Taproot Edmonton Logo

Headlines: April 25, 2025

· The Pulse
By
Comments
  • Edmonton had the most opioid-related deaths of any Alberta city in 2024, nearly twice as many as Calgary, even as numbers across the country fell and Alberta reported its lowest number of deaths since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly half of the 6,381 opioid-related emergency calls occurred in Edmonton, which recorded 569 deaths, compared to 284 in Calgary. According to available coroner reports, 14% of deaths in Edmonton involved carfentanil, compared to 1% in Calgary.
  • The Hindu Society of Alberta temple, located at 14225 133 Avenue NW in northwest Edmonton, was significantly damaged by fire on April 24. Edmonton Fire Rescue arrived on the scene around 3:40am and brought the fire under control by 6:33am. Society president Rajeev Arora said the fire damaged the hallway and back section, but no injuries were reported. Investigators are determining the cause of the fire.
  • The Downtown Revitalization Coalition and the 124 Street Business Association issued statements criticizing the City of Edmonton's decision to remove all EPark machines by the end of July as it transitions to the HotSpot digital payment system. The groups argue the change negatively affects people without a smartphone or data plan and is "actively harmful to the downtown economy." Coun. Aaron Paquette tabled a motion this week to review the City's decision in light of accessibility concerns.
  • The Edmonton Police Service said it has arrested and charged a man in connection with stealing a bronze statue of Emily Murphy in February. According to a release, police had also been investigating the theft of a stand-alone plaque that was beside the statue and seven residential address plates. Police recovered "portions of the statue and signs" at a metal recycler in March and made the arrest in April, the release says.
  • The Edmonton Police Service is seeking public assistance to locate several First World War memorial plaques that were stolen from the Edmonton Cemetery in March, some of which may have been sold online to collectors. The City of Edmonton is planning to restore and reinstall seven plaques that were returned in recent weeks. Joe MacDonald of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Association explained that the plaques, also called "death pennies," were sent home to families of fallen soldiers when remains couldn't be repatriated.
  • Dow Inc. said it will delay construction of its Path2Zero project in Fort Saskatchewan due to market uncertainty driven by U.S. tariffs. The $9-billion project is touted as the world's first ethylene cracker with net-zero emissions, which would convert fossil fuels into usable products. Both the provincial and federal governments had committed money to the project.
  • The Garneau Community League has been resisting a proposed boarding house at 10948 89 Avenue NW, arguing the 15-unit building on a 33-foot lot is not suitable for the historic street. In a recent op-ed, league president Steph Neufeld criticized the City of Edmonton's 2023 zoning bylaw renewal and its broad approval of upzonings in priority growth areas. Neufeld said her community wants "modest considerations" for heritage and multi-bedroom units under three storeys. A third public hearing on the rezoning request is scheduled for April 28.
  • Unceded: Voices of the Land, an interactive multimedia exhibition showcasing the work of 18 Indigenous architects, is continuing until June 21 at Edmonton's City Centre Mall. Elder Douglas Cardinal, leader of the team that debuted the work internationally in 2019, said the exhibition explores how Indigenous architects are applying their history, worldview, and cultures.
  • The Energy Mix, an Ottawa-based climate and energy news platform, published a feature article on Blatchford, a carbon-neutral community being developed by the City of Edmonton on the site of the former municipal airport. Tom Lumsden, the City's development manager for Blatchford, said the community is doing well relative to other greenfield developments, despite sluggish growth and early skepticism. Blatchford aims to have 30,000 residents by 2042.
  • Abdul Abassi, a vice-president of the University of Alberta Students' Union, spoke to The Gateway about affordability issues facing students, after an Abacus Data poll found three in four students experience affordability challenges, and 20% have used a food bank in the last semester. Abassi said the Campus Food Bank has seen a 600% increase in use over the past five years, with rising rent being a driving factor.
  • University of Alberta physicists Doug Gingrich, Roger Moore, and James Pinfold have received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their contributions to developing the ATLAS detector, a machine at CERN that was instrumental in discovering the Higgs boson in 2012.
  • The Edmonton International Airport says it is partnering with Diesel Tech Industries to explore powering two runway snow sweepers with a hydrogen diesel system. The snow sweepers currently run on diesel fuel, and conversion will begin in spring 2025, a release says.