Headlines: June 19, 2024

June 19, 2024 · The Pulse
By Mariam Ibrahim

The City of Edmonton awarded $407,000 to the Edmonton Bike Park project through the Recreation Partner and Facility Investment Program to support construction of the city's first dedicated mountain bike park. The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance is also seeking an additional $617,000 through a provincial grant to cover the remaining costs, along with donations and sponsorships. The park would be built in the river valley at an estimated total cost of $1.2 million.
Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee testified about a phone call from former justice minister Kaycee Madu, who is facing a law society hearing for allegedly contacting McFee to discuss a distracted driving ticket he received in March 2021. The Law Society of Alberta is determining whether Madu's actions undermined respect for the administration of justice. McFee testified that Madu did not ask for the ticket to be cancelled but was instead concerned about potential profiling. Madu's lawyer argued that the call was related to broader issues of racial profiling and police misconduct, not the traffic ticket itself.
The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service has stayed charges against three people who were arrested during the dismantling of a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Alberta in May. The Crown said the decision came after it determined that the prosecution standard was not met. Edmonton Police Service actions during the dismantling of the encampment have been criticized as disproportionate and are under investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society has opened a new sweat lodge and ceremonial building in Edmonton after six years of planning. Executive director Cheryl Whiskeyjack highlighted the importance of providing urban Indigenous people with access to traditional ceremonies without leaving the city. The society expects to hold ceremonies at least one a week.
The City of Edmonton received three 2024 Transportation Association of Canada Awards for its efforts in road safety and climate resilience. The awards recognize Edmonton's Speed Limit Reduction Initiative, which successfully reduced collisions and traffic-related injuries, along with neighbourhood renewal projects that promote sustainable transportation and infrastructure. City project engineer Maggie Boeske also won an award for her contributions to transportation planning and safety improvements.
Centennial School in west Edmonton has unveiled a newly renovated basketball court, thanks to a collaboration between the Edmonton Stingers, Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, and GoAuto. The court features new hoops, nets, and a mural by local artist Alixandra Jade. The renovation is part of the Stingers's Fresh Hoops program, which has already revitalized several school courts across the city.
Hockey commentator and former Montréal Canadien P.K. Subban praised the performance of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, along with the city's fans and hospitality. "I wanted to see them win," he said on the Pat McAfee show.
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Alberta have been increasing since April, according to figures from the provincial government. The increase is being driven by new variants KP.2 and KP.3, which now make up more than half of Alberta's sequenced cases. Data shows there are currently 178 people in hospital with COVID-19, with eight in intensive care. The positivity rate is 11.9%.
The 2024 International Federation of American Football world junior championship kicks off in Edmonton this weekend, with Canada 1 coach Warren Craney seeking a third consecutive title. The tournament, hosted by Football Alberta, features teams from seven countries, and will culminate in a gold medal game at Commonwealth Stadium on June 30.
Edmonton has been named the most affordable big city in Canada according to the 2024 Demographia International Housing Affordability Report by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. The report used a median price-to-income ratio to assess housing affordability and found Edmonton's ratio to be 3.6, making it moderately unaffordable but still the most affordable among major Canadian cities. In contrast, Calgary was deemed seriously unaffordable with a ratio of 4.6, while Toronto and Vancouver were categorized as "impossibly unaffordable."
Capital Power announced that its Genesee Generating Station southwest of Edmonton is now fully powered by natural gas, eliminating coal power generation from Alberta more than five years ahead of schedule. The transition is part of the Genesee Repowering project, reducing annual emissions by up to 3.4 million tonnes.
The latest financial outlook from ATB Financial projects Alberta's economy to recover in the latter half of 2024 and into 2025, driven by improved energy market access, increased home construction, and growth in emerging sectors. Despite lingering effects from past interest rate hikes and inflation, Alberta's real GDP is forecast to grow by 2.5% in 2024 and 2.7% in 2025, outpacing national averages.
Applications are open for the provincial Every Kid Can Play program, which supports community organizations and non-profits that remove barriers for children to access sport and recreation programs. The Alberta government has allocated $8 million to the program, which helped 8,500 kids last year. Organizations have until July 31 to apply.