St. Albert news

• Average Edmonton house prices rising, survey indicates

  12-10-2017 19:57 via edmontonjournal.com
  Average Edmonton home prices rose by four per cent in the July to September period compared to the same time in 2016, according to the Royal LePage House Price Survey released Thursday.
  Last summer’s median home price — the midway point of all the values — was $389,330, the survey showed.
  The increase was higher for standard Edmonton two-storey houses, which saw median prices go up by five per cent for the same period to $449,364, while bungalows climbed 2.4 per
  
  Read more

• Alberta television and film industry grant lacked financial oversight: Auditor General

  12-10-2017 19:36 via edmontonjournal.com
  A provincial grant program aiming to boost Alberta’s television and film productions lacked financial oversight and allowed recipients to claim ineligible expenses, says the province’s auditor general.
  The Alberta Production Grant program — which doled out $43 million in 2016-17 with a cap of $5 million per project — had unclear guidelines for recipients and continued to fund individuals after ineligible claims were made, says a report released Thursday by Auditor General
  
  Read more

• 70-year-old woman hospitalized after being hit by car in crosswalk

  12-10-2017 19:06 via edmontonjournal.com
  A 70-year-old woman is fighting for her life in hospital after being struck by a car Wednesday night.
  Edmonton cit police say the 70-year-old woman was crossing 87 Avenue at 169 Street in a marked crosswalk at 7:45 p.m. when she was hit by a 2013 Nissan Altima. That crosswalk is equipped with a full set of traffic lights.
  Investigators believe the car was travelling north on 169 Street turning left onto 87 Avenue when it struck the woman.
  The pedestrian suffered multiple serious life-threat
  
  Read more

• Local restaurant owners tackle black-hole spaces with new concepts

  12-10-2017 19:03 via edmontonjournal.com
  It’s fall in Edmonton and a view of the shimmering gold of the river valley is much coveted. Chef Scott Downey hopes that spectacular vista, combined with a stellar kitchen, will lure diners in droves to his chic new eatery, The Butternut Tree.
  But Downey, who has an impressive culinary pedigree and more than a little charm, is taking a big risk on The Butternut Tree. Located in Oliver, close to the Alberta legislature, the site has struggled to retain a restaurant and has a reputation as
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Thursday's letters: Liberals influenced 'business decision'

  12-10-2017 18:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  Prime Minister Trudeau and Edmonton Mill Woods MP Amarjeet Sohi state that the cancellation of the Energy East Pipeline by TransCanada was a business decision.
  I agree, but only inasmuch as it was a decision taken by a business. They both insult my intelligence by claiming that the disastrous climate policies of the federal Liberal party had nothing to do with it. By claiming that the falling price of oil was the main culprit in the company’s reason for the cancellation does not ring true
  
  Read more

• Election signs damaged, stolen in Leduc forces warning from RCMP

  12-10-2017 18:31 via edmontonjournal.com
  People damaging or stealing municipal election signs in Leduc County could face criminal charges if caught, RCMP warned Thursday.
  Mounties are urging people to be “respectful of the democratic process” after more than 70 signs from more than one candidate have been targeted since late September. 
  “Our democracy thrives through robust and fair elections,” Leduc RCMP Const. Julian Celms said in a release.
  “Damaging signs and interrupting our electoral proces
  
  Read more

• Charges laid in armed home invasion near Vegreville

  12-10-2017 17:55 via edmontonjournal.com
  Two people are facing a bevy of charges including aggravated assault and dangerous operation of a vehicle in connection to an armed home invasion east of Edmonton late last week.
  Mounties responded to a call regarding a home invasion in the rural Vegreville area around 4:45 a.m. on Oct. 8 and about 30 minutes later, police found the suspects’ vehicle in Strathcona County.
  Officers attempted to perform a traffic stop but when the vehicle failed to, police used a tire deflation device.
  
  Read more

• Arcade Fire brings Edmonton Everything Now at Rogers Place

  12-10-2017 16:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  We used to talk about the separation of church and state more frantically, but one thing that continues to brazenly surround and envelop those two concepts is our luminous, better-not-question-it economic system.
  Never mind holy capitalism itself, one single cell phone brand holds more sway than most religions — and we’re all too wearily familiar with a certain businessman’s advertorial takeover of the most powerful nation on earth.
  Even before Wednesday night’s Arcade Fi
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Edmonton armed carjacking suspects flee to Saskatchewan

  12-10-2017 16:18 via edmontonjournal.com
  Suspects involved in two carjackings in Edmonton and Sherwood Park overnight have fled across the border to Saskatchewan, police said Thursday morning.
  At around 12:30 a.m., RCMP said they were first informed by Edmonton police of the first carjacking involving a black Ford Fusion somewhere in Edmonton.
  At the same time, a man sustained non-life threatening injuries after being shot in the shoulder and neck at a Holiday Inn Express on Broadmoor Avenue in Sherwood Park.
  Five minutes lat
  
  Read more

• Final election mayoral forum gets off to rough start

  12-10-2017 14:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton’s final mayoral forum got off to a rocky start Wednesday with one candidate suggesting the process was rigged.
  “One candidate knew what the questions were before they were asked,” said candidate Ron Cousineau, who earned cheers from several people in the audience. That derailed the forum for five minutes, but eventually the roughly 200 people in the audience voted to carry on.
  Moderator Dave Robertson cut off Cousineau during his next comment, warning his all
  
  Read more

• Potential widening of 75 Street looming controversy for next Edmonton council

  12-10-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  City planners have begun to study the need for widening 75 Street in Edmonton’s east end, a costly and controversial project that is drawing skepticism from candidates running for a council seat in Ward 8.   
  Adam Laughlin, the deputy city manager of infrastructure, said widening the street is not a foregone conclusion in the near future, but acknowledged the city is analyzing whether there is any urgency to moving the project forward.
  “It’s part of our normal capital
  
  Read more

• Opinion: Our municipal councils need leaders, not experts

  12-10-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Our democracy is a cherished possession. Wars have been fought for it; people have died for it; reputations have been made and destroyed by it; families have divided over it; taxes have gone up by it; great leaders have been elected as a result of it; and those with lesser skills, intellect and ability have requested the public’s endorsement by it.
  Based on what we read in both the door-to-door pamphlets delivered by those volunteering to serve on the municipal councils in this region and
  
  Read more

• Graham Thomson: Public pot or private pot? Answer depends in part on whether NDP thinks it will lose election

  12-10-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta is going to pot.
  The question is, will it be public or private?
  During this fall’s sitting of the legislative assembly (which starts Oct. 30), the government will introduce a bill to regulate the distribution and sale of cannabis. That’s the dope, so to speak, from a government source.
  What the source can’t say is if the government will only allow sales through government-run outlets or permit privately owned stores.
  There are just too many unanswered questions, includi
  
  Read more

• Griffin Reinhart would clear NHL waivers, league insider predicts

  12-10-2017 08:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  This in from NHL insider John Shannon of Sportsnet, his valuation of Las Vegas d-man Griffin Reinhart, essentially that Reinhart has no trade value at the NHL level at this point and would clear waivers if sent to the AHL. 
  Shannon was talking to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, when Stauffer mentioned that Vegas is going right now with nine d-men and three of them have yet to play, Brad Hunt, Griffin Reinhart and Jon Merrill.
  So far the Knights have gone with Jason Garrison, Lucas Sbisa, Colin
  
  Read more

• Oil Kings spot Wheat Kings lead in losing first of four-game road trip

  12-10-2017 04:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Edmonton Oil Kings did not learn the lessons of their first game against the Brandon Wheat Kings this season.
  For the second time in under a week, the Oil Kings spotted the Wheat Kings a three-goal, first-period lead, losing 5-2 at Westman Place in Brandon, Man., on Wednesday.
  Connor Gutenberg, Caiden Daley, Stelio Mattheos, Kale Clague and Gunnar Wegleitner scored for the Wheat Kings.
  Defencemen Ethan Cap and Matthew Robertson countered for the Oil Kings.
  Last Friday, the Oil Kings conceded
  
  Read more

• Former Manitoba health executive hired as Alberta's deputy health minister

  12-10-2017 03:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  A veteran civil servant who held high-ranking positions in Manitoba’s former NDP government has been hired as Alberta’s next deputy minister of health.
  Milton Sussman, who takes over the role officially Oct. 23, recently ended a short stint as CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
  Sussman stepped down from the health authority in June after serving 21 months.
  As CEO, he led one of Manitoba’s largest employers with a budget of more than $2.6 billion and 28,000 employees
  
  Read more

• Paula Simons: Edmonton's Irrelevant Show cancelled by CBC

  12-10-2017 02:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Irrelevant Show is as dead as Monty Python’s parrot.
  After seven seasons, CBC Radio has cancelled the hit sketch comedy show, made here in Edmonton.
  Why? Here’s a part of the statement the CBC’s Chuck Thompson emailed to me Wednesday: 
  “It’s not uncommon for new programs to be introduced to the schedule and, inevitably, that means other shows wind down. The programmers are always reviewing the schedule, looking for new ideas and new voices.”
  The Irrel
  
  Read more

• Research project looks at aging immigrants struggling in Edmonton

  12-10-2017 02:36 via edmontonjournal.com
  Hongmei Tong was a student at the University of Calgary when she realized there was a gap in research when it came to immigrant seniors connecting with their new homes and neighbours.
  Tong, an assistant professor with MacEwan University’s department of social work, is now starting five years of research on barriers seniors face in getting involved in their communities. The research is scheduled to begin next spring.
  “I got a sense that social integration is really, really important f
  
  Read more

• Supreme Court to hear appeal for man who killed toddler in patio crash

  12-10-2017 02:33 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments Wednesday over the sentencing of Richard Suter, a man convicted of crashing his SUV into a restaurant patio and killing a two-year-old boy.
  Not at question were the facts of the case.
  Suter pleaded guilty in 2015 to a charge of refusing to provide a breath sample following a collision causing death.
  In that collision, Suter — while arguing with his wife — mistakenly stepped on the accelerator rather than the brake and smashed
  
  Read more

• Coach puts slumping Oilers through gruelling practice

  12-10-2017 02:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  They knew it was coming.
  After being outworked in back-to-back losses and falling to 1-2 on the season, the Edmonton Oilers knew that head coach Todd McLellan would be attacking the problem Wednesday morning.
  And he did, getting his message through loud and clear in an intense and gruelling 60-minute session at the Downtown Community Arena adjacent to Rogers Place.McLellan skated their legs till they were rubber, then put them through battle drills until they were bent over at the waist gasping
  
  Read more

• Japandroids add a few more layers

  12-10-2017 02:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Japandroids
  With: Cloud Nothings
  When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
  Where: Union Hall, 6240 99 St.
  Tickets: $27.50 to $30, available at the door or in advance from Ticketfly
  David Prowse is well aware of the flipside to releasing an album that is both critically and popularly acclaimed.
  “People can really hold a record dear to their hearts,” reflects the drummer/vocalist for Vancouver’s Japandroids. “Look at Arcade Fire; there are fans that say nothing they’ve done has b
  
  Read more

• 10 things to do in Edmonton this week: LitFest, Moulettes, and I Mom So Hard

  12-10-2017 02:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  LitFest
  Scaachi Koul, Jen Agg, Kamal Al-Solaylee, Tanya Talaga, and Eamon McGrath are among the authors coming to town for this year’s Litfest, a celebration of nonfiction writing. First time authors Britt Wray (Rise of the Necrofauna), Evany Rosen and Chris Urquhart (Dirty Kids) will be on hand to talk about their books, while veteran writers Elaine Dewar (The Handover) and Chris Turner (The Patch) return for panels, workshops, and discussions. Check the website for more info.   
  
  Read more

• FC Edmonton's American forward believes good can come out of U.S. elimination

  12-10-2017 01:54 via edmontonjournal.com
  American soccer fans were in utter disbelief at the turn of events Tuesday, which saw the United States fail to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
  Three separate scenarios needed to play out on the final night of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament to deny the United States a berth in the next World Cup tournament.
  Against the odds, all three occurred as the U.S. lost at Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras upset Mexico and Panama, with help from the referee, defeated Costa Rica.
  “It&r
  
  Read more

• First-ever survey of Alberta’s transgender youth finds safety, violence, discrimination are issues

  12-10-2017 01:32 via edmontonjournal.com
  Friends are a frequent source of support. Visits to the doctor are a minefield. School bathrooms are the most nerve-racking.
  Survey results published by the University of Alberta on Wednesday give outsiders a first glimpse at how many young transgender Albertans wrestle with their mental health, experience discrimination and avoid the health-care system.
  “This isn’t about whose rights matter. This is about, in many cases, keeping our young people alive,” said education policy P
  
  Read more

• Long-delayed legislation banning youth from using tanning beds takes effect in 2018

  12-10-2017 01:10 via edmontonjournal.com
  Legislation banning youth under age 18 from using indoor tanning beds will take effect Jan. 1, almost three years after it was approved by government.
  The delay allowed for additional consultation with the tanning industry, so that businesses “would not be surprised,”  Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said Wednesday.
  “We thought it was important to connect with those folks,” she said. 
  The Skin Cancer Prevention (Artificial Tanning) Act — introduced
  
  Read more

• 5 things we learned from Esks' win over Als

  12-10-2017 00:18 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Edmonton Eskimos won.
  Those are four little letters hadn’t been written in 59 days – nearly two full months – since the Canadian Football League team started the season 7-0.
  A 42-24 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Thanksgiving Monday put an end to the six-game losing streak that followed, drawing them into a tie for third place in the West Division with a Saskatchewan Roughriders squad with whom they share an 8-6 record.
  Related
  Eskimos survive heart-stopping start again
  
  Read more

• Folk clubs import west coast's rising roots stars for the weekend

  12-10-2017 00:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  There’s music for the head, the heart and the feet as two rising stars from Vancouver’s roots music scene hit Edmonton with their bands in tow this weekend, both courtesy of local folk clubs.
  Beat happy
  When he’s not singing with theatrical glee, Jack Garton can spin trumpet solos over accordion swells all at once. This only hints at his stylistic range, from Cajun to country to reggae or beyond, but ultimately the singer and his band Demon Squadron try to make sure there&rsquo
  
  Read more

Follow @StAlbertNews on Twitter!