Councillors warm up to winter plan

Councillors gave a big, gloved thumbsup Tuesday to a winter city strategy encouraging Edmonton residents to embrace their coldest season.

“My family is on board,” Coun. Don Iveson told the community services committee, explaining they have skis and are planning an outdoor party in December.

The strategy suggests changes to the way the city and its partners approach the season, including how festivals are supported, how the city is marketed, and how roads and neighbourhoods are designed.

A volunteer think-tank consulted with the public and came up with a long list of recommendations, such as skating through the river valley and allowing jaywalking across neighbourhood streets.

Other ideas include making a city ice-climbing wall, using snow to build wind barriers, providing free skate rentals for the City Hall rink and creating “white-of-ways” where snow is left on sidewalks for skiing and pulling sleds.

Outdoor patios could also help change attitudes, suggests the report, which the committee recommended council endorse next week.

“We don’t have to think of winter as a period of deep doom-and-gloom hibernation. … Winter is an authentic aspect of Edmonton,” think-tank member Tammy Pidner said.

She suggested highlighting local expertise in cold-weather construction and fashion, and giving more support to winter festivals. “Maybe it’s more about attitude than latitude.”

Changes don’t have to involve expensive construction projects, she said later. “If I gave you the opportunity to go to the Grey Cup or go to an outdoor hockey game, you might think about dressing up and drinking hot chocolate,” Pidner said.

City officials want $362,000 from next year’s budget to set up a winter city advisory council, hire a co-ordinator and continue work on implementing the proposals.

They’ll come back in early 2013 with a report on how to push the strategy forward.