- The city said drivers need to get used to an absence of crossing gates and audible bells along the Valley Line LRT which, unlike previous lines, uses a low-floor design and shares the road with drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. On Jan. 21, a Valley Line train near Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre collided with a car turning right on a red, which is forbidden at some intersections along the route for safety reasons. The city and TransEd have released a safety campaign for pedestrians and traffic.
- Enterprise Square has been freshly renovated thanks to city investments aimed at revitalizing the downtown core. The University of Alberta is relocating more staff to the space, nearly doubling its occupancy, in a move intended to strengthen the university's relationships with business, arts, and cultural communities and contribute to economic recovery. The space includes the UA Innovation Centre, which offers around 44,000 square feet of leasable office, classroom, and lab space and is home to 17 companies.
- DeepMind, a U.K.-based subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. that does artificial intelligence research, confirmed it is closing its Edmonton office, which is part of a wider trend of cost-cutting and layoffs in the tech sector. Cam Linke, CEO of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), told Global News the closure is "only one area of impact in our very robust ecosystem," and that Amii continues to see growth in AI adoption across Alberta.
- Edmonton Public Schools says it is seeing an increase in staff and student absences following the end of the winter break two weeks ago. Supt. Darrel Robertson said it has been difficult for the school division to find replacement staff, noting 15 teaching and 120 educational assistant positions were unfilled on Jan. 24. Student absences due to sickness were around 3.5% at the beginning of the week, up from about 2% when kids returned to school Jan. 9.
- Diplomat Consulting, a government relations firm that specializes in the cannabis industry, is pushing for Edmonton to be a leader in Canadian cannabis tourism by creating a zoning and business license class for cannabis cafés, lounges, and restaurants. President Nathan Mison attended a roundtable in October on Edmonton's cannabis industry hosted by Coun. Michael Janz, who plans to introduce the idea this spring when the urban planning committee reviews the city's Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative.
- Tres Carnales Rostizado announced it is closing its doors forever on Jan. 31 and thanked its patrons, staff, and landlord in an Instagram post. The owners did not give a reason for the decision, which comes two weeks after the closure of its sister restaurant, Tres Carnales Taqueria.
- John de Ruiter, a well-known self-appointed spiritual leader, was arrested and charged with four counts of sexual assault in connection with separate incidents between 2017 and 2020. Police believe there may be additional complainants and have asked anyone with information to contact them. The group de Ruiter founded, known as the College of Integrated Philosophy, or the Oasis Group, operated out of the Oasis Building in west Edmonton from 2007 to 2021 and currently meets in an office building on St. Albert Trail in St. Albert, police said.
Headlines: Jan. 25, 2023
By Kevin Holowack and Mariam Ibrahim