St. Albert news

• Fort Saskatchewan's Two Sergeants brewery moving to Edmonton

  22-02-2018 22:46 via edmontonjournal.com
  By Jeff Labine
  Two Sergeants are marching into Edmonton, and they’re bringing their kegs with them.
  The Fort Saskatchewan brewery first opened its doors back in 2015, but is unable to expand in it’s current space northeast of Edmonton, and has struggled with attracting more customers to its taproom.
  Although the brewing business received a lot of support and developed some die-hard fans, Two Sergeants Brewing Inc. owner Kevin Moore told Postmedia they can no longer stay in the Fort a
  
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• Legislation aiming to protect whistleblowers takes effect in March

  22-02-2018 22:14 via edmontonjournal.com
  Legislation taking effect March 1 will better protect whistleblowers who report misconduct by elected officials, says Alberta’s labour minister. 
  “One of the most basic freedoms is the freedom to speak up without fear,” said Labour Minister Christina Gray at a Thursday news conference.
  Bill 11, introduced in May, expanded whistleblower protection to include staff in the offices of Alberta MLAs and the premier, she said. They will be able to report complaints directly to Al
  
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• Grande Prairie RCMP urge driver to 'do the right thing' after pedestrian hit by truck and left in snowbank

  22-02-2018 21:13 via edmontonjournal.com
  A woman is in critical condition after she was struck by a truck and left lying in a snow bank in Grande Prairie, RCMP said Thursday.
  RCMP officers rushed to the scene at 11:55 p.m. where a 38-year-old woman was reportedly struck while walking south on 100 Street near the Crown and Anchor Pub.
  Witnesses said an older-model Ford truck was seen swerving in the road before they found a woman lying in a snowbank.
  The driver took off without waiting for help to arrive.
  The woman was taken to hospital
  
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• Man charged after Edmonton investment cash allegedly used to buy house

  22-02-2018 21:11 via edmontonjournal.com
  A former Grande Prairie man faces fraud charges for allegedly buying a house with money invested in an Edmonton company claiming to sell advertisements and credit-card terminals to Mexican taxis.
  Logan Keith Shaw was the sole director of 1681502 Alberta Ltd., which in less than three weeks in 2012 brought in about $940,000 from investors in B.C. and Alberta, according to an Alberta Securities Commission hearing notice.
  The company was purportedly in the business of raising money to sell, rent an
  
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• Edmonton businesses suffer $1.5 million in damages from cybercrime

  22-02-2018 21:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  Several Edmonton businesses were hit with combined damages of $1.5 million after suffering network intrusions resulting in the theft of data and attempted extortion last year, police said Thursday.
  Police arrested a 37-year-old man in relation to the cyber attacks after a person infiltrated information technology  networks of four businesses.
  The suspect “took control of company email and smartphone servers and demanded payment in the form of Bitcoin to prevent any further damage
  
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• Mamma Mia! star takes a chance on life with stellar results

  22-02-2018 19:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  It hasn’t even opened yet, and Mamma Mia! is “hands-down, the best show I have ever done,” according to star performer, Patricia Zentilli.
  Playing Donna, the feisty, birth-control-challenged mother of Sophie (who is getting married and needs one of three possible fathers to walk her down the aisle), Zentilli is finding both bliss, and wisdom, throughout this blockbuster musical, running until March 18 in the Maclab theatre at the Citadel.
  “It is so fun and full of joy and
  
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• Class size plan gets failing grade from Alberta Auditor General

  22-02-2018 19:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Auditor General Merwan Saher has found a ream of areas where the government is falling short of oversight, checks and balances to make sure Albertans are getting the best bang for their buck. 
  A billion-dollar program to reduce class sizes that hasn’t worked, risky financial investments in the Sturgeon Refinery and a climate change office without sufficient plans underpinned Saher’s February report.
  Class sizes
  A multi-billion dollar program to reduce class sizes, started in 200
  
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• Chef Michael Hassall hosts east coast fundraising meal at NAIT

  22-02-2018 17:51 via edmontonjournal.com
  The new executive chef at Ernest’s restaurant at NAIT is bringing more special events to Ernest’s, including the latest, a Taste of PEI, a fundraiser for young chef training on March 10 at 6 p.m..
  Chef Michael Hassall’s theme is east coast goodness, and the five-course meal (complete with wine pairings) is $110, including tax and tip. The night includes fresh oysters, and a seafood chowder made with Red Norland potatoes and squid ink coral. For details and to reserve your
  
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• Alberta Auditor General to release February report Thursday

  22-02-2018 16:29 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta auditor general Merwan Saher will release his February report Thursday morning. 
  The multi-part report is set to include a look at class sizes in Alberta schools and attendance in the Northland School Division, and at post-secondary institutions in the province. 
  Albertans can also expect a dive into bitumen processing at the Sturgeon Refinery and recommendations on managing the province’s Climate Leadership Plan. 
  Saher will also look at Pure North grants
  
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• What is Halal meat?

  22-02-2018 15:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  More Alberta beef producers are pursuing halal certification as Canada’s Muslim population continues to grow.
  Halal means permissible in Arabic and refers to foods that have been prepared according to Islamic law. Alberta meat producers and processors are always looking to expand their market so there has been a spike in the number of producers exploring halal-compliant slaughter. 
  There are a million or so Muslims living in Canada and that figure is expected to triple
  
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• Edmonton weather: Can't go wrong with single-digit temperatures

  22-02-2018 14:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  Thursday’s Environment Canada forecast is calling for a bit of snow and single-digit temperatures — time to break-out the shorts and t-shirts (too soon?).
  Today: Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries early this morning. Clearing this morning. Wind west 20 km/h becoming light this morning. High minus -6 C.
  Tonight: A few clouds. Wind becoming south 20 km/h overnight. Low -14 C.
  Tomorrow: Increasing cloudiness. 30 percent chance of flurries in the afternoon. Wind southwest 2
  
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• Thursday's letters: Don't repeat same mistakes with west LRT

  22-02-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Re. “Time to put the brakes on costly Stony Plain Road underpass plan,” Paula Simons, Feb. 20
  I always enjoy reading Paula Simons’s commentary and she gets things right most of the time, but she got it wrong on the underpass on Stony Plain Road.
  Public transport must be built with a 100-year view. The city got it very wrong on the LRT crossing of 87 Avenue in the University area and on Kingsway. Lets not repeat those mistakes and create major traffic delays in the west side of
  
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• Opinion: Albertans breathing easier from plummeting coal use

  22-02-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Air pollution from coal in Alberta is plummeting. This is great news for the lungs of children and the hearts of the elderly, and indeed, all Albertans, as we all benefit from cleaner skies.
  Last month, coal generation provided on average 3,600 megawatts (MW) of our electricity, down from 4,700 MW in January 2016. That’s an incredible 22-per-cent decrease, impressive in such a cautious industry. What’s going on?
  The accelerated coal phaseout adopted by the Alberta government in 2015
  
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• Editorial: Keeping riverwalk moving the right step

  22-02-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  It’s telling that the fondest memories that Edmontonians bring back from other cities often involve close proximity to water. Who could forget sauntering along the Seawall in Vancouver or down the waterfront in Victoria?
  Yes, those coastal cities benefit from their enviable geography next to an ocean but even inland communities as landlocked as Edmonton have seen fit to develop their own aquatic experiences using local waterways. The Assiniboine Riverwalk in Winnipeg and the Rive
  
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• Rust never sleeps: High Level Bridge too weak for LRT, engineers say

  22-02-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  The High Level Bridge is so corroded, some of its steel beams are only half as thick as they once were, according to an engineering study.
  The heavy concrete foundations are no longer strong enough to carry the weight of LRT trains and a proposed shared use path, according to the report published by Stantec engineers earlier this month. 
  The bridge was built for freight trains in 1912. So even at its reduced strength, it’s still safe to drive and walk across. But the cost to restore i
  
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• Shannon Szabados of Team Canada almost steals Olympic gold, but not quite

  22-02-2018 09:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton’s Shannon Szabados almost stole a win for Team Canada in the Olympic gold medal game, but Team USA proved to be the superior team, both in the overtime period and the shoot-out, winning 3-2.
  In my review of scoring chances, Team USA had 23 to 18 for Team Canada, with the US with 8 Grade A chances and 6 for Canada. 
  A few observations on the game:Cassie Campbell doesn’t always do a great job on her NHL commentary, but she absolutely nailed it doing colour work on the wo
  
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• The latest in the trade war: Can B.C. force us to buy B.C. wine?

  22-02-2018 03:46 via edmontonjournal.com
  It’s supposed to be an oil pipeline, but these days, it’s looking more and more like a rabbit hole — and we seem to be falling deeper down it every day.
  The struggle over Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has created a constitutional muddle, endangered the national climate change plan, undercut British Columbia’s wine industry and pitted Canada’s only two NDP governments against each other.
  And that was only the beginning.
  Now, we
  
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• New trial in Edmonton sexual assault case after police charter breach

  22-02-2018 03:29 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Supreme Court of Canada has ordered a new trial for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a former partner in the presence of two children.
  The court ruled an Edmonton police officer breached the man’s Charter rights during an interview.
  The man, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, was convicted Nov. 17, 2015, a decision the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld 2-1 in 2017.
  At issue was the delivery of the Edmonton Police Service’s standard caution to suspects and, in pa
  
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• Paula Simons: Jane Philpott promises First Nations kids "equity-plus"

  22-02-2018 03:15 via edmontonjournal.com
  For decades, the federal government has under-funded child welfare agencies on First Nations reserves. Families and kids on reserve get less support and fewer services than those off reserve.
  In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the government to fix the problem. Yet Ottawa is still not in compliance with the tribunal’s directive, despite a series of follow-up orders. It’s a double outrage. Not only are vulnerable children and families getting short shrift; the governm
  
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• Worker dies after accident at Walterdale Bridge construction site

  22-02-2018 02:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  A worker in his 60s has died after an apparent workplace accident at the Walterdale Bridge construction site.
  A construction worker was found unconscious at the site Tuesday just after noon, and was rushed to hospital in serious life-threatening condition.
  Trent Bancarz, a spokesperson for Alberta Labour, said the man later died.
  “His fatal injuries appear to be the result of contact with a vehicle or equipment,” Bancarz said Wednesday, adding investigators have yet to determine what
  
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• City hall committee recommends lifting Edmonton ban on combative sports

  22-02-2018 00:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  The community services committee on Wednesday voted to lift the city’s year-long ban on combative sports. It now goes to city council.
  “The council called for significant changes as to how we regulate combative sports,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “Some of those changes are legislative and are coming and some of those changes are cultural.
  “This industry needs to be cleaned up … And I’m quite confident that we’ll be in a position to lift the moratorium
  
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• Edmonton council votes to make outdoor pools free again in 2018

  22-02-2018 00:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton’s outdoor pools will be free again this summer, building on a popular program in 2017. 
  City officials said crowds packed the four outdoor pools, with demand exceeding what was envisioned when the free program was pitched to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. Attendance more than doubled from the 88,639 people who came the year before, with many families coming with their children for a short dip before bedtime.
  Council’s community services committee debated th
  
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• Panelists push for Alberta sales tax, but not everyone agrees

  22-02-2018 00:40 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta needs a provincial sales tax to help deal with an unsustainable fiscal situation, but it won’t resolve all the looming financial issues, a tax and economics expert says.
  An eight per cent provincial sales tax, on top of the five per cent federal goods and services tax, would give the government $7.4 billion annually (after a rebate is given to low-income earners) and would reduce reliance on oil and gas revenues, said Bev Dahlby, research director at the University of Calgary&rsquo
  
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• Thieves targeting specific truck parts across Edmonton

  22-02-2018 00:33 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton police are on the hunt for thieves targeting catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters in trucks after dozens of thefts and attempted thefts since January.
  “Vehicles left in parking lots over the weekend appear to be the most vulnerable,” west division Det. Vern Tuttle said in a news release Wednesday. “However, these thieves appear to be active any day of the week and have targeted some locations numerous times.”
  According to police, officers have been
  
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• Edmonton to pilot new retractable shields for bus drivers

  22-02-2018 00:26 via edmontonjournal.com
  Ten new Edmonton Transit buses will be outfitted with retractable shields in a pilot project aimed at reducing assaults on drivers. 
  The shields will be installed on Edmonton’s most problematic routes, allowing drivers to close the Plexiglas at night or when they feel threatened, said Doug Jones, Edmonton’s deputy city manager for city operations.
  That will likely includes Routes 8 and 1, which had eight and six security incidents last year respectively. 
  “It’s
  
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