| Thursday, Nov. 21 Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee announced he's stepping down on Feb. 21, 2025... Edmonton Coun. Tim Cartmell is running for mayor and launching a municipal political party... Four people believed to be homeless were found dead in Edmonton bus shelters over the past two weeks...
The Alberta government is projecting a $4.6-billion surplus, but officials say falling oil prices could lead to a deficit... Postmedia's Jonny Wakefield has an intriguing read about a Red Deer lawyer who was locked in a jail cell after a court disagreement... Thoughts on today's edition? Email ksmall@postmedia.com. — Kaylen Small |
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Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee calls it quits; commission to begin search for successor
Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee is stepping down on Feb. 21, after a little more than six years in the role. The Edmonton Police Commission, which oversees the service, confirmed McFee’s departure in a news release Wednesday. The commission will establish a process “in the coming months” to hire the next Edmonton police chief, the release said. “I am really honoured to have had the opportunity to serve as your police chief,” McFee said in a recorded video published on social media. |
Edmonton Coun. Tim Cartmell running for mayor with new political party
Two-term Edmonton city councillor Tim Cartmell will run to be Edmonton’s next mayor and launch a new municipal political party to push forward his agenda. Cartmell, currently representing Ward pihêsiwin, will run on a platform of “safer streets, tough on taxes, and build it better,” he told Postmedia Wednesday. An engineer by trade, Cartmell thinks he has the skills needed to steer the city through the next four years of financial challenges and to make the city feel safer. He wants to pause building more big infrastructure projects, revisit how capital projects are planned, and take a closer look at how the city is spending money.
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Four people died in Edmonton bus shelters in two weeks
Four people believed to be homeless died, or were found dead, in Edmonton bus shelters in the past two weeks as cold weather rolls into the city. Paramedics and police officers responded when the bodies — two in the west end and two in the central part of the city — were discovered, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) confirmed. Police say none of the deaths were criminal. No cause of death has been released. The first person, a woman, was declared dead on Nov. 6 around 5 a.m. at a bus shelter near 178 Street and Callingwood Road in west Edmonton.
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Province to appoint more members to Edmonton Police Commission
Changes are at play for the Edmonton Police Commission, as Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis signalled his intent Wednesday to add more provincial appointees. In a letter sent to Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Ellis said in accordance with the Police Act, it’s his responsibility to keep Alberta communities safe and secure “by ensuring adequate and effective policing is maintained throughout the province.” Ellis cites provincial help to address elevated levels of crime and social disorder in the downtown core, transit corridors, and in other high-risk locations.
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An Alberta defence lawyer told a judge he couldn't answer a question. He spent the break in a jail cell
A Red Deer defence lawyer is accusing a judge of bullying after he was locked in a jail cell following a disagreement in court. George Lebessis spent 10-15 minutes in lockup at the central Alberta courthouse on Nov. 8 after a back-and-forth with Justice Gordon Yake of the Alberta Court of Justice over the subpoenaing of a witness in an assault case. Lebessis, a defence lawyer since 2013, says Yake raised his voice and demanded he answer a question, which Lebessis was not comfortable answering without more research. He believes he did nothing wrong and that the practice of jailing lawyers over disputes in court should be abolished.
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Around the province and beyond
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'These are challenging times': Alberta projects $4.6B surplus, but falling oil prices could lead to deficit
The Alberta government is forecasting a $4.6 billion surplus at the end of this fiscal year, though nearly half of that surplus won’t be available for spending, and officials warn the province could fall into deficit if oil prices don’t rebound. The projections come in the province’s second-quarter fiscal update, delivered by Finance Minister Nate Horner on Thursday morning. “These are challenging times, but I believe Alberta is up to the challenge. By being intentional with every dollar, we can boost our prosperity and quality of life now and in the future,” he said in a news release. He noted the surplus was higher than forecast in either of the last fiscal updates in August or February’s budget.
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'A number of concerns': Alberta privacy commissioner calls for overhaul of proposed access to information laws
Alberta’s privacy commissioner is calling on the government to overhaul its recently introduced access to information legislation, saying she had identified “a number of concerns” as the bill works its way through the legislature. In a Wednesday news release, information and privacy commissioner Diane McLeod said she is “strongly recommending improvements” to Bill 34 — the Access to Information Act — that was introduced by Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally two weeks ago. |
'Government has to step up': Alberta's child and youth advocate pushes for early intervention and transitioning supports
Alberta’s child and youth advocate has released an annual report urging the province to meet the early intervention needs of young people transitioning into adulthood. Terri Pelton, provincial child and youth advocate, laid out five recommendations highlighted in the 2023-2024 “Calling for Change” report, which cites 21 out of 26 youths who were in government care before their 18th birthday died after aging out of the system. “I really want to push the government to recognize that young people — their brains are still developing into their mid to late 20s, and if they have been in care, they don’t have the natural supports that most young people have,” Pelton said.
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Oilers Podkolzin gets strong vote of confidence from captain McDavid
Vasily Podkolzin can’t score, which is clearly bugging him as you look at his face as he sits on the bench, but any time the captain Connor McDavid says he likes playing with him, goals aside, that is clearly a whopping assist he should be taking to heart. No testimonial means more 97’s. It rings very loudly. Maybe we missed it, but as much as Jesse Puljujarvi was good defensively, did some good stuff and had underlying numbers that appealed to his Edmonton Oilers fan base, did they sound as positive about Jesse as a sometimes linemate in his time here when Puljujarvi was having trouble scoring?
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Three to See Edmonton Events: Danny Michel/Steve Poltz, Open Eyes, and Wickediator II
Danny Michel and Steve Poltz: These two charming, dynamic and comedic Canadian singer-songwriters return to the stage in tandem after a successful 2023 buddy-boy tour. Described hilariously in his bio as a mix between Robin Williams and James Taylor, Poltz wrote Jewel’s 1995 hit You Were Meant for Me, releasing a dozen albums in the Americana vein and playing more than 1000 in the meantime. He is great. Multi-Juno nominee folk singer Michel is a dedicated environmentalist who played Jane Goodall’s 85th birthday and recorded a whole album during an 18-day residency aboard a rugged Soviet-era Russian icebreaker. Do check out his sci-fi-friendly Dan’s Space Van channel on YouTube.
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The North Saskatchewan River freezes as the temperature drops on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam/Postmedia |
The North Saskatchewan River freezes as the temperature drops on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam/Postmedia |
Advertisement flyers are piling up during postal strike. Cartoon by Ralph Hagen |
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Thursday's letters: Smith aligning AIMCo with UCP agenda
Re. “Left-wing policies placed AIMCo leadership group on collision course with UCP,” David Staples, Nov. 20
Mr. Staples speaks of “having talked with government insiders” to get the lowdown on why Smith purged the AIMCo board. Any outsider can discern her reasons. She is once again aligning anything she can touch with the UCP agenda.
Staples sees DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and ESG (environment, social, governance) as “left-wing” misalignments rather than AIMCo’s strategic alignment with some forward-looking corporations. Staples welcomes the changes emerging from the U.S. election. His views are heavily weighted with Trump’s major selling point: a nostalgia for a fictional past before DEI and climate change mattered. Staples notes that Smith has been silent on the purge even as he heralds Stephen Harper’s imminent appointment as chair of AIMCo.
Harper will epitomize Smith’s need to create a simpler, good-old-days past. Speaking of the past, Harper was a signatory to the so-called firewall letter of Jan. 24, 2001, which called for an Alberta pension plan. Somehow, a top-down big-government push for the deeply unpopular APP will be fine, even if top-down pushes for equity are not. David Gay, Edmonton |
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