- An update is scheduled for today on the Valley Line LRT extension, with the ATU Local 569 union expecting another delay due to the transition of the temporary 510X route into the more permanent Route 73.
- The city is recruiting five people to serve on the new Office of the Councillors Budget Review Task Force, whose job will be to review existing policies for councillor budgets and ensure equity across all 12 ward offices. Information about how to apply is available online, along with an official recruitment profile. Applications are due by Aug. 22.
- Const. Hunter Robinz of the Edmonton Police Service, who was accused by his ex-fiancée of assault and keeping an unsecured gun at home, was fined $1,000 for keeping an unauthorized EPS carbine in his bedroom closet along with two clips of live ammunition. He avoided assault charges because the judge found "frailties" in the evidence of both parties and was legally required to give the accused the benefit of the doubt. According to an EPS spokesperson, Robinz is now suspended without pay. He is also scheduled for an unrelated trial next year on charges of sexual assault, unauthorized computer access, and breach of trust.
- Claims that Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz paid for sex with a 17-year-old and an accusation of sex trafficking have been dropped from the U.S. court case by the counterclaimants who made them, saying they have since learned that the woman was in fact 18 at the time of the event. "I want to personally apologize for any harm the erroneous factual claims may have caused to Mr. Katz and his family," their lawyer said.
- Players of Microsoft Flight Simulator can now learn to fly at the Edmonton International Airport while exploring terminals, runways, and surrounding scenery. The pack can be purchased online from the developer for US$16.
- Data from Alberta Children's Services shows that 49 children died while receiving child intervention services in 2021-22, the highest number on record and 16 higher than the previous year. Thirty-nine of the children were Indigenous. Provincial data also shows that over 70% of the roughly 8,100 children and youth in provincial care each month last year were Indigenous. "The continuation of the Sixties Scoop, of Indian Residential School, is still happening today," said Audra Foggin, a Sixties Scoop survivor and an assistant professor of child studies at Mount Royal University.
- The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) has revised its rules so that cannabis stores are allowed to remove window coverings and have products be visible from outside. In a letter to stores, the AGLC said the decision was made following a "significant rise" in robberies, particularly in Calgary. However, the letter warned stores not to take the opportunity to display street-facing promotions, which remain forbidden under federal cannabis advertising restrictions. "Today's news is a win for our employees' safety, and our ability to continue pushing back against illicit market operators," tweeted Omar Khan of High Tide, the company that owns Canna Cabana.
Headlines: Aug. 10, 2022
By Kevin Holowack