- Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for most of Alberta, including the Edmonton area, with daytime temperatures nearing 29°C and into the mid-30s and overnight temperatures between 14°C and the high teens. "Monitor for symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as high body temperature, lack of sweat, confusion, fainting, and unconsciousness," it said. Edmonton weather nerdery reports that Edmonton may have already reached the "top" of the summer, after which temperatures will gradually decline.
- The Edmonton Heritage Festival is happening this weekend, opening at 10am daily on July 30, July 31, and Aug. 1. Hawrelak Park will host 69 pavilions with food and souvenirs from about 80 countries. New participants include the Uyghur and Oromo pavilions, but the Russian pavilion has withdrawn this year. Free water will be available, and items can now be purchased directly with credit and debit — but not cash, which was dropped during the pandemic. The festival's 50th anniversary next year will have to take place somewhere else, as Hawrelak Park will be closed for three years for major upgrades. "We continue to work with the city and we're going to have an amazing site for our 50th anniversary," executive director Jim Gibbon told Postmedia.
- Coun. Aaron Paquette spoke about the papal visit to Edmonton on a recent episode of Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen. Paquette spoke about how, for security reasons, the area around Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples was cleared ahead of the arrival of Pope Francis. "We're talking about homeless people, people suffering mental health and addictions, and the majority of those folks happen to be Indigenous, because that is the aftermath of residential schools and breaking up families and communities," Paquette said. As a result, dignitaries travelling through the area "did not see the living reality of the impacts of residential schools," he explained. "I think that was a mistake."
- The city is accepting expressions of interest for the Anti-racism Community Safety Funding (ARCSF) Program, which is providing one-time funding of $150,000 to $250,000 to support local initiatives focusing on community justice, mental health, employment, and social participation within BIPOC communities. Interested applicants must submit an expression of interest form online by 5pm on Aug. 24.
- The International Ice Hockey Federation is committed to hosting the 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton next month, Hockey Canada president Scott Smith told reporters while on break from parliamentary hearings. The statement comes in the wake of new sexual assault allegations against several former Team Canada players at the 2003 World Juniors in Halifax.
- Aher Uguak, who spent five years in the United States playing college basketball for the Loyola Ramblers and the New Mexico Lobos, has started his professional career in his hometown and has been with the Edmonton Stingers since June.
- The Edmonton Corn Maze, located just west in Parkland County, opened to the public on July 26 and runs until September. This year, the maze design is a tribute to the Edmonton Elks.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male