Headlines: May 24, 2024

May 24, 2024 · The Pulse
By Kevin Holowack

Edmonton Transit Service plans to increase fares starting in February 2025, including for low-income riders, while youth and student rates will decrease. City data shows transit is producing less revenue than before the pandemic despite ridership nearing 2019 levels. Bus ridership in Edmonton has rebounded but LRT ridership has not, which is linked to changing travel behaviour, hybrid work, and safety and security concerns, said ETS branch manager Carrie Hotton-MacDonald. ETS also expects a $10-million shortfall in its low-income pass program this year due to high demand for discounted fare products.
The Edmonton International Cat Festival is returning for a 10th anniversary celebration on May 25 at MacEwan University. The festival, which aims to connect cat lovers and raise money for local rescues, has raised $146,000 since 2014 and is the biggest of its kind in Canada. Thousands of people are expected to attend this year's event. Among them will be representatives of Taproot Edmonton, which is teaming up with Zoe's Animal Rescue Society.
CBC reported on the University of Alberta staff and student associations that are calling for an independent investigation of administration's decisions that led to the removal of a pro-Palestine camp on May 11. The story was previously covered by The Gateway, the U of A student newspaper. The associations met with the president and other senior decision-makers on May 22. Kristine Smitka, vice-president of the Association of Academic Staff, said another meeting with leadership will happen in two weeks.
The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is reopening after a "transformative" two-year renovation, including upgrades to 165 of its 198 guest rooms and seven communal spaces. General manager Cole Millen called the renovations a "tribute to the vibrant history of Edmonton." Rooms at the luxury hotel start at $372 per night.
Ian Bushfield, executive director of the B.C. Humanist Association and former Edmonton resident, published an op-ed in Postmedia arguing in favour of ending tax exemptions for religious properties. The Municipal Government Act requires the City to provide tax exemptions for such properties. Property taxes in Edmonton subsidized 656 religious properties by $20.3 million last year, according to Bushfield, who write that each "under-utilized religious property is a missed opportunity for new housing in a city that's forecast to grow by 100,000 in the next two years."
CBC spoke to some Edmonton Oilers fans who travelled to Texas for Games 1 and 2 of the round three Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Dallas Stars. Back home, some passionate Oilers fans are making sure they don't do anything to jinx the team.
Wildfire activity in Alberta was subdued by recent rains, but officials say it could easily increase if there are stretches of dry, windy conditions. Only 29,000 hectares of forest have burned across Alberta so far in 2024, compared to 520,000 hectares by this time in 2023. Provincial officials are urging caution against careless recreational behaviour that can cause fires, with 77% of wildfires this year being human-caused. A total of 33 new fires were detected over the May long weekend, most of them human-caused and in the Calgary area.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees launched a letter-writing campaign urging the province to address various firefighter workforce challenges that are affecting retention. The union says it has been seeing a trend of about 50% of seasonal wildfire fighters not returning the following year. New wildland firefighters make 22.5% more money in B.C. and 33.4% more with Parks Canada, and those in Alberta don't receive benefits, says AUPE.
The Alberta government and the federal government signed a bilateral funding agreement for the province to receive $627 million over five years to improve health care for seniors. Most of the money will go to continuing care facilities to cover staffing and operating costs, with a focus on improving access in rural and remote areas.