- The Edmonton Police Service requested a provincial inquiry into city council's appointments of Dan Jones and Renée Vaugeois to the Edmonton Police Commission because of concerns that they are biased and have "egregious conflicts of interest," according to documents seen by Postmedia. The documents cited the appointees' public comments and connections to groups critical of police, along with their participation in Safer for All, a documentary about police accountability, Postmedia reported.
- Criminologist Temitope Oriola wrote an op-ed criticizing the Edmonton Police Service for requesting a ministerial intervention into city council's recent appointments to the Edmonton Police Commission. "The notion of wanting to influence who gets appointed to the agency that oversees your duties is anathema to the concept of accountability," Oriola wrote. He also wrote that Dan Jones, a former police officer who teaches in a criminal justice program, and Renée Vaugeois, executive director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, "strike me as the type of persons to have on a police oversight commission."
- City of Edmonton administration will present a revised Public Spaces Bylaw to city council's executive committee next month. When the bylaw last went to council in February 2024, it proposed $250 fines for public drug use, panhandling, loitering on transit, spitting in public, biking on grass in parks, and gatherings of more than 50 people without a permit. In its upcoming report to council, administration recommends fines for public drug use, new rules for what constitutes improper use of transit spaces, $25 fines to deter misconduct, and permits for gatherings of 100 people or more.
- The City of Edmonton's derelict property subclass, implemented in mature areas in 2024, appears to have had a "substantial impact" on the behaviour of derelict property owners, according to a report to city council's executive committee on Jan. 22. Of the 202 properties assessed as derelict in 2024, 62 have been demolished or remediated, the report says. Councillors are now considering expanding the program. Since Edmonton's program came into effect, three other Alberta municipalities have created tax rates for derelict properties.
- City council's executive committee debated selling 11 surplus school sites across Edmonton at below-market value to be used for affordable housing. The City of Edmonton received 20 surplus school sites from local school boards in 2006, and in 2015 council approved using 14 for affordable housing. The issue will go to city council for a vote early next month.
- Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi was acclaimed as the party's candidate for Edmonton-Strathcona. The riding was vacated by Rachel Notley in December, triggering a byelection by the end of June. The UCP hasn't yet nominated a candidate for the riding, but a spokesperson said the candidate will "actually be from Edmonton." Notley won nearly 80% of votes in the riding in the 2023 general election. Earlier this week, Taproot spoke to Mount Royal University professor Duane Bratt about Nenshi's bid to run for a seat in Edmonton.
- Trisha Estabrooks has resigned as a trustee for the Edmonton Public School Board, citing the ongoing wage dispute between education support workers and the board. CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said in a release that Estabrooks is "taking a stand for public education" amid the education support worker strike, which began Jan. 13. The union and the school board returned to the negotiating table on Jan. 23. Estabrooks, who has served as school board trustee for seven years, is also the federal NDP candidate for Edmonton Centre.
- Leon's Furniture Limited announced it is opening a new corporate headquarters for The Brick in Edmonton, which will also be a head office for Trans Global Insurance. The combined facility will employ more than 400 people and, along with a new distribution centre, covers 500,000 square feet. The move is "one of the more significant single property investments" in the company's history, according to a release.
- Pickleball clubs across the Edmonton region are seeking new facility space as the sport's popularity rises. In 2016, there was one pickleball club and 138 members across Alberta, compared to dozens of clubs and more than 10,000 members today, according to Pickleball Alberta. In Edmonton, all available pickleball courts at city facilities are fully used on a regular basis, according to a memo to council.
Correction: This file has been updated to better reflect the intent of a recommendation to revise the City of Edmonton's public spaces bylaw regarding use of transit spaces.