- Coun. Anne Stevenson wants to cancel a plan to spend $26.5 million from the downtown Community Revitalization Levy on the 103 Avenue Pedway, as well as $10.6 million on the first phase of development on public amenities at Qualico's Station Lands project. Stevenson said in a memo explaining a notice of motion that she was unable to support the borrowing bylaw, and urged her colleagues to consider whether the idea "aligns with our public investment and city-building priorities."
- Edmonton police chief Dale McFee defended his retweet of a video featuring a small business owner in Portland who claimed progressive political policies are contributing to rising crime. "I think we'd be missing the point if we didn't think some of those business concerns aren't coming from the citizens of Edmonton," McFee said. Michael James, director of communications for the Edmonton Police Service, said the force is reviewing its social media policies.
- With Edmonton's first year of waste sorting and cart collection complete, the city is hoping to build on its success by adapting the program to feedback from residents. The city said early estimates show the new curbside cart collection system diverted 30% of single-unit residential waste from landfill in 2021.
- Demand for tutors is growing in Edmonton, as local parents attempt to bring their children up to speed after the pandemic disrupted their education. While some local tutoring companies are seeing more business, some parents are having trouble affording the service.
- A 14-year-old epileptic golden lion tamarin named Jack who lived at the Edmonton Valley Zoo has died. The zoo is collecting donations in his name for Build Our Zoo, an organization that helps raise money for development and planning.
- The federal government has announced $17.3 million in funding to build 83 new homes in Fort Saskatchewan for low-income families and individuals in need. The Muriel Ross Abdurahman Court project is intended to achieve net-zero energy performance and will incorporate modular elements like shipping containers.
- The province has axed nearly $650,000 in yearly grant funding for the Alberta School Councils' Association, a group that trains and represents volunteers serving on school councils. Some parents allege this is a way for the UCP to silence them.
- Nearly 500 of 1,400 unvaccinated AHS staff will be returning to work after opting in to frequent testing. The province allowed this to meet the demand the healthcare system is seeing in the wake of the Omicron variant.
- Premier Jason Kenney said that Omicron infections in Alberta may have peaked, pointing to wastewater testing and the provincial positivity rate, which has dropped from 41% to 33% this week. Hospitalizations, however, are expected to surpass 1,500 in the coming weeks.
Headlines
By Mack Male and Doug Johnson