The Pulse
Sept. 17, 2026

A 35-year-old charity dedicated to advancing environmental solutions hopes the City of Edmonton will contribute $10 million toward its work in the next four-year budget, suggesting that such a collaboration would save time, money, and CO2 emissions.

Alberta Ecotrust Foundation vice-president Mike Mellross is hoping that two unfunded service packages at $5 million each and a more formal partnership with the city will be approved as part of the 2027-2030 budget process. Executive committee voted unanimously on Sept. 2 to have administration bring the requests to budget deliberations in the fall.

While Mellross thinks the option is good for all parties, he's not 100% confident it will go through.

"It depends on what day it is," Mellross told Speaking Municipally with a laugh. "We have a really good case. It's just a function of the austerity mentality," he added, noting the attitude some have observed at city hall heading into the budget. "There is a scarcity mindset."

The service packages support existing work from the foundation, allowing it to scale up its work to help the city catch up on its climate goals, which Edmonton is behind on. Both rely on the charity's expertise as a "professional grant maker" and investor, said Mellross, who spent more than a decade at the City of Edmonton in climate roles before joining the foundation in 2020.

Package 1 is to fund community grants and Ecotrust-led programming such as its Retrofit Accelerator and the Emissions-Neutral Building Information Exchange (best known as ENBIX), which launched in 2023. The City of Edmonton originally contributed $1.7 million to create ENBIX as a way to help the building industry address issues such as embodied carbon. The ENBIX initiative can help prepare the industry for what Mellross predicts will be stricter regulations regarding the climate. Plus, it could help address the construction-worker shortage by showing an interest in innovation, he said.

"You build better," he said. "You use the coolest technology. You position these jobs as resilient, future-focused, green jobs, and you can attract people to that sector to work in it."

Package 2 is to contribute toward the Climate Innovation Fund, a pool of money originally endowed by the federal government that invests in projects to help scale up initiatives to accelerate climate action in Edmonton and Calgary.

"An endowment allows you to have a sustained voice on climate and sustained return on investment that you can continually cycle into community programming," Mellross said. "We will actually take some of those dollars and we'll invest in an organization that's doing an emissions-reduction initiative right in Edmonton, or a company in Edmonton that's wanting to scale up its operations, or an emissions-reduction technology that can be used in Edmonton right away to help reduce emissions in the city."

• Five former Edmonton mayors, including Amarjeet Sohi, Don Iveson, Stephen Mandel, Bill Smith, and Jan Reimer, addressed issues facing the city, such as homelessness, downtown safety, and infrastructure at an event on Sept. 15. Iveson lamented the ongoing homelessness crisis and its effect people's perception of safety downtown, while Mandel criticized the current administration, calling downtown a "crap hole" and urging city employees to return to work at downtown offices. Current Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack responded to Mandel's criticism , saying that differing opinions are natural in politics and emphasizing ongoing efforts to address Edmonton's challenges through planning and community involvement.
• The Edmonton Police Service is warning the public about a spate of distraction-type robberies targeting South Asian seniors. The crimes involve suspects approaching victims under false pretenses, such as needing directions or pretending to be acquaintances, to distract and then rob them. Authorities emphasized the importance of staying aware of one's surroundings and protecting personal belongings.
• Edmonton's commercial real estate spending declined in the second quarter of 2026 following a vibrant first quarter. The multi-family sector saw a drop from $648.7 million to $204.9 million in investment activity, reflecting a market absorption phase. Meanwhile, significant retail transactions occurred, with the purchase of Kingsway Mall by Montreal-based Westcliff Management, which plans minimal immediate changes, and the City Centre Mall ownership shift to Edmonton's Westrich Pacific, which will convert unused space into 1,500 residential units. Suburban retail activity remains concentrated around grocery hubs.
• Edmonton was the only Canadian city that Oxford Economics included in a new North American "cities to watch" list. The 2026 Global Cities Index called the city an "emerging star" and projected its employment and population will grow at the second-fastest rate among Canadian and U.S. cities over the next five years.
• A Parkland Institute report criticizes Alberta's upcoming referendum, which includes five immigration-related questions. The report, authored by Bronwyn Bragg from the University of Lethbridge, argues that these questions unfairly blame immigrant communities for strains on public services amidst challenges like doctor shortages and overcrowded classrooms. The report contends that the questions rely on problematic anti-immigrant tropes, while a government spokesperson dismissed the claims as inflammatory, stating that the questions address unsustainable immigration pressures.
• St. Albert city council is considering bylaw changes to boost infill development, allowing increased residential growth along St. Albert Trail, and introducing skinnier homes with single driveways in low-density neighbourhoods. The city's planning branch highlighted the need for diverse housing options amidst population decline in over half of the city's residential areas. Proponents argue that this will support walkability and transit use, while opponents cite traffic and infrastructure concerns. Council is set to continue the discussions on Oct. 6.
• Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman stood behind the team's decision to sign Alex Formenton, despite widespread public backlash. Formenton was acquitted of sexual assault charges. Hockey Canada upheld the suspensions of four other players in the case, but reinstated Formenton immediately. Fans are split over the decision, with some supporting Formenton's return and others demanding his removal. Bowman said the team did its due diligence while making the decision. Meanwhile, the Oilers opened their training camp on Sept. 16. Injuries prevented key players like Frederik Andersen and Matt Savoie from joining the camp, which could affect the team's preparations as the season approaches.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Building Canada's Western Defence Hub starting at 11:30am at Royal Glenora Club
• Voices of Affordability starting at 11:45am at ArtsHub Ortona
• Fundraising, Culture, Persistence: What Keeps Founders Going starting at 4:30pm at Fu's Repair Shop
• Drop-In Sketching: Bugs starting at 5:30pm at Royal Alberta Museum
• Reception and Tour: What on Earth is Holding the Loop Up? starting at 5:30pm at Art Gallery of St. Albert
• Opening Reception: Gleaning the Blue-Green starting at 6pm at Mitchell Art Gallery
• Family Traditions Exhibition Reception starting at 6pm at Gallery@501
• Get Ready in the Neighbourhood starting at 6:30pm online
• Hurtig Lecture: Canada in a Turbulent World starting at 7pm online and at Timms Centre for the Arts
• CHiMPROV starting at 7pm at Rapid Fire Exchange
• Book Launch - Reciprocity by Design: Architecture for Indigenous Tourism starting at 7pm at Audreys Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 25: EIFF: Queens for a Day at Landmark Cinemas 9 (Edmonton City Centre)
• Sept. 30: Kohkom's Babushka at Servus Credit Union Theatre
• Oct. 3: Mural Unveiling: Black Tortoise of the North 北方玄武 at okimaw peyesew kamik (King Thunderbird Centre)

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.

In case you missed it, the subject of 9-Across appeared on Speaking Municipally.