- Edmonton's Phase 1 parking ban on major roadways will end on Nov. 28 at 7am. The City is not planning a Phase 2 ban, but crews continue to work around the clock to maintain Edmonton's road network. Residents can report winter road concerns through 311 and sign up for parking ban notifications online.
- The City of Edmonton is offering $968,750 in funding through the 2025 Community Investment Operating Grant to support eligible organizations focused on social services, amateur sports, and active recreation. In 2024, 145 organizations received funding to enhance social inclusion and equitable access in these areas. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 29.
- The Exploring Wâhkôhtowin board game has been named one of 10 recipients of the Intercultural Innovation Hub Award, chosen from over 1,800 global applicants. It was presented on Nov. 26 at the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Cascais, Portugal. The game was developed through the Edmonton Shift Lab, supported by the Skills Society and Edmonton Community Foundation, and further advanced by the Yellowhead Indigenous Education Foundation and the Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre.
- The Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program in Edmonton plans to expand with two more buildings by late next year. The program, created by University of Alberta students and supported by Alberta Health Services and the Jasper Place Wellness Centre, has helped more than 300 unhoused patients move directly from emergency rooms to transitional housing since its launch in March 2023.
- Crown prosecutors dropped charges against three former community peace officers who were accused of negligence in the overdose death of Christopher Gillman in an Edmonton police cell in 2020. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team had previously found that the officers failed to perform required wellness checks, but the Crown said new medical evidence impacted the case's viability. Gillman's death is set to be reviewed by a future fatality inquiry.
- The Edmonton Police Service issued a warning about an e-transfer scam targeting online sellers. Police say fraudsters send fake money transfer emails that redirect victims to a fraudulent banking website to steal their login information, and that these scams have resulted in $6,700 stolen from Edmontonians this month alone. Police advise verifying links, checking bank URLs, considering in-person payments, and setting up auto-deposit for e-transfers.
- A new Re/Max report predicts a 10% increase in average home sale prices and a 4% rise in sales next year in Edmonton's real estate market. Despite the rising prices, Edmonton remains the most affordable major Canadian city for home ownership, with first-time buyers expected to dominate the market, according to the report.
- MacEwan University political science professors Marielle Papin and Brendan Boyd published an op-ed in Postmedia urging Edmonton to do more to cut emissions. Edmonton has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 9.3% since 2005, and implemented North America's first carbon budget in 2022. However, the authors wrote, Edmonton is exceeding its carbon budget and needs to take further action to meet its 2050 carbon neutrality goal, pointing to measures like the City's efforts to improve public transit and zoning bylaws to reduce urban sprawl.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will invoke the Alberta Sovereignty Within A United Canada Act to challenge the federal government's draft emissions cap regulations. Smith said her government could pursue options like withholding emissions data and restricting federal access to oil and gas facilities. The regulations aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas operations by a third by 2030, but Smith argues they overreach federal authority.
Headlines: Nov. 28, 2024
By Mariam Ibrahim