St. Albert news

• Edmonton could see hundreds of playground speed limits by year end

  08-06-2017 23:07 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  City councillors backed an aggressive rollout of hundreds of new playground-related speed limits Thursday, asking city officials to have them in place by the end of this year.
  The move will still need support from all of council in September, but the new 30-km/h zones could even apply to empty stormwater facilities where children play. 
  “This is the next step forward,” said Ward 2 Coun. Bev Esslinger. “If it’s a life, can you put a cost to it?”
  Branch manager G
  
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• Schools put on alert Thursday afternoon after reports of man firing weapon in Inglewood

  08-06-2017 22:49 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Six schools were placed on alert as police searched for a man who reportedly fired a weapon in Edmonton’s Inglewood neighbourhood Thursday afternoon. 
  Edmonton police officers, including the canine unit and the EPS’s Air 1 chopper, were searching for a male suspect involved in a firearms incident near 118 Avenue and 127 Street before noon Thursday. 
  Four Edmonton Public and two Catholic schools were placed on alert as a precaution. 
  Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson
  
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• 'Aggressive and comprehensive' changes needed at Athabasca University for survival

  08-06-2017 18:39 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Athabasca University will need to undergo a raft of rapid changes like focusing on collaborations with northern Alberta colleges and partnerships with indigenous education institutions if it wants to survive into the future, a new government-commissioned report released today says.
  An independent third-party review by Ken Coates concluded that the embattled institution will face a “financial crisis” early next year that could jeopardize its future if “aggressive and compre
  
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• Parade and beverage gardens, yes — but so much more to Pride 2017

  08-06-2017 18:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Centred on its loud and colourful parade starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, the best of our city’s great outdoor parties is the sprawling, dazzling and inevitably surprising Edmonton Pride Festival. Running along Whyte Avenue, turning north onto 104 Street, the music-pulsing floats are outrageous, the Strathcona Park beverage gardens full of laughter, and the dance parties around town that follow carry on into the night and beyond.
  Much under the rainbow of activities from Thursday all the way
  
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• Concert review: Future turns Rogers Place into a giant nightclub

  08-06-2017 17:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  So: the music you bounce to madly in the club — but right there in front of you, played live in the big ol’ arena bowl.
  That might be a “sky is blue”-level of obvious assessments, but the way we consume and react to our music transforms how an areana show feels. I’ve been to thousands of concerts, but none quite like this — a mix of sweaty sex and dope jams and the weird feeling that, despite the night being almost four hours long, main man Future wa
  
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• Opinion: Child-intervention system too crisis-driven

  08-06-2017 17:22 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  I submitted a six-page submission to the all-party ministerial panel on the Child Intervention System, now working on the second part of its mandate to find ways to strengthen the system.
  As a foster-adoptive parent who spent eight years in the system from 2008 to the first part of this year, I feel as though I could write a book.
  I can’t write details of my story here because of publication rules to protect the privacy of children who have been in the system. Our family’s story is o
  
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• Best bet for new home for Jordan Eberle of Edmonton Oilers? Las Vegas

  08-06-2017 17:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  There’s been no end of speculation about the notion that Jordan Eberle of the Edmonton Oilers will be traded and about where he might end up.
  TSN’s Darren Dreger has been most bullish on both the idea that Eberle will be moved and also that he’ll fetch a solid return. Dreger has mentioned Top 4 d-man Travis Hamonic of the Islanders several times as a possible return for Eberle.
  Others have been less optimistic about the return, with some fans suggesting Ryan Strome of the Islan
  
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• 10 things to do in Edmonton this week: Sustainival, Edmonton Pride, and Tool

  08-06-2017 14:12 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Sustainival
  It’s not the first time we’ve seen Sustainival in Edmonton. As far back as 2011 the Fringe Festival site hosted the carnival built on sustainable energy, with classic rides like the Ferris wheel, Tilt-a-whirl and Graviton running off of vegetable oil. Now in its seventh year, Sustainival is adding a two-day jaunt to Lethbridge and a return trip to Fort McMurray as well as setting down at the Servus Corporate Centre with rides like the Yoyo, Skymaster, Himalaya, Sizzler an
  
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• Thursday's letters: Fix for park's teeming, and loving, ungulates

  08-06-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Re. “Members of public weigh in on elk cull; Relocation programs put on hold over fears of chronic wasting disease found among deer,” June 3
  I am in favour of a reduction in the number of ungulates in Elk Island Park.
  Their inability to move outside the fences naturally causes overgrazing and overcrowding. Perhaps culling through hunting is a reasonable answer. Let the animal products be shared among indigenous peoples after an open draw for licences to hunt.
  Building “jump rai
  
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• Editorial: Make your voice heard in ridings review

  08-06-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Alberta’s boundaries commission knew they had a thankless job when tasked with redrawing the province’s map of electoral ridings. And sure enough, no thanks did they get when they released their interim report at the end of May.
  The panel recommends the province adjust its ridings so that Edmonton, Calgary and the Airdrie-Cochrane area each get a new electoral district to account for rapid population increases.
  With no mandate to change the number of Alberta’s 87 ridings, that
  
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• Bad blood spills along Edmonton Eskimos' line of scrimmage

  08-06-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Fists flew and helmets ended up flying off as Day 11 of Edmonton Eskimos training camp featured a brief but all-out brawl between the offensive and defensive lines at Commonwealth Stadium on Wednesday.
  The two sides were squaring off in the south end zone during one-on-one drills between blockers and pass-rushers when the contact escalated to the point where football turned into full-on fighting.
  “They’re crazy, bro,” Adarius Bowman said. “That’s why I play receiver
  
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• Alberta has highest provincial aboriginal female homicide rate: StatsCan

  08-06-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  A new Statistics Canada study shows Alberta’s homicide rate for aboriginal women was more than seven times that of non-aboriginal women.
  Aboriginal women in Alberta also face higher homicide rates than in any other province, the sweeping report on women and the justice system found, a finding that one Edmonton advocate calls “startling.”
  Between 2001 and 2015, there were 7.17 aboriginal female homicides per 100,000 people in Alberta, compared to .97 homicides among no
  
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• Terry Jones: 'Better late than never': Eskimos' Hugh Campbell among 2017 inductees to Edmonton's sports hall of fame

  08-06-2017 13:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  On Monday, June 12, 2017, Hugh Campbell will finally be inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame.
  That’s 35 years after he coached the Edmonton Eskimos to five Grey Cup championships in a row from 1978-82 and 11 years after he completed 25 consecutive seasons in which he was involved and provided a home playoff game as coach, general manager, president and chief executive officer.
  Campbell wasn’t really aware that there was an award out there that he likely should have been giv
  
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• Darnell Nurse made progress in his sophomore season with Edmonton Oilers but red flags persist

  08-06-2017 12:06 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Edmonton Oilers 2016-17 in review:Darnell Nurse
  For pure athleticism, Darnell Nurse is in the upper echelon. His dad Richard was a pro football player, while the women in the family — mom Cathy (Doucette), sisters Tamika and Kia — were/are basketball stars. Darnell chose hockey where he too excelled.
  In 2011 he was selected third overall in the OHL Draft by Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and their then-little-known GM Kyle Dubas, who has himself since emerged as something of a rising st
  
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• Photos: Future performs at Rogers Place on June 7, 2017

  08-06-2017 06:17 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Future, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, performs at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Ian Kucerak / Postmedia
  Future, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, performs at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Ian Kucerak / Postmedia
  Future (right), Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, performs with backup dancers at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
  Future (centre), Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, performs with backup dancers at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Ian
  
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• FC Edmonton roar back to down host New York Cosmos

  08-06-2017 05:33 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Not half bad, Eddies!
  Tomi Ameobi scored twice, and Sainey Nyassi and Jake Keegan, with the eventual winner, add singles as visiting FC Edmonton’s offence came alive in the second half in a 4-2 North American Soccer League win Wednesday night over the New York Cosmos.
  Irvin Herrera opened the scoring a minute into first-half stoppage time, putting the Cosmos ahead on his header into the far corner and past Eddies goalkeeper Nathan Ingham, who was making his first NASL start, in front of an
  
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• 'I knew I needed to change my life': Drug court graduate credits program with second chance

  08-06-2017 05:07 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  A 21-year-old woman who was heavily pregnant when she was arrested on drug charges credits a rehabilitative program with giving her a second chance.
  “As soon as I found out I was having a baby … I knew I needed to change my life,” Julia Carriere told a full courtroom Wednesday, speaking about her one-year-old son Richard. “He is my biggest inspiration.”
  Carriere is the latest graduate of the Edmonton Drug Treatment Court Service, a program that delays sen
  
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• High energy at Edmonton seniors centre would surprise skeptics

  08-06-2017 05:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Janice Monfries, executive director of the Westend Seniors Activity Centre, wants to dispel myths about seniors centres.
  As part of Alberta Seniors’ Week, the centre is hosting the Older Bolder Better exhibition and symposium on Thursday, June 8. This year’s theme is “connecting with others never grows old.”
  Q: Why do seniors have issues connecting with others?
  A: Families and friends can move away. People can pass on. You’re entering a new stage of life and it can
  
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• City hall roundup: Private park-and-ride lot, microbrewery zoning, 105 Avenue project

  08-06-2017 04:44 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Edmonton is aiming to launch a private park-and-ride at Mill Woods Town Centre next year as part of a pilot project to curb commuters parking in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
  The site already hosts a busy hospital and bus terminal, the Valley Line LRT is coming, and Coun. Mike Nickel said neighbours are worried increased transit options will only mean more people leaving their cars on nearby streets during the day. 
  The town centre has a large mall parking lot that could be used; city sta
  
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• Migos cancels performance at Rogers Place

  08-06-2017 04:37 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  On the Nobody Safe Tour, not even the lineup was safe.
  Rap trio Migos, originally scheduled to perform Wednesday night, cancelled its Edmonton performance at Rogers Place at the last minute.
  A sign at Rogers Place stated, “Due to illness, Migos will not be performing this evening.”
  Tour headliner Future was expected to perform in support of his self-titled album after performances by the scheduled opening acts, Tory Lanez and A$AP Ferg. Only Migos cancelled.Is migos really gonna bail
  
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• Jailed sexual assault victim's story disappoints, but doesn't surprise advocates

  08-06-2017 04:20 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  People who work with sexual assault survivors say they have never heard of a victim being jailed to guarantee testimony until this week, when news broke about a 2015 case involving an Edmonton woman. 
  Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley has ordered an independent investigation into the woman’s treatment and assigned a special committee to review the case. 
  The 28-year-old indigenous woman, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, was homeless and dealing with mental
  
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• Police hunt man wanted for impersonating peace officer, sexual assault

  08-06-2017 04:11 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  City police were pleading for public tips Wednesday after a man posing as a peace officer pulled a female driver over before she was forcibly confined and sexually assaulted.
  The 25-year-old victim was driving home near Anthony Henday Drive and 127 Street around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when she was directed to pull over by a vehicle with flashing lights, acting Staff Sgt. Barry Fairhurst told a news conference Wednesday.
  “She was very brave,” Fairhurst said. “Part of her reasoning for
  
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• Graham Thomson: Alberta MLAs prepare to put the 'barb' in barbecue season

  08-06-2017 03:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  And they’re off.
  Alberta’s MLAs scampered to the legislative exits this week with all the excitement of children on the last day of school.
  Students, of course, only get the summer off.
  MLAs don’t have to be back in the legislature for the fall sitting until Oct. 30.
  That’s almost 21 weeks away.
  For members of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives, it means they have the next six weeks free to rally support for their unification deal before a ratification vote July 2
  
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• Province announces $1.7 million for homeless shelter upgrades

  08-06-2017 02:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The Urban Manor Housing Society is getting money it needs to fix a leaky roof, part of a $1.7-million fund announced Wednesday by the provincial government to address maintenance and repair issues at shelters across Alberta.
  Urban Manor, a downtown homeless shelter for men with addictions, is receiving $52,266, while the Hope Mission and Operation Friendship Seniors Society are receiving $342,447 and $52,266, respectively. The money is to pay for remediating fire, health and safety risks.
  Commun
  
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• Self-driving vehicles should cause rethink of LRT strategy, council told

  08-06-2017 02:05 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Edmonton could soon have its own mini think-tank on self-driving vehicles — a team reporting directly to the city manager that gets involved in all aspects of city work.
  Parking regulations, LRT projects, economic initiatives and poverty reduction strategies — the coming autonomous technology wave could impact every aspect of the city’s work, councillors said Wednesday, asking staff to rope in community experts to help them stay abreast of new developments. 
  “Autonom
  
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• Paula Simons: Last call for the Transit Hotel, Fort Road's Wild West saloon

  08-06-2017 02:02 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  On a warm Wednesday morning, the regulars are gathering at the Transit Hotel to swap stories, commiserate and drink a few beers.
  After almost 109 years in business, the iconic Fort Road hotel is closing its doors at the end of the month. Staff received the news late Tuesday afternoon. So did the dozen or so tenants who live in the rooms upstairs. 
  The Transit is an authentic Edmonton landmark with its signature facade like a set piece from a Hollywood Western.
  Transit Hotel staff, patrons a
  
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• Alberta government boosts funding for agriculture courses

  08-06-2017 01:24 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  More high school students will have the ability to study agriculture-related courses thanks to financial assistance from the Alberta government.
  Up to $400,000 will be invested annually to cover the course fees for students enrolled in Alberta’s Green Certificate Program.
  The program, developed in 1975 by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, gives hands-on opportunities in various agriculture-related fields for students interested in a career in agribusiness. Specializations in the program ra
  
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• Bus shuttles brought in for afternoon commuters as LRT line goes down

  08-06-2017 01:23 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Transit users in Edmonton were forced to use bus shuttles Wednesday afternoon following an electrical issue on the Capital Line LRT.
  An overhead catenary wire that connects power to the trains became damaged and initially impacted service between Churchill and Coliseum, city spokesperson Sarah Meffen said.
  Edmonton Transit System sent out a series of tweets alerting commuters that the line was unavailable between Central and Clareview, between Churchill and Coliseum; and the Metro line was unava
  
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• Edmonton police find $600,000 in stolen vehicle parts, charge two people in 'chop shop' investigation

  08-06-2017 01:10 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Edmonton police have charged two people after discovering $600,000 worth of vehicle parts and stolen property in a northeast Edmonton “chop shop.”
  A traffic stop earlier this month led to police discovering the warehouse Tuesday, an Edmonton Police Service news release said Wednesday.
  About one quarter of the property has been searched so far, police said. Some of the stolen property found included licence plates, vehicle identification number plates and stickers, various vehicle par
  
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• RCMP seek suspects in armed home invasion west of Edmonton

  08-06-2017 01:09 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance identifying suspects after a home invasion in Parkland County early Wednesday.
  Five males forced their way into a residence near the Beach Corner Esso at Highway 16A and Range Road 15 around 5:15 a.m., a news release from Stony Plain/Spruce Grove/Enoch RCMP said.
  The suspects threatened the homeowners with firearms and a knife, stole thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes stored in the home and fled, RCMP said.
  The homeowners were not injure
  
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• City ponders raising speed limits on major roads while cutting residential ones

  08-06-2017 01:01 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  City councillors pushed for speed limits to be cut sooner in residential neighbourhoods Wednesday, saying widespread support is obvious.
  But city officials also agreed to re-examine speed limits on Edmonton’s arterial roads after Ward 1 Coun. Andrew Knack argued higher speeds on main thoroughfares supports the efficient movement of goods and services.
  Residents can expect to see city staff sharing research, answering questions and gathering public feedback at festivals, schools and shoppin
  
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• Principal apologizes after Pride week decorations removed at Catholic school

  08-06-2017 00:51 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  A principal at Blessed Oscar Romero High School has apologized for telling students to remove Pride Week decorations from the school.
  Education Minister David Eggen said the Catholic high school’s demand was an “error in judgment” and should be a “teachable moment” for schools across the province.
  Students at Blessed Oscar Romero High School in Callingwood said they were told Tuesday to tear down banners and wash off sidewalk paint intended to celebrate Pride Week f
  
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• Two charged after police seize 150 grams of powder fentanyl from Calder neighbourhood

  08-06-2017 00:40 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Two men are facing a string of drug charges after Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) officers seized about 150 grams of powdered fentanyl from a vehicle in northwest Edmonton.
  The drug was worth an estimated $60,000, according to a Wednesday news release.
  The arrests were made following a three-month investigation. On June 1, officers searched a home in the Calder neighbourhood, as well as a vehicle where the fentanyl was found.
  Police said the suspects sold the fentanyl powder under
  
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