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Headlines: Jan. 10, 2025

· The Pulse
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  • CUPE Local 3550, which represents more than 3,000 education support staff at Edmonton Public Schools, has issued notice to strike as soon as Jan. 13. In December, staff rejected a 2.75% wage increase over four years recommended through a dispute inquiry board. Union president Mandy Lamoureaux said the union plans to escalate job action until the province addresses low wages, with the average education support worker earning only $34,500 annually. Edmonton Public Schools said some students may need to rotate in-person learning throughout next week or learn from home. CUPE 4625, which represents 200 support staff in the Sturgeon Public School Division, has also issued strike notice.
  • Edmonton Catholic Schools is among the school divisions across Canada that experienced a data breach linked to the PowerSchool software, which is used to store student information. In a letter to school boards, PowerSchool said that an unauthorized third party was able to access data, but the incident is "contained," and the data is not expected to be shared or made public.
  • Three Alberta residents facing a defamation lawsuit from Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi are denying accusations that they created and shared a video that claimed Sohi benefited from a trucking contract while serving as federal minister. In a statement of defence, lawyers for two of the men say the comments they made are "true or substantially true" and were made in good faith. The pair also filed a counterclaim for more than $3 million in damages.
  • Epic Investment Services has announced a $45-million redevelopment of Manulife Place, a 36-storey office building and shopping mall in downtown Edmonton. The upgrades include work on the exterior and two-storey retail podium, plus a revamp of amenities that will make the building a "top tier office environment," a press release says. Office and retail space will be anchored by Canadian Western Bank, which announced in 2023 it would move its headquarters to Manulife Place, and is set to be acquired by the National Bank of Canada in February.
  • Sport Edmonton has expanded its Fresh Nets program to replace outdated hockey nets at community league rinks across the city, after replacing more than 400 basketball nets last summer. About 40 hockey nets have been replaced, with another 60 to go, said Sport Edmonton CEO Reed Clarke. In total, Edmonton has about 120 outdoor rinks.
  • Edmonton Transit Service hit a new ridership record in 2024, with 61.6 million trips recorded, up 15% from 2023. Service-related improvements planned for 2025 include 50,000 more annual bus service hours starting in April, open payment options for Arc, a new multi-day Arc pass, and a new trip planning tool, said ETS branch manager Carrie Hotton-MacDonald.
  • Athana Mentzelopoulos is no longer president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, a position she took over in December 2023. Alberta Health deputy minister Andre Tremblay has taken over the role on an interim basis, and the province wouldn't confirm whether Mentzelopoulos was fired. Several high-profile leadership changes in recent years have raised concerns about healthcare delivery, severance costs, and instability as the province restructures the healthcare system into four new agencies, CBC reported.
  • United Conservative Party MLAs voted to increase MLA salaries by about 2.2%. The base salary for MLAs is currently around $121,000, but cabinet ministers and MLAs who hold other responsibilities earn more. Chief government whip Shane Getson called the increase "reasonable" after 10 years without MLA pay increases.
  • The Alberta government, along with several other provinces, announced they will send firefighting resources to California to help battle Los Angeles wildfires, which are the largest in the city's history. Resources from Alberta include an incident command team, water bombers, and night-vision helicopters. The federal government said 250 firefighters are ready to deploy, and the Canadian Armed Forces are on standby to move personnel and equipment.
  • The Edmonton Elks released American defensive lineman Elliott Brown, who wants to play in the NFL instead. Brown was tied for most sacks in the CFL last season and was named to the CFL's West Division all-star team. The Elks signed him as a free agent in 2023.