- Edmonton city council is reviewing a nearly $64-million shortfall tied to the Quarters Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, a financing program launched in 2012 to fund infrastructure through projected future property tax growth. A city report said revenue expectations for the 20-year levy have fallen to $92.8 million, leaving a projected $63.6 million gap that could be repaid by 2041 if future municipal tax revenues in the area are redirected. The levy has already funded about $100 million in projects including streetscape upgrades, drainage work, Kinistinâw Park and conversions of city-owned buildings into arts spaces, while attracting more than $450 million in private developments that are completed, underway or planned.
- Edmonton city council passed the 2026 tax bylaw on April 28, finalizing a 6.9% tax levy increase. Residential bills will be sent on May 25, with payment due by June 30. Homeowners can expect to pay about $774 per $100,000 of assessed home value, an increase of $53 from the previous year. For a typical single-detached property assessed at $492,500, municipal property taxes will be about $318 per month, funding over $2.5 billion in city services. Education property taxes, collected for the provincial government, also rose by 10.2% for residential properties.
- Patients arriving at the emergency department at Royal Alexandra Hospital will now be limited to one bag and one accompanying visitor under new security measures introduced by Alberta Health Services. Security staff will inspect all bags for weapons or prohibited items, with exemptions for medical equipment and child-care supplies. The policy follows an April 3 stabbing inside the emergency department that left a 42-year-old man with life-threatening injuries and led staff to demand stronger protections. Health officials said reducing visitors is also intended to lower noise levels and ease crowding, while exceptions may be granted for patients needing extra support.
- Parkland RCMP is asking for the public's help to locate a stolen truck and two crated peacocks that were inside when the vehicle was taken from the 60 block of Boulder Boulevard in Stony Plain on April 26. The stolen vehicle is a white 2005 Ford F-350 Crew Cab with B.C. licence plate SY7996. It has aluminum bed rails, a headache rack with a light bar, and a chrome bumper with amber lights. Police are concerned for the animals' well-being and urge anyone with information to contact Parkland RCMP at 825-220-7267 or Crime Stoppers.
- An access to information request shows 41 of Alberta's 63 school divisions removed more than 170 books from library shelves after the provincial government ordered schools to pull materials containing visual depictions of sexual acts, according to reporting from the Investigative Journalism Foundation published by The Tyee. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides issued the directive, but records indicate school boards interpreted the rules differently, leading to inconsistent book bans across the province. Frequently removed titles included V for Vendetta, graphic adaptations of 1984, and works by poet Rupi Kaur. The documents also show the policy created a significant workload, with Edmonton Public Schools hiring 11 teachers at a reported cost of $43,000 to assess its collection.
- Alberta unions and government marked the National Day of Mourning on April 28 in Edmonton, remembering 144 workers who died from work-related illness or injury in 2025. This year, the event highlighted psychological health in the workplace, addressing stress, harassment, and burnout. Gil McGowanof the Alberta Federation of Labour said that psychological injuries are preventable and should be seriously addressed, noting only 44% of WCB psychological injury claims are accepted.
- Alberta is increasing efforts to prevent invasive mussels from entering the province ahead of the summer boating season. The government plans to add more detection dogs trained to sniff out the shellfish and impose steep fines on boaters who bypass mandatory inspections. Environment Minister Grant Hunter said invasive mussels are extremely difficult to eliminate once established and that an outbreak could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure and waterways.
Headlines: April 29, 2026
By Mariam Ibrahim