- A temporary 24/7 homeless shelter has opened at Commonwealth Stadium, as the city continues experiencing extreme cold. The shelter is operated by the Mustard Seed and currently has capacity for 50 people, though this will increase to 200 on Dec. 20.
- The city has extended the Phase 1 parking ban for an additional one to two days because crews have been unable to clear snow from some main roads on which vehicles have remained parked. Since Phase 1 began, 186 tickets have been issued.
- The impact of the smaller than expected increase to the Edmonton Police Service budget for 2022 is something chief Dale McFee is still considering. "Rule number one is we're going to protect the jobs of our folks, and we're going to protect public safety the best we can with the resources we have," he told CTV News. Michael Elliott, president of the Edmonton Police Association, called council's decision "sad and disappointing" on social media. "One does not require a crystal ball to predict the future of crime & disorder in Edmonton," he warned.
- City council voted unanimously to keep Edmonton Transit Service fares at $3.50 on Dec. 15. Fares were set to increase to $4 with next year's budget — the city will replace the $3.45 million in lost revenue with money from the 2022 COVID-19 funding strategy.
- Two harm reduction organizations are filing an emergency injunction against the Government of Alberta, hoping to stop the province from mandating IDing at supervised consumption sites. The organizations — the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society and Moms Stop the Harm Society — are currently embroiled in a lawsuit against the province after it made sweeping changes to how SCSs are handled in Alberta.
- CBC Edmonton's Make the Season Kind campaign saw more than $920,000 raised for Edmonton's Food Bank, as of Dec. 16. The effort's goal was $500,000.
- The Edmonton Elks will open the 2022 regular season on June 11 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions.
Headlines
By Mack Male and Doug Johnson