Headlines: June 19, 2026
By Karen Unland
- Mayor Andrew Knack welcomed Canada's new bail and sentencing reforms, which officially became law this week. The legislation makes detention the default for serious crimes and allows consecutive sentences for repeat offenders. Knack said Bill C-14 "provides important tools to improve public safety," and Cheryll Watson of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition also welcomed the changes, though she said it's up to the courts to implement them. University of Alberta criminology professor Temitope Oriola said taxpayers will bear the cost of increased levels of incarceration, asking, "Are we ready to allocate more resources to the management of the inmate population?"
- FlixBus has launched a seasonal route from Edmonton to Jasper, departing from the Southgate Transit Centre and the depot at Jasper Avenue and 116 Street once a day, Thursday through Monday. Return trips arrive in Edmonton between 6pm and 7pm. One-way tickets cost $60.
- Edmonton sisters Karyn Decore and Nicole Arquero have acquired the historic Athabasca Hotel, a 98-year-old landmark in Jasper that the Bassani family had operated since 1972. of Decore Hotels, which also owns Jasper's Tonquin Inn and Maligne Lodge, plans an immediate $4.5 million upgrade over eight months, including adding an elevator and bathrooms to 23 rooms. The sisters also plan to build a 100-unit residence to house staff.
- All Weather at Home has unveiled more than 2,000 rooftop solar panels at its west-end Edmonton manufacturing facility, the largest such private installation in the city. The system produces 1.3 gigawatt hours annually, covering 35% of the facility's energy needs, with surplus flowing into Alberta's electricity grid on weekends.
- Jorgia Lindquist, the co-founder of DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen, celebrated winning the Junior Chamber International Creative Young Entrepreneur Award in the Americas. She is the first Canadian to win the title. "It is an Edmonton success story through and through," Mayor Andrew Knack told CTV. The business has launched a new product called Protein Perogies.
- Premier Danielle Smith dismissed calls from the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs for an RCMP investigation into whether Alberta's fall referendum on separation amounts to criminal treason. The chiefs, representing First Nations across Treaties 6, 7, and 8, argued that the referendum violates their treaties and threatens Canada's sovereignty. "I think it's disgraceful that any government that wants to be taken seriously would level the charges that serious against another government," Smith said, adding that the treaty chiefs should "check themselves." Joey Pete, grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, replied that Smith and her government need to "check themselves, and remember who they work for." Meanwhile, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Alice Woolley has reserved her decision on whether to stay a lower court's ruling that stopped the verification of the signatures on Stay Free Alberta's petition to hold a referendum on separation. And the Edmonton Police Service clarified that its buy-and-sell zones are not to be used for picking up pro-separatist lawn signs.
- The NHL has completed its review of Mike Babcock's time as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, clearing the way for the Edmonton Oilers to hire him if they wish to. The NHL Players' Association called Babcock's requests for personal photos of his players before the Columbus season started in 2023 "very concerning," but the league ruled it was not enough to keep him from coaching again.
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