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Headlines: Sept. 6, 2024

· The Pulse
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  • The City of Edmonton is activating its extreme weather response due to heat from Sept. 6 to 11. Water stations will be set up across the city, and municipal facilities will be open for people who need to escape the heat. Edmontonians concerned about someone outside can call 211 and press 3 to speak to a 24/7 crisis diversion team, or call 911 in emergencies. Edmonton is expecting a heat wave this weekend, with highs around 30°C.
  • The Edmonton Police Service paid nearly $1.9 million in overtime and extra-duty policing expenses during the Edmonton Oilers playoff run this year, according to numbers obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request. The police service is responsible for $1,088,616, with the rest covered by OEG and the City of Edmonton, which said its portion will also be covered by OEG. Officials say the Oilers playoff run had a $280-million economic impact on Edmonton.
  • Some residents of the Hairsine neighbourhood are upset with the City of Edmonton's ongoing neighbourhood renewal project, which includes work on roads, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and street lights. Residents who spoke to Global News expressed concerns about reduced parking due to added boulevards, sidewalks that are too wide, increased traffic, and not being heard during public consultation. Information about the Hairsine renewal, and other renewal projects across the city, is available online.
  • EPCOR said a power outage in several south Edmonton neighbourhoods on Sept. 4 was caused by a fallen cable at the Ellerslie substation. Nearly 25,000 EPCOR customers were affected starting around 3:30pm, with power restored within 25 to 45 minutes.
  • Edmonton's real estate market offers the best price per square foot among major Canadian markets, according to a Century 21 survey. Single-family detached homes in 2024 cost $317 per square foot, up 3% from 2023, compared to $470 in Calgary, up nearly 12% from 2023. "The results of the report are consistent with what we have seen here locally and in terms of general benchmark pricing," said Rob DeJong with Schmidt Realty Group.
  • The Whitemud Drive overpass at Anthony Henday Drive will cost about $2.3 million to repair after a semi hauling an excavator hit the underside of the overpass in June 2023. Traffic at the site in east Edmonton has been affected by lane closures since the accident happened. A provincial spokesperson said repair work will begin the week of Sept. 16 and is expected to be finished by mid-January.
  • Edmonton-born pitcher Erik Sabrowski made his Major League Baseball debut on Sept. 4, playing for the Cleveland Guardians against the Kansas City Royals. He entered the game in the seventh inning and recorded his first major league strikeout. Sabrowski is one of only five players from Edmonton to ever play in MLB.
  • Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said there's "nothing hard and fast" about the UCP's plan to transfer underperforming hospitals from Alberta Health Services to third-party providers, like the Catholic care operator Covenant Health. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi suggested Premier Danielle Smith hasn't considered public concerns that would arise from the plan, including restricted access to reproductive health care for women. The Sept. 4 episode of The Big Story podcast looked at the potential for Alberta to transfer public hospitals to a Catholic provider.
  • Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault said he is disappointed by the federal NDP's decision to withdraw from a supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals. Edmonton Griesbach MP Blake Desjarlais appeared on Alberta Primetime to speak about what the end of the deal means for the federal NDP.