Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 39m

Meanwhile, who cares about projects like the Yellowhead freeway conversion costing the city I don't even want to know.

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 48m

I live in one of the most infilling mature neighbourhoods in the city and the rumours are true -- it's truly the end of days over here.

1

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 1h

It's been suggested to me by those who know a lot that the tax increases are basically baked into our future. The problems are structural. The fact we built so much in the '50s to '80s that's nearing its end of life at the same time doesn't help.

edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

Keith Gerein: Edmonton's money woes need more than wishful thinking

Despite promises from contenders in Edmonton's municipal election, the city's financial issues will take years to fix.

edmontonjournal.com

2 1 4

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 3h

Before the inevitable fact checker arrives, I mean a general hospital.

1 3

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 4h

Remember 1988?

That's when Edmonton last got a new hospital!

Population in 1988: Nearly 600,000
Population today: 1.1 million

Fun!

4 10

Reposted by Tim Querengesser

🖤 Sandra’s Evil Twin 🖤 MWAHAHAHAHA 🪓 @sgwong.com · 4h

#yegvotes

Thanks to @taprootedmonton.ca's candidates survey, I discovered that the ward candidate I'd planned to vote for did NOT see the climate crisis as an integral lens re policy & decision-making; instead, they said it 'cost too much' 😑

Vote for our collective future, #yeg!
Election = Oct 20

Why experts say Edmonton’s new mayor and council should care about climate change | CBC News

Edmonton’s municipal election is fast approaching. CBC News asked Edmontonians what their top priorities are as they prepare to cast their ballots, and one that came up again and again was mitigating ...

www.cbc.ca

2 5

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 22h

Here’s me hoping this means speed is being enforced along this street, though I doubt it.

3

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 1d

I typically see those who are undecided during an election campaign as the people not paying attention. Edmonton’s 2025 election is the exact opposite. The most engaged people I know are torn. Fascinating.

7

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 1d

My mom drinks once every five years and is having a glass of wine tonight. It will not be boring.

9

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 2d

Today in ideas:

3

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 2d

The number of Cybertucks in Edmonton is disappointing.

10 2 30

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 3d

There is no free lunch when you build a city. The old policies that prioritized growth through sprawl and not infill are clearly being looked at with nostalgia at the moment. They’re also the policies that saw us build schools that we ended up closing 50-60 years later. 🤷

2 10

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 3d

Your if is the problem. www.whatcar.com/advice/buyin...

Why do electric cars have longer braking distances?

A reader is thinking of buying an electric car and wonders why they seem to have lengthy stopping distances

www.whatcar.com

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 3d

EVs are also far heavier than traditional vehicles.

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 3d

Deep dive into the surge in US pedestrian deaths:

"It’s not that more pedestrians are getting hit by vehicles; it’s that the ones that are getting hit are more likely to die."

"[That] seems like fairly strong evidence for the theory that the rise in large SUVs is behind the uptick in ped deaths."

Why Are So Many Pedestrians Killed by Cars in the US?

It’s unfortunately not uncommon for pedestrians to be killed by cars in the US.

www.construction-physics.com

1 2

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 4d

If you're a Taproot member, you can join my 12pm chat with former councillors Jon Dziadyk and Bev Esslinger. We'll talk about the election, and the inside workings of city hall and admin. Check your email for a link! If you're not a Taproot member, well, why not? 🤔

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 4d

"Councillors and their election make no difference to this entity, it is just 'kabuki theatre'."

Comment about how city administration works, or doesn't.

Does the election truly "make no difference" for admin? Leave a comment!

edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2025/...

City pilot to grow non-residential tax base has 'jaws dropping': Developer

As Edmonton heads toward an election, its city administration has an interesting plan to "grow the pie" on non-residential taxes in order to solve its ongoing construction chaos, Stewart Fraser, vice-...

edmonton.taproot.news

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 4d

*raises hand sheepishly

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Knack ahead of Cartmell in Edmonton mayoral race where many remain undecided: poll | CBC News

New polling data suggests Andrew Knack is leading the race for Edmonton's next mayor among decided and leaning voters. But the same poll suggests almost half of voters are undecided.

www.cbc.ca

2

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 5d

I still think a city-run ebike system is the first/last mile program that would make transit more usable for more people.

1 3

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 5d

There is still a place for cars and there always will be. Cars are incredible to go longer distances with many people and carrying a lot of things.

1 2

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 5d

This is not at all surprising for anyone who thinks we can move differently within cities in the future. Ebikes in particular are changing the entire conversation. The reflexive rejection of using a bike for things we use cars for is getting less convincing.

www.economist.com/internationa...

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport

Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

www.economist.com

1 2 5

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 5d

I remember a campaign that arrived in my school to help name the thing. Yes, I'm that old.

1

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 6d

That is quite the pie chart.

edmonton.taproot.news/news/2025/10...

Disclosures show Cartmell pulled in $834K — about half of all campaign contributions

Interim disclosures filed with the City of Edmonton show that mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell has raised significantly more than his rivals during the 2025 election campaign.

edmonton.taproot.news

1 4

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 6d

How voters react to increases in property taxes, and how politicians react to infrastructure needs as a result, feel less examined than it should be when it comes to const. chaos. Becoming less reliant on property taxes feels important as a result.

More here: edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2025/...

City pilot to grow non-residential tax base has 'jaws dropping': Developer

As Edmonton heads toward an election, its city administration has an interesting plan to "grow the pie" on non-residential taxes in order to solve its ongoing construction chaos, Stewart Fraser, vice-...

edmonton.taproot.news

3

Reposted by Tim Querengesser

Courtney Theriault @ctheriault.bsky.social · 7d

Honey, wake up, new potential Alberta referendum on ending private school funding just dropped.

7 60 150

Tim Querengesser @timquerengesser.bsky.social · 7d

Bike lanes, well-lit crosswalks, and slower speeds are basically the same as airbags, anti-lock brakes, and stability control for cars. When it comes to cars, you can't sell them without these safety features in 2025. And yet.

1 3 8