St. Albert news

• New trade deal could have been worse for Alberta oil sector: Bilous

  01-10-2018 23:54 via edmontonjournal.com
  The new North American trade agreement contains two minor wins for Alberta’s energy sector.
  In short, it could have been worse, provincial Trade Minister Deron Bilous said Monday.
  Talk of increased oil tariffs and taxes may have been bandied about during negotiations, but a small change to rules on heavy-oil shipping will see around $60 million in savings for Alberta energy companies.
  Also struck from the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) — in essence, the new N
  
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• Semi-tractor trailer rollover closes Anthony Henday exit ramp

  01-10-2018 23:05 via edmontonjournal.com
  A semi-tractor trailer rollover has closed the exit ramp leading from Anthony Henday Drive to Calgary Trail, police said Monday.
  City police said the truck lost its trailer while driving around the curved exit ramp from the Anthony Henday Drive westbound to Calgary Trail.
  The accident happened just after 1 p.m.
  A spokesperson for Edmonton Fire Services said the truck was carrying 38,000 litres of asphalt and while not all of it spilled, a “good portion” of it was released. The spokes
  
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• Gamblers loving Edmonton Oilers, putting fourth highest amount of bets on them to win Stanley Cup

  01-10-2018 22:50 via edmontonjournal.com
  The rule must be that no matter how bad the Edmonton Oilers were the previous season, many pundits and even gamblers will be bullish on their future so long as Connor McDavid is leading the way.
  Gamblers are betting the fourth most amount of money on the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup this year.
  And on Friday, former NHL GM Craig Button told TSN1260’s Jason Gregor that if he had to pick a bounce back team in the NHL that would make the playoffs this year, he’d pick McDavid, “a c
  
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• Royal Alberta Museum designed with accessibility in mind, says executive director

  01-10-2018 22:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  The long-awaited Royal Alberta Museum will include several features to make exhibits accessible for people with disabilities, says executive director Chris Robinson.
  “There had been some news around that we were less accessible than maybe people had expected,” he said in an interview Monday. “Accessibility had been a commitment made at the very beginning.”
  Last week, the museum posted on Facebook after advocates raised concerns about accessible parking. There will be
  
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• Driver's licence road tests will be changing in Alberta

  01-10-2018 22:40 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Alberta government will announce changes to road testing rules for all classes of driver’s licences on Tuesday, says a government news release.
  In July, the province asked for feedback on a plan to improve driver training, particularly in the commercial trucking industry.
  The move followed the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6 that killed 16 people and injured another 13. The truck driver charged in the crash worked for a Calgary-based company.
  Three proposed initiatives inclu
  
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• Investigation: Two-thirds of Alberta hospitals are plagued by chronic deficits. Here's why they can’t kick the habit.

  01-10-2018 21:16 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta’s hospitals are stuck in a vicious cycle of overspending, routinely blowing their budgets only to be awarded more money the following year, a Postmedia investigation shows.
  The pattern stands out in an analysis of financial results from 86 hospitals operated by Alberta Health Services that shows the health-care centres collectively overspent by more than $925 million in the last eight years.
  Of those hospitals, 55 posted at least six deficits in that eight-year time frame, whi
  
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• ASIRT investigating downtown fatal crash involving Edmonton police

  01-10-2018 21:03 via edmontonjournal.com
  A fatal crash that killed a 27-year-old man and which involved Edmonton city police Sunday night is now under investigation by the province’s police watchdog.
  Police witnessed a black Dodge Ram driving erratically and followed the truck westbound onto Jasper Avenue from 90 Street to and attempted to conduct a vehicle stop at around 9:50 p.m.
  The driver of the vehicle did not comply and entered into a criminal flight, police said in a statement Monday.
  The truck sped off “at a hi
  
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• Search this table to see which Alberta hospitals suffer from chronic deficits

  01-10-2018 20:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta consistently has one of the most expensive health systems in the country, in large part due to the province’s enormous spending on hospitals — the most costly form of care in the health system.
  While there are several factors that contribute to the high costs, Postmedia decided to investigate whether financial management of hospitals might be playing a role. Our analysis found most of the province’s hospitals have been consistently overshooting their budget targets for
  
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• Investigation: Plenty of ideas to fix hospital overspending in Alberta, but few clear answers

  01-10-2018 20:20 via edmontonjournal.com
  To better control spending on hospitals, Alberta should:
  A: Adopt a pay-for-performance model.
  B: Treat more patients at home and community clinics.
  C: Close a bunch of rural health centres.
  D: Allow (dare we say it) more private care facilities.
  However you choose to answer, it’s fair to say there is no shortage of multiple-choice options that have been floated for Alberta to curb its cash-consuming hospital obsession.
  Almost everyone has an opinion, yet it’s hard to know which appr
  
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• Councillors back city-contracts pilot to give extra weight to companies that do good

  01-10-2018 19:36 via edmontonjournal.com
  City of Edmonton officials are hoping to give preferential access to city contracts to companies willing to help people struggling on the margins get back in the workforce.
  Council’s executive committee approved a pilot project Monday in what’s called “social procurement” –– a system of awarding contracts that gives extra points to companies showing their work also serves a larger public good.
  For example, the city already gave its mattress recycling contract
  
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• Anaheim Ducks claim Pontus Aberg from Edmonton Oilers. Addition by subtraction?

  01-10-2018 18:46 via edmontonjournal.com
  This in from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: “ANA claims Aberg from EDM.”
  My takePontus Aberg didn’t exactly tear up the pea patch in Edmonton. He lost his chance on a top line with Connor McDavid after missing a practice. Ty Rattie took over from Aberg and the rest is modern Oilers history. 
  Did the Oilers give up on Aberg too soon? Well, I saw a smaller player with some amount of skill, but not so much drive as a two-way player, either on the forecheck or the backcheck.
  
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• 'If the numbers add up': City councillor asks Edmonton to examine free transit

  01-10-2018 18:22 via edmontonjournal.com
  More than 100 cities around the world have eliminated tickets and passes for public transit and Edmonton should look at free transit, too, says Coun. Aaron Paquette.
  He’s planning to push the issue Monday, tabling a motion to examine the pros and cons to make transit free to ride for at least a year as a pilot project. If people flock to the buses and trains, great. “Imagine how many cars we’d get off the road,” he said. That would leave lanes clear for those who need to
  
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• Housecleaning: Edmonton Oilers move Jakub Jerabek to St. Louis for sixth rounder

  01-10-2018 17:37 via edmontonjournal.com
  This just in from the Edmonton Oilers: “The Oilers have acquired a 2020 sixth round draft pick from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Jakub Jerabek. The pick becomes a fifth round selection if Jerabek appears in 50 or more regular season games for the Blues in 2018-19.”
  Well we hardly knew ye, Jakub Jerabek…gone to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick two years down the road. Not much of a return, I'd say.
  — Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) October 1, 2018
  My tak
  
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• Province spending $12.6 million on flu vaccines this season

  01-10-2018 17:24 via edmontonjournal.com
  Albertans six months of age and older will be able to receive influenza vaccine free of charge starting Oct. 15.
  In preparation for the 2018-19 flu season, the province has expanded its immunization program to allow pharmacists to administer the flu shot to people aged five and up; some physicians and pharmacists are also allowed to offer influenza immunization to residents and staff in supportive living facilities.
  “It’s important even for adult Albertans to get their annual fl
  
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• Concert review: Paul McCartney pulls off A Hard Day's Night in Edmonton

  01-10-2018 17:17 via edmontonjournal.com
  Long before any of us spun the Road Apples record or even heard of the other lady Madonna, the Beatles helped redefine how we consumed music for a time: obsessively, album-by-album, and with a sure and confidently marketed alteration of the musicians’ images, complete with reliable press conferences and legendary stunts.
  Few if any bands have ever been under such a sharp-focused microscope — only world war historians bother to go into such detail of who shot what bullet into wha
  
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• Paul McCartney pulls off A Hard Day's Night in Edmonton

  01-10-2018 17:12 via edmontonjournal.com
  Long before any of us spun the Road Apples record or even heard of the other lady Madonna, the Beatles helped redefine how we consumed music for a time: obsessively, album-by-album, and with a sure and confidently marketed alteration of the musicians’ images, complete with reliable press conferences and legendary stunts.
  Few if any bands have ever been under such a sharp-focused microscope — only world war historians bother to go into such detail of who shot what bullet into wha
  
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• Housecleaning: Edmonton Oilers moves Jakub Jerabek to the St. Louis Blues for a sixth rounder

  01-10-2018 16:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  This just in from the Edmonton Oilers: “The Oilers have acquired a 2020 sixth round draft pick from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Jakub Jerabek. The pick becomes a fifth round selection if Jerabek appears in 50 or more regular season games for the Blues in 2018-19.”
  Well we hardly knew ye, Jakub Jerabek…gone to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick two years down the road. Not much of a return, I'd say.
  — Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) October 1, 2018
  My tak
  
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• Next generation of Boeing planes joins Flair Airlines fleet

  01-10-2018 16:51 via edmontonjournal.com
  Flair Airlines’ transition to the next generation of Boeing planes will begin as early as December, the company announced Monday.
  The Edmonton-based company’s current fleet of seven B737-400s are expected to be phased out by the end of 2019 with the larger B737-800NG series planes — or Next Generation — set to take their place.
  The company also plans to expand its fleet to 11 aircraft by the time the transition is complete.
  Two leased 800NG planes will enter into service
  
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• Anthony Henday Drive re-opens after early morning fatal crash with moose

  01-10-2018 16:18 via edmontonjournal.com
  A motorist is dead following an early Monday morning crash with a moose in the city’s far southeast.
  Police said the accident happened near Anthony Henday Drive and 17 Street around 6 a.m. and forced the closure of the westbound lanes of Edmonton’s major ring road for about two hours.
  The area was fully re-opened around 8 a.m.
  This is the city’s 14th traffic fatality of 2018.
  Earlier this year a motorcyclist died after hitting a deer on the Anthony Henday Drive near Yellowhead
  
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• Fatal crash with moose forces road closures on Anthony Henday Drive

  01-10-2018 14:59 via edmontonjournal.com
  A motorist is dead following an early Monday morning crash with a moose in the city’s far southeast.
  Police said the accident happened near Anthony Henday Drive and 17 Street and has forced the closure of the westbound lanes of Edmonton’s major ring road.
  The closure is expected to last several hours and will impact morning traffic, police said in an early morning statement.
  More to come…
  
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• Edmonton weather: The foliage! The beautiful, splendiferous foliage!

  01-10-2018 14:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  A look at today’s Edmonton weather by Environment Canada.
  Friday morning temperatures at the Edmonton Blatchford station measure -0.5 C with 4 km/h winds out of the south, southwest.
  It’s a chilly one out there today, not unlike what we just saw this past weekend. However, the wind is expected to kick up overnight as temperatures plunge below zero contributing to a -8 windchill — be sure to shut the bedroom window tonight! Brrrrr.
  Weather forecast
  Today: Mainly cloudy. 30
  
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• NDP promise to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour takes effect

  01-10-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  An NDP promise to raise Alberta’s minimum wage to $15 per hour takes effect Monday, enacting the final step in a years-long pledge.
  “It is right at the heart of what the NDP is,” said Mount Royal University political analyst Duane Bratt, adding the NDP first vowed to up the minimum wage while in opposition. “This wasn’t just a promise … they believe in this.”
  The minimum wage was $10.20 per hour in 2015. Since then, the NDP has phased in
  
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• How we did it: Inside the story of hospital spending

  01-10-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Hospitals are the single biggest cost in Alberta’s health-care system, but it’s proved difficult to control ballooning expenses.
  Postmedia health reporter Keith Gerein wanted to see how individual hospitals tackled the problem. First he had to get the numbers — data that is not publicly available any more in Alberta.
  To get the data, Postmedia filed several freedom of information requests to obtain yearly budget and spending figures for each of 86 hospitals operated by Alberta
  
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• Edmonton police canine unit named top dogs in Canada … again

  01-10-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  One day after they took top dog honours at the Canadian Police Canine Association Trials in Vancouver, Const. Kelly Lang and his dog Fozzy were back on the beat in Edmonton helping to arrest a man accused of stabbing an LRT commuter.
  The countless hours of training over the past four years that formed an inseparable bond between man and dog produced the desired result. The suspect was taken into custody.
  That bond is something the entire canine unit clearly shares, based on accolades alone.
  For
  
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• Deficit disorder: Chronic deficits plague most hospitals in Alberta. Here's why they can't kick the habit.

  01-10-2018 11:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta’s hospitals are stuck in a vicious cycle of overspending, routinely blowing their budgets only to be awarded more money the following year, a Postmedia investigation shows.
  The pattern stands out in an analysis of financial results from 86 hospitals operated by Alberta Health Services that shows the health-care centres collectively overspent by more than $925 million in the last eight years.
  Of those hospitals, 55 posted at least six deficits in that eight-year time frame, whi
  
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• The Edmonton roster finally begins to take game-shape as the Oilers arrive in Europe: 9 Things

  01-10-2018 05:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  The Edmonton Oilers are in Germany, preparing for their Wednesday exhibition game in Cologne. But while that tilt no doubt has some cultural significant and will elicit some real emotion in that dressing room…it’s not an NHL game.
  As such, I strongly suspect that Peter Chiarelli’s mind will be elsewhere. This roster is taking shape but there are still holes to fill. And there are only a couple more waiver wires (in a different time zone) to go before the season starts.
  So as t
  
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• Nuit Blanche 2018-bring back the light

  01-10-2018 03:17 via edmontonjournal.com
  If you had to pin down the best-executed feature of Nuit Blanche 2018 on Saturday night, Thierry Marceau’s re-enactment of the Gretzky Trade will probably push forward, or maybe the flickering incandescent lightbulb CLOUD by Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett — and there were certainly dozens of other elements from which to cherry pick.
  But the truth is that none of these temporary balloon animals or strips of artificial wheat or goofy projections meant a thing without the thousan
  
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• Nick Lees: 1950s King Edward classmates continue to share bond, memories

  01-10-2018 02:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  The teacher was a strict disciplinarian and when she found a mouse in her purse, she called Peter Elzinga to the head of the class and asked him to remove it.
  “I picked it up by the tail and asked her what to do with it,” said Elzinga, a former MP and Alberta cabinet minister.
  “She told me to eat it. She was a stern individual and I think she might have thought I had put it there.
  “I, of course, hadn’t. Fortunately, a caretaker came and took it away.”
  Fellow s
  
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• HateFreeYeg launched to push back against swastika painting, far-right rallies

  01-10-2018 01:41 via edmontonjournal.com
  A group of local activists are trying to push back against recent hate crimes, racist attitudes and white-supremacist rallies with a new campaign called HateFreeYeg.
  On behalf of the mayor, Coun. Scott McKeen declared Sunday HateFreeYeg Day and about two dozen residents gathered in Churchill Square to launch the campaign. They’re trying to raise awareness and work with businesses to create hate-free spaces with a window-sticker campaign. It would be similar to the rainbows that indicate a
  
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