- The city has released a series of engagement activities in advance of the 2023-2026 budget to learn about Edmontonians' budget priorities. The new Balance the Budget Tool allows users to make a budget by adjusting funding for different line items. The city is collecting input until July 17.
- TransEd said on June 22 that it still plans to open the Valley Line Southeast LRT this summer but would not provide an exact date. "We will give you a firm date when we get close. We're not far from being able to do that," said spokesperson Dallas Lindskoog.
- The city has relaunched its Emerging Immigrant and Refugee Communities (EIRC) grant program, which provides funding to registered not-for-profits that help newcomers and refugees settle or integrate in Edmonton. Updates since the program underwent a review in 2020 include more emphasis on community development within ethnocultural communities, and the establishment of the Ethnocultural Capacity Building Collaborative in partnership with the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations.
- The Mustard Seed has opened its newly renovated Strathcona Neighbour Centre. The facility was funded by the Shaw Family Foundation and provides 50 overnight spaces, laundry and showers, a fully equipped commercial kitchen, employment and housing supports, and other services.
- Edmontonians have expressed mixed feelings about lifeguards at the refurbished city hall fountain. Some visitors said the lifeguards seem excessive given the fountain's new 15 cm depth while others felt their presence is "good for the kids." The city said a shortage of "amenity attendants" has led to the temporary assignment of lifeguards at the fountain.
- Qualico held a grand opening on June 21 for Maskêkosihk Trail, a newly completed two-kilometre stretch of arterial road that is the first major roadway in the city to be given a Cree name. "Renaming this significant roadway in honour of the Cree First Nations is a show of respect and acknowledgement for the fact that we are creating new communities on Treaty 6 Territory," the company said in a news release.
- Pope Francis will use Edmonton as his home base during his visit to Western Canada from July 24-27. His Alberta itinerary, released by the Vatican on June 23, includes visits to a former residential school in Maskwacîs, an Indigenous pilgrimage site in Lac Ste. Anne, the newly restored Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, and Commonwealth Stadium for mass.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack