- To mark Economic Development Week from May 11 to 17, the City of Edmonton is highlighting its economic development accomplishments, including winning an award for the Rice Howard Way Entertainment District, adopting a new Zoning Bylaw, launching the Industrial Investment Action Plan, investing in downtown vibrancy, and offering support to more than 2,200 businesses. Edmonton was also the first municipality in Canada to introduce automated reviews for housing development permits, and the Edge Fund invested more than $4.5 million in 17 businesses.
- Edmonton city council's urban planning committee is set to discuss a new Downtown Action Plan that proposes a $553 million investment to revitalize the downtown core. Key actions include leveraging the Community Revitalization Levy for catalyst projects, upgrading infrastructure, enabling increased housing supply, creating safer spaces, enhancing public space maintenance, demonstrating the significance of downtown's economy, increasing public amenities, and expanding downtown districts. The City of Edmonton says $440 million of the plan is contingent on a 10-year extension of the Downtown CRL program, subject to budget approvals.
- The Freewill Shakespeare Festival, an Edmonton institution for 35 years, is at risk due to financial challenges and is launching a campaign to raise $150,000 by the end of its upcoming production of As You Like It. The festival's artistic director cited the company's three-year exile from Hawrelak Park due to renovations, declining audiences, unstable funding, loss of corporate sponsorships, and rising building costs as factors.
- In an opinion piece published in Postmedia, Jason Syvixay of BILD Edmonton Metro and Puneeta McBryan of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association argue that urgent investment is needed in Edmonton's downtown. They note that Edmonton's contribution to the municipal tax base has dropped from 10% in 2009 to 5.2% in 2024, with office vacancy rates at 24%. They also emphasized that strategic public investments can generate significant returns, and that partnership between the public and private sectors is essential.
- In his latest column for Postmedia, Keith Gerein criticizes the Alberta government's Bill 50, which eliminates mandatory codes of conduct for municipalities and prohibits them from maintaining their own policies, arguing the move is unwise. According to Gerein, the UCP government says the rationale for cancelling the codes is to prevent weaponization; however, Gerein suggests that instances of weaponization are the exception, not the rule.
- The City of Edmonton is preparing to reopen its outdoor pools for the 2025 season, with the Fred Broadstock Outdoor Pool opening on May 17, followed by the Mill Creek and Queen Elizabeth pools on May 24.
- Kisha Supernant of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archeology and an anthropology professor at the University of Alberta, is using archeology to help Indigenous communities find and identify unmarked graves at residential school sites. For more than seven years, Supernant, who has Métis roots, and her team have investigated 14 sites using ground-penetrating radar, along with archival research and survivor testimony, to locate possible burial locations.
- Since the province announced new photo radar restrictions that took effect on April 1, the number of Alberta municipalities using photo radar has dropped by more than a third, from 26 to 17. The restrictions limit photo radar use to school, playground, and construction zones, and ban speed-on-green cameras. Spruce Grove expects to lose $600,000 in revenue. The province will have a traffic safety fund available in September.
- Premier Danielle Smith announced that Alberta is freezing its industrial carbon price indefinitely at $95 per tonne, effective immediately. The provincially set price was scheduled to increase to $110 per tonne in 2026 and $170 per tonne by 2030. Smith stated the decision was made to maintain industry competitiveness amid tariff disputes with the United States. Critics suggest the freeze will hinder Alberta's carbon neutrality goals and primarily benefits the oil and gas sector.
- Sturgeon County officials are preparing for residents to return home following the wildfire that began in the Redwater Provincial Recreation Area earlier this month. As of May 12, the 3,200-hectare fire is still out of control, but firefighters are making progress on containing the perimeter, and higher humidity is keeping fire behaviour low. An evacuation order remains in effect, but residents who were on evacuation alert no longer need to prepare to leave on short notice.
- Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak is calling for a federal review of natural resource transfer agreements, in response to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's openness to a separation referendum. Woodhouse Nepinak stated that First Nations were never consulted on the agreements and that separation would disregard treaties. Smith said she expects any referendum question to respect treaty rights, but declined to speculate on the implications of a campaign.
- The Edmonton Elks enter training camp preparing to install a new-look offence. Quarterback Tre Ford will lead an offense that retains Justin Rankin, Javon Leake, and several key linemen, while adding receivers Steven Dunbar Jr., Alexander Hollins, and Kaion Julien-Grant. Training camp culminates with the June 8 season opener against the BC Lions.
- The Edmonton Stingers lost to the Calgary Surge 86-84 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre on May 11 in the opening game of the CEBL season. Jameer Nelson Jr. scored the game-winning basket for the Surge, who overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. Nelson Jr. led Calgary with 22 points, while Sean East II led Edmonton with 22 points. The Surge and Stingers will play again on June 19 in Red Deer. The Stingers will travel to Winnipeg to play the Sea Bears on May 16.
Headlines: May 13, 2025
By Mariam Ibrahim