The Pulse
Aug. 18, 2026

Diminished interest in incentivizing reductions in carbon dioxide emissions has delayed an Edmonton project once touted to be the world's first cement plant with full-scale carbon capture and storage.

In 2023, Heidelberg Materials signed a partnership with the federal government to support a $1.36-billion project to bring a full-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage system to its cement plant in northwest Edmonton. The company said then that it would be capturing 1 million tonnes of C02 annually by the end of 2026.

But the project, which the federal government called "a major step forward in establishing Canada as a global leader in the production of low-carbon concrete," is not on track to be done this year, despite a successful pilot of the technology, and it's not clear when it will be.

The price of carbon emissions is "not an insignificant" element when determining the viability of a full-scale CCS project, said David Perkins, vice-president of sustainability and public affairs for Heidelberg Materials.

"Originally there was discussion around $170 a tonne by 2030," he told Taproot. "The (federal) government has backed off of that now. The province has backed off of that to a much lower level."

Coun. Keren Tang was surprised to hear that the carbon-capture project was delayed when she toured the plant during the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit in July.

"(Heidelberg said) we're not quite there yet, and I think that's true for … a lot of other developments that had a lot of excitement, but were slowed down because of the market, because of global trends, because of policy," Tang said in an interview. "I was just a bit surprised because I haven't had that update, but it was good that (Heidelberg was) able to answer some of our questions."

In the meantime, Heidelberg's CCS project at a cement plant in Norway was completed last year, making it the world's first.

• The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and the City of Edmonton opened a week of events marking the 150th anniversary of Treaty No. 6 with a pipe ceremony and flag raising at City Hall, followed by a public celebration in Churchill Square. The week's activities also include cultural teachings, a re-enactment of the treaty signing at Fort Edmonton Park, and a powwow at Enoch Cree Nation. Grand Chief Joey Pete called for more respect from the Alberta government after Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney did not attend the City Hall event. Sawhney's office said that she was away but committed to maintaining strong relationships with Treaty 6 First Nations.
• Text messages sent to Edmonton Transit Service's Transit Watch line over a one-month period earlier this year show riders reporting daily concerns about open drug use, assaults, and harassment across the system. In 2025, 61% of riders reported feeling safe on their last trip, unchanged from the year before, while police calls about violent incidents at LRT and transit centre locations rose from 292 in 2024 to 307 in 2025. Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, ETS's branch manager, said a range of measures are being implemented to boost perceptions of safety, including providing cellular connectivity in LRT tunnels.
• Scores of runners reported GPS readings that exceeded the certified distances at the Servus Edmonton Marathon, with some half-marathoners recording about 22 kilometres instead of 21.1. The race director and Athletics Canada stood by the course measurements, citing construction-related lane changes and differences between GPS tracking and standard road-race measurement. Half-marathon winner Rory Linkletter and coach Simon Stewart said finishing times were slower than expected and the course felt long.
• Hope Mission is seeking a rezoning that would allow it to run a permanent 120-bed shelter at its logistics centre near Argyll Road and 75th Street. City administration supports the application, but 32 of the 33 responses the city received opposed it, with 17 citing concerns about public safety, security, and crime. The public hearing on the item was postponed to Aug. 25.
• Edmonton Transit Service will adjust several bus routes starting Aug. 30 to reflect typical fall ridership patterns. The changes include new school special routes serving St. Carlo Acutis Catholic High School and Archbishop O'Leary Catholic High School, a new school special route between Capilano Transit Centre and Vimy Ridge Academy, and the removal of seven other school special routes due to low or changing ridership.
• About 1,400 students in Edmonton Catholic Schools's year-round program returned to class on Aug. 17. The program offers the same instructional time as a traditional calendar, with a shorter summer break and more breaks during the school year. Most other Edmonton schools will start Sept. 1 or 2.
• Royal Mayfair Golf Club's crew has worked to repair rain damage ahead of the CPKC Women's Open, which starts Aug. 20 at the 104-year-old course. After more than 500 millimetres of rain in June and July, flooding washed out the bunkers seven times, submerged part of the 18th hole, and toppled a poplar tree onto a green.
• WestJet says that its Edmonton capacity to Latin America and the Caribbean will increase by 34% this winter. The airline will offer twice as many weekly flights from Edmonton to Los Cabos, Mexico, and Montego Bay, Jamaica, as it did last year.
• Former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel released a video urging federalists to vote in Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum, warning supporters against complacency despite the pro-Canada side's polling lead. Mandel is supporting Vote to Stay, a pro-Canada campaign founded by former federal cabinet minister Monte Solberg. Former premier Jason Kenney is another prominent voice in the campaign.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Treaty No. 6 150 Cultural Teachings at various locations
• Discover Fringe starting at 12:45pm at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns
• Beverly Towne Farmers' Market starting at 3pm at Riverview Crossing Mall
• The Public Farmers Market starting at 3:30pm at Ritchie Community Hall
• Visible Mending: Jeans Repair with Ada Kalinowski starting at 6pm at Alberta Craft Council
• Trivia Night starting at 7pm at The Pizza Spot (West Edmonton Mall)
• Sounds from the Valley: Family Night starting at 7pm at Snow Valley
• Sing in the Park starting at 7pm at William Hawrelak Park

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Aug. 21: Arts, Storytelling & Public Imagination Lab — Artivist Roundtable at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Aug. 25: Mass Impact: A Fireside Chat with Ray Muzyka and Kristina Milke at Edmonton Unlimited
• Sept. 5: Edmonton Bike Park Grand Opening at Queen Elizabeth Park

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

This week's puzzles were constructed by Jeff Nachtigall, a longtime friend of Taproot.