St. Albert news

• Talented cast and crew bring passion and whimsy to Freewill productions of Hamlet and Comedy of Errors

  21-06-2018 21:39 via edmontonjournal.com
  Maybe it’s because I am a journalist. But when I go to see a play, I like to come out of it with a fairly clear idea of what it was about, and why the playwright bothered to tell me the story. Sometimes a piece of theatre, as beautifully wrought as it may be, doesn’t score points on my personal scale of accessibility.
  So it is with me and the amazing William Shakespeare. He is often over my head. I saw Brian Bedford as King Lear at Stratford, and could hardly bring myself to come bac
  
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• Slaying of young mom beaten in Leduc leads to three-year sentence

  21-06-2018 21:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  A man has been handed a three-year sentence for second-degree murder after the 2015 killing — when he was 17 — of a woman who was beaten in Leduc and stuffed into a car with a bag over her head before she died.
  Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Wayne Renke last month in Wetaskiwin court sentenced the man, who cannot be identified because he was a youth at the time, to three years behind bars for the slaying of 21-year-old Mackenzie Leah Harris.
  The man is also barred from own
  
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• Massive Stony Plain fire destroys 16 townhouses under construction

  21-06-2018 20:59 via edmontonjournal.com
  RCMP and the Stony Plain Fire Department are looking for the cause of an overnight blaze that destroyed an estimated 16 under-construction townhouses and damaged another 14.
  Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to the Sommerville Springs development — a fenced-off work site where construction has stalled, said town spokeswoman Stephanie Barsby Boisvert.
  Sixteen units, which were all connected, were engulfed in flames by the time Stony Plain fire Chief Trevor Mistal arrived
  
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• Edmonton Oilers buy out Eric Gryba, in an unorthodox cap space transaction

  21-06-2018 20:16 via edmontonjournal.com
  From the world of WTAF, the Edmonton Oilers triggered the beginning of an unusual looking transaction today.
  It leaves one wondering if there isn’t another shoe to drop, here…
  The Oilers have placed defenceman Eric Gryba on Unconditional Waivers, for the purpose of buying out his contract.
  That the club is moving on from the D-man really isn’t much of a surprise, or (with the greatest of respect to the player) a bad move. The game has passed Gryba by. He is not quick enough of
  
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• Edmonton Oilers thinking of taking forward Barrett Hayton, but his offence is an issue

  21-06-2018 18:49 via edmontonjournal.com
  One of the names being mentioned by Edmonton Oilers insiders as a possible selection with the 10th overall pick is Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
  His coach Drew Bannister loved Hayton’s versatility, especially on a team with numerous other highly-rated forwards, reports The Hockey News: “Barrett is an outstanding individual, such a mature young man,” Bannister said. “As a coach it was easy to find a place for him to play anywhere in my lineup and
  
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• NorQuest College receives $1 million donation

  21-06-2018 17:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  NorQuest College received a $1 million donation Wednesday to promote diversity and inclusion.
  The gift was made by S. Ann Colbourne, chair of the college board of governors.
  “I have a deeply-held passion for the agenda of diversity,” Colbourne said, in a news release Wednesday. “As a college, NorQuest really helps shape the mosaic of the communities it serves. It honours and respects where individuals come from, but still creates a cohesive whole. The ability of NorQuest to tak
  
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• Death of man found outside Allendale home may be non-criminal: police

  21-06-2018 17:26 via edmontonjournal.com
  City police cordoned off a single family home in the Allendale neighbourhood Thursday morning after the body of a man was discovered outside.
  Police called to the scene near 106 Street and 65 Avenue just before 8 a.m. were going door to door, speaking with residents in the area.
  A number of officers spoke to a woman sitting in the front doorway of the home where the body — later covered with a white sheet — was discovered in a front flower bed next to a bush.
  Police Insp. Erik Johnso
  
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• Edmonton weather: Still hot. Still gorgeous.

  21-06-2018 14:38 via edmontonjournal.com
  A look at today’s Edmonton weather by Environment Canada.
  Thursday morning temperatures at the Edmonton Blatchford station measure 17.4 C with a 8 km/h wind coming from the southwest.
  A heat warning remains in effect for the city of Edmonton, and much of central and northern Alberta. “A prolonged period with maximum daily temperatures near or exceeding 29 C and minimum overnight temperatures near 14 C or above will continue today,” reads the warning from Environment Canada.
  Peo
  
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• Thursday's letters: Disabled parking change is small-minded

  21-06-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  How small-minded can the mayor and city councillors get? Their latest fundraising shenanigans will see those of us with handicapped parking stickers now have to pay to park on metered city streets.
  What does this mean for my wife and me? It means we will have to now pay for parking when we go to our doctor, when we have to pick up a few groceries, or if we want to enjoy a city event or two. It’s shameful they can afford those ridiculous bike lanes, but they can’t afford to allow thos
  
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• Opinion: Supporting GSAs is in Canada's public interest

  21-06-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Across Canada there has been much support for, but also consternation against, gay-straight alliances in publicly funded schools. Currently, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta all have government legislation supporting a student’s right to start a GSA in their school.
  Some religiously motivated groups oppose GSAs on the grounds of religious freedom and so-called parental rights. Interestingly, many of these same arguments were used to oppose same-sex marriage over 15 years ago. Remember when s
  
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• Jazz Fest's marquee act still exploring after 15 years

  21-06-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Snarky Puppy? Sure, that band name could leave you a little curious.
  As this amorphous, excitable, mid-size, triple-Grammy-winning ensemble approaches its 15-year mark, its most significant achievement might be how the band has pulled a new, younger generation to jazz and groove music.
  Based in Brooklyn for five years now, but founded by bassist-composer-arranger Michael League in 2003 during his spell at North Texas State University, Snarky Puppy has seen some 40 players over the years, works w
  
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• Editorial: Class sizes must still matter

  21-06-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  To understand how badly off-course Alberta has drifted on achieving class-size targets, consider: the Grade 12 graduating classes of 2017 and 2018 completed their entire K-12 education in a system that has failed throughout the years to meet class-size goals by a depressing host of measures.
  That’s 14 years, under a succession of governments, which missed the broadest targets for most of that time frame despite funnelling $2.7 billion into a celebrated and high-profile provincial class-siz
  
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• Canadians cover the bases at this year's jazz fest

  21-06-2018 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Is there a defining character to Canadian jazz?
  Most musicians will tell you that it’s too diverse to pinpoint and they’re right. But maybe that’s the key — diversity. Most of the gifted Canadians hitting Edmonton’s 2018 jazz fest are from Toronto or Montreal this year, but they are all experts in importing other styles — from the U.S., Europe and beyond — and making them their own.
  One example this year finds Toronto’s Heavyweights Brass Band (Fri
  
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• Wildlife: Serena Ryder, the Watchmen are The Station's first-announced bands

  21-06-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Rising from another of Edmonton’s dead venues, The Station has its first-announced act — Toronto indie rocker Serena Ryder. The new venue at 10524 Jasper Ave. will be releasing more names in the coming days, opening its doors June 29. Ryder’s show happens June 30, and tickets are on sale at thestationonjasper.com. The Watchmen will be playing July 5 (tix for that available 10 a.m. Thursday).
  According to co-owner Greg Scott, who used to own and run the original Boston Pizz
  
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• Alberta hit with class-action suit over jails' segregation policies

  21-06-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Alberta correctional service has been named in a class-action lawsuit alleging misuse of administrative segregation in provincial jails.
  Documents filed with the Court of Queen’s Bench claim inmates in segregation have acquired skin conditions, gone weeks without seeing the sun, been fed only two sandwiches a day, and developed sores from sleeping on concrete.
  The file alleges that placing inmates in administrative segregation is handled “secretly and idiosyncratically” in
  
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• A mini people's history to celebrate this weekend's 40th annual North Country Fair

  21-06-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Pinning down the precise history of North Country Fair is like asking a group of people to describe their favourite cloud last summer — you get a lot of impressions. Now try this exercise for the last 39 years.
  For the life of me and several still-living friends who make the trek to Driftpile River festival every year, every year blends into its neighbours like a platoon of snowmen come spring. What we know for sure is that the annual festival is a singular mash of amazing and caprici
  
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• Dow Canada owed US$1.06 billion in chemical plant dispute

  21-06-2018 05:03 via edmontonjournal.com
  A judge has awarded Dow Chemical Canada US$1.06 billion in damages against Nova Chemicals Corp. in a dispute over a massive ethylene plant in central Alberta.
  The dispute centred around the operation of a production facility in Joffre known as E3.
  E3 started operating in 2000 as a joint venture, with Nova running the facility.
  Dow Canada alleged breach of contract over the E3 joint venture agreements, claimed that Nova took part of the ethylene and other products that belonged to Dow and failed
  
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• Paula Simons: Three developers, two towers, one more plan to fix Jasper Avenue

  21-06-2018 04:39 via edmontonjournal.com
  The northeast corner of Jasper Avenue and 108 Street is no beauty spot.
  Despite all the glossy redevelopment on the four corners of 109 Street, despite all the millions of public dollars poured into the artsy refurbishing of Capital Boulevard, that corner remains a pocket of urban blight in the heart of the downtown core.
  Now, three prominent local Edmonton business interests —the Maclab Development Group, Pangman Developments and John Day Developments — have gone public with a new p
  
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• Safety and progress at risk in large, complex classes, say parents, teachers

  21-06-2018 03:32 via edmontonjournal.com
  In Susannah Killey’s fashion studies class, the teacher darts between 24 sewing machines, where 24 students work at different stages of 24 different projects.
  “Kids would be lucky in an 82-minute block if they got help from me twice a class,” the Blessed Oscar Romero Catholic High School teacher said Wednesday.
  Some students don’t get through all five credits of the course, even if she holds extra catch-up sessions after school.
  She’s one of dozens of people who sha
  
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• 'We are ready': City says it's prepared for influx of visitors to Accidental Beach

  21-06-2018 03:12 via edmontonjournal.com
  Accidental Beach is back — and the city says this time, they’re ready for the crowd.
  The surprise sandbar on the North Saskatchewan River that took Edmonton by storm last summer has appeared again and residents have started making their way there to beat the heat.
  But there will be new measures in place for beachgoers after many concerns were raised at City Hall from Cloverdale residents.
  One-way roads, parking restrictions and etiquette-based regulations will be in place to ens
  
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• Maskwacis education agreement 'icing on the cake' to new culture-based approach to school

  21-06-2018 03:01 via edmontonjournal.com
  A group of First Nations schools in central Alberta aims to one day offer a unique curriculum grounded in their culture and traditions and that uses their own standardized tests.
  The Maskwacis Education Schools Commission inked an agreement Wednesday with Education Minister David Eggen that will see the new commission receive a $500,000 provincial grant, with more money to come during the next decade.
  The agreement with the Alberta government is the “icing on the cake” after the comm
  
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• National Indigenous Peoples Day recognized at Edmonton International Airport

  21-06-2018 02:38 via edmontonjournal.com
  An advance celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day was held at the Edmonton International Airport on June 20, 2018. For the first time, Métis Nation members attended, adding fiddle music and dancing to the performances by Cree dancers and drummers.
  First celebrated in 1996 as National Aboriginal Day, the summer solstice celebration each June 21 has been renamed National Indigenous Peoples Day. The day was created to celebrate the diverse, unique and vibrant cultures of First Nation
  
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• 'Let's treat every day as Indigenous Day': Enoch Cree chief

  21-06-2018 02:36 via edmontonjournal.com
  Every day in Canada should be Indigenous Day, Enoch Cree Nation Chief Billy Morin said Wednesday.
  Morin was one of a host of Indigenous leaders and elders who spoke at a cultural celebration at Edmonton International Airport (EIA).
  Treaty 6 First Nations and Alberta Métis members showcased their traditions through prayer, dance, music and art ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day on Thursday.
  Enoch Cree Chief Billy Morin leads a grand entrance during an advance celebration of National
  
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• Body rub parlours following the rules, report says

  21-06-2018 02:31 via edmontonjournal.com
  Body rub parlours in Edmonton have a 99 per cent compliance rate, the community and public services committee heard Wednesday.
  The annual report on the industry said 26 recommendations by the body rub centres task force implementation team have been largely carried out.
  But not everyone agreed.
  “On paper, it looks good,” said Kate Quinn, executive director of the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation. “There is still a lot more work to be done.”
  Quinn was disappointe
  
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• "No question about it:" Edmonton Oilers top pick definitely in play for right NHL d-man, says TSN's McKenzie

  21-06-2018 01:41 via edmontonjournal.com
   
   
  This in from TSN’s Bob McKenzie, his report that if the Edmonton Oilers can find the right NHL d-man to trade for with the 10th overall pick, that pick could be moved: “No question about it. There problem they are running into is that as much as they’d be prepared for the right player to give up the 10th overall pick in the draft, they don’t see that player out there right now. Yeah, they’d like a right shot offensive defenceman. Everyone wants one of
  
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• New measures in place as Accidental Beach returns

  21-06-2018 01:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  Accidental Beach is back — and the city says this time, they’re ready for the crowd.
  The surprise sandbar on the North Saskatchewan River that took Edmonton by storm last summer has appeared again and residents have started making their way there to beat the heat.
  But there will be new measures in place for beachgoers after many concerns were raised at City Hall from Cloverdale residents.
  One-way roads, parking restrictions and etiquette-based regulations will be in place to ens
  
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• Graham Thomson: United Conservatives focused on cutting provincial debt, not overcrowded classes

  21-06-2018 01:02 via edmontonjournal.com
  So, where’s the outrage?
  Why aren’t Alberta’s Opposition politicians upset that an alarming number of the province’s classrooms are seriously crowded?
  Where’s the indignation that the overcrowding seems to be getting worse despite the government spending $2.7 billion over the years specifically to solve the problem?
  An investigative series this week by the Journal’s education reporter, Janet French, shows in detail how class sizes have been creeping up bit-by-
  
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• 'We are dying inside': Family pleads for woman missing with first-degree murder suspect to return

  21-06-2018 00:48 via edmontonjournal.com
  The family of a woman who vanished late last year with her boyfriend (who is wanted for first-degree murder) pleaded Tuesday for the young mother to contact them to put their minds at ease.
  Mandi Leigh Boucher, of the Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement, was reported missing Oct. 28, 2017, on the same day a man was shot and killed in Lac La Biche.
  25-year-old Mandi Leigh Boucher was last seen on Oct. 28, 2017.
  Mounties allege the victim, Michael Matthew Mountain, 26, was shot multiple times by
  
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• Alberta loses beer court case, ordered to pay $2 million to breweries

  21-06-2018 00:35 via edmontonjournal.com
  A court has ruled against the NDP’s beer markup regime, the government’s latest setback during a drawn-out battle over beer pricing.
  In its ruling Tuesday, the Court of Queen’s Bench determined the markup of $1.25 a litre on beer and a related rebate program were unconstitutional. The court also handed down more than $2 million in combined restitution payments to breweries that launched the case.
  The bulk of the cash — more than $1.9 million — will go
  
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