St. Albert news

• Century Hospitality Group takes over Piccolino restaurant space

  18-07-2017 22:35 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Fans of Piccolino Bistro (9112 142 St.), for more than 15 years a west-end staple, were sad when the restaurant shuttered a few days ago. But already, a new concept is underway, care of Century Hospitality Group, that will see the space relaunch come fall.
  According to an e-mail from CHG owner Chris Lachance, the buffed-up eatery will provide “an elevated and innovative experience to what people think of when they think of a neighbourhood restaurant and bar.”
  “We’re darin
  
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• Eskimos announce winner of largest 50/50 jackpot in CFL history

  18-07-2017 22:31 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Canadian Football League history was made Tuesday afternoon as the Edmonton Eskimos announced the winner of the league’s largest 50/50 draw.
  Winners Quentin and Samantha Ebertz were presented with a cheque for $435,919.50 by club president and CEO Len Rhodes.The jackpot broke the league record Friday night during the game against the Ottawa Redblacks. The prize total started the game at $82,060 carrying over the unclaimed prize from the previous game June 30. 
  The amount equal to the
  
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• Opinion: Province should pay jurors fairly

  18-07-2017 21:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The Alberta government has committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2018.  As Labour Minister Christina Gray has said, “this is exactly the time for a fair wage because all Albertans deserve a living wage”.  But if her government is serious about fairness, it should set the example by paying at least minimum wage to its juries.
  Imagine you are one of the thousands of people summoned for possible jury selection each year.  You spend several hours at the
  
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• Child advocate 'concerned' about government inaction on death recommendations

  18-07-2017 21:18 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Alberta’s child and youth advocate says he is growing frustrated by what he sees as a lack of urgency from the province to address problems his office has identified following the deaths of children in government care.
  “Certainly I am concerned about the government’s response to recommendations,” Del Graff said Tuesday at a news conference. “We have seen repeatedly the government has said they accept recommendations and then we wait for action.”
  Graff specific
  
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• Thieves steal $50K, security hard drive in violent hotel robbery

  18-07-2017 20:43 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  RCMP are investigating a violent weekend robbery in which a female staff member at a Vegreville hotel was assaulted by thieves who made off with more than $50,000 in cash and the hard drive of the hotel security system.
  Four masked males entered the lobby of the Garden Inn on Highway 16A at 3:45 a.m. Saturday and forced the lone staff member to lay on the ground.
  When she tried to look up, one of the males struck her repeatedly around the head inflicting minor injuries.
  Over the next hour the th
  
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• Canada won't be rushed into a bad NAFTA deal, says ambassador

  18-07-2017 20:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Canada will be pushing for a timely resolution to North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations in August but won’t rush into a bad deal, the nation’s ambassador to the U.S. said Tuesday in Edmonton. 
  Ahead of speaking with premiers at the Council of the Federation meeting, David MacNaughton told media he’s hearing about a cooled investment climate across the country as questions swirl around the future of NAFTA. 
  “To get a clarification of the trade r
  
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• Guest column: Province should pay jurors fairly

  18-07-2017 20:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The Alberta government has committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2018.  As Labour Minister Christina Gray has said, “this is exactly the time for a fair wage because all Albertans deserve a living wage”.  But if her government is serious about fairness, it should set the example by paying at least minimum wage to its juries.
  Imagine you are one of the thousands of people summoned for possible jury selection each year.  You spend several hours at the
  
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• Wednesday Letters: Photo radar a cash cow

  18-07-2017 19:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Re: New app will help drivers avoid speed traps in city, July 13.
  Finally, an admission that photo radar sites are, in fact, speed traps. The smartphone, downloadable app is referred to “as a proactive alert” for drivers. Why has the City of Edmonton adopted a mobile cash revenue generation strategy rather than permanently-mounted, proactive safety measures for school zones and parks?
  Virtually every city, town and village in Europe uses radar-activated warning lights and signs to sl
  
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• Tuesday's Letters: Kudos to Gord Downie

  18-07-2017 19:57 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  We just watched The Secret Path, an animated film made by ailing rock star Gord Downie, about indigenous boy who ran away from a residential school in 1966 and died trying to make the trek back home in Northern Ontario. Very moving and well done.
  I suddenly realized that at the time I was teaching in Uganda on behalf of  the Canadian Government, the same government that abducted native kids and put them in often abusive residential schools. In 1966, while that boy lay dy
  
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• Stolen credit cards, meth and weapons seized in Vegreville arrests

  18-07-2017 19:54 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Two Vegreville residents have been charged with more than 100 offences related to the possession of hundreds of stolen credit cards, methamphetamine and weapons.
  An extensive RCMP investigation into stolen property in the town led officers to a camper van last Thursday where the two suspects were living.
  A search of the vehicle uncovered more than 600 stolen credit cards, stolen identification cards, dozens of stolen cheques, edged weapons, ammunition and a significant quantity of meth
  
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• Child advocate calls for improvements to reunification after three child deaths

  18-07-2017 18:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The deaths of three small children shortly after returning to the care of their mothers has Alberta’s child and youth advocate calling for improvements to how the province handles family reunifications.
  In a new report Tuesday, Del Graff said his investigations found several similarities in the tragic cases of a five-year-old girl, a two-year-old boy and a one-year old boy, all of whom died between September 2014 and October 2015.
  All three children spent much of their short lives in foste
  
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• Eskimos to announce winner of largest 50/50 jackpot in CFL history Tuesday afternoon

  18-07-2017 18:18 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Canadian Football League history will be made Tuesday afternoon as the Edmonton Eskimos announce the winner of the league’s largest 50/50 draw.
  The winning ticket holder will be presented with a cheque for $435,919.50 by club president and CEO Len Rhodes.
  The jackpot broke the league record Friday night during the game against the Ottawa Redblacks. The prize total started the game at $82,060 carrying over the unclaimed prize from the previous game June 30. 
  The amount equal to the pri
  
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• Edmonton Prolife booth will be allowed at K-Days festival

  18-07-2017 17:06 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Edmonton Prolife and K-Days Festival have come to an agreement that reverses an earlier decision that blocked an information booth from appearing at this year’s event at Northlands, a free speech organization representing the prolife group says.
  In a brief emailed statement Tuesday morning, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said the parties had reached a deal “following productive discussions between the parties to find an amicable resolution.”
  When contacted
  
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• Premiers gather in Edmonton Tuesday for Council of Federation meetings

  18-07-2017 16:20 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the implications for Canada is expected to dominate discussions at the Council of Federation meeting Tuesday in Edmonton.
  The United States released its NAFTA wish list Monday, including how it will try to scrap the Chapter 19 resolution panels Canada uses to appeal rulings on issues such as softwood lumber.
  Premiers met with Indigenous leaders Monday to discuss myriad issues including the missing and murdered women inquiry, children
  
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• Alberta top university salaries 'out of line,' advanced education minister says

  18-07-2017 16:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The province intends to limit the pay and perks Alberta universities and colleges offer their top executives as early as next spring, Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt says.
  Alberta university and college executive compensation is “way out of line with the rest of the country,” Schmidt said Monday.
  “We certainly don’t want to be uncompetitive with other jurisdictions, but we can’t be setting the bar at the highest level, either. We can no longer afford to d
  
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• B.C. forest fires prompt air quality warning for central Alberta

  18-07-2017 15:36 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  People suffering from breathing difficulties are being warned to stay inside Wednesday as thick smoke from B.C. forest fires makes its way across central Alberta.
  The province’s air quality health index will likely reach 10 with the poorest air quality between Hinton, Red Deer, and Edmonton.Environment Canada issued the warning early Tuesday morning saying a cold front is pushing smoke out of B.C. pushing it across the Rockies tonight. 
  “Individuals may experience symptoms such
  
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• Landrex Provides Platinum Sponsorship of an Annual Slo-Pitch Tournament

  18-07-2017 15:00
  
  Since 2014, the St. Albert KidSport chapter has funded more than $110,000 in sport registration fees, and has given hundreds of children access to sports they would otherwise not be able to play.
  
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• Library, seniors centre proposed for contentious surplus school site

  18-07-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Community leaders hoping to halt a contentious housing complex on a south-side surplus school site have been offered a tentative solution. 
  The small site in Henderson Estates could instead get a new library, seniors activity centre and public meeting space, along with community gardens and potentially even a local cafe/bakery, to create a gathering place for the neighbourhood.
  “It’s a win-win for everybody,” said Jim Bradshaw, whose community league board unanimously endo
  
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• New Jersey Devils desperate for – wait for it – a top d-man like Adam Larsson

  18-07-2017 08:10 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  New Cult of Hockey podcastDo the Winnipeg Jets really have the second most star talent in the NHL? Is toughness and intimidation under-rated by the analytics crowd? Is Leon Draisaitl a better bet to drive his line than some analytics guys believe? It all comes down to analytics vs. the eyetest. Bruce McCurdy and David Staples of The Cult of Hockey, strong believers in using both analytics and the eyetest to rate players, dig into the issue. 
  Jersey lament: “Larsson was a bigger loss f
  
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• See the stars of Hollywood under the stars at Spruce Meadows

  18-07-2017 08:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  The outdoor movie, a classic rite of summer, is being embraced at Spruce Meadows.
  Movies at the Meadows — part of Spruce Meadows’ Soak up the Summer with ATCO — takes place Wednesday evenings from July 19 to Aug. 23.
  Tickets cost $20 per carload at the gate, or $15 in advance at sprucemeadows.com. The gates will open at 7:30 p.m. and each movie starts at dusk at Meadows on the Green.
  “This is our invitation to you to bring the family and come soak up the summer at Spruce
  
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• Graham Thomson: Annual premiers' conference begins with boycott

  18-07-2017 03:49 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Nobody wanted to call it a boycott.
  But that’s what it was.
  What else do you call it when the leaders of Canada’s three major indigenous groups refused at the last minute to attend a long-planned meeting with Canada’s premiers Monday in Edmonton?
  At a news conference in Toronto to explain why he wasn’t going to Edmonton, Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde said it was “not a boycott … it’s just something we’re not showing up at.&rdquo
  
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• Artists give Jasper Avenue the gift of the strange

  18-07-2017 03:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  So you’re walking down Jasper Avenue. You’re not paying much attention to the street signs. After all, they’re always the same. Don’t park here. Loading zone there. Watch out for construction. Don’t litter.
  They’re part of the urban landscape that we’ve all seen so many times before, we just take them for granted. They’re the visual white noise of the street. 
  And then, just for a moment, something catches your eye. It looks like an ordinary,
  
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• Former Greys Paper Recycling plant's assets up for auction; site's future remains unclear

  18-07-2017 03:05 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  City assets from the bankrupt Greys Paper Recycling plant will be sold in an online auction to pay back creditors, as the site shifts away from paper recycling.
  Reid’s Auction Canada Inc. is hosting the unreserved auction on behalf of the city, selling everything inside the large plant at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.
  The taxpayer-supported recycling plant produced recycled stationery from used office paper, clothing and linen. It filed for bankruptcy in January 2016. 
  The Cit
  
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• Eskimos keeping ratio status quo while riding out injuries

  18-07-2017 02:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Considering they’re sitting in first place with a 3-0 record, the Edmonton Eskimos are in no hurry to make wholesale changes that might interrupt the flow of their 2017 Canadian Football League season.
  Especially when it comes to their ratio of national and international players, which has evolved to feature an American Air Force of a receiving corps made up of Adarius Bowman, Brandon Zylstra, Vidal Hazelton and rookie Duke Williams.
  The defence has held up its end of things too, allowing
  
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• NAFTA expected to be hot topic as premiers sit down in Edmonton

  18-07-2017 02:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Canada’s position in the North American Free Trade Agreement will be a hot topic as premiers sit down at the table for the Council of Federation meeting Tuesday in Edmonton. 
  The United States released its NAFTA wish list Monday, including how it will try to scrap the Chapter 19 resolution panels Canada uses to appeal rulings on issues such as softwood lumber.
  Following the first COF meeting Monday, in which premiers met with leaders of the Indigenous Peoples’ Assembly of Canada
  
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• 'Accomplished yarn spinner' found guilty of second-degree murder

  18-07-2017 01:46 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  A murder suspect who fled Alberta and escaped detection by living under an alias in British Columbia was convicted Monday by a judge, who called him an “accomplished yarn spinner.”
  Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Sterling Sanderman found Gordon Shaw guilty in the 2011 murder of 70-year-old Bob Anderson. 
  During the trial, court heard evidence Shaw, 62, had been staying with Anderson, but fled the city in a taxi the night Anderson was killed.
  An autopsy found Anderson died a
  
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• Whyte's right: Eskimos kicker's streak ends at club record 25 straight

  18-07-2017 00:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Before anyone could even ask Sean Whyte a question in the locker-room following Friday’s game, the Edmonton Eskimos kicker already had the answer.
  “I pulled it right,” he told approaching media of a missed 47-yard field goal.
  Typically, there isn’t much to talk to the ultra-consistent Whyte about after a game.
  Until he misses, that is.
  And this particular miss spelled the end to a streak of 25 straight that set a new Eskimos club record.
  “I got 25 in Montreal, too w
  
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• Police officer suspended without pay after using "inappropriate force"

  18-07-2017 00:55 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  An Edmonton Police Service constable was suspended without pay for 35 hours Monday and ordered to undergo remedial tactics training after being found to have used “inappropriate force” against a suspect in a cell. 
  Mike Flavell had been a constable for just six months when he pushed an “intoxicated” and “belligerent” 54-year-old man — who later admitted was “acting like an idiot” — while he was detained in a holding cell at Northea
  
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• Gun, drugs seized from two west Edmonton residences

  18-07-2017 00:44 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  A medley of drugs with an estimated street value of $87,700 and a handgun were seized from two residences in west Edmonton last week. 
  The province’s integrated police force’s crime and gang team along with Stony Plain RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service raided the homes near Winterburn Road last Monday, arresting a 24-year-old man. 
  Investigators found 500 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of ecstasy, 92 grams of methamphetamine and 2.6 kilograms of marijuana, a cocaine pre
  
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• FC Edmonton to regroup after difficult Spring Season

  18-07-2017 00:44 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  FC Edmonton needs to find someone who can score.
  Through 16 games in the North American Soccer League Spring Season, the local professional club scored just 11 goals.
  They were shutout 11 times, resulting in 11 losses and finished the first half of the season seventh in the eight-team standings.
  In order for FC Edmonton to qualify for the NASL playoffs, they’ll need to either finish first in the 16-game Fall Season, or climb into one of the top four spots in the combined standings.
  FC Edmo
  
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• Home studios change face of recording industry

  18-07-2017 00:37 via edmontonjournal.com
  
  Four boys hanging an old mattress on the wall of their parents’ Mill Woods basement sums up the modern age of rock and roll.
  It’s no Abbey Road, but for the two guitarists, bassist and drummer who formed Maylong last September, this will have to do. In the past 10 months, the alt-rock quartet built their own studio and recorded a soon-to-be-released first album.
  “Doing it ourselves gave us the luxury of taking as much time as we need to make the music we want to hear, and not h
  
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