- Officials lifted mandatory evacuation orders for residents of Fox Creek, Little Smoky, Swan Hills, and O'Chiese First Nation on May 24, although some remain under evacuation alert and may need to leave at any time. "The extreme rate of growth we saw on these wildfires earlier this month has now slowed," said Alberta Wildfire information officer Christie Tucker, adding that firefighters have made significant progress over the past few days. Crews are still battling wildfires about one kilometre from Fox Creek, but Mayor Sheila Gilmour said no structures within the community have been destroyed. As of May 24, there were 65 wildfires active in Alberta's forest protection zones. Around 7,000 Albertans remained under evacuation orders on May 24, compared to about 10,000 one day earlier.
- The Edmonton Folk Music Festival unveiled this year's performer lineup, which includes Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, the Ukrainian quartet DakhaBrakha, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Ben Harper. Other major acts playing the main stage are Feist, Fleet Foxes, Gregory Alan Isakov, Half Moon Run, The Tallest Man on Earth, and country singer Margo Price. The festival runs Aug. 10-13. Tickets go on sale June 3 and will be the same price as last year.
- The city is inviting Edmontonians to celebrate Splash Day on May 27 at City Hall Plaza and Churchill Square. The family-friendly event will feature live music, food trucks, and activities including table tennis, basketball, and large-format chess. The City Hall fountain will operate seven days a week from June 3 to Sept. 4.
- Lyft, a competitor of Uber, officially launched its app-based service in Edmonton and Calgary on May 24. The company is offering users a 25% discount, up to five dollars, for their first three rides within 14 days of activating an account.
- Stingers Entertainment Group (SEG) announced the launch of a new charitable foundation called The Stingers Foundation. According to a release, the foundation aims to "bring the power of sports and the universal appeal of basketball to work in our community twelve months a year." The foundation will be chaired by Marcie Kiziak, who is also the CEO of Nova Cannabis. SEG purchased the Edmonton Stingers, the city's Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team, in February 2023.
- A group of more than 190 emergency room doctors released an open letter on May 24 calling on the Alberta government and Alberta Health Services to immediately address the "capacity crisis" in Alberta's healthcare system. The letter emphasizes a lack of access to family doctors, a lack of hospital beds, and a shortage of healthcare professionals, including nurses. "There is an election fast approaching, and we hope that healthcare is a top priority for political parties and for voters," they wrote. "The health of our population depends on this."
Headlines: May 25, 2023
By Kevin Holowack