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Headlines: Jan. 23, 2025

· The Pulse
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  • Edmonton Transit Service mid-winter service adjustments take effect on Feb. 2. The affected bus routes include Route 684, which will run permanently on Groat Road and 111 Avenue instead of 114 Avenue and 135 Street, and Routes 658, 659, 663, 664 and 669, which will leave five minutes earlier from schools to give students time to make the bus. New On Demand Transit stops will be added at 111 Street and Blackburn Drive SW to serve the Blackburne and Blackmud Creek communities.
  • Edmonton Public Schools and CUPE Local 3550, which represents more than 3,000 education support staff on strike since Jan. 13, will head back to the bargaining table on Jan. 23. The union, whose primary demand is a wage increase, has rejected an offer of 2.75% over four years. Union leaders believe the wage increases school boards can offer are being determined by Alberta government mandates. "We could solve this this afternoon if the province lifts the mandate and allows free negotiations," said CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill. Support workers with CUPE Local 4625, who work for Sturgeon Public Schools, were not invited back to the negotiating table.
  • The Edmonton Public Schools support staff strike is creating difficulties for some students with disabilities, who are learning from home due to lack of support at school. About 3,700 of the division's 122,000 students are on an alternative learning plan, including 1,200 learning from home, a spokesperson said. CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said students are being denied a constitutional right to education, and Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling blamed Alberta government funding levels.
  • Edmonton city council's executive committee asked administration to look into whether the City of Edmonton can provide interim financing to the Winspear Centre to support its expansion project, which has risen in cost because of inflation and design changes. Although the Winspear ran a fundraising drive last fall, it's still $33.4 million short of its required $118.2 million. Originally set to include 55,000 square feet of new music venue space, a 550-person performance venue, and studio and classroom space, plans have expanded to include underground parking, renewal of existing halls, and a district energy system that will power several nearby buildings. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he'd oppose financing the expansion if it requires raising taxes.
  • TELUS World of Science - Edmonton postponed opening its new Amazing Pollinators Exhibition so it can clean up after a small fire. While the fire was contained and put out quickly, it caused "a fair amount" of smoke throughout the building, and the air is being cleaned as a precaution. The building is closed to the public until further notice.
  • A teenager charged with fatally stabbing a student during a 2022 group attack outside an Edmonton school was sentenced to 18 months in jail and 18 months of supervision. The youth, who was 14 at the time of the attack, was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. The sentence is the heaviest issued so far on any of the seven youth charged in the attack, which was part of an escalating feud between "opposing groups of young persons," according to court documents.
  • CBC's This is Edmonton podcast spoke to RE/MAX real estate agent Sara Kalke about how the city's growth is affecting affordability and how neighbourhoods compare when it comes to assessed property value and taxes.
  • Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, in his first media comments since getting a three-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland, said he doesn't agree with the NHL's decision and thinks the suspension may have been "a little harsh." McDavid will play again on Jan. 27 against the Seattle Kraken.
  • Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane was reported to be among the athletes who attended the inauguration ceremony for President Donald Trump. Kane hasn't played a single game this season because of injuries. Wayne Gretzky also attended the inauguration and Trump's victory party at Mar-a-Lago in November.