The Alberta government wants electricity providers to commit to selling power at a fixed price 24 hours in advance in what’s called a “day-ahead market.”

Local actor Bruce Horak plays Edwin Baker, who co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind after he was blinded as a soldier in World War I.

Investigators say they were called to the pathway near the 1100 block of 32nd Avenue N.E. around 4 a.m. Monday, after a passerby found 23-year-old Jelisa Maschki badly hurt.

Calgary's Cavalry FC will head south to Mexico in February to face one of that country's biggest soccer clubs in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary says he is planning to bankroll and build what he says will be the world's largest artificial intelligence data centre.

Local stories, news, obituaries, jobs, notices and events in Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass in the Dec. 11 issue of Shootin’ the Breeze.

The post News and events: Pincher Creek & Crowsnest Pass | Dec. 11, 2024 appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem and senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers give a statement and answer questions about the central bank's interest rate announcement.

The final decision for the rule changes will be made by Jan. 31, 2025 to allow time for minor hockey associations in the province to review the potential impacts of the change, and to amend or implement their own regulations, policies and processes.

Ivan Stamp's death was ruled a homicide, but the case ran cold for nearly a decade, until Edward Robinson — who has now pleaded guilty to manslaughter — was arrested in 2022.

Staff at the Leduc and District Food Bank are thinking outside the hamper box when it comes to where they get their donations: from shipping giant Amazon to the Edmonton Oilers hockey team.

When discussing neighbourhood renewal, the City of Edmonton often talks of "options and tradeoffs" as it looks at how something may need to be lost to make way for something else gained. Parking spots, for example, may need to go to make way for wider sidewalks. Trees may need to be cut down to make way for different landscaping that makes a neighbourhood more flood-resistant.

The idea of options and tradeoffs idea can be applied to Edmonton's housing system, too. Increased housing density might mean less available parking spots. Preserving a neighbourhood's heritage might mean fewer opportunities for dense housing near an LRT stop. Investing in affordable housing might mean property taxes increase.

In Taproot's Housing Complex series, we examined where Edmonton is at on housing supply, government subsidies for housing, rental housing, infill, sprawl, and more. To wrap the series, we will now look at what city council and the City of Edmonton can, and can't, do to improve Edmonton's housing system, and for whom. The context is the October 2025 municipal election, where housing is expected to be a main issue and the idea of options and tradeoffs will be central.

Complicating the discussion is the fact that the city is already pulling dozens of levers to increase housing supply, support subsidized housing, and slow the increase in housing prices. It's not always clear whether these actions actually help those who need help the most, however. For example, the city is encouraging density in key areas. That new housing will likely not be affordable for the lowest income earners in Edmonton, but there is a theory (that some challenge) that if you build more supply, housing affordability will "trickle down" to the lowest income earners. And Edmonton uses the Housing First strategy when moving homeless people off the streets, which is a best practice in much of Europe and North America. But experts suggest our approach of using a private landlord instead of government-operated housing makes the strategy less effective.

Do you support continuing with the strategy, even if it's not optimal? Do you support preserving heritage and property values in mature neighbourhoods? Do you support investing as much public money into subsidized housing as possible? Do you support increased density, even if the new developments are "luxury condos"? These are questions you may ask candidates when they show up at your door over the next year.

Why city policies matter on housing

Many city projects, procedures, and policies may seem unrelated to housing but end up being so, especially transportation infrastructure projects. For example, BILD Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson wrote in Canadian Architect that the 102 Avenue bicycle lane through Wîhkwêntôwin has led to growing private sector investment in housing there. At the time she wrote the column last fall, there were seven active development sites along the route and more than 1,200 residential units under construction. The Valley Line LRT is another example. Maclab Development planned two towers at Mill Woods Town Centre because of the new Valley Line LRT. When the Anthony Henday ring road was completed in 2016, Senator Paula Simons, then a Postmedia columnist, wrote that it "ignit(ed) huge residential building booms outside its boundaries."

In the same vein, council's choices today will impact how much housing can be built in another decade. This council has debated the substantial completion standard, a policy that would limit development in new suburbs until the adjacent neighbourhoods have been completed. Proponents of the strategy say it's a financially sound policy that will limit suburban sprawl, a development pattern that costs the city more to maintain than it generates through property taxes. Critics, on the other hand, say the city shouldn't limit housing construction at all when Edmonton's population is increasing as fast as it is.

Experts say Edmonton is a leader in creating the regulatory environment that encourages more housing supply. "In terms of getting the basics right to allow, let's say, the market to flourish, it's hard to imagine what more Edmonton could do," Damian Collins, professor of human geography at the University of Alberta and director of the Community Housing Canada Research Partnership, told Taproot. Edmonton is used as an example across North America for making big moves on the supply side of housing policy, mostly because it was one of the first cities on the continent to do away with parking minimums and eliminate single-family zoning.

That begins to cover housing supply that's financially accessible to higher-income earners — but what about low-income Edmontonians, those on fixed incomes, or those living on the street? As of September, there were about 4,700 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton, an increase of nearly 2,000 in the past year, according to Homeward Trust's point-in-time count. Edmonton's rate of homelessness is about twice that of Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Homelessness is often associated with mental illness and drug use. Many vulnerable people struggle with all three, and the three can exacerbate one another. Last winter, a person experiencing homelessness died from a drug overdose nearly every day in Edmonton, according to data from Boyle Street Community Services.

Edmonton also experiences a higher rate of drug poisoning compared to Calgary. In August 2024, the latest month for which data is available, there were 57 deaths per 100,000 people in Edmonton, and only 18 per 100,000 people in Calgary.

Why the city can't do everything on housing

Canada's Constitution divides the responsibilities of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Provincial governments are responsible for health care, community and social services, and social assistance, as well as energy, infrastructure, and education. Municipalities are responsible for services such as fire, police, recreation facilities, and public transportation.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and many councillors have been adamant that improving the situation for homeless people and people who use drugs in Edmonton are provincial responsibilities. Edmonton, nonetheless, spent about $91.3 million on homeless-related programs and services in 2023. This summer, Coun. Andrew Knack called for a "transition strategy" to transfer the funding of some of those services, programs, and infrastructure away from the city and to the province. These programs can be found across city departments, including the Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Public Library, according to an analysis conducted in July and August 2023. In homelessness prevention and resolution, the city designs and plans for affordable housing, subsidizes transit passes, and staffs outreach workers at library branches. Programs described as responding to homelessness include transit outreach teams, homeless encampment removal, drug overdose response teams, needle collection, extreme weather response, and public washrooms.

Earlier this year, the city ceased funding to a program that some would say is the province's jurisdiction. The city had been funding the outreach workers at the Stanley Milner Library, on the LRT system, and in downtown buildings and pedways on a pilot basis, but ran out of funding earlier this year. It applied for provincial funding to extend the program but was unsuccessful, a council memo explained.

Edmonton has also been criticized for its response to homelessness — namely, its practices to remove homeless encampments. The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights sued the city in August 2023, arguing the continued displacement of people in encampments has placed vulnerable people in danger.

Housing as we head toward the 2025 election

If it's not already abundantly clear, the housing system is complex. Each municipal decision comes with tradeoffs, and some unrelated policies end up touching housing. Council has a lot of power to influence housing, but also lacks the power to address other aspects of the system.

Taproot will continue our reporting leading up to and after the municipal election next October. We'll be asking candidates what they plan to do to improve the housing system, and we hope our stories inspire you to ask candidates questions on the campaign trail.

Amid a skilled labour shortage and a population boom, Alberta’s construction industry is having to get creative to meet the ongoing demand for housing, say some homebuilders. New residential construction starts are up 34 per cent as of October.

When the Bearspaw south feeder main broke on June 5, it prompted a local state of emergency, threatened the city's potable water supply and led to various levels of water restrictions for Calgary and surrounding communities for months afterward.

Alberta’s unemployment rate among recent immigrants is almost as bad as it was during the pandemic.

The woman was taken to hospital where she remains on life support and the homicide unit is investigating the incident, police say.

Alberta Health Services says it has taken a number of steps to better train staff, after an Indigenous man's braids were cut off and thrown away while he was in an Edmonton hospital.

Researchers studying wolverines warn a recent decision by the Alberta government to lift trapping quotas on wolverines could lead to notable population decline while failing to produce meaningful data. Trappers dispute those findings, and argue their year-round presence on the landscape puts them in a unique position.

A large expansion of the Vista thermal coal mine near Hinton, Alta., has been given the go-ahead by the federal government, without the need for a federal impact assessment.

A fatality inquiry into the death of a Calgary man high on drugs who attacked an undercover police officer calls the incident a tragic reminder of the plight of people who struggle with addictions.

The owner of a south Edmonton barbershop is still in shock after one of his clients discovered a dead baby lying in a snowy parking spot near the business on Saturday afternoon.

A 44-year-old Whitecourt man who was shot down at his workplace over the weekend is being remembered as a loving family man who was a pillar of the northwestern Alberta community.

One driving instructor says he’s seeing big-city habits taking over on Calgary roads. But others aren't so sure that Calgary courtesy is disappearing quite yet.

Syrian Edmontonians are greeting the fall of Bashar al-Assad with joy and shock.

Surveillance videos circulating online appears to show the moments leading up to the shooting, as a person holding a gun, accompanied by someone else, advances down an apartment hallway, yelling and cursing.

A city report that offers insight into how the Valley Line LRT has changed the ways people move around the downtown core could lead to a review of wait times for pedestrian signals, adjustments to signage for drivers, and even even real-time warnings about cyclists.

The report, discussed at council's urban planning committee on Nov. 26, illustrates that vehicle traffic has decreased by 90% along 102 Avenue between 99 Street and 102 Street, parallel to the Valley Line LRT tracks, since the line was constructed and the street re-opened in 2023. On average, about 620 drivers used the street each day in June 2024, the month in which the most recent data was captured, compared to more than 6,270 before the LRT was built. Administration said this is likely because the design of the street is less appealing to drivers. The roadway is now one-way and left turns are prohibited along the full length from 99 Street to 102 Street. Drivers can't turn right on red, and must yield to cyclists when turning right. There are also no parking lots or curbside parking spots along the corridor.

The changes to traffic volumes and street design could have led to fewer collisions, administration said. Between 2015 and 2017, there were an average of about 17 collisions per year along the corridor. In 2023, the first full year 102 Avenue was open following LRT construction, there were seven collisions, with zero involving pedestrians or cyclists, the report said.

Pedestrian volumes, meanwhile, increased by 6% at 100 Street and 102 Avenue (beside the Stanley A. Milner Library) but decreased by as much as 50% at other intersections along the route compared to before the LRT was open and operating. The city said it doesn't have cyclist data from before the LRT was constructed, but that between 650 and 1,100 cyclists used the corridor daily in June 2024.

Administration found that 16% of people using the corridor broke the law while doing so. Pedestrians were responsible for the most common infractions but most created a low risk for collisions. More than a quarter of observed pedestrians broke the law, many by walking across 102 Avenue against a "do not walk" signal. About 18% of cyclists broke the law, with the most common infraction being a cyclist riding parallel to the LRT while the train had a signal to proceed but the signal was indicating for cyclists to stop. About 2% of drivers broke the law, many of whom blocked the intersection while avoiding stopping on the train tracks.

However, the city's numbers don't match what survey respondents reported they experienced along the corridor. Three out of four people who responded to a survey in June recorded unsafe experiences or near misses (where a collision was about to happen but was avoided by swerving or braking hard, for example). Some respondents said vehicle drivers often failed to yield when turning right across the bike lane and crosswalk, and others observed pedestrians walking against a "do not walk" signal. Survey respondents also said social disorder made them feel unsafe while using the corridor.

Council's urban planning committee heard from Max Amerongen, who bikes to work along the route and said the report did not give the whole picture. Amerongen installed a camera on his bike to record traffic violations along 102 Avenue, which captured drivers using the bike lane, driving the wrong way down the street, and turning right across the bike lane without yielding to cyclists and pedestrians. Amerongen said administration should learn from the observed near-misses to avoid more serious outcomes.

"The report you've got in front of you notes there's a moderate but significant degree of noncompliance by all types of road users, but the consequences of that can be so different," Amerongen said. "Someone looking both ways (and) crossing in a crosswalk after waiting two minutes for a signal is risking a ticket … but a driver turning right without signaling, looking, or yielding across a well-used bike lane is putting others in pretty serious danger. So let's not treat these behaviours as equivalent, and let's recognize drivers are causing severe danger, even if it's the design that's to blame."

Administration said it will review signal timings along the corridor so pedestrians don't have to wait as long to cross. Staff are also reviewing signage in the area to make it clearer where different modes of traffic are supposed to go, and will explore installing a real-time warning that a cyclist is approaching for drivers who are turning right.

A street that generates debate

Different organizations, councillors, city administration, and everyday Edmontonians have been actively trying to figure out what to do with this corridor for at least three years (and the idea of making it pedestrian-only goes back to at least 1988). Paths for People first pitched removing vehicle traffic from a portion of 102 Avenue and turning it into a pedestrian-only area in 2021, as it had already been closed to cars for multiple years due to Valley Line construction.

In June 2022, council voted 7-6 to tell administration to prepare a road closure bylaw for the corridor for a one-year pilot project. When that bylaw came to public hearing in February 2023, city administration recommended against it. Eight councillors voted against the bylaw, and the city reopened the roadway to drivers.

In November 2023, BILD Edmonton Metro and Paths for People created a downtown pedestrianization plan with nine actions aimed at making the core more walkable. This plan came directly out of the 102 Avenue debate, as the organizations had varying yet overlapping visions on what would make the core more vibrant and welcoming.

Though city council's fall budget adjustment resulted in a 6.1% increase to property taxes rather than the 8.1% increase administration had proposed, the reduction was created through funding shuffles rather than big culls, co-hosts Mack Male and Troy Pavlek said on Episode 288 of Speaking Municipally.

The co-hosts zeroed in on the Yellowhead Trail project, discussion on bike lanes, and who will manage Edmonton's tourism assets in their recap of council's budget adjustment deliberations, which wrapped on Dec. 5.

Yellowhead Trail conversion funds MIA

Both Male and Pavlek noted the ongoing conversion of Yellowhead Trail into a freeway is $105 million over budget, adding a significant financial burden on the city, but there's political will to persevere — even though how remains a mystery.

"As it stands, Edmonton is on the hook for another $105 million for the Yellowhead freeway conversion project," Pavlek said. "It's not quite clear to me how or where this money is going to come from, just that the city is on hook for it, and no one at the table seems to be entertaining the idea of not paying for it."

Capital budget not touched much

Male said the capital budget experienced only "minor changes" during council's adjustment. One increase to spending was for turf and horticulture, created through an omnibus motion that Mayor Amarjeet Sohi put forward. One proposed decrease, put forward by Coun. Karen Principe, was to slash $67 million from the $100 million approved for the active transportation network expansion. That motion failed 4-7.

Still, Coun. Erin Rutherford was one of the four who voted in favour of this motion, and that surprised Pavlek. "The only people that are going to remember this are cyclists who saw Erin Rutherford say 'We don't need to build any more bike lanes, and we don't need to connect our infrastructure,' and that's just going to hurt her," he said. "It's going to encourage someone, I'm sure, on the left to say she's vulnerable (to a left-leaning candidate during the 2025 municipal election)."

Explore Edmonton gets some help

On operations, council decided to increase Explore Edmonton's budget through "one time" funding of $4.7 million. The city's destination marketing organization had requested $6 million in 2025, in addition to its annual $11.7 million funding. The request follows council providing the organization another "one-time" installment of $6 million in February.

The co-hosts said the tourism body has asked for its base budget to expand because they have weathered budget cuts while adding responsibilities that once were performed by Northlands. Explore Edmonton manages the Edmonton EXPO Centre and the Edmonton Convention Centre, as well as organizing large gatherings such as KDays and Farmfair International, plus other development duties.

"They're basically saying: 'Give us more money, or we can't do everything. We've got to either not operate the convention centres, or we can't do these other events,'" Pavlek said. "Their argument is: 'You wouldn't be able to do that as effectively as we do, City of Edmonton.'"

The Dec. 6 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also wades into Coun. Jennifer Rice's use of council's time during the budget adjustments, downtown optimization, photo radar, and more. Plus, it features a regular update from Taproot's newsroom by managing editor, Tim Querengesser. Find all the ways to listen to and subscribe to Speaking Municipally, which comes out most Fridays, right here.

Many Syrian-Canadians are experiencing complex emotions about what the fall of the oppressive Assad regime means for the future.

Recently, 20th Street in South Calgary was rejected as one of the the next streets to go from 50 to 40 km/h. It has some people questioning whether that was the right move.

After city council’s blanket rezoning was approved in May, planners received a wave of nearly 190 row house and other R-CG applications.

Calgary's public school system is facing record enrolment, and that means roughly 3,000 students have been turned away from their neighbourhood schools. Now, some kids already integrated into a classroom are being forced to move, too.

For more than two years, Glenda MacDowell has been dishing out up to 40 litres of free homemade soup per day to anyone in town who wants some. As CBC's Acton Clarkin reports, the program is fostering community connection as Jasper recovers from July’s major wildfire. CBC is bringing you stories about food and affordability as part of our Make the Season Kind campaign. For more, visit cbc.ca/kindyeg

In Lethbridge, Alta., the city is using a new tactic for goose management around Henderson Lake Park — it's called the Goosinator.

The parents of 18-month-old Gabriel Pasqua Sinclair have pleaded guilty to manslaughter in his death.

Canadians need to remain calm in the face of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Halifax on Monday.

A pair of LGBTQ+ advocate organizations have filed documents challenging one of Alberta's three transgender bills in court, starting with one that bars doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16.

The city will attempt to remove the engraved bricks that line Olympic Plaza, despite previously saying the age and condition of the bricks would make it nearly impossible.

A spokesperson for the family of a security guard who police say was murdered while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building last week says the man had only been on the job for three days.

Loved ones of the man killed in a hit-and-run collision on a northern Alberta highway last month are advocating for a reduced speed limit through the community.

More and more Albertans are turning to food banks to survive, as they continue to feel squeezed by the rising cost of living. Now, some of those organizations are taking a different approach to helping their clients.

This week, council will discuss a program to regulate downtown surface parking lots, financial updates for the capital and operating budgets, and a new plan for redevelopment in the river valley.

There is a public hearing scheduled on Dec. 9, a council meeting scheduled on Dec. 10 and 11, and a utility committee meeting scheduled on Dec. 13.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• Council is scheduled to debate a program that would regulate surface parking lots in the core at a public hearing on Dec. 9. Administration has identified about 120 surface parking lots in the core, noting many are operating without a development permit and have no current pathway to obtaining one because previous city policies essentially ban that possibility. Administration has proposed a new use in the zoning bylaw to allow for a temporary surface parking lot — as long as the lots are improved with paving or upgraded gravel, trees and shrubs, lighting, and accessible parking spots. Parking lot operators would have 18 months to apply for a development permit and another 18 months to complete improvements. Both residents and lot operators criticized administration's proposed maximum permit duration of seven years for gravel lots and 10 years for paved lots. Residents and community organizations said seven to 10 years was too long and didn't feel temporary, suggesting a permit max of three to five years. Operators, on the other hand, said the permit was too short to make the proposed improvements financially viable, especially if they are required to pave, and suggested permits run up to 20 years or even be made permanent. If council approves the program, operators can apply for the temporary permit as of January.
• Administration projects it will spend about $2 billion on capital projects this year, which is higher than in previous years, because major projects are progressing further into construction. Between 2019 and 2023, the city spent an average of about $1.29 billion annually on capital projects, according to an update on the capital budget that will be presented to council on Dec. 10. Administration also projects a $19.4-million operating budget deficit by the end of 2024, equivalent to about 0.6% of the overall expense budget. This is due in part to lower revenue from transit fares, increased contract work, and higher costs for maintenance, parts, materials, fuel, and personnel. The financial stabilization reserve is projected to be at about $58.8 million at the end of the year, below the minimum balance of $133.8 million.
• Development will not be permitted in most of Edmonton's river valley, should council approve a new North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan. Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed plan on Dec. 10. The plan identifies the land use for most of the river valley as open space, meaning parks, recreation, and spaces for gathering and ceremony would be permitted, and other potential uses would not be.

Here are some other items on the agenda:

• Council is set to receive a verbal update on Dutch elm disease at a council meeting on Dec. 10.
• Council is scheduled to vote on designating Alexander Circle in Glenora as a municipal historic resource. Alexander Circle would become the first public park in Edmonton to be protected from demolition and other changes due to heritage considerations. Efforts to protect Alexander Circle started after administration paused work on a heritage strategy for the Glenora neighbourhood earlier this year and redirected funds to a city-wide strategy.
• Nearctic and Rockwell Investments have applied to rezone part of the Strathearn Heights redevelopment beside the Strathearn LRT stop to allow for medium-rise buildings throughout the site. This would ultimately allow the site to be developed at a lower density than the current zoning, though towers would still be allowed. The proposed new zone also requires commercial space along 95 Avenue NW and 87 Street NW.
• City council is set to debate whether it should amend a sale agreement, and as a result, potentially kill a proposed arts development in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood. The Edmonton Community Development Company, which is behind the proposed ArtsCommon 118 development, said it no longer sees the original project as viable and is facing barriers to development. The project, in the works since at least 2018, was planned to create 78 live-work artist studios, two floors of market space for artists, performance spaces, a rooftop garden, and industrial kitchen space. To support the development, Edmonton transferred several land parcels to ECDC, with the condition that ECDC started to build ArtsCommon by July 2028. The development company has asked for that sale agreement to be amended, as its time condition has made it hard to build on the lot, which remains empty. The company said amending the agreement would allow it to build smaller commercial developments or other initiatives that support the area. Executive committee reviewed the request at a former meeting but sent the decision to city council without recommending a course of action. Council is set to debate the request at a meeting on Dec. 10.
• Council is set to vote on creating a Migrant Action Plan to address the needs of Edmonton residents born outside of Canada. While immigration is primarily a responsibility of the federal and provincial governments, cities play a role in welcoming and integrating new Canadians, a report said. Nearly one-third of Edmonton's population were immigrants as of May 2021, the month for which the newest data is available. Administration estimates nearly 38,500 people moved to the Edmonton region from other countries between 2022 and 2023. Pending council approval, administration will create an action plan to assess the needs of the immigrant population, set goals, identify community partners, and review funding.
• Three Indigenous organizations could receive money to build affordable housing following a city council vote on Dec. 10. Yellowhead Tribal Council has proposed a 149-unit mixed-market housing project at 560 Belvedere Way NW. Fifty-nine units will be offered at approximately 60% of market rent, and the rest will be offered at market rates. Administration recommends granting YTC $5.25 million for the project. The Métis Capital Housing Corporation has proposed a six-unit transitional supportive housing project in Calder for Métis women, families, and 2SLGBTQ+ people fleeing domestic violence. The units will be rented at 32% of market rates for the next 40 years. Administration said it recommends giving the project $480,000. NiGiNan Housing Ventures proposed a 28-unit affordable housing project in Elmwood Park. Half the units will be studio apartments, half will be three-bedrooms, and all will be offered at a maximum of 80% of market rents to clients in the provincial Persons with Developmental Disabilities program. The project will include a shared courtyard and outdoor amenity space. Council's executive committee considered the grants but requisitioned the report to council without a recommendation.
• Council's executive committee recommends amending the city's public private partnership policy so administration no longer requires council approval to use the P3 model for projects with a budget of less than $500 million. The current threshold is $30 million, a report detailing the proposed amended policy said. Administration said the proposed change would align with industry benchmarks for major projects and better reflect the scale and complexities involved in large-scale infrastructure. Council is scheduled to vote on amending the policy at a meeting on Dec. 10.
• Council's utility committee is scheduled to review EPCOR's performance based regulation application and compliance filing, which will set the city's utility rates for April 2025 to December 2027. Administration said EPCOR's filing is reasonable.
• Council will meet in private during a meeting on Dec. 10 to speak with the city manager, hear an update from a shareholder, and discuss collective bargaining.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

For CBC Calgary's Growth Spurt project, we held a workshop with new Calgarians and asked them to write a letter home about what they've learned about Calgary — and themselves — in the process of settling here.

The fact that affordability — not the job market — is driving this population boom makes a big difference. Calgary is seeing a slightly older demographic arrive this time, kids in tow. They're buying homes, filling schools, spending money and vying for jobs.

Nearly 100,000 people moved to the Calgary area in just a year. They're drawn here by the lower cost of living ... at least when compared to Toronto and Vancouver. We explore what that's like for those newly arrived, and for long-term residents.

by Conor Kerr
Strange Light
2024/$24.95/272 pp.

Conor Kerr, a Métis/Ukrainian prairie writer, imbues his texts with loving descriptions of the lands he calls home. One of the CBC’s 2022 Writers to Watch, and with his novel Avenue of Champions shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, longlisted for the Giller Prize, and winning the 2022 ReLit Award, he comes out strong in his second novel, Prairie Edge. The prologue sets the stage for a heartbreaking, humorous, and defiantly proud story of two young Métis cousins who hatch a plan to free bison from a nearby national park, bring them into downtown Edmonton and change the urban landscape into more of what it could look like if land truly were given back, not just to the Indigenous people, but also to the animals who called it home for centuries.

Humour threads through this book like music from a Métis fiddle, sweeping in and out, sometimes loud, thunderous like a herd of bison, and sometimes quiet and soft like the swish of prairie grass. “Being a bison rustler made me feel like I was living in an old-time western movie,” says one of the cousins. “The kind that hired Italians to play the Indians.” I found myself laughing out loud throughout and texting friends the funniest parts so they too could share a laugh about a white hunter who dons thousands of dollars’ worth of custom camo only to fail at catching even a single moose.

Embedded in the text are historical lessons on the role and place of bison in the prairies, from the birds that used them for survival, to the people who depended on them for sustenance, to the very grasses they would walk over. Showing the historical lives of the bison highlights both current efforts to revitalize their populations and the fact that they are now for the most part caged in small territories without the freedom to roam as they once did. Kerr contrasts this with the theme of Indigenous kids being taken from families, put into a cold and unfriendly foster system and, when aged out, living with the constant threat of jail. “It’s either do something monumental or just fade into an inevitable jail cell.” Both the bison and the people are caged. But what if there were no more cages?

Through his characters, Kerr looks at what it might truly take to live in a state of reclamation and reconciliation. Bringing back the bison and repopulating the land with all that’s been lost is one answer explored in this novel. Both funny and politically aware, Kerr also delivers a sharp-edged critique of modern activism—a realm in which posturing often overshadows bold action. Thought-provoking and a great read, Prairie Edge is a story of resistance and a love letter to bison and the people who survive alongside them and because of them.

Francine Cunningham is a Cree/Métis author and artist.

____________________________________________

Read more from the archive “Don’t Fence Me In” July 2018.

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The post Prairie Edge appeared first on Alberta Views.

A backcountry avalanche claimed the life of a 46-year-old Magrath man Saturday afternoon.

Crowsnest Pass RCMP reported that two adult males and two children were snowmobiling between Carbondale and Castle Mountain Ski Resort when an avalanche occurred.

RCMP say one of the men escaped with the children but the second male was buried in the snow. 

The incident was reported to Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek RCMP around 6 p.m., and an investigation determined the incident took place at approximately 1 p.m.

Pincher Creek RCMP recovered the body of the missing male early Sunday afternoon with assistance from Southwest Alberta Regional Search and Rescue, Fernie Search and Rescue K9 and handler, and Alberta Conservation.

Condolences are extended to the family and friends of the deceased.

The post Magrath man dies in avalanche near Castle Mountain appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Alberta RCMP and Edmonton police are investigating the death of a woman after a hit-and-run crash on 50th Street involving a U-Haul vehicle Saturday night in southeast Edmonton.

The man, who RCMP have identified as a 46-year-old from Magrath, Alta., was snowmobiling with another adult male and two children on Feb. 24, when an avalanche occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m.

An Edmonton-based program that helps introduce racialized high school students to the world of commercial real estate has expanded its reach to Calgary.

Just seven months after opening his pizza and donair shop Pizza Talks in southeast Edmonton, Rajwinder Singh decided it was time to give back to the community. 

In speaking with community organizations, CBC News found that Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users – newcomers – and we don't even know how severe the issue is. Now, experts are calling not only for better data collection, but also more attention to the realities that lead newcomers to use drugs, and culturally-specific care that could help them escape it.