- The Alberta government introduced the 2025-2026 provincial budget, which it calls a "responsible fiscal plan" in the face of economic uncertainty brought on by volatile oil prices and U.S. tariffs set to start March 4. The budget outlines three possible scenarios going forward, the worst of which could see Alberta's deficit rise to $8.7 billion, with $3.5 billion in lost revenue and 90,000 lost jobs over three years. The budget introduces an 8% tax bracket on income up to $60,000, which Premier Danielle Smith promised while she was campaigning in 2023. It also increases the education property tax that municipalities collect alongside property taxes, and puts $185 million toward hiring 4,000 education staff.
- Highlights in the 2025-2026 provincial budget affecting Edmonton include funding for 13 school projects, including full construction for four Catholic schools and one public school. The budget also earmarks $106 million for an agreement with the City of Edmonton and the Oilers Entertainment Group to demolish the former Northlands Coliseum, add event space by Rogers Place, and prepare land at the Village at Ice District, although no plans are finalized. Finally, the budget aims to restore grants in lieu of taxes to their full amount by 2026, after slashing the program in half in 2019-2020. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi welcomed the restoration and some other positives in the budget, calling them "a step in the right direction" though "we still have a long way to go to achieve full equitable treatment for Edmonton."
- Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis announced that about 800 peace officers in large and mid-sized municipalities across the province will immediately start coordinating with local police to fight the fentanyl crisis. Interim Edmonton Police Service chief Warren Driechel said the "collaborative approach" will put various organizations under a single command system, involve some key city personnel in operations, and help agencies share data. It is unclear how long the arrangement will last, CBC reported.
- Criminologist Temitope Oriola wrote an op-ed commending Justice Minister Mickey Amery's decision to retired justice Peter Martin to oversee a review of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. Oriola has been an outspoken critic of how the Crown handles cases investigated by ASIRT, particularly the cases of Steven Nguyen and Pacey Dumas, in which the Crown declined to prosecute despite ASIRT finding "reasonable grounds" to believe police officers committed a criminal offence.
- A suspect accused of vandalizing Evolution Wonderlounge by defacing the outside window on Dec. 22 has turned himself in to police. Police say the man, who was caught on a security camera, carved into the glass directly over where a "Protect Trans Kids" poster was visible inside. He was charged with mischief to property associated with an identifiable group, one of several Criminal Code charges for what are considered hate-motivated crimes.
- Capital Power says its Genesee Generating Station southwest of Edmonton is well-positioned to take advantage of data centre opportunities in Alberta, although navigating such projects "takes time." The station recently transitioned away from using coal and has 60% more capacity after a recent project, Postmedia reported. CEO Avik Dey said the company is "largely insulated from the impact of potential U.S. tariffs, with fuel purchased and power sold to local markets."
- Edmonton Unlimited, the city's municipal innovation agency, released its 2025-2027 strategic plan. CEO Tom Viinikka told Digital Journal that the new plan shifts away from a "directive role" and more towards "ecosystem-building" and "enabling the right conditions for scalable ventures to emerge organically." Edmonton's tech sector is valued at $1.5 billion, up 51% since 2021, and local companies secured $170 million across 95 deals in 2024, the highest ever recorded, Digital Journal reported.
- In an article for the Edmonton City as Museum Project, researcher Matt Ormandy explored the use of forced labour at the Alberta Penitentiary, a federal prison that existed in Edmonton from 1906 to 1920, and in the Canadian prison system overall. Today, Edmonton has one of the highest concentrations of prisons among Canadian cities, and many of the 3,400 prisoners in the Edmonton area "continue to labour under forced conditions every day," Ormandy wrote.
- Canada West announced its 2023-2025 All-Star and All-Rookie team selections for hockey, volleyball, and basketball, including a host of players from Edmonton or playing for teams at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University.
Headlines: Feb. 28, 2025
By Kevin Holowack