- Edmonton Police Commission chair John McDougall told Postmedia he thinks the commission has been "remarkably transparent" in its work, but said that he expects private committee meetings will likely be made public. "There's nothing that we want to hide. There's no reason that these cannot be public, other than the fact that we just haven't done them in the past," he said. Coun. Anne Stevenson, who serves on the commission, told Speaking Municipally last week that a lot of accountability work currently happens in private and that undermines the public's confidence.
- With the arrival of spring, Edmonton's pothole repair teams are out in full force. The city has already filled 63,753 potholes this year, according to Caitlin Zerebeski, acting director of infrastructure maintenance. Potholes can be reported on the city website or by calling 311.
- Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told CTV News he has asked the province for help to make Edmonton's LRT system safer. He expressed sympathy for Sharda Devi, a 78-year-old woman who was pushed from an LRT platform on Monday night and is now in hospital at risk of losing her leg. "You don't want to have that kind of terrifying experience on our public properties, particularly public transit," Sohi said. "It really scares people away from the transit system."
- Edmonton Transit Service branch manager Carrie Hotton-MacDonald said she was "infuriated" at the disorder on the LRT captured in widely-shared photos this week. The city is responding by bolstering its transit safety program, CBC News reports. "We are listening and know that additional support is needed," Hotton-MacDonald said. "Overall, I absolutely believe our system is safe. I think there's more we can do to make it even safer."
- Explore Edmonton, which took over the management of K-Days from Northlands last year, is seeking public input to revitalize the event. Edmontonians can share what they like and don't like about K-Days using a 10-question online survey, which Explore Edmonton said it will use to shape programming for the next decade. "K-Days is an institution, and we need to both honour its past and refresh its role in the community," said Traci Bednard, president and CEO of Explore Edmonton. K-Days takes place July 22-31.
- The Edmonton Oilers will offer tailgating, watch parties, and potentially record-setting 50/50 jackpots when the Oilers start the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs next week. "It's been a long time since we've been able to get together in person and we are honoured to welcome the best fans in hockey down to ICE District to cheer on Edmonton's team and bring the energy, excitement, and love for our city back downtown," said Tim Shipton, executive vice president of the Oilers Entertainment Group.
- With the price of materials and equipment rising, the city announced it is increasing the rehabilitation grant for designating a residential historic property from $75,000 to $100,000 per home, and from $10,000 every five years to $20,000 for maintenance grants. Owners of historic commercial, multi-unit, and institutional properties can also now receive larger maintenance grants of up to $100,000 every five years instead of $50,000.
- As of April 29, Rundle Golf Course, Riverside Golf Course, and Victoria Golf Course are open for the 2022 summer season.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male