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Regional Roundup
June 17, 2026

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Hydrogen bus pilot attracts international attention

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The hydrogen bus pilot by the City of Edmonton and Strathcona County caught the attention of planners across Canada and the United States during a June 9 presentation. Virtual attendees from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, California, Texas, and beyond tuned in to learn how research conducted by the city and the University of Alberta shows promise for diversified fuel sources for municipal vehicles. Hydrogen-powered buses outperform electric vehicles in cold weather, researchers found, leading them to posit that there's cause to deploy different kinds of buses depending on the time of year.

Bahram Bahri and Mahdi Shahbakti from the U of A's Energy Mechatronics Lab gave performance metrics for the hydrogen-fuelled Route 9 in Edmonton and Route 441 in Strathcona County in comparison to diesel- and electric-powered buses. The researchers found that EVs are the most energy-efficient option during warm service hours, but suffer the most when it's cold. Hydrogen buses have greater resilience at below-zero temperatures, while diesel vehicles are largely unaffected by climate conditions. Therefore, the pair and the city's Patrick Baltazart suggested the region could cut its emissions more effectively in the winter with hydrogen than with EVs. That said, hydrogen production is on a colour scale with varying degrees of carbon emissions. The City of Edmonton has worked with Calgary's Azolla Hydrogen to fuel its buses. Brent Lakeman, the executive director of the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB, earlier told Taproot that Azolla's methanol-to-hydrogen method differs from producers who truck in hydrogen from as far away as Texas and Arizona. Azolla's biodrome technology does not fit neatly into the colour scale, but purportedly has 21% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than grey hydrogen.

Where is just as important a question as when, speakers noted. Route 441 in Strathcona County outperformed Edmonton's Route 9, offering further considerations for deploying hydrogen-fuelled buses. Speakers said higher traffic density and a greater concentration of stops on a route hinder the performance of H2 buses. Route 441 has just 0.8 stops per kilometre compared to 3.2 stops per kilometre for Route 9, and it idles less, allowing the Strathcona County route to make more efficient use of the alternative fuel.

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Economic development

Municipalities

  • Gibbons councillors publicly rejected the province's viability review findings at a question-and-answer session, calling the report "garbage" and accusing the Ministry of Municipal Affairs of "fear-mongering." Residents pressed council on taxes, infrastructure, and long-term planning ahead of a vote on the municipality's future. Meanwhile, the town said media coverage is missing important facts and context on the viability review and its response; it said the ministry acknowledged the report represents a point-in-time assessment and that parts are outdated.
  • BILD Edmonton Metro submitted a letter to Edmonton city council's urban planning committee supporting the city's approach to advancing intermunicipal development plans and collaboration frameworks with neighbouring municipalities. The organization said that with the Edmonton region leading the country in housing growth, clear coordination between municipalities is critical to "maintaining momentum, reducing uncertainty, and supporting the delivery of new housing." Edmonton city council voted to advance the plans and frameworks at a meeting on June 16.
  • CBC Daybreak Alberta took a stroll through the city with Spruce Grove Mayor Jeff Acker in its Meet the Mayor series. Acker said the city has recently invested $24 million into its main street and downtown.
  • Leduc RCMP and the City of Leduc have launched an integrated community safety unit in collaboration with Family and Community Support Services. The unit consists of RCMP officers, community peace officers, and FCSS navigators conducting regular patrols and connecting residents to services. A 2026 policing priorities survey found 73% of respondents wanted more patrols and community presence to improve confidence in local policing.
  • Stony Plain is reducing residential speed limits from 50 km/h to 40 km/h community-wide starting July 25, following a 2025 speed study. The change applies to local and collector roads in residential areas; provincial highways and arterial roads remain unchanged.
  • Stony Plain is seeking public input to update its municipal development plan, which guides growth and development over the next 30 years. The town is hosting 10 community engagement parties at neighbourhood parks through the summer to gather resident perspectives on land use, culture, the economy, the environment, and governance.
  • Parkland County has launched a trap-neuter-return program with the Edmonton Humane Society to humanely manage unowned cat populations through trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and returning free-roaming cats to their original locations.
  • An accessibility audit of Stony Plain's municipal facilities identified barriers such as uneven pathways, inaccessible entrances, limited assistive listening technology, and missing power door openers. Coun. Melanie Loyns said the findings reflect her own experience accessing the town office, which scored 58%, when she temporarily used mobility aids. "I can't get into chambers unless someone opens the door, and that kind of puts limitations on who might ever sit at this bench."
  • Spruce Grove announced that overhead crosswalk lights will be installed on McLeod Avenue, and a sign will be removed at the intersection of Grove Drive and Calahoo Road due to vandalism and an RCMP recommendation to improve sight-lines.

Headlines

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

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

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