- Construction of a $96-million interchange at 65 Avenue in Leduc — with an overpass over the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and new on and off ramps — will begin this summer and continue for the next three years. "This increased road access will support our multi-modal cargo operations and growth as a global logistics hub for Western Canada," said Tom Ruth, president and CEO of Edmonton International Airport which contributed some money to the engineering and design part of the project.
- Aurora Cannabis is closing its Aurora Sky facility in Edmonton — once considered one of the company's flagship facilities — as part of cost-cutting efforts following a $1-billion net loss in the company's most recent quarter. Aurora expects to save $7 million per quarter as a result of the closure. "We will continue to employ a talented team in Alberta, operate an Edmonton office and remain committed to our business in Canada as a whole," Michelle Lefler, the company's vice president of communications, told Global News.
- The Edmonton Public Library has launched a new pilot program called Ready. Set. READ! to support childhood literacy in 2,000 families across 13 neighbourhoods. The program, which delivers one book a month to participating children up to the age of five, costs $660,000 over five years to run, CTV News reports.
- The overdose deaths of two inmates at the Edmonton Remand Centre have prompted a provincial court judge to recommend that all jail staff undergo random security checks and drug screening. Lawyer Amanda Hart-Dowhun, president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society, supports the recommendations. "The current approach of assuming that inmates are the only people who will smuggle drugs into a remand centre is naive at best," she told CBC News.
- Connor McDavid is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL's most valuable player award, along with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. McDavid, who never went more than three games without a point this season, won the same award last year. He also won the Art Ross Trophy this year for being the league's top scorer.
- As the Edmonton Stingers prepare for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League season, president Reed Clarke appeared on Global News to talk about what fans can expect. They'll play the Niagara River Lions — who Edmonton defeated in last season's final to become back-to-back champions — on May 27 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre to kick things off.
- Garth Brooks's second Edmonton show sold out in forty-five minutes after going on sale May 12. Brooks took to Twitter to share his "love, love, love" for YEG while some fans expressed disappointment for missing the boat once again. Brooks told CTV News that Edmonton, the only Canadian stop on his upcoming world tour, turned up at sale time in greater numbers than any other city.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male