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Headlines: April 23, 2025

· The Pulse
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  • Edmonton city council approved a 5.7% municipal property tax levy increase for 2025, which is 0.4% less than the increase approved in the fall due to changes in provincial Grants in Placement of Taxes payments. The increase will affect property owners differently based on their property's assessed value compared to the market. For example, a household with a 2025 assessment of $465,500 will pay $296 per month for City services. Tax notices will be mailed on May 23, with property taxes due June 30.
  • Following new provincial restrictions on photo radar that took effect on April 1, Edmonton city council is exploring alternative traffic enforcement options. Coun. Michael Janz highlighted concerns about the removal of a key tool for safe streets and questioned whether the province would provide additional police or peace officers. The new rules reduce photo radar use by about 70% across the province. Council unanimously passed a motion requesting administration to bring forward ideas for supplemental operating budget adjustments to ensure safe streets without increasing spending.
  • The City of Edmonton and IBEW Local 1007 have reached a three-year collective agreement, effective from Dec. 29, 2024, to Dec. 11, 2027, covering nearly 150 workers. The agreement includes wage increases of 4% in 2025, 3% in 2026, and 3% in 2027, along with increased shift differential pay, boot subsidy, healthcare spending account, and weekend premium pay.
  • Edmonton residents can pick up free horticultural compost at the Ambleside and Kennedale Eco Stations for home gardening use. The compost, derived from yard waste collected at Eco Stations and during collection days, is lab-tested and free of weeds. Residents should bring their own tools and protective gear, and are advised to mix one part compost with three parts soil. For larger projects, residents are advised to purchase horticultural compost at select retailers.
  • Manulife Place in downtown Edmonton will be renamed National Bank Centre following National Bank's acquisition of Canadian Western Bank (CWB). CWB's offices will relocate to the building at 10180 101 Street NW. The move will happen after the completion of $45 million in renovations to modernize the building's common areas, amenities, and retail spaces. National Bank will occupy 10 floors. Manulife Place, which opened in 1983, was once Edmonton's tallest building.
  • Edmonton Airports CEO Myron Keehn presented an annual update to Leduc city council, reporting that the Edmonton International Airport served 7.92 million passengers in 2024, a 5.6% increase from 2023. Keehn noted that YEG and Villeneuve Airport generated $5.3 billion in economic output and supported more than 23,500 jobs. The number of non-stop routes has rebounded to more than 50. Keehn also addressed the impact of U.S. tariffs, which have caused a drop in transborder bookings.
  • In his latest piece, Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein writes that the UCP government is targeting Edmonton bike lanes, with Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen sending a letter to Coun. Karen Principe criticizing their installation, specifically plans for 132 Avenue between 66 Street and 97 Street. Dreeshen held a town hall at the Killarney Community League, arguing that the province's spending to expand major roadways like Yellowhead Trail and Anthony Henday Drive is undermined when the City of Edmonton reduces lanes on feeder roads. Dreeshen said that ripping out bike lanes is "on the table." Gerein wrote that the UCP is showing a "shockingly low" priority on safety and municipal self-determination.
  • Edmonton-based startup NiaHealth, which aims to reduce disease through preventative health testing, raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Version One Ventures. The company's annual beta program, starting at $299, includes at least 35 tests for biomarkers, with more comprehensive plans available. Using AI insights, diagnostics, and clinician consultations, NiaHealth provides subscribers with action plans based on test results.
  • After 33 years of ownership, sisters Betty and Bobbi Weibel have sold the Old Strathcona Antique Mall to Mykel Lewsaw, owner of Rocky Mountain Antique Mall.
  • About 800 volunteers participated in an Earth Day clean-up effort in downtown Edmonton on April 22. The effort has taken place annually since 2020.
  • Alberta Health Services reported 29 new measles cases, bringing the provincial total to 118 since early March. Most new cases are in the south and central zones, with one case reported in Edmonton. Public exposure may have occurred at the Kinder Care Medical Clinic in Edmonton on April 10, the Ross Creek Medical Imaging Clinic in Fort Saskatchewan on April 11, and the ROKband Pediatric Headshape Clinic in Edmonton on April 14. As of April 22, all but 12 cases are no longer contagious, and eight Albertans have been hospitalized.