- The Edmonton Police Service has begun issuing body-worn cameras to 280 officers as part of a broader rollout it says aims to increase transparency and accountability. The cameras, developed by Axon, will record officer interactions and automatically upload footage to a secure server. The Alberta government announced in 2023 that body-worn cameras would be mandatory for all police officers in the province, though there are mixed opinions on their effectiveness. The program's funding and long-term financial sustainability are still under discussion with city council.
- Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi expressed concern over the return of a police officer to active duty after the fatal police shooting of Mathios Arkangelo on June 29, highlighting the impact on the city's Black, African, and Caribbean communities. In an interview with Postmedia, Sohi said there is a need for policies that consider community impact when officers return to duty. Sohi also met with members of the Edmonton Police Commission to speak about his concerns. More than 100 people gathered outside the Edmonton Police Service northeast headquarters on Sept. 7 demanding justice for Arkangelo, and his family has launched a $1-million lawsuit against the police service.
- The University of Alberta Campus Food Bank is facing a significant surge in demand, driven primarily by rising rent, tuition, and insufficient job income. Over the past five years, demand has increased by more than 600%, said executive director Erin O'Neil, adding she is concerned about meeting the growing need as the university plans to expand enrolment to 60,000 by 2030. The food bank, which operates without university funding, has already made budget cuts and says it is worried about its long-term sustainability.
- Six women who enrolled in the first-ever doctoral program offered by Concordia University of Edmonton in 2021 are suing the school for failing to provide necessary clinical field placements, which they argue prevented them from graduating on time and resulted in significant financial and personal losses. The university denied the allegations in a statement of defence, attributing the issue to external factors and maintaining that it did not mislead students. The lawsuit seeks nearly $3.7 million in damages, and the case has yet to be heard in court.
- Duncan Kinney, who has regularly published reporting critical of the police, is requesting numerous documents from the Edmonton Police Service as part of his defence against mischief charges for allegedly vandalizing Ukrainian monuments in 2021. Kinney's lawyer argued the extensive police resources used in the investigation suggest he was targeted due to his criticism of police, while lawyers for the police service argue the requests are a "fishing expedition." Court hearings on Kinney's application are set to begin this week, with his trial scheduled for April 2025.
- Business owners in the Whyte Avenue area are advocating for a pedestrian-friendly initiative to revitalize the area and fill empty storefronts. Supported by the Old Strathcona Business Association and Paths for People, they are urging Edmonton city council to improve infrastructure, sidewalks, and parking to accommodate the area's growing population. A proposed strategy was set to be presented at council's urban planning committee meeting on Sept. 17, but has been rescheduled to its Oct. 8 meeting.
- Canadian cities are experiencing increasingly intense heat waves due to the urban heat island effect, prompting experts to call for measures to cool urban areas. University of Alberta professor Sandeep Agrawal suggests that reducing concrete surfaces, increasing tree coverage, and adding green roofs to larger buildings could mitigate the effects of urban heat.
- University of Alberta researcher Josephine Godwyll is advocating for an expanded definition of accessibility in public spaces. Her research, inspired by her experiences as an immigrant, highlights that barriers to using public spaces are often more than just physical, and can include social and cultural factors. "If you think about Edmonton as an area that is taking in a lot of immigrants from all over the world, there are traits and barriers that are shared across these communities that could influence whether they use spaces or not," she told CBC's Radio Active.
Headlines: Sept. 9, 2024
By Mariam Ibrahim