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Headlines: Feb. 7, 2025

· The Pulse
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  • The City of Edmonton's proposed public spaces bylaw is drawing concern from advocates who fear the rules will mostly affect unhoused people, Indigenous people, and vulnerable groups, while Edmonton Police Association president Sgt. Curtis Hoople said officers mainly want clarity on expectations and what they can and can't do. A group of advocacy organizations, including Climate Justice Edmonton, Tawâw Outreach Collective, and 4B Harm Reduction, put together resources to advocate against the bylaw. City council's community and public services committee is set to review the bylaw on Feb. 10.
  • The City of Edmonton is lifting its Phase 1 parking ban for major roads on Feb. 7 at 7am. During the ban crews and contractors cleared arterial roads, collector roads, bus routes, and roads in business improvement areas. The City said it is not declaring a Phase 2 parking ban for residential and industrial roads at this time.
  • A section of the shared-use path by Century Park Station will be closed starting around Feb. 10 so crews can remove a retaining wall, which is needed to accommodate the Capital Line South LRT expansion. The affected section is west of 111 Street, between 23 Avenue and the station. Pedestrians and cyclists will be detoured to the sidewalk until work is complete in summer 2026.
  • The Edmonton Police Service arrested five people after responding to reports of an assault at the MacEwan LRT station on the evening of Feb. 5. One person was found dead at the scene, police said. On Feb. 6, service on the Metro Line between the Churchill and NAIT stations was delayed until about 11am as police investigated.
  • The City of Edmonton relaunched its Reuse Directory, an online tool to help residents extend the life of items they may otherwise throw away. The updated directory has functions for residents to donate, borrow, rent, consign, repair, or refill items in a variety of categories. More than 50 local organizations have signed up for the directory, the City said.
  • The Edmonton International Airport launched a new shipping platform in collaboration with Edmonton Global, Port Alberta, and Machool Technologies. The ShipAlberta platform helps Alberta businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, navigate shipping and logistics to expand beyond local markets, YEG said in a release.
  • The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations has rebranded as ECVO. The change reflects the organization's growing membership, which extends beyond Edmonton, ECVO says.
  • Finance Minister Nate Horner accused CUPE leaders of interfering in negotiations between the Edmonton Public School Board and CUPE Local 3550, which represents 3,000 striking education support staff. According to Horner, the union hasn't brought the school board's "significant, meaningful" offer to members for a vote, which the union says is "misrepresenting what happened at the bargaining table." Support workers from the Sturgeon Public School Division and in Fort McMurray are also on strike, while unionized support workers in Calgary are set to hold a strike vote next week.
  • The latest monthly market statistics update from the REALTORS Association of Edmonton says the real estate market remained active in January after high sales numbers in 2024. Last month, the average price of homes across all categories rose 0.8% to $438,278, nearly 1,600 residential units were sold, and 2,452 new units were listed. The market is "telling us is there's a lot of buyer confidence out there," said association board chair Darlene Reid.
  • Single-family detached homes are increasingly rare in Edmonton, despite being the most sought-after option among home buyers, said Tom Shearer with Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate. In January, the average price of a single-family detached home was $558,000, but there were only a handful of listings at that price point, said Shearer.
  • Avison Young's latest report on Edmonton's industrial real estate market found that demand consistently outpaced supply in the greater Edmonton region over the past year, with listings in the northwest driving momentum in the market. The City of Edmonton's efforts to streamline the development approval process make the region a "leader in industrial growth and innovation," the report says.
  • The City of Leduc wants to annex nearly 2,500 hectares from Leduc County to prepare for population growth over the next 50 years. Provincial data shows the city's population increased 15.1% in the past five years, reaching about 38,000 residents, while the county is growing at a slower rate. Leduc County expressed opposition to the annexation and called for a collaborative approach with both municipalities as "equal partners." With the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board set to dissolve on March 31, the municipalities should complete an intermunicipal collaboration framework before negotiating an annexation, the county said.