- The City of Edmonton is reminding residents to take precautions as hot temperatures continue into the weekend. "Extreme heat can be dangerous," it said in a statement. "Everyone should drink plenty of water even before feeling thirsty, and stay in a cool place." Supports available include 15 hydration stations near fire hydrants, 24 refillable water stations at LRT stations and transit centres, and more than 70 spray parks. Additionally, "Edmontonians can seek respite from the heat at recreation centres," the city said.
- Prairie Sky Gondola has agreed to pay the city about $1.125 million per year to lease land and for a license to operate its proposed 2.5-kilometre gondola over the North Saskatchewan River. "We're very near what I would describe as the biggest milestone in this project," said president and CEO Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson. City council's executive committee will review the deal on Aug. 10.
- The city is providing free permits to people who want to create a boulevard garden on the strip of land between their property and the road. The Residential Boulevard Gardening Kickstart Program is intended to provide Edmontonians space to "create colourful, diverse streetscapes to strengthen community pride, ecological diversity, and build climate resiliency." The city's Instagram account will also be featuring pictures of boulevard gardens that use the #boulevardeningyeg hashtag.
- Motorists on southwest Anthony Henday Drive should expect travel delays due to bridge work starting Aug. 4 and lasting four to six weeks. The North Saskatchewan westbound bridge will be closed between 8:00pm on Thursday and 6:00am on Monday every week. Traffic on the eastbound bridge will be limited to one lane in both directions.
- Park and ride will be available for the Edmonton Heritage Festival in Hawrelak Park this weekend, with shuttle service running 9:30am-9:30 pm on July 30 and 31 and from 9:30 am–8:30pm on Aug. 1. Park and ride service is also available for Monster Jam at Commonwealth Stadium on July 30.
- The Old Strathcona Business Association has launched a map of pet-friendly businesses, which features more than 80 establishments on and around Whyte Avenue that welcome dogs. To celebrate, the organization is throwing its first-ever Pet Prowl from 12-4pm on July 30 at SouthBARK, a pop-up dog park at 8122 106 Street NW.
- Criminology professor Temitope Oriola argued in a recent op-ed that the terms of reference proposed by the Edmonton Police Commission for an independent third-party review of circumstances surrounding the release of Justin Bone "are underwhelming" and "do not include ascertaining who did what, when, and how." He said the case is a test of the quality of the commission. "The EPC's capacity to fulfill its mandate is under the microscope," Oriola wrote. "I sincerely hope they pass this test."
- Every province except Alberta has introduced a system to roll out the Moderna Spikevax vaccine for kids aged six months to five years, which Health Canada authorized on July 14. The federal government said it has delivered 46,700 doses to Alberta, and Alberta Health said it expects progress "in the coming days" despite initially saying the vaccine would roll out by the end of July. Janaya Matheson, who founded Vax Hunters Alberta on Twitter to help parents and others book shots, said some parents have even driven to Montana for the vaccine.
- Albertans aged 18 and older who are determined to be at higher risk of exposure will be eligible for a monkeypox vaccine starting July 28. Eligibility is limited to some transgender, cisgender, or two-spirit people who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community. As of July 26, there have been 13 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Alberta, CBC News reports.
Headlines
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male