The Pulse
June 25, 2026

Essentials

27°C: Mainly sunny. Wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 27. UV index 6 or high. (forecast)
Blue/White: The High Level Bridge will be lit blue and white for Somali Heritage Week. (details)
6:30pm: The Edmonton Elks (2-0-0) play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1-0) at Princess Auto Stadium. (details)
115-108: The Edmonton Stingers defeated the Saskatoon Mamba. (details)

Two people seated across a table from one another in a workspace.

End Poverty Edmonton starts next chapter with question marks

June 25, 2026
By Colin Gallant

An organization with a mandate to fight poverty is refocusing on its roots and adding coworking to its mix as funding from the City of Edmonton slips through the hourglass.

"The community sort of lost confidence in knowing what it was working on and its governance structure," Jen Casorso said of End Poverty Edmonton, the resurrected organization where she is now managing director.

End Poverty Edmonton was born out of a mayoral task force in 2014. The city published its first roadmap document in 2016, with a vision to end poverty in Edmonton in a generation, or about 30 years.

City funding reached a peak of $2.1 million annually in 2021, but an audit that same year led city council to withhold $600,000 pending a review. Council decided in 2024 to incrementally wind down funding through 2026, the end of the budget cycle, and the board announced it would cease operations.

All 10 staff departed at the time, but the board held listening engagements in 2024 to see if there was a desire to regroup, which is how Casorso was hired as one of three current staff, she told Taproot.

"There was enough hope that End Poverty Edmonton could realign its activities and its work and go back to its true, original purpose, which was about being a movement builder and focused on eliminating poverty in a generation," she said. "They knew they needed someone to help with the reimagining of the organization, which has been how I came into this role."

Step 1 was to reformalize the organization's purpose, which resulted in a new Theory of Change, a living document meant to draw EPE back its roots with greater transparency. It focuses on three "horizons," Casorso said. The first is to understand the status quo of poverty; the second is to reckon with affordability issues; and the third is to stimulate collective prosperity.

"'Community wealth' is looking at localized circulation of our economy, making it more inclusive, making sure that everyone has their needs met, and has access to participate in generating their own wealth," Casorso said.

In terms of operational wealth, End Poverty Edmonton is looking at other revenue sources to subsist on — starting with the Affordability Futures coworking/lab/think-tank project.

Continue reading Share

Headlines: June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026
By Mack Male

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special weather statement warning of 30 to 60 mm of rain across the Edmonton region and central Alberta from Friday evening through Sunday, with June's total potentially breaking a 112-year-old rainfall record.
Edmonton is expected to see a spike in mosquitoes following weeks of heavy rain, as standing water has activated dormant eggs in parks, ditches, and backyards. City crews are applying larvicide in public spaces, but residents are responsible for eliminating standing water on private property.
The City of Edmonton faces a $2.8-billion gap between the ideal level of spending on infrastructure renewal and what it has budgeted over the next four years, according to a new report. The shortfall, expected to climb to $10 billion within a decade, could be addressed by a dedicated reserve fund. Coun. Erin Rutherford said city council will need to be "really judicious" in deciding what new projects to approve during budget discussions this fall, while Mayor Andrew Knack promised "a holistic conversation" rather than evaluating projects in isolation. Edmonton city council's infrastructure committee heard that 10.2% of the city's total assets are in poor or very poor condition.
The Edmonton Police Commission has directed the Edmonton Police Service to formalize its media accreditation policy, following a years-long dispute with Progress Report publisher Duncan Kinney, whose access was revoked in 2022. The commission said EPS should clarify who makes decisions about granting and revoking credentials, and how appeals work, though it did not rule on Kinney's claim that former chief Dale McFee revoked his access to silence a critic.
During his February 2026 trip to Israel, Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel visited illegal West Bank settlements and met with an undercover unit that had recently killed two unarmed Palestinian men, according to access-to-information documents obtained by The Orchard.
The Alberta Utilities Commission has approved a 1,864-megawatt natural gas power plant to be built by Pembina Pipeline and Kineticor. The Sturgeon County facility, known as the Greenlight Electricity Centre, is expected to be operational by 2031 and supply power to Alberta's data centre industry.
Downtown Revitalization Coalition chair Cheryll Watson said the listing of the nearly century-old CIBC building at Jasper Avenue and 101st Street for sale is "just an expansion of the shuttered and closed down businesses that we see on our downtown main street," while Edmonton Downtown Business Association executive director James Robinson said the vacancy "provides an opportunity to bring new life to the core of Jasper Avenue."
The Green Shack program, which offers free weekday drop-in activities for children ages six to 12 at locations throughout Edmonton, returns June 29 and will run until Aug. 21. Children under six can participate with a parent or guardian, and programming is available rain or shine.
Veteran Edmonton sportscaster Kevin Karius has announced his retirement after 36 years in broadcasting, including a 25-year run as a sports anchor at Global Edmonton and three years hosting a morning show on Sports 1440. His final broadcast airs June 26.
Edmonton Elks running back Justin Rankin is chasing a milestone no CFL player has ever achieved: 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. Rankin leads the league in rushing with 281 yards through two games as the 2-0 Elks visit Winnipeg.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid endorsed new head coach Mike Babcock, saying in an interview that he, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman asked management to hire someone willing to push them. "We've tried it the same way for a really long time," McDavid said, adding that top players are expected to take less ice time so the rest of the roster can contribute more.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch admitted he used injured captain Alphonso Davies "as a decoy" in Wednesday's 2-1 FIFA World Cup loss to Switzerland, as Davies was not ready to play due to a hamstring injury. Marsch said Davies "will be ready" for Canada's match against South Africa on Sunday in Los Angeles, after the team finished second in Group B.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce released a report estimating that Alberta separation could shrink the provincial economy by $62 billion a year and eliminate 175,000 jobs, based on an analysis modelled on Brexit's trade impacts. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has estimated leaving Canada could cost the province $400 billion in transitional costs, plus $50 billion annually.