- KDays runs July 19-28 at the Edmonton Expo Centre and surrounding exhibition grounds. It's the festival's 145th anniversary and the third year of a decade-long "reimagining strategy," said Jessie Radies with Explore Edmonton. The festival launches with a Premier's Breakfast from 9am-12pm on July 19, where the first 5,000 attendees will get free breakfast and festival admission. People with an Edmonton Public Library card or TELUS World of Science membership get free admission on July 21, and those with an Arc card get free admission on July 23. This year's musical acts include Theory of a Deadman, K'naan, Metric, Simple Plan, Ja Rule, and Ludacris. CTV News wrote a guide to attractions and transit options.
- The Edmonton Police Commission unanimously passed revisions to its public input policy in response to what commission staff call "defamatory, derogatory, and demeaning" comments toward the commission and police staff. The revisions, which are detailed in a briefing, require speakers to submit a summary of their topic in advance, conduct themselves in a "professional and courteous manner," and refrain from making allegations or disparaging remarks about commission members or police staff. Additionally, commissioners and police staff will no longer respond to questions from presenters. Instead, they will be told to email the executive director, who will "assess the correspondence for possible reply."
- Arts journalist Fish Griwkowsky wrote a piece exploring the influence and achievements of painter Alex Janvier, who died on July 10. Over his life, Janvier developed a unique style blending Indigenous and modern art elements, and his works have been displayed across Canada and the world. Three of his works are currently up at the Art Gallery of Alberta as part of the AGA100 celebration, while his mosaics and murals can be seen at Rogers Place, the Muttart Conservatory, the Stanley A. Milner Library, Strathcona County Hall, and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta chamber. Alex Janvier School in west Edmonton lowered its flags in his honour, and many public figures shared tributes following his death.
- Members of the media visited the new Boeing 737NG flight simulator at the Edmonton International Airport, which was recently installed by airline Canadian North, to learn about how the technology helps train pilots. The centre is in Edmonton because the city is a hub for Canadian North's western Arctic operations, which serve many communities for whom planes are a "lifeline to the south," the Canadian Press reported.
- To mark National Drowning Prevention Week, the City of Edmonton is reminding everyone to be safe around water. Last year, park rangers did 7,500 safety compliance checks, up 33% from 2022, the City said. The Lifesaving Society is promoting a different type of safety intervention each day from July 21-27.
- Root for Trees, the City of Edmonton's volunteer tree-planting program, is partnering with Tree Canada to run a tree-planting event called Let's Get Dirt-y in the Cameron Heights neighbourhood from 3pm to 6pm on July 20. The event will include a demonstration and two hours of planting trees, followed by free food and entertainment for volunteers. Space is limited, and participants are encouraged to register.
- Former Alberta cabinet minister and lawyer Tyler Shandro has been found not guilty of professional misconduct by a three-person Law Society of Alberta panel. Shandro was facing reprimand for three citations, the first of which revolved around an emotional exchange with a doctor on the doctor's driveway in 2020, when Shandro was serving as health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic. Committee members wrote that Shandro's behaviour didn't reach a level deserving sanction. Two other former Alberta cabinet ministers — Jonathan Denis and Kaycee Madu — are also facing sanctions from the law society, with decisions in those cases still pending.
Headlines: July 19, 2024
By Kevin Holowack