- City council's urban planning committee voted to recommend moving to the planning phase of the National Urban Park Initiative after debating the results of the pre-feasibility phase, in which partners selected Edmonton's river valley above other possible locations. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, an advocate for the location, said Edmonton must retain control of river valley lands and not transfer ownership to the federal government. City council must still vote on the proposal for the initiative to move to the planning phase, which administration said will not bind the decision.
- The Edmonton Police Service is urging extreme caution on transit and downtown following a fatal stabbing at the Belvedere LRT Station on July 9. The death of Rukinisha Nkundabatware came at the end of a weekend during which police said they responded to multiple violent events including weapons complaints, assaults, a carjacking, and shootings. Darren Derko, deputy chief of EPS's community policing bureau, said police resources are strained because of an increase in random violent attacks. In late June, EPS said that crime severity in several core neighbourhoods had decreased between November and February, but it was expected to increase in summer due to seasonal fluctuations.
- CBC spoke to businesses along Stony Plain Road that have been negatively impacted by construction on the Valley Line West LRT from downtown to Lewis Farms. Dennis Aronyk, the owner of Revolution Cycle at Stony Plain and 151 Street, said he's lost significant revenue since construction began in 2021 and forced customers to detour to the back of the building. Marigold Infrastructure Partners, which is building the line, said a six-block stretch from Groat Road to 139 Street that is completely closed to traffic and pedestrians will remain closed until November. Marigold is currently working on the design and aims to finish construction by 2027, but the schedule for testing and commissioning has not been determined.
- The southwest Anthony Henday Drive expansion project, which aims to widen an 18-kilometre section of the ring road, is closer to completion after the westbound and eastbound bridges over the North Saskatchewan River were opened to two-lane traffic on July 11. The contractor will now complete a new third lane for both bridges along with barriers, curbs, lights, and signage. While the area is still an active construction zone with reduced speed limits, Alberta Transportation said the expansion "remains on target to be completed this fall." The project began in 2020.
- Some customers of Urban River Adventures (URA), a local glamping company, say they are down hundreds of dollars after their reservations were cancelled 10 days before their trip to Wabamun Lake so that URA can expand its facilities. Steven Capp, the founder of URA, told CTV News the company can't access the funds because the payment processor is holding it, but he hopes to give affected customers their money back by the end of July.
- The 2023 Football Canada Cup got underway in Edmonton on July 9. The competition, which concludes on July 15, involves provincial teams of players under 18. Football Alberta executive director Tim Enger spoke to Global News Morning about the event.
Headlines: July 13, 2023
By Kevin Holowack