- TSN 1260, an Edmonton sports radio station, went off the air on June 14 after BCE Inc., the parent holding company of Bell Canada, announced it is cutting about 1,300 positions and closing or selling nine radio stations across the country. In an internal memo, a vice-president at Bell Media, the mass media branch of BCE Inc., said the plan involves moving to a "single newsroom approach across brands" because the branch can't afford to continue separately operating its various brands, which include CTV National News and local CTV stations like CTV Edmonton.
- A motion from Coun. Andrew Knack to ask administration to come up with options for protecting trees on privately owned properties was closely defeated by a council vote. The intention was to target infill developers who often cut down mature trees on lots destined to have skinny homes. Coun. Anne Stevenson, who opposed the motion, noted councillors have previously requested information about a private tree bylaw, which administration did not recommend, and that the city is already on pace to meet its urban tree canopy goals. In March, Taproot covered the city's plan to plant two million trees by 2030 and achieve 20% total canopy coverage by 2071.
- The Edmonton Public School Board received a 183-page report it commissioned after voting to suspend the School Resource Officer (SRO) program in 2020 over concerns about the program's impact on racialized and marginalized students. Board chair Trisha Estabrooks told reporters she "didn't read anything too surprising" in the report and pointed to its recommendation to include "additional voices" in the discussion. The Edmonton Police Service said in a statement the report is a "positive response for our SROs" and called on the board to "ensure that voices are not again left out in future plans." The board said it will hold engagement sessions about SROs in the fall but released no further details.
- The city announced the installation of a new decorative crosswalk and several street blades for Okîsikow (Angel) Way, which is the honorary name of 101A Avenue between 96 Street and 97 Street in the Boyle Street area. The crosswalk art is by local artist Nikk Goodswimmer, and the street blades are by the late artist and activist Gloria Neapetung of the Yellow Quill First Nation. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also declared June 14 as Okîsikow Way Day in Edmonton. Okîsikow Way is a multipartner initiative to honour women and gender diverse people who have experienced violence and to remind survivors that there are safe places in Edmonton to seek support.
- Environment Canada meteorologist Sara Hoffman said heavy rain forecast for parts of Alberta in coming days will not reduce wildfire risk for long. She also said incoming storms could bring wind that fans the fires and lightning that starts new fires. Edson remains under evacuation order but received some rain, which Alberta Wildfire said will "buy firefighters a few days of quiet fire behaviour" but won't affect dry conditions in the forests. On June 14, the province lifted its evacuation order for parts of Yellowhead County and began partial re-entry. Other Alberta communities still under evacuation orders as of June 14 included Fort Chipewyan, Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and parts of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation.
- The hearing considering three accusations of misconduct against former UCP cabinet minister Tyler Shandro was adjourned on June 14 and will resume in September with closing arguments if deemed necessary. The misconduct accusations relate to three separate incidents that occurred when Shandro was health minister. As a lawyer and member of the Law Society of Alberta, Shandro faces sanctions including fines, suspension, or disbarment if he is found to have committed misconduct.
Headlines: June 15, 2023
By Kevin Holowack