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Headlines: Dec. 19, 2024

· The Pulse
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  • The City of Edmonton declared a parking ban to clear snow from roads. During Phase 1, which starts on Dec. 19 at 7am, parking is prohibited on arterial roads, collector roads, bus routes, roads in Business Improvement Areas, and all roads with "no parking" signs. Vehicles can be parked on roads once they have been cleared. The ban is expected to last three to five days. The City will determine later if Phase 2 to clear residential and industrial roads is necessary.
  • The City of Edmonton's director of safe mobility, Jessica Lamarre, called photo radar a critical tool for improving traffic safety after the Alberta government announced this month it would reduce the number of photo radar sites across the province by 70%. Lamarre said Edmonton now has 416 mobile sites, mostly in school zones, and 84 intersection cameras that catch drivers speeding through green lights and running red lights. After new rules take effect in April, about 130 mobile sites will be removed, and intersection cameras will no longer be used to ticket drivers speeding through green lights.
  • St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Edmonton is being transformed into a community hub with affordable housing after decades of serving a shrinking congregation. Partnering with Right at Home Housing, the church donated its land and building for a redevelopment project that includes 11 affordable housing units. The project is supported by municipal, provincial, and federal funding, and is set to open in early 2025.
  • Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins interviewed Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi about several municipal issues, including the approved 6.1% property tax increase, hiring a new police chief, and the province's reduction of grants in lieu of property taxes. When asked if he plans to run in the next municipal election, Sohi said he will make the decision in 2025.
  • The University of Alberta will implement a hiring freeze starting Jan. 1 because of budget constraints. Staff members say they are concerned the freeze will increase workloads and negatively affect the quality of education and student support services. Meanwhile, the university's Board of Governors discussed a financial update, including a proposed 2% tuition increase in 2025-2026 for domestic students, as well as a 10% increase for international students in all undergraduate course-based programs who start their degrees in fall 2026.
  • Fire crews responded to an explosion at Strathcona Spirits Distillery around 10:15am on Dec. 18. A fire at the back of the business was under control by 10:30am and fully out by 11:23am, and one person was taken to hospital.
  • Sport Edmonton CEO Reed Clarke appeared on 89.3 the Raven to talk about the organization's Fresh Nets Hockey Edition, which is working with local partners to replace worn-out hockey nets at more than 120 Edmonton community league rinks.
  • The Dec. 18 episode of CBC's Alberta at Noon focused on the introduction of political parties into upcoming elections in Edmonton and Calgary. Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein and CBC Calgary city hall reporter Scott Dippel discussed how the change will affect municipal elections.
  • ATB Financial's latest economic outlook predicts Alberta's economy will continue to grow in 2025 and 2026, despite rising unemployment, cost-of-living challenges, and "geopolitical uncertainty." The province's GDP is expected to increase by 2.5% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2026, driven by high oil production, home construction, emerging sectors including tech and petrochemicals, and inter-provincial migration.
  • Two Edmontonians were among new appointees to the Order of Canada. Kevin Martin, recognized as Canada's greatest male curler, was recognized for his role in advancing the sport, including the creation of the Grand Slam of Curling. Jeanne Brigitte Lehman was recognized for her leadership in founding the Francophonie albertaine plurielle and Black Canadian Women in Action.
  • CBC published an analysis of Alberta's push for data centres to power AI, after Technology Minister Nate Glubish said he wants to see $100 billion invested into Alberta-based AI data infrastructure over the next five years. The Alberta Electric System Operator said it is currently assessing 21 data centre projects, representing 6,455 megawatts of load. In a social media post, University of Calgary economist Blake Shaffer said building the projects would roughly double Alberta's greenhouse gas emissions from electricity. Glubish said the path to net-zero power for data centers involves using natural gas with carbon capture, a technology previously deemed "economically unviable" in most cases.