Business Membership

This episode is brought to you by the Edmonton Public Library which is hosting another instalment in its Forward Thinking Speaker Series. Don't miss Dr. Marie Wilson in conversation with Chief Wilton Littlechild on June 19. The Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners will discuss what we can do to further reconciliation across Canada. Tickets are now available for this EPL fundraiser.

Speaking Municipally is produced by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven original stories, curated newsletters on various topics, and locally focused podcasts, all in the service of informing Edmontonians about what is going on in their community. Sign up to get The Pulse, our weekday news briefing. It's free!