The Pulse: Aug. 20, 2021

Here's what you need to know about Edmonton today.

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Essentials

  • 21°C: Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon. High 21. (forecast)
  • 817: Alberta reported 817 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday — highest in three months. (details)
  • 21-16 : The Edmonton Elks (1-2) won 21-16 against the B.C. Lions (1-2) on Thursday. (details)
  • Aug. 28: Edmonton's Afghan community is planning a rally outside the Legislature on Aug. 28 at 3pm to support friends and family stuck in Afghanistan. (details)
  • 37: So far there are 37 candidates running in Edmonton ridings for the Sept. 20 federal election. (details)

A photo of a woman getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

Business sector seeks provincial support for vaccine passports


By Paul Cashman in the Business Roundup

Local business sector support for vaccine passports to help boost consumer confidence and restart the economy is meeting unrelenting resistance from Premier Jason Kenney's UCP government.

"What the government chooses to do clearly is up to them but the business community is open to any and all discussions relating to any sort of platform that can get this economy back on track," Jeffrey Sundquist, CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, told CBC's Edmonton AM.

In an interview with CTV News, Sundquist said his main concern is getting tourists back to Edmonton. "The visitor economy is exceptionally important for the Edmonton metropolitan region. Whether it is sporting events, conventions, these things all require confident consumers, businesses, and promoters so we can get people back in market."

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce also backed a passport system after the Quebec provincial government announced details of a plan scheduled to start in September to access non-essential services. "It's all about keeping people safe, keeping clients, guests, and patrons safe. It's also about making sure that we keep our economy open, and we're not faced with another lockdown," CEO Deborah Yedlin told Global News.

Manitoba already has a digital immunization card available but provinces are divided on whether they would be open to using a vaccine passport within their borders or handing over data necessary to make domestic use a possibility. Global News received a one-word answer – no – from Alberta when it surveyed all provinces.

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By Michelle Ferguson

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The cover art for the Scamtime podcast.

Podcast pick: Scamtime


By Andy Trussler

Scamtime, a show dedicated to poking fun at pyramid schemes, phone scams, and other hoaxes, joined the Alberta Podcast Network last month. In celebration, self-dubbed "fraud broads" Stephanie Wolfe and Karen Johnson-Diamond re-released one of their most popular episodes.

Frank and Dave - What Happened? re-visits a recorded conversation with a phone scammer and the tale of the real-life heists behind Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. The special episode highlights both local and international scam stories, and the ridiculousness and repercussions of each situation.

Wolfe, an Edmonton-based podcaster, frequently teams up with Johnson-Diamond on projects. When the duo isn't giggling at hoaxes and ponzies, they co-host Bridging The Gap Between Generations Who Assume Things About Each Other as women in their mid-fifties. Guests as young as six and as old as 94 enlighten Wolfe and Johnson-Diamond on what the baby boomer generation might misunderstand.

Scamtime is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

You can listen to podcast picks from Taproot on Listen Notes or Spotify.

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