Photo credit: Global News
Remembering Dr. Darren Markland
A respected Edmonton intensive-care physician, Dr. Darren Markland, 54, has died after a mountain biking accident on the Black Mountain trail network near Nordegg, Alta. Dr. Markland, who worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, is being remembered for his significant contributions as a health-care professional and community advocate, particularly for his public insights on the challenges facing the health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the morning of September 26th he was remembered at a community coffee memorial by hundreds of friends for his extraordinary energy and vibrancy despite his demanding job. He was a beloved figure in the Edmonton biking community, known for advocating for active transportation and hosting "Coffee Outside" gatherings from his cargo bike at Constable Ezio Faraone Park. Markland was celebrated as a great friend, doctor, and creative spirit, known for memorable moments like riding bikes in T. Rex costumes and entertaining riders with music.
He had even created a unique, two-hour canoe and bike commute down the North Saskatchewan River to avoid traffic and take advantage of Edmonton's natural resources. You may have seen him portaging his canoe behind his bike down a city street, piquing the interest of curious drivers on his way to work. He would state his commute was the "best part of my day," contrasting it with a typical stressful drive. He even biked in −30∘C winter weather, demonstrating that "beauty and adventure" could be found in one's own backyard.
Film, Fossils, and the Future: Upcoming Edmonton Events
On Friday, October 3rd, the Climate Change & Health Hub invites you to join them for Climate Health Action Talks: Film Screening of THE MAGNITUDE OF ALL THINGS. The film weaves together personal, environmental, and collective stories of ecological grief. Drawing parallels between the film maker’s personal experience grappling with her sister’s cancer diagnosis, and accelerating environmental loss, the film explores how facing grief can also reveal love, courage, and the drive to act. For more information visit The Magnitude of All Things - Metro Cinema
On Saturday, October 4, it is the 32nd APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic. The clinic serves as an introduction to geoscience and what a career in geoscience could be like. It is an engaging event for families and communities to explore the wonders of geoscience, unearth history, and learn from professional geoscientists and individuals with a geoscience background. For more information visit APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic.
On Thursday, October 9th, the Edmonton Public Library and Taproot Edmonton are hosting an engaging and nonpartisan forum featuring candidates for the 2025 Edmonton mayoral race. The panel discussion will be moderated by journalist Stacey Brotzel, giving citizens a chance to hear the candidates' visions for the city's future and participate in a meaningful civic conversation, either in person or online.For more information visit Edmonton Mayoral Candidates Forum.
Photo credit: Taproot website
Find Your Candidate: Take the Taproot 2025 Edmonton Election Survey
The 2025 Edmonton municipal election will be held on October 20, 2025, to elect a mayor, twelve councillors to the Edmonton City Council, nine trustees to the Edmonton Public Schools board of trustees, and seven trustees to the Edmonton Catholic Schools. Each of these are to be elected using the first-past-the-post voting election system.
Taproot Edmonton has developed a survey to help you match with candidates based on your views!
Taproot invited Edmontonians to share what issues they care about most heading into the 2025 municipal election. From the hundreds of responses they received, as well as further insights gathered at listening sessions, input from dozens of community partners, and their own observations of what the next city council will face, they distilled 30 multiple-choice questions and asked each candidate to answer them.
Now you have the opportunity to answer the same questions to find out which candidates you are most aligned with. You can answer all 30 questions or just the ones that interest you. The entire survey should only take about 10 minutes to complete and can be found at Take the Taproot Survey - 2025 Edmonton Municipal Election
Photo credit: RETROactive website
The Beaver's Tale: A History of Human and Castor canadensis in Alberta
There are few animals in the north whose history is so intricately interwoven with people than the beaver. From the early fur trade to modern environmentalism, the beaver has chewed its way into numerous facets of life in Alberta. Paleontology, archaeology, history, and modern politics combine to tell an amazing story of human-beaver relationships in the province.
The earliest beavers lumbered into the province over five million years ago. By two million years ago, the modern beaver (Castor canadensis) was living alongside a colossal cousin that was five to six times larger. The giant beaver (C. ohioensis) weighed up to 160 kilograms and was just under 3 metres long! It went extinct around 10 000 years ago.
First Nations’ stories tell of the beaver’s role in creating the world by molding the primordial mud into an island fit for humans. To Alberta’s first people, beavers also furnished important materials for tools, clothing, and food. Archaeology sites across the province have yielded beaver bones where very few other animal remains were found. This indicates that beavers were crucial to human diet, particularly during winter. Beavers were captured with willow bark nets, stone-tipped spears, and sinew snares set along beaver trails and canals.
Feedback on General Inquiry (Linden tree & rabbits)
I was sad to hear that hares have been left so hungry that they are eating linden trees. According to biologist Myrna Pearman (who recommends a deterrent of Cayenne Pepper and Garlic Powder) hares prefer soft food, like berries and grasses. Many of our native berries and grasses are being lost to the spread of Smooth Brome. This horrible forage crop chokes out smaller berries and, because it is highly allelopathic, prevents germination of our woody berry producing species.
Is the NSRVCS working to limit the spread of this invasive, foreign species, and what can I do to prompt the City and Province to eliminate it from our natural areas so the hares have plenty to eat and leave our ornamental and fruit trees alone?
https://naturealberta.ca/rabbits-and-hares/
Thanks,
Mark Stumpf-Allen
The Art of Caring / Mural by Lewis Lavoie / Royal Alexandra Hospital front entrance
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