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Headlines: Aug. 14, 2026

· The Pulse
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  • A coalition of advocacy groups is calling on Alberta's chief medical examiner to take a closer look at pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the province, and how the sightlines in large SUVS and pickup trucks could be contributing. Bike Bus Alberta, Bike Edmonton, Paths for People, and the Edmonton Bike Coalition are among the signatory organizations.
  • NAIT and its current vice-president of students and campus life, Clayton Davis, have filed separate lawsuits totalling $250,000 against former VP Gerard Hayes, alleging a "sustained harassment campaign" that included signing Davis up for dating sites and sending unwanted items to his office. Hayes told the NAIT Nugget that he denies the allegations, which have not been proven in court.
  • The inaugural Edmonton Pit Tour in Wîhkwêntôwin drew 80 people Tuesday night to highlight properties where buildings were demolished and never replaced. The sold-out tour led by Taproot's Stephanie Swensrude and co-organized by the people behind the Edmonton Pit Tour account on Instagram, explored five sites, including the three-storey-deep Jameson Pit and the decade-old Emerald Pit on Jasper Avenue. Swensrude told CTV the empty lots are "a lost opportunity for urban development."
  • Coun. Keren Tang of Ward Karhiio plans to put forward a motion calling for a comprehensive review of signal timing along the Valley Line Southeast LRT. "I still strongly believe we need a holistic review of the entire line and signals … with the goal of maximizing intersection efficiency and minimizing delays for everyone without compromising safety or transit priority," said Tang, who joined transportation engineers on a ride-along on the Valley Line.
  • Ruby Sahota, the federal secretary of state for combatting crime, discussed public safety issues with Mayor Andrew Knack and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 13. "I don't think there's a downtown that I've been into that doesn't have a similar concern," Sahota said.
  • Mayor Andrew Knack has appointed Yetunde Oke as his new chief of staff. A public servant with more than two decades of experience in municipal and provincial government, Oke most recently served as director of intergovernmental affairs in the office of the city manager. Knack made the announcement about a month after Blake Desjarlais stepped down after just three months in the role.
  • Stantec reported record work under contract of $9.24 billion at the end of June, up 17.5% year-over-year and representing about 13 months of future work. The Edmonton-based company was selected to work on Meta's $13-billion data centre in Sturgeon County.
  • The Servus Edmonton Marathon marks its 35th year on Aug. 16 with a record 10,000 participants and $100,000 raised for local charities through the Charity Challenge. The event includes the Athletics Canada Canadian Half Marathon Championship, with $20,000 in prize money on offer.
  • Starting around Aug. 16, 9 Avenue NW will close west of 111 Street for drainage, trackwork, and utility work on the Capital Line South LRT Extension. The closure will last about 10 weeks. Drivers will be detoured to 12 Avenue, and Bus Route 713 will detour to 113 Street and 12 Avenue.
  • Commonwealth Stadium will host Luke Combs on May 29, 2027, as part of his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour, with tickets going on sale Aug. 21. Combs performed at the stadium in 2023 to more than 56,000 fans.