St. Albert news

• Alberta no longer a loser on interprovincial migration

  21-12-2017 23:21 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta gained more people from interprovincial migration than it lost for the first time since the downturn in the energy sector, new population data shows.
  Alberta lost 17,032 people to other provinces between July and September of this year, but gained another 17,775, giving the province a net gain of 743 people in the third quarter. 
  The margin is razor thin compared to the boom times of 2014, but it’s the first time Alberta has gained more people than it lost through interpr
  
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• Mark Letestu, Drake Caggiula struggling on the penalty kill, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins excelling

  21-12-2017 22:57 via edmontonjournal.com
  Everyone agrees that the Edmonton Oilers penalty kill is bad, but not everyone agrees on why it’s bad.
  Is it the players? The tactics? The goalies? 
  I’m not going to comment on the latter two issues, but we have been tracking which players make the most mistakes on scoring chances against on the penalty kill. This work is done by video review by myself and Jonathan Willis of The Athletic, with The Cult’s Bruce McCurdy casting the deciding vote on any disagreements.
  So far
  
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• Scouts' dishonour: Troop leader admits to shooting Boy Scout with pellet gun

  21-12-2017 22:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  A former Scouts Canada leader who admitted to shooting one of his young troop members with a pellet gun has been ordered to serve a six-month community-based sentence.
  Todd Russell Robertson, 49, was sentenced in provincial court Dec. 13 after admitting to shooting one of the seven youths in his charge during a July 2016 weekend fundraiser and firearms competition in Calgary.
  According to an agreed statement of facts cited in provincial court Judge Allan Fradsham’s reasons for sentenc
  
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• Merry Christmas is hateful?: Reaction swift to Jason Kenney 'joke'

  21-12-2017 22:32 via edmontonjournal.com
  People online were left scratching their heads Thursday morning over comments made by Jason Kenney suggesting a potential war on Christmas.
  Kenney was quoted in a Calgary Sun column saying “people on the left think saying Merry Christmas is hateful.
  “Those voices of crazed political correctness will not govern what is allowed,” Kenney continued.
  “The problem is people on the left think saying Merry Christmas is hateful. Those voices of crazed political correctness will no
  
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• Albertans are searching Google for Jesus more than the rest of Canada

  21-12-2017 22:29 via edmontonjournal.com
  Albertans are more interested in searching online for pages related to ‪Mary‬, ‪Nativity of Jesus‬, and ‪Saint Joseph‬‬ than Canadians living elsewhere, according to Google Trends.
  This close to Christmas is an obvious time of year for searches related to the Nativity to be trending, and perhaps Alberta is the obvious leader.
  On Google’s “Search Interest” scale for the topic in Canada, Alberta is ranked at 100, followed by Saskatchewan
  
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• Grande Prairie man accused of fatally shooting 16-year-old girlfriend

  21-12-2017 21:23 via edmontonjournal.com
  A 19-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after his 16-year-old girlfriend was fatally shot in Grande Prairie, RCMP said.
  Grande Prairie RCMP found Hannah Sutton dead after being called to a home near 94 Avenue and 100 Street in Grande Prairie on Saturday around 10:30 a.m., said police in a Thursday news release. 
  An autopsy later confirmed Sutton had been shot to death.
  A 19-year-old man was arrested in connection to the investigation Wednesday.
  Justice Watt-Blais, of Gr
  
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• Province announces new super lab at U of A's south campus

  21-12-2017 21:06 via edmontonjournal.com
  The University of Alberta’s south campus will be the home of a new integrated public lab facility that will allow more health tests to be done more quickly in Edmonton.
  Health Minister Sarah Hoffman announced the location of the new super lab on Thursday at a news conference at the University of Alberta Hospital. Hoffman said construction will begin in 2019 and will be completed by 2022.
  Alberta Health announces Edmonton's new lab services facility will be constructed on the south cam
  
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• Red Deer RCMP make arrest in suspected $10 million Ponzi scheme

  21-12-2017 18:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  A Red Deer man is facing fraud and money laundering charges in what Red Deer RCMP say may be the largest Ponzi scheme bust in central Alberta.
  “I believe this may be the largest fraud file we’ve seen in Central Alberta,” Const. William Lewadniuk with the Red Deer RCMP financial crimes unit said in a Thursday release.
  Red Deer RCMP began investigating in April 2016 after receiving reports of the suspected fraudulent rental of mobile light towers by Silvertip Energy Inc.
  Investig
  
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• Illegal cannabis dispensaries shut down by police, multiple charges pending

  21-12-2017 18:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  City police shut down two illegal south Edmonton cannabis dispensaries and say charges are pending against the operators for “clearly” breaking the law prior to legalization of the drug anticipated next summer. 
  Officers called to a building near 46 Avenue and 101 Street on Nov. 30 after receiving a complaint later discovered 100 marijuana plants being cultivated on a premises illegally and without Health Canada authorization. In addition, a sophisticated distribution center sto
  
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• Epcor warns public after copper stolen from transformer boxes

  21-12-2017 17:06 via edmontonjournal.com
  Epcor is warning the public to stay clear of open transformer boxes and to report them, following seven thefts of copper in two months.
  The open boxes found in October and November put the public, especially small children and pets, at risk, Epcor spokesman Tim LeRiche said Wednesday.
  The thefts are atypical not only in their frequency, but in the fact the thief or thieves made off with only about $20 worth of copper each time.
  “We just can’t understand why anybody would risk injury
  
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• Thursday's letters: Cartoon shows need for #MeToo movement

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  I was dumbfounded by Malcolm Mayes’s cartoon Tuesday, which depicted a plain, bespectacled woman standing alone under mistletoe while a group of men wearing #NotMe T-shirts cringe and grimace.
  Surely Mayes had not wished to erroneously suggest that sexual assault had anything to do with female physical attractiveness or intended to demean women based on their appearance?
  On the other hand, did Mayes mean that the #MeToo movement had struck fear into the hearts of men and put a chill on har
  
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• Province to announce new Edmonton super lab for health tests

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Health Minister Sarah Hoffman is expected to announce the location of a new integrated public lab facility in Edmonton on Thursday. The announcement will be a made at the University of Alberta Hospital.
  The super lab would allow more health tests to be done more quickly, as well as include technology for new tests, currently done outside of the province.
  Right now, lab services in Edmonton are provided by a combination of Alberta Health Services labs, Covenant Health and private-sector
  
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• Peace on Earth? No. But sometimes peace in the Alberta legislature

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Maybe there’s hope for them yet.
  Even though Alberta’s provincial politicians spend much of their time at each other’s throats, and even though the divisiveness seems to be getting worse with the rise of the United Conservative Party and the fall of the NDP in public opinion polls, they do at times work together.
  We might not have Peace on Earth, but sometimes we get peace in the legislative assembly.
  In the fall sitting, which ended just a week ago, we saw both sides happily w
  
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• Opinion: Canada must seize low-carbon buildings opportunity

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Canadians spend 90 per cent of their time, on average, indoors. Therefore, the quality of our homes and buildings is of major importance to our health and well-being, our comfort and lifestyle, and our productivity and pocketbooks.
  Buildings also matter to our carbon footprint — both as individuals and as a country. From apartments to schools to office towers, buildings are responsible for nearly 12 per cent of Canada’s overall carbon pollution and more than a quarter of our energy-r
  
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• Katz Group wants a special deal for liquor store in Ice District

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Katz Group is asking for a special bylaw exemption to open a liquor store in the Ice District and Edmonton city council indicated it is at least willing to listen.
  The major downtown developer wants a liquor store on the ground floor of the Stantec Tower, now under construction near the corner of 102 Street and 103 Avenue with a grocery store planned for the second floor.
  But the new liquor store would be roughly 30 metres — just across the street — from an existing liquor store
  
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• French immersion, other programs could expand to five public schools

  21-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  French immersion could begin at Oliver School next September if enough families are interested.
  Parents who’ve pushed for a program in central Edmonton say they feel more hopeful this time as Edmonton Public Schools takes a second crack at adding French immersion kindergarten and Grade 1 classes at the century-old school at 10227 118 St.
  Next fall, Crawford Plains Elementary School in Mill Woods will also offer French immersion in kindergarten and Grade 1 should enough students pre-enrol,
  
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• Nugent-Hopkins, Lucic, Puljujarvi & others finally thriving in Edmonton Oilers new line combos

  21-12-2017 07:03 via edmontonjournal.com
  Game Day 35: Oilers vs Blues
  On Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues we will see just how far the Edmonton Oilers have come. 
  Are they the somewhat lazy and undoubtedly lopsided and confused team that got whipped by the Blues twice in November, losing 4-1 and 8-3 and getting outchancing them 20 to 12 and 28 to 13. Now that is getting stomped. That is another team running your show. And that is not acceptable for an Oilers team that should be in the thick of the playoff race, not scram
  
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• Nugent-Hopkins, Lucic, Puljujarvi and others finally thriving in Edmonton Oilers new line combos

  21-12-2017 06:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  On Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues we will see just how far the Edmonton Oilers have come. 
  Are they the somewhat lazy and certainly lopsided and confused team that got whipped by the Blues twice in November, losing 4-1 and 8-3 and getting outchancing them 20 to 12 and 28 to 13.
  That is getting stomped. That is another team running your show. That is not acceptable for an Oilers team that should be in the thick of the playoff race, not scrambling to save its season. 
  If ther
  
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• Walterdale Bridge shared use path set to open

  21-12-2017 05:11 via edmontonjournal.com
  City of Edmonton project manager Ryan Teplitsky speaks about the new Walterdale Bridge’s shared use path during a press conference in Edmonton on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. The path will be open to the public beginning at 6 a.m. on Dec. 21.
  
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• Fatal trailer fire in Vermilion under investigation

  21-12-2017 04:43 via edmontonjournal.com
  Two adults were found dead inside a trailer after a fire in Vermilion on Tuesday.
  Vermilion RCMP and EMS were called out to a trailer fire south of Vermilion around 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a news release sent Wednesday by RCMP.
  The trailer was destroyed and the two adults were found dead inside, RCMP said.
  Fire investigators and police remain on scene and are continuing to investigate.
  Vermilion is 193 km east of Edmonton.
   
  
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• New Year's Eve events around Edmonton and area

  21-12-2017 04:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  New Year’s Eve downtown Edmonton
  A family-friendly event will be held at the Federal Building at 9820 107 St. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with fireworks at 9 p.m.
  Inside the Federal Building, there will be music, comedians, magicians, jugglers, games, glitter tattoos and other activities.
  Outside there will be performances by Rule of Nines, hayrides, ice carving, fire pits and bannock making.
  There will also be food trucks between 99 Avenue between 107 Street and 109 Street.
  Mayor Don Iveso
  
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• Alberta Health Services buys Hinton seniors care centre for $2.5 million

  21-12-2017 03:38 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta Health Services is set to take over operation of a 52-bed seniors care centre in Hinton, after buying the facility from a non-profit organization for $2.5 million.
  The purchase of the Mountain View Centre from the Lutheran-based Good Samaritan Society was announced Wednesday, with AHS expected to take full ownership of the site by March 31.
  The sale price is dependent on the Good Samaritan Society repaying some loans and installing new boilers in the facility, the government said.
  &ldquo
  
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• Marble lion sculpture smashed after thieves target west-end art studio

  21-12-2017 03:31 via edmontonjournal.com
  Vandals who smashed a marble lion have also broken local artist Claude Garneau’s heart.
  “It’s like the Taliban destroying the Buddhas; it’s criminal, it’s not necessary,” Garneau said Wednesday.
  Thieves attempted to steal a large marble statue from behind his studio — Atelier Garneau Studio — and stonework shop — Written in Stone — at 15607 100A Ave. in west Edmonton on Monday, he said.
  When they were unable to lift the 1.2-metre, 360-k
  
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• Epcor warns public after copper stolen from transmission boxes

  21-12-2017 03:22 via edmontonjournal.com
  Epcor is warning the public to stay clear of open transmission boxes and to report them, following seven thefts of copper in two months.
  The open boxes found in October and November put the public, especially small children and pets, at risk, Epcor spokesman Tim LeRiche said Wednesday.
  The thefts are atypical not only in their frequency, but in the fact the thief or thieves made off with only about $20 worth of copper each time.
  “We just can’t understand why anybody would risk injury
  
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• Work begins on new marijuana facility in Edmonton-area industrial park

  21-12-2017 03:04 via edmontonjournal.com
  A new cannabis production facility near Edmonton could become one of the country’s largest marijuana growing operations, the company behind the facility says.
  Work to convert a former modular home factory into a marijuana grow and production operation began this month, said Troy Dezwart, co-founder and chief operating officer of Freedom Cannabis.
  The company, based in Acheson just west of Edmonton, is converting the 125,000-square-foot building as it applies for a cannabis licence fro
  
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• New Queen's Bench top judge promises 'SWAT team' approach to backlog

  21-12-2017 02:42 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta’s new superior court chief justice says she’s taking a “SWAT team” approach to tackling the backlog overwhelming the province’s courts. 
  In a courtroom packed with judges, lawyers, court staff and her family and friends, Mary Moreau was sworn in Wednesday as chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench by Alberta Chief Justice Catherine Fraser.
  Fraser described Moreau — the first Francophone Albertan and first woman to hold the position &mdas
  
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• Alberta Health Services buys $2.5M Hinton continuing care centre

  21-12-2017 02:32 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta Health Services is set to take over operation of a 52-bed seniors care centre in Hinton, after buying the facility from a non-profit organization for $2.5 million.
  The purchase of the Mountain View Centre from the Lutheran-based Good Samaritan Society was announced Wednesday, with AHS expected to take full ownership of the site by March 31, 2018.
  The sale price is dependent on the Good Samaritan Society repaying some loans and installing new boilers in the facility, the government said.
  
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• Donate-A-Ride is more than a lift for recipients in Edmonton

  21-12-2017 02:26 via edmontonjournal.com
  An Indigenous couple is new to the city. They have work, but money is tight. Both are staying at a motel. And every day the young woman hops on transit without paying, risking a large fine.
  “It was just an expense they couldn’t spare,” said Cheryl Whiskeyjack, executive director of the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, an Indigenous non-profit.
  “Donate-A-Ride was the way we supported this young lady,” Whiskeyjack said during a fundraising announcement Wednesda
  
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• Oilfield supplier and caseworkers team up on delivering presents to families in need

  21-12-2017 02:19 via edmontonjournal.com
  A room is filled with wrapped presents, carefully selected from wish lists and ready to be delivered. But this isn’t Santa’s workshop or the work of little elves. It’s the generosity of Edmontonians.
  On Wednesday, the employees of Spartan Controls were joined by Children’s Services caseworkers to share stories of struggle and the effects of unexpected generosity. The gifts, neatly stacked in the adjoining room, were bought by employees and will be donated to nine families
  
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• Edmonton police tight-lipped over latest homicide

  21-12-2017 01:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  City police are not talking about a homicide quietly added to the tally of such deaths in the city in 2017.
  In year-end interviews Tuesday, Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht said the number of homicides had increased to 41 from 40.
  Speaking on behalf of the Edmonton Police Service on Wednesday, Scott Pattison said there is an ongoing investigation at a “very sensitive stage.”
  “We’re not sharing any further details at this time — nothing at all,” he sa
  
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• Travellers share holiday plans and travel tips during busiest time of year

  21-12-2017 00:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  Travellers at Edmonton International Airport shared their experiences Wednesday while they anxiously waited to depart for their destinations during the busy Christmas season.
  Elaine Armagost, Horsefly, B.C.
  Sitting by the most strategic spot, the charging station, Armagost was surrounded by four electronic devices to keep busy during her 12-hour journey from Grande Prairie, Alta., to Horsefly, B.C., northeast of Williams Lake in the Cariboo region.
  “I can go to London and back in that time
  
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• Diesel repair shop ordered to stop using boiler after worker dies

  21-12-2017 00:16 via edmontonjournal.com
  A diesel repair shop has been ordered to stop using a boiler that may have contributed to the death of an employee. 
  One person died and four more were hospitalized Tuesday morning after an apparent carbon monoxide poisoning at Dave’s Diesel Repair in Acheson, 23 km west of Edmonton.
  Alberta Labour ordered the company to stop using the boiler Wednesday. Trent Bancarz, spokesman with Alberta Labour, said the boiler was used to heat the shop. 
  “As for it being the cause
  
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• Alberta's new auditor general named by search committee

  21-12-2017 00:16 via edmontonjournal.com
  An all-party search committee Wednesday recommended Doug Wylie be named Alberta’s next auditor general.
  He would take over from Merwan Saher, who has held the position since 2010. 
  Wylie has worked in the Office of the Auditor General for 28 years, most recently as assistant auditor general. 
  “He possesses valuable insight and extensive knowledge that are the requisite foundations for this challenging role,” said Edmonton-Centre NDP MLA David Shepherd in a news releas
  
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