One shopper, who relocated from Arizona to Edmonton, said she had been without one of her favorite stores for 18 months.  She planned to do some shopping for her upcoming honeymoon.

Candice Swanepoel, a Victoria’s Secret model, was present for the grand opening.  She was shown cutting a large ribbon for the media who gathered at the store.  Swanepoel, who hails from South Africa, said that she had never been to Western Canada before, and looked forward to seeing more of the area.  She said that the West Edmonton Mall represented a great location for Canada’s first Victoria’s Secret.  Customers who bought merchandise totaling more than $100 were able to be part of a VIP line to meet Swanepoel.

Customers said they were delighted to be able to try on merchandise that they previously had to purchase via mail order, or when traveling in the U.S.  The opening of the store coincided with the retailer’s introduction of the popular “Incredible” line of lingerie.

Victoria’s Secret also operates Pink stores, geared toward younger customers.  There are currently six Pink locations in Ontario.

This year there are 63 pavilions hosting over 85 cultures. Visitors will be able to sample foods from around the world.  New participants include Senegal, Iraq, El Salvador and Kyrgyzstan. So many ethnic groups signed up that some had to be put on a waiting list or turned away.  Every interested party will be able to participate in some form. Those unable to get space this year are guaranteed a spot in the 2011 celebration.

The Heritage Festival is also making a point of going green this year. All cutlery and disposable serving plates will be fully biodegradable. Made of a combination of corn byproducts and sugarcane, the items will be fully broken down within a maximum of 120 days at a composting outfit. It did cost 40 percent more than usual for the items, a total of $46,000, but the organizers agreed that it was a good investment in the environment.  Access to the festival grounds will also be by the ETS Park and Ride, bicycle or on foot. Power will be provided by the Enmax Company, using a wind generated energy system.

Shelley Switzer, artistic director for Streetfest, said that during periods of good weather, the crowds were so heavy that the pavement was not visible.  Switzer said that because street performers are accustomed to all kinds of weather, they had no problem with entertaining their audiences in the rain.  She likened the streets of Edmonton to the performers’ offices, saying that Streetfest is a totally outdoor experience, regardless of weather conditions.

As of July 18, 71.5 mm of rain fell in Edmonton since the beginning of the month.  The heaviest amount of rain, 24mm, arrived on July 13.  Per Environment Canada, Edmonton’s record for rainfall on a monthly basis is 92mm.  It is possible that if stormy weather continues, the record may be broken in 2010.

Attendance has been negatively impacted at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, said Marianne Copithorne, the event’s artistic director.  She said that people have been intimidated by the many thunderstorms that have occurred this month.  However, she noted, the amphitheatre tent in Hawrelak Park has seating to accommodate 1,100 people.  Copithorne said that about 600 people attended the July 18 presentation of Macbeth.  The Shakespeare Festival will continue through July 25.  Along with Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing will be featured, with performances appearing on alternate nights.

Rexall Sports is currently in fractious discussion with the City of Edmonton over the development of a downtown arena. The building would sit on sixteen acres near City Hall and would include office towers, retail space, student housing, a hotel and an overhead plaza meant to span 104th Avenue.

June 28, 2010 was the original date set for the zoning application public hearing, but Edmonton’s city council and Rexall Sports agreed over a delay in the hearing. The date isn’t set yet, but could take place after November’s civic election.

It hasn’t been decided yet who would foot the $400 million arena bill of a project estimated to cost $1 billion. Katz promised to pay $100 million for the arena’s development, but added since that the money would go to the surrounding development, causing concern in councilors and public.

Many councillors said they wouldn’t support the zoning application without further details on the arena.
Oilers president Patrick LaForge and Rexall Sports spokesman Stee Hogle did not return phone calls.

Lush makes its organic products by hand and supports environmental, humanitarian and animal rights campaigns.
The Whyte Avenue store’s manager, Shanda Kunce, said the point of the protest was to raise awareness of the oilsands’ destruction and to share other energy options.

The staff stood outside for 20 minutes in rain boots and barrels, encouraging passing people to sign a postcard asking Prime Minister Stephen Harper to fund renewable energy sources.

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) said the protest was a misguided attempt based on rhetoric and misinformation to promote environmental activism. CAPP’s President, David Collyer, said the activities don’t add to reasonable people’s serious dialogue about energy solutions.

Collyer also stated that renewable energy only represents a small portion of total energy supply.

Oilsands campaigner for RAN, Eric Deranger, said they are aiming to stop the oilsands development until a study is performed on the oilsands’ impact on toxicity effects and environmental health.

In his release, Collyer said the Canadian oil and gas industry is committed to giving consumers what they want, including economic growth, safe, reliable energy supplies and environmental protection.

This isn’t the only dry area in Edmonton.  Throughout the city, about 30 percent of the natural land areas have advanced cases of dieback.  Dieback happens when trees have an unusually high number of dead branches in their canopies. The dry brittle branches start at the top and then as the drought increases, move down the trees until only the lower branches have green leaves. Since trees require green leaves to produce food through photosynthesis, less green means less food and unhealthy, weak trees prone to fire and disease.

Edmonton has experienced ten years of drier than average weather, with the last two considered the driest two years in a row since the 1880s.  This coupled with the fact that the ravines are full of vintage poplar and aspen trees, has the Edmonton Fire Department very nervous.

Fires in the river valley and ravine areas are tough to fight.  The terrain is rugged and hard to access. Though the city has improved its fire fighting equipment, including acquiring lighter, more efficient hoses, it doesn’t change the fact that fires in this area are serious business.  The debate now is whether this is just Mother Nature in action and we should just let things progress as She wishes, or to interfere by finding ways to hydrate the trees.   Meanwhile, Edmonton residents are being pro-active about protecting their own properties by using fire resistant materials for roofing and siding.

Approximately 6,000 construction workers are completing Shell’s Scotford expansion project and about 5,500 of those workers are transported by Diversified Transport’s 100-plus buses. With the project slated to be completed by August, construction workers, bus drivers and support staff alike may find themselves out of a job.

Next year, Capital Power/TransAlta Keephills will also be completing its three power plant project, furthering the spread of unemployment.

On October 19, 2009, the Department of Energy’s Bitumen Royalty in Kind (BRIK) program issued a request for proposals, stating that the firm or firms in negotiation with Alberta would be decided on May 31, 2010.

Calgary company NorthWest and partner of Canadian Natural Resources has proposed a $4 billion upgrader and refinery near Redwater. The project would need workers in the three phases it has planned.

Other potentials include Imperial’s bitumen mine job north of Fort McMurray and unnamed firms looking to capitalize on all or some of the 75,000 bpd of bitumen royalties Alberta will accept in 2014.

While the potential projects would boost employment, the NorthWest project won’t begin until 2012 and a proposed upgrader project by Total won’t begin for another three years—if approved.

During the spring, the foundation’s staff analyzes and score every application received.  The staff then prepares a lengthy dossier of the applicants’ summaries for the judges to review in mid-June.  The seven judges, all hailing from Metis backgrounds, will research each applicant individually, and debate his or her capabilities.

According to George Brousseau, an Edmonton attorney who helped to found the awards with Herb and Orval Belcourt, students have a better chance of obtaining funding if they are in their first year.  He said that his organization tries not to exclude candidates whenever possible, because education allows people to boost their circumstances.  The students who are awarded scholarships get to meet the judges at an annual dinner held in the fall.  Per Herb Belcourt, nearly 95 percent of the scholarship recipients finish their entire coursework.

The candidates are as diverse as they are worthy:  One, in law school, has promised to serve the Metis people in her profession, and is a volunteer helping aboriginals at legal clinics in the area.  Another candidate owns his own company and also serves in the army.  Another applicant had to withdraw from college because he had leukemia.  Currently free of cancer, he wants to finish his education.

The endowment began in 2001, following the closure of the Canative Housing Corporation.  The goal of the corporation, which was established in 1971, was to locate rental homes for Metis people relocating to Calgary or Edmonton.   When the corporation was ready to shut down, it had 150 homes on its books that needed to be sold.  Given its not-for-profit status, its founders, Brousseau and the Belcourt brothers, could not simply divide the profits.  Consequently, the money was invested with the Edmonton Community Foundation.

Royal LePage released a survey indicating the average price of a two-storey house in Canada this year is 10.3 per cent higher compared to last year’s average price of $365,141. Two-storey home prices increased 5.2 per cent in Edmonton and 6.8 per cent in Halifax, but 13.2 per cent in Toronto and 19.2 per cent in Vancouver.

Bidding wars are a continuing trend in Toronto and Vancouver.

Soper says the market boom is regional not national and rising interest rates and housing prices will eventually slow the market as houses become less affordable.

David Dodge, former Central Bank Governor, agrees, saying that housing prices seem high and will likely fall.
Canada’s house prices risen 2.4 per cent annually for the last 50 years.

Year-over-year, first quarter house prices in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have risen a minimum of 7.2 per cent. Toronto’s bungalow prices rose 13.3 per cent to $459,107, two-storey prices rose 13.2 per cent to $562,150 and condos rose 10 per cent to $317,759.

Montreal’s bungalow prices rose 7.2 per cent to $249,172, two-storeys rose 7.6 per cent to $255,109 and condos rose 7.6 per cent to $222,244.

Vancouver’s prices showed the biggest jump, with bungalows rising 21.8 per cent to $906,045, two-storeys rising 19.2 per cent to $987,500 and condos rising 15.7 per cent to $470,000.

Judy Kelly lives in Butte, Montana, where the Edmonton band enjoys rock star status.  Kelly has been battling cancer for six years, and experienced a severe relapse not long ago.  Before all her health challenges, Kelly, whose birthday is March 18, became a huge fan of the pipe and drum crew.  Over the years, she befriended Deb Hopkins, who works at one of the bars at which the band performs when in Butte.  Hopkins, aware that Kelly’s recent birthday might be her last, reviewed the band’s tightly packed schedule.  She met up with the group at one of their performances, and explained Kelly’s dire situation.  Just a few minutes would be fantastic, she said.  The band, composed of current and/or retired police staff, along with some Mounties and soldiers, immediately agreed to play for Kelly.

With the help of Friends of the Pipers, a group that helps raise funds for the band’s appearances in Butte, the pipers arrived at Kelly’s house on St. Patrick’s Day.  Keeping the band’s arrival a secret from Kelly, her hospice assistant dressed her in a green outfit and seated her on her front porch.

James McKee, who is the group’s pipe major, said that although the entire band boarded the bus, only six members were able to fit on the front lawn.  That didn’t stop them from performing classics such as Amazing Grace, Danny Boy and Scotland the Brave.  At the end of the set, everyone enjoyed a shot of Irish whiskey.  Kelly, who tires easily, was still able to deliver a toast.

Amazing Grace was abundant for a special lady and a compassionate group of musicians.