- Many Safeway employees in Alberta are at risk of a 6.5% wage rollback and are being asked to pay back money that a judge ruled was mistakenly paid to them over the past 18 months. Sobeys, which owns Safeway, selected the 6.5% figure to reduce the 10% pay increase workers received over the past two years to 3.5%, but UFCW Local 401 members rejected the offer, bringing negotiations to a standstill. The existing collective agreement, signed in 2020, is set to be renewed in August.
- St. Albert residents are speaking out against hate after three men were seen publicly displaying neo-Nazi symbols and anti-immigrant messages last weekend. Some residents organized a plan to turn on Christmas lights the evening of Jan. 28 as a message of hope. Pride Corner on Whyte, which organizes regular protests on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, is organizing a demonstration at the intersection of St. Albert Trail and St. Vital Avenue on Feb. 2 from 1pm to 3pm.
- CBC's This is Edmonton podcast discussed the rise in "neutrality groups" aiming to ban certain crosswalks and flags in municipalities across Canada. In Alberta, Barrhead and Westlock have passed neutrality bylaws, leading to the removal of Pride crosswalks, a Treaty 6 flag, and other symbols. A neutrality group in Leduc said it plans to organize against that city's rainbow crosswalk this year.
- Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton, or PACE, which was approved this week as Edmonton's first municipal political party, says it isn't planning to run a mayoral candidate, although that may change in the coming months. PACE director Doug Main said to expect a list of candidates in the coming weeks.
- The federal government announced a $5-million investment in the Trade Winds to Success Training Society to train more than 290 Indigenous Red Seal apprentices in Edmonton. The investment, under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, aims to support Canada's National Housing Strategy and encourage Indigenous apprentices to acquire skills that support the transition to a clean economy, a release says.
- Coun. Ashley Salvador hosted an "ask me anything" (AMA) on the Edmonton subreddit on Jan. 29. She answered questions about a variety of topics, including homelessness in the downtown core, political parties in Edmonton, and efforts to advance a trail strategy plan.
- Shell Canada signed an agreement to swap its remaining 10% interest in the Albian Sands in northern Alberta for an additional 10% interest in its Scotford upgrader and Quest Carbon Capture and Storage facility near Fort Saskatchewan. The deal gives Shell 20% interest in the project. The deal will allow Shell to "maximize value" in its upgrader, CCS projects, and refining and chemicals business, according to a release.
- Neo Financial sponsored an article in Postmedia that examines whether Edmonton is still an affordable city. "I think Edmonton continues to provide opportunity, because even though we see some upward pressure on prices, we're still pretty affordable relative to even Calgary or certainly other places around the country," said business professor David Dale-Johnson.
- Four Albertans, including two Edmontonians, are competing in Season 3 of the reality series Canada's Ultimate Challenge, which premieres March 6 on CBC and CBC Gem. Players from Edmonton are Santina Carlson, a 31-year-old construction worker and former contestant on Big Brother Canada, and Ene Mwadi, a 27-year-old youth club facilitator and mentor.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new Crown corporation, the Heritage Fund Opportunities Corporation, which will determine policy for the Heritage Savings Trust Fund and independently manage the investment of new deposits, although the fund will still be mainly managed by the Alberta Investment Management Corporation. Smith says she wants to grow the fund to $250 billion by 2050 to help reduce reliance on resource revenue.
- Results from an Alberta government survey on a provincial rail network show broad support for building a rail network "as soon as possible," and for the province to be involved in passenger rail and light rapid transit (LRT), reported Postmedia, which acquired the responses through a freedom of information request. Most respondents said they want a rail link between the downtowns and airports of Edmonton and Calgary, and between the two cities themselves.
Headlines: Jan. 30, 2025
By Kevin Holowack