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Headlines: Jan. 17, 2025

· The Pulse
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  • The Alberta government is investigating two of Edmonton city council's recent appointments to the Edmonton Police Commission: Dan Jones, a NorQuest College criminologist and former police officer, and Renée Vaugeois, executive director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. The investigation comes after outgoing police Chief Dale McFee requested ministerial intervention, alleging that "dysfunction" between council, the commission, and the police service is negatively affecting safety, public trust, and policing. Hours after the Edmonton Police Service publicized news of its request, Jones resigned from the position. At its Jan. 16 meeting, the commission also elected Ben Henderson as chair, replacing John McDougall, who resigned after his move to Portugal.
  • Several Alberta cities, including Edmonton, led Canada in housing starts in 2024, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data. In Edmonton, housing starts increased by 39%, from 13,184 in 2023 to 18,384 in 2024, compared to the Alberta average of 32% and the national average of just 2%. In an opinion piece for the Toronto Star, business columnist David Olive praised the City of Edmonton for its approach to housing, its "streamlined zoning regime," and for being the first Canadian city with a same-day permitting tool.
  • The City of Edmonton says it is 97% toward meeting its three-year development target of 7,741 "missing middle" housing units, with most new units in developing neighbourhoods near Anthony Henday Drive. The target must be met by 2026 for the City to maintain its $175-million agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which defines "missing middle" as ground-oriented housing like garden suites, secondary suites, rowhouses, duplexes, fourplexes, and low-rise apartments. Edmonton's new Zoning Bylaw, which took effect at the beginning of 2024, promotes "gentle density" by permitting up to eight units on most lots, the City says.
  • Last year, Alberta saw its highest net gains from interprovincial migration in more than 20 years, according to new Statistics Canada data. The Edmonton census metropolitan area recorded 13,893 arrivals from other provinces, and Calgary recorded 20,859, while Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal all saw net losses. Overall, the Edmonton area recorded 4.5% annual demographic growth in 2024, compared to 1.8% in 2019 and 3.1% in 2014.
  • The City of Edmonton, in partnership with the Bissell Centre, C5 Hub, and the Edmonton Public Library, is offering residents free classes on securing rental housing, focused on things like tenant rights and responsibilities, communicating with landlords, and the application process. An informal Basic Course and an in-depth Certificate Course are both available. Taproot's Housing Complex series includes reflections from across Edmonton's housing ecosystem, along with explainers on housing through a municipal policy lens ahead of the 2025 October election.
  • The City of Edmonton will invest an additional $480,000 per year in 2025 and 2026 into Chinatown through its Chinatown Vibrancy Fund. Launched in 2024, the fund aims to support the pillars of the City's Chinatown Strategy: safety and security, economic development, celebrating Chinatown as a destination, and enhancing built form and landmarks. Community groups and organizations can apply for funding by Feb. 28.
  • CUPE Local 3550, which represents striking education support workers at Edmonton Public Schools, says the school board is hiring substitute teachers to cover the work normally done by the staff on strike. "The board is paying $230 per day per teacher, considerably more than the wage being asked for by support workers in the strike," union local president Mandy Lamoureux said in a release. "While the Alberta government tells support staff to be happy with poverty level wages, there's apparently enough money to cover extra teachers' salaries."
  • Alberta Enterprise Corporation has invested $5 million into the Pender Technology Inflection Fund II from Pender Ventures, which focuses on health and life sciences, along with B2B information technology. Two-thirds of Alberta startups focus on health, life sciences, or B2B tech, said Alberta Enterprise Corporation CEO Kristina Williams. With its first fund, Pender Ventures invested early-stage capital in Edmonton-based DrugBank.
  • Mark Carney announced his bid to become leader of the federal Liberal Party at a news conference at Laurier Heights Community League in Edmonton on Jan. 16, with a message focused on building the economy. Carney, who does not have a seat in the House of Commons, said he will decide where to run in the coming weeks.
  • Chief Sheldon Sunshine of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation wrote an open letter to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressing "grave concern" with plans from O'Leary Ventures to build a $70-billion AI data centre near Grande Prairie. Sunshine called for more transparency around the project, which is in the Nation's traditional territory, noting environmental risks and the province's obligations under Treaty 8. The province told CBC News it is committed to consultations with First Nations at a later stage.
  • The Edmonton Elks have released their complete 2025 schedule, which begins June 7 in Vancouver with a game against the B.C. Lions. The club says it enters its 76th season "with renewed optimism" after overhauling its leadership and hiring Mark Kilam as head coach.