Headlines: Aug. 11, 2023

· The Pulse
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  • The Tyee obtained the June edition of an internal newsletter that points to "signs of an internal revolt" against Chief Dale McFee of the Edmonton Police Service. In the newsletter, Edmonton Police Association vice-president Cory Kerr said members are "tired of doing more with less," raised issues with "nepotism," criticized the deployment of provincial sheriffs to Edmonton, and called on EPS to do an employee engagement survey to learn reasons for the discontent. Criminologist Temitope Oriola said Kerr's statements suggest "major trust and morale issues" and a "deep division between the leadership and rank-and-file." The Tyee's reporting comes as city council prepares for what is expected to be a tense debate about a multi-year police funding formula on Aug. 23.
  • Fans who attended opening night of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival on Aug. 10 encountered wet and muddy conditions after this week's rainfall. Crews worked throughout the day preparing the site, which festival producer Terry Wickham said is "as bad as (he's) seen." When interviewed on Aug. 10, Wickham said he was confident the grounds should dry out for the weekend acts, although some forecasters were predicting the risk of a thunderstorm on Aug. 12.
  • The city's Animal Protection team seized 56 cats on Aug. 9 from a home at 112 Avenue and 90 Street after receiving an animal welfare complaint. Fire, police, and EMS services were called to set up ventilation while the cats were removed due to "alarmingly high" ammonia levels. The cats, some of which were in poor health, were taken to the city's Animal Care & Control Centre and will be assessed individually.
  • The city is launching new temporary safety signage to promote responsible behaviour while using shared e-scooters and e-bikes. The signs encourage riders to share pathways and bike lanes, connect users to the Discover YEG map, and highlight key safety guidelines. The city has also installed additional e-scooter and e-bike parking corrals.
  • Liron Zamir, an Edmonton woman originally from Israel, has been incurring thousands of dollars in pregnancy-related medical costs while she waits for the federal government to process a permanent residency application she submitted more than two years ago. Raj Sharma, a Calgary-based immigration lawyer, said Zamir is among many people in Canada living in limbo because of delayed decisions from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a problem that was worsened by the pandemic. As of July, Canada had a backlog of 801,000 immigration applications, down from 2.4 million in 2022.
  • A CC-130J Hercules, a type of tactical airlifter used for a variety of missions, was seen above Edmonton on Aug. 10 conducting trials to determine the potential future use of the CFB Edmonton runway. The airlifter weighs 80,000 kilograms and has a 40.38-metre wingspan. It is the newest Hercules to be used by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
  • The Edmonton Riverhawks posted an AUA ("ask us anything") on the Edmonton subreddit to take questions from fans and learn what the city wants to see at baseball games next year. In the post, the team noted it is working on ways to address long concession lineups and to add more parking.