- City council's executive committee unanimously requested a report examining market demand and affordability at Blatchford after hearing that the original timelines for development were "too aggressive" in hindsight. Coun. Andrew Knack noted the average home price at Blatchford is $650,000. "Is this going to be an urbanist Glenora essentially, a spot that no regular person can afford to live in?" he asked.
- The city plans to change its approach to encampments after city council's community and public services committee heard from members of the public who indicated there are issues with the dismantling process. "People are sometimes moved without being given options of where to move to," said Kristine Kowalchuk, chair of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition. It can take 59 days on average to move someone from staying outside into permanent housing and much longer for people with more complex needs, CBC reports. "There's not enough resources currently in the system to provide appropriate housing for everyone currently living in encampments," said Ingrid Hoogenboom, a manager at the City of Edmonton.
- Following Mayor Amarjeet Sohi's comment on Oct. 11 that the model of the Edmonton Police Commission is "outdated," commission chair John McDougall explained and defended the commission's work in a statement to CTV News. "Police commissions exist to ensure there is a separation between municipal elected officials and police services, and this separation is codified under provincial legislation," said McDougall, adding that the commission publicly reports monthly budget updates. Meanwhile, criminology professor Temitope Oriola chimed in to agree with Sohi. "Police chiefs can basically pick and choose which of the recommendations of the civilian oversight that they wish to accept," he said. "That is outdated."
- Edmonton is Canada's ninth-most wild partying city, according to Uber's first-ever Nightlife Index, which drew up rankings based on Uber Rides and Uber Eats data. The list was topped by London, Ontario. No other Alberta cities made the top 10.
- The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released reports on two incidents in Edmonton: a case of police use of force involving the Edmonton International Airport detachment of the RCMP that occurred in 2019, and the death of a person detained by police that occurred in 2020. The reports state that there are no grounds to believe officers committed a criminal offence in either incident. The 2020 incident involved a peace officer who broke EPS policy and two other others who "appear to have tried to hide this," but no action was taken as peace officers are beyond ASIRT's mandate.
- The Jewish Federation of Edmonton was one of many organizations to criticize Premier Danielle Smith's comments shortly after taking office that unvaccinated people are the most discriminated-against group she's "ever witnessed in (her) lifetime." Smith tried to clarify her comments but did not apologize. "My intention was to underline the mistreatment of individuals who chose not to be vaccinated and were punished by not being able to work, travel or, in some cases, see loved ones," she said, adding her office will reach out to "minority community stakeholders" so she can "better understand the different concerns of their individual communities."
Headlines: Oct. 13, 2022
By Kevin Holowack and Mack Male