- In a new release issued last week, the policing committee of the Criminal Trial Lawyers' Association said that data from the city suggests "there is not a significant change in transit disorder" from January 2021 through February 2022. The committee said it "expects that transit disorder will be an important piece of leverage that the EPS uses in its case for a budget increase." City council is slated to receive a report on the Edmonton Police Service funding formula on May 18. University of Alberta criminologist Temitope Oriola told Postmedia that it is essential "that we get at the heart of the issue with empirically verifiable stats and facts, and as much as possible, we avoid fear communication."
- Tenants of the Strathearn Centre strip mall near 87 Street and 95 Avenue — including Juniper Cafe & Bistro — were given notice recently that their leases would be terminated to make way for the first phase of a planned redevelopment project. Tenants have until Nov. 1 to vacate the building. The Strathearn Heights project was approved by council in September 2021.
- Dozens of people marched from City Hall to Chinatown on Sunday to raise awareness about anti-Asian racism which organizers say increased significantly during the pandemic.
- According to NAI Commercial's market report for the first quarter of 2022, Edmonton's retail vacancy rate decreased for the fifth straight quarter, falling to 4.2% from a high of 5.2% in early 2021. "There are many more entries into food retailer options, with the delivery trend continuing, with the amount of ghost kitchen space being demanded as well," president Chad Snow told Postmedia. The industrial market is also showing signs of recovery, but the office vacancy rate has climbed to 9.3%, with downtown rising even higher to 10.9%.
- Edmonton's unemployment rate dropped from 7.1% to 6.9% in April, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. "We're starting to see the right signals," said Jeffrey Sundquist, president and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.
- John England, professor emeritus in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, has been invested into the Order of Canada for his research on the impact of climate change on Canada's arctic. England, described as "a true force of nature," told Postmedia the recognition is significant. "Especially when you put your heart into 50 years of Arctic research that really allows you to get to know a part of the country very few people have any experience with."
- Edmontonians Taylor Riar and Allie Larson — who were in Dallas to watch the Mavericks compete in the NBA Western Conference semifinals — were shown on TV attending the Dallas Stars game against the Calgary Flames in their Oilers jerseys and holding "Anyone But Calgary" signs. "I guess it kind of popped off more than we thought it would," Riar told CTV News.
