Council heard more about the fiscal gap, though no action was taken yet. Plus, the latest transit ridership numbers, the Stadium Station redesign, whether to continue planting elm trees, and how this winter's approach to encampments will look a lot like last winter's despite increased need.

Here are the relevant links for this episode:

Fiscal gap

• Edmonton seeking solutions to fix grim 'fiscal gap'
• Edmonton's Funding Dilemma: Collaboration Over Confrontation - Tim Cartmell
• Edmonton mayor's letter to province asks for fair treatment in next year's budget
• Keith Gerein: Edmonton's mayor steps up, but will he take a swing?
• Calgary and province announce agreement to move forward on part of Green Line LRT

Transit ridership

• News Release: Transit ridership outpaces population growth
• Edmonton transit ridership up 14% in 2024
• Edmonton Transit to stop selling paper tickets, monthly passes as of Nov. 9

Stadium Station

• Stadium Station redesign sees calls for service drop by 50%

Elm trees

• Tree expert sees ways to avoid nightmare on elm-lined streets

Health Streets pilot

• Edmonton 'healthy streets' Chinatown safety hub shutting down

Encampments

• Edmonton police chief on the winter encampment strategy
• Edmonton has spent $225k fencing off former encampment sites in the first nine months of 2024
• Alberta and Edmonton at odds over data on homeless navigation centre
• Edmonton city council to get more information on encampment closure risks

Regional drivers

• 'We're subsidizing the region': 32% of drivers on Edmonton roads don't live in the city, report finds
• Edmonton has a 'free rider problem' on its roads, new report says

From the Taproot newsroom

• Alberta Ecotrust aims to accelerate building retrofits
• Provincial Priorities Act could hurt Alberta's priorities, says academic
• Transit riders organize to push for improved service and community

Rapid fire

• Recap: Winnipeg 6, Edmonton 0
• News Release: Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!
• City Bird : Vote - Bird Friendly Edmonton

The 2024 Canadian Open Data Summit takes place in Edmonton on Oct. 30 and 31, with a full day of programming on Oct. 29 focused on generative AI. The event features keynotes, panels, workshops, and more. Themes for this year's event include data perspectives on the housing crisis, the power of open science, and how sharing commercial data has led to competitive advantages for businesses. Registration is now open.

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