- The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton says trauma counselling wait times for sexual violence survivors are around 12-14 months, which are the worst they've ever been in Alberta. A 2020 study by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) found that 43% of Albertans, or 1.8 million people, have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2022, AASAS presented data and a business case for more funding for sexual assault centres, which the province said it will review in coming months.
- Indigenous high school students in Edmonton continue to be less likely to graduate within three years than non-Indigenous students. Annual education results show that 47% of students in Edmonton public schools who self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit (FNMI) completed high school on time, compared to more than 80% across all students. In Catholic schools, 67% of FNMI students completed high school on time. The rates are lower than the previous year but have been increasing over time.
- A preliminary report from the Edmonton International Airport shows a major jump in passenger activity, with more than 5.8 million people arriving at or departing from the airport in 2022, up from around 2.8 million in 2021 when Canada still had significant travel restrictions. The number is still below the record-setting 8.1 million seen in 2019, however. The number of travellers between Canada and the United States was up 775% in 2022.
- Postmedia announced plans to lay off 11% of its 650 journalists across Canada, a week after the company said it was experiencing "economic contraction" and revealed that a dozen Alberta community newspapers would become digital only. Lorne Motley, editor-in-chief at the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun, is now regional editor-in-chief of several newspapers in the prairies, including the Edmonton Sun and the Edmonton Journal.
- Police seized 700 catalytic converters, large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine, and a gun from a business called A1 Scrap Metal Recycling Ltd. near 88 Street and 61 Avenue, which was under surveillance as part of a drug trafficking investigation in summer 2022. Three men and A1 Scrap Metal Recycling Ltd. are facing a variety of charges.
- The Alberta Basketball Association announced that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x3 World Tour and Women's Series will happen in ICE District Plaza this July. The teams will compete for a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games. Edmonton was named the exclusive Canadian host for the 3x3 World Tour for the next three years after hosting events in 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Headlines: Jan. 26, 2023
By Kevin Holowack