- The city's urban planning committee is scheduled to hear from staff on July 12 about progress on the National Urban Park Initiative to work with Parks Canada, the provincial government, and Indigenous groups to create a national urban park in Edmonton. The multi-year project is currently in the pre-feasibility phase to explore initial interest and possible support. City staff have explored three sites for designation and are recommending the North Saskatchewan River valley system over the Big Lake area (northwest) or the Emerald Crescent park system (southeast). The city released a What We Heard report containing the results of its first public engagement efforts. Council approval is required for the city to proceed to the next stage of the designation process.
- City data shows that public complaints about homeless encampments have increased 60% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year. McCauley, Boyle Street, and Downtown received the majority of the 5,742 complaints this year, though the city noted the numbers include duplicates for the same encampment or location. Jennifer Flaman, deputy city manager for community services, said people often have nowhere to go because emergency shelters are regularly at or near capacity even during summer months. Coun. Andrew Knack said the situation in the west end has gotten worse since the closure of a community resource centre run by the Jasper Place Wellness Centre, along with the closure of 150 spaces in a temporary winter shelter funded by the city. According to Homeward Trust, about 3,000 people in Edmonton are experiencing homelessness, which includes people who are couch surfing.
- More than 100 members and supporters of Civic Service Union 52, which represents thousands of Edmonton civic service employees, rallied outside city hall on July 4 demanding an end to 0% wage increases. Members of the union who are employed by the city have had their wages frozen since 2018 and have been without a contract since 2020. Union president Lanny Chudyk said the affected workers include some of the city's lowest-paid staff, including many women and newcomers, and criticized council for allowing their own salaries to increase 2.4% in 2023 after a two-year freeze related to COVID-19 financial challenges. Meanwhile, Steve Bradshaw, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569, told Postmedia that Dedicated Accessible Transit Service (DATS) drivers who voted in April in favour of strike action over unfair wages have put their plans on hold. Bradshaw said the union and the city are negotiating productively and that the city provided a "concrete proposal that we believe will lead us to where we intended to go."
- A severe tornado passed through a 15-kilometre stretch of central Alberta between Didsbury and Carstairs on the afternoon of July 1. According to researchers, the tornado rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which ranges from EF0 to EF5. The tornado is reported to have damaged 12 homes and caused one minor injury, and Environment Canada said all homeowners it spoke to received and responded to the tornado warning it sent. It was the strongest tornado recorded in Alberta since "Black Friday" in Edmonton in 1987, when a tornado killed 27 people and left hundreds homeless.
- The city's single-use item reduction bylaw came into effect on July 1. Under the new rules, businesses can no longer hand out single-use plastic shopping bags or containers, and must charge at least $1 for a reusable bag and 15 cents for a paper bag, including at drive-thru restaurants. The rules do not apply to bags for bulk items like candy or hardware, produce or baked goods, or medications from a pharmacist. Starting in July 2024, the minimum charge for reusable bags and paper bags will increase to $2 and 25 cents respectively. The federal government's single-use plastics regulations, which are similar to Edmonton's rules but focus specifically on six categories of single-use plastics, banned the manufacture of plastic shopping bags and other items nationally in December 2022. It will ban the sale of these items in December 2023.
- The province is looking to hire a company to complete a Phase 2 environmental assessment of the Strathcona Science Provincial Park just east of Edmonton after an assessment last year uncovered potentially harmful contaminants, walking paths that could collapse into mine shafts, and an "unknown, black, tar-like substance" seeping through the ground in some areas. In the early 20th century, the park was a site of coal mining, gravel extraction, concrete production, and waste disposal, and is now home to the Sunridge Ski Area, the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club's Biathlon Centre, and the Strathcona Remote Control Flyers Association. The province said the assessment will help determine future approaches to park management.
- The city is partnering with the Edmonton Arts Council to run Green Shack Shows from July 4 to Aug. 26. The free family-friendly performance events happen twice a day from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays, at Green Shacks across the city. Hula hoop performer Amanda Panda said the events offer a smaller, quieter alternative to the Street Performers Festival, the Children's Festival, or similar events. A full schedule of Green Shack Shows is online.
- The Edmonton Oilers held their first practice for the team's annual development camp on July 3, which saw 29 Oilers prospects hit the ice. Among those vying for a spot on the roster was 18-year-old defenceman Beau Akey, who the Oilers selected as their second-round 2023 draft pick, and Xavier Bourgault, who was the team's 2021 first-round draft pick and spent his last season on the Oilers' farm team, the Bakersfield Condors. The development camp runs until July 6. Meanwhile, the Oilers have signed Condors goalie Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year, two-way NHL contract.
- The Edmonton Elks have traded linebacker Kevin Francis to the Ottawa Redblacks in exchange for a fourth-round 2024 CFL draft pick. Francis, who was signed on Feb. 14 of this year, had been on the team's suspended list after indicating he was unhappy with his contract and stopped reporting to camp.
Headlines: July 5, 2023
By Kevin Holowack and Mariam Ibrahim