- Coun. Andrew Knack has announced he will run for mayor in Edmonton's municipal election, with an official campaign launch scheduled for June 14. He told the media he wants to put forward an "independent voice," pointing to his track record of "meeting with people from across the political spectrum." Knack was first elected in 2013 in Ward Nakota Isga, then called Ward 1, and is the longest-serving member of Edmonton city council. He has been outspoken against the UCP's recent changes to municipal elections, including the introduction of political parties.
- Many small Alberta businesses are bracing for a Canada Post worker strike, with about 55,000 postal staff expected to go on strike shortly after midnight on May 23. The Canada Post strike last November required some businesses to spend time and money finding alternative carriers, and businesses are also dealing with uncertainty caused by the U.S.-Canada trade war. The November strike was ended by federal intervention, which had left issues unresolved.
- Alberta has now surpassed 500 cases of measles since the outbreak began in March, with 362 cases in the province's south zone. The vast majority of cases are among Albertans who are not immunized, according to provincial data. "The message is really quite simple: please, please, please get your children vaccinated if you haven't already," said infectious disease specialist Stephanie Smith at the University of Alberta Hospital.
- Shannon Cornelsen, a researcher and member of Saddle Creek Nation, wrote a piece for CBC's First Person series about trying to identify people in unmarked graves at a graveyard off Anthony Henday Drive, which a plaque says is a burial site for Enoch Cree Nation. Many of those buried were patients at the Charles Camsell Hospital, one of 33 segregated "Indian hospitals" in Canada, which operated in Edmonton from 1944 to 1996.
- Lucy: The Stolen Lives of Elephants, a documentary about elephants in captivity that focuses on Lucy at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, premiered at the Metro Cinema in March and became available on CBC Gem in April. The co-founder of Lucy's Edmonton Advocates' Project, a group featured in the documentary, spoke to The Gateway about efforts to free Lucy, who "lives in amongst the worst conditions of any elephant in North America."
- The Globe and Mail published a profile of Bernadette's, a restaurant in downtown Edmonton aiming to "change the perception" of Indigenous cuisine. The restaurant opened in May 2024 and serves "seasonal, traditional, and political dishes that evoke memories and comfort."
- The Edmonton Police Service and the City of Edmonton issued a total of 695 traffic violations during the most recent Operation 24 Hours on May 15, including 195 violations related to speed. The numbers are "quite a bit lower than last year" due to changes in automated traffic enforcement, but automated enforcement is still in place at playgrounds, construction sites, and some red lights.
- Forever Canada, an advocacy effort spearheaded by former Progressive Conservative MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, is trying to push for an anti-separatism referendum, posing the question: "Do you agree that Alberta must remain in Canada and any form of separation be rejected?" Several groups have made headlines recently calling for a referendum in favour of Alberta separatism, including the Alberta Prosperity Project and the Republican Party of Alberta.
Headlines: May 23, 2025
By Kevin Holowack