- Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the "outdated" police commission model isn't providing the oversight Edmontonians desire and should be reviewed. "I don't think we should be expecting volunteers from the community to be appointed and responsible for overseeing a half-a-billion-dollar budget, with Edmontonians asking for more accountability on the conduct as well as how the resources are being spent," he said. Sohi said he hopes the Edmonton Police Commission will conduct a line-by-line analysis of the police budget, while chair John McDougall said the commission is open to further dialogue on budgets.
- Arthur Schafer, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, told CBC News a report on police budgeting written by the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance — whose president is Edmonton police chief Dale McFee — for the Edmonton Police Commission represents a real conflict of interest. "The police commission made a mind-boggling decision in giving the contract untendered, uncompetitive, to an organization that consists almost exclusively of chiefs of police," Schafer said. McFee called the criticism a distraction. "Perception is not conflict," he said. Schafer disagrees. "The process was profoundly guilty of real conflict of interest, not perceived conflict of interest," he said.
- Danielle Smith was sworn in as the 19th Premier of Alberta at a ceremony at Government House on Oct. 11. "I do not take these responsibilities lightly, and I will make sure I work every day to earn your trust," she said. Smith later told reporters that she plans to amend the Alberta Human Rights Act to protect unvaccinated people, whom she called "the most discriminated-against group that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime." She also said she intends to replace Dr. Deena Hinshaw as the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein offered some thoughts on how Danielle Smith and her "strong streak of libertarianism" might impact the province's relationship with municipalities. St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron, who is also president of Alberta Municipalities, expressed concerns about the province respecting municipal autonomy but said Smith "does have some good ideas" when it comes to municipal funding, such eliminating the province's education property tax.
- Meals on Wheels is seeking volunteers after demand for the service skyrocketed during the pandemic. "Post-pandemic, it feels like people are getting back to a normal schedule, but we still need the same support," explained executive director Sonja Zacharko, who said the biggest demand is for 10:30am-1pm on Monday to Friday. Those looking to volunteer can apply online.
- Some Edmontonians reported seeing a meteor shower over the city just after 10pm on Oct. 10. Christopher Herd, professor and meteorite curator at the University of Alberta's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said that if a meteor fell, the projected landing area is near Calling Lake. Experts suspect no large meteorites survived, however.
- The Edmonton Oilers announced their 2022-2023 opening day roster ahead of tonight's home-opener against the Vancouver Canucks. Head coach Jay Woodcroft said the team is prepared to make changes at any moment, so expect "some roster manoeuvring over the next little while."
- The Edmonton Oilers also launched an official year-round streaming service called Oilers+, which provides live and behind-the-scenes content. "Oilers fans have always been league leaders when it comes to consuming their team's content," said Stew MacDonald of the Oilers Entertainment Group. "Our Oilers+ streaming service is the next logical step to satisfy our fans' passionate appetite for more and unique Oilers content."
Headlines: Oct. 12, 2022
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male