- Karanveer Sahota, a 16-year-old Edmonton boy, passed away in hospital on April 15 after being attacked by several other youths outside McNally High School on April 8. Police told CBC News a number of youth suspects have been identified. A GoFundMe page set up for the boy's family has already raised more than $170,000.
- Edmonton was the departure site for about 80 Canadian soldiers who flew to Poland on Friday for a rescue mission to help Ukrainian refugees. Along with 20 soldiers who departed from Trenton, Ontario, they will provide two months of support to the Polish Territorial Defence Force. The mission hits home for many of the soldiers, some of whom have Ukrainian heritage, said Lt. Kevin Moffat, a public affairs officer with the Canadian Armed Forces. Meanwhile, members of Edmonton's Ukrainian community are hopeful the mission could lead to bigger support efforts.
- Former mayor Don Iveson spoke about his time in office in a recent video with Richard Florida as part of the Climate + Justice + Cities speaker series. Iveson, who was named a Canadian Urban Leader at the University of Toronto's School of Cities earlier this year, also shared his thoughts on energy transition and the role of cities.
- Pride Corner on Whyte — which aims to reclaim the space on the corner of 104 Street and Whyte Avenue — is the work of a group of queer counter-protestors pushing back against homophobic and transphobic street preachers at the busy intersection, reports Xtra Magazine in a feature piece about the issue. The team, led by organizer Claire Pearen, shows up every Friday to protest the street preachers. She said police told her nothing could be done. Pearan also spoke last month with fellow counter-protestor Douglas Parsons on his Tales of the 2SLGBTQ+ podcast about her activism.
- Three Edmontonians were short-listed for Canadian Immigrant magazine's 14th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Included on the list are Jose Fernando Triana, founder of the Spanish-language magazine and TV network Soy Hispano; Tracy Folorunsho-Barry, founder of the Gradual Rising of Women (GROW) Foundation; and Basel Abou Hamrah with the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, who helped co-found a group to help LGBTQ+ newcomers at the Pride Centre of Edmonton.
- Theatre Network, which owns and operates the Roxy Theatre. invited the public to tour its new $12-million facility over the long weekend. While aiming to preserve the essence of the old Roxy, which burned down in 2015, the new building features two theatres, an extra rehearsal hall, and a rooftop deck, among other improvements.
- Pope Francis will likely make stops in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit this summer to meet with residential school survivors, CBC News reports. Francis first announced the trip at his recent meeting with Indigenous delegates wherein he apologized for "the deplorable conduct" of some members of the Roman Catholic Church.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack