- City council's community and public services committee heard from more than a dozen people on Sept. 27 who called on councillors to ensure their housing challenges and experiences are reflected in the city's updated affordable housing strategy. "Many of these stories were heart-wrenching, they were raw, and they reflected the realities of thousands of Edmontonians," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi wrote in a blog post published after the meeting. "I am extremely grateful to the courageous folks who showed up as their most authentic and vulnerable selves today."
- Homeward Trust is conducting another homeless count on Wednesday night through to Thursday to collect point-in-time data about how many people are living on the streets. The Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness said it will have volunteers on the streets as well, offering a handbill with the message "1 is too many" and information about the housing crisis in Edmonton.
- Alberta Health Services announced that five more ambulances are now in service in Edmonton, along with 20 new paramedics, to help address pressure on EMS, which has seen 911 call volume increase 30% since before the pandemic. The ambulances are in addition to the five that went into service in June 2022. The president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, a union of 200,000 healthcare staff, called the additions a "drop in the bucket" compared to what's needed. "We started this week in Alberta with more than 500 paramedic shifts unstaffed," he said. "We need people."
- Witnesses to the fatal LRT collision between a cyclist and a train on Sept. 26 told the media that the man was a passenger trying to board and that they heard him screaming for help moments before the train started moving. Steve Bradshaw, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 which represents ETS staff, said the LRT operator was not at fault and suggested additional safety technology is needed to prevent similar incidents in the future. "There are whistles and bells and alarms that tell people the end is coming. We need to have those kind of things on our LRT system as well," he said.
- The province has made changes to the driver's license system so that Albertans are automatically eligible for a Class 5 or Class 6 license two years after earning their probationary Class 5 (or GDL) license. The requirement to complete a road test and pay $150 has been eliminated. The government estimates around 700,000 Albertans currently drive with a GDL, 500,000 of whom can now graduate. "It's not reducing safety," said Transportation Minister Prasad Panda, because new drivers still undergo the two-year probation period that "should sort out if there are any issues" related to traffic violations and impaired driving.
- Canada Basketball announced that the fifth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers will be held at the Edmonton EXPO Centre in November. The Canada men's national basketball team, currently the only undefeated team in the Americas, will host Venezuela on Nov. 10 and Panama on Nov. 13.
- Jay Woodcroft, head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, was named the most handsome NHL coach for 2022 by the staff of gambling.com, who used a "beauty measurement app." Woodcroft, aged 46, is a standout of the "silver fox club," which also includes Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames.
Headlines: Sept. 28, 2022
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male