Reg Rygus

• The Community and Public Services Committee meets today at 9:30 am, where Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz has asked Administration to report on the long-delayed Rollie Miles Recreation Centre, proposed to replace the Scona Pool that closed in 2022. Design work is complete, but the project remains unfunded, and Administration says construction was estimated at $138 million back in 2023, plus another $13.5 million for related park work, with those figures needing to be revalidated. Finishing the detailed design alone would cost $8 million to $10 million, and the facility's net operating cost is projected at about $2.9 million a year, equal to a roughly 0.11% property tax increase. Even if Council funded the project in the 2027 to 2030 budget, the earliest it could open is 2031. Administration notes the surrounding area is already served by the Kinsmen Sports Centre and Confederation Leisure Centre, and says future decisions will be weighed against the City's broader infrastructure backlog. Community groups, including Friends of Scona Rec, have pressed Council to follow through since the pool's closure.
• The Urban Planning Committee meets tomorrow at 9:30 am, and one of the items on the agenda is a proposal to help pay for infrastructure tied to private development near transit and in the City's priority growth areas. Administration is recommending a new Infill Infrastructure Program that would have the City cover part of the cost of public infrastructure upgrades, such as sewer, stormwater and electrical work triggered by new housing and commercial projects, then recover money from later developers who benefit. The report pegs the average infrastructure cost at $3,200 per unit and suggests a $12-million budget could support up to 3,800 dwelling units over four years, noting that a predecessor fund spent $39 million to help build more than 4,600 units over three years. Administration says it is preparing an unfunded request for the 2027 to 2030 budget. It also acknowledges the program would redirect growth revenue away from general revenue and cannot guarantee that subsidized projects would not have gone ahead anyway. The item is for information only, with no vote scheduled tomorrow.
• Also on the Urban Planning Committee's agenda tomorrow is an update on Edmonton's shared e-scooter and e-bike program, prepared after Councillors asked in May for a move toward mandatory, geofenced parking. The program now handles more than 1.4 million trips a year across a 220-square-kilometer service area, a 190% jump in trips since 2022, with the City setting the rules while private vendors own and operate the fleets. Administration reports that complaints through 311 have stayed relatively flat even as ridership climbed, and that parking and rider behaviour remain the most common concerns. A pilot in the Mill Woods service expansion will test requiring devices to be left only in designated areas, add 21 parking corrals, and future vendor contracts could impose fines on riders who park improperly. E-scooters are capped at 20 kilometers per hour and e-bikes at 32, which the report says is at the lower end of comparable cities.
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is publicly criticizing the Edmonton Police Service over a video encouraging residents to report hate, saying police should focus on violent crime, theft, drugs, and vandalism rather than speech. In a post on X, Smith argued that free speech is a foundational Alberta value and that the province does not believe in policing unpopular or religious statements, even controversial ones, warning of a slippery slope she said other countries have gone down. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis added that the province would contact police agencies to make sure their priorities are on violent crime, and said law enforcement should not be policing opinions or, in his words, "hurt feelings". Ellis said the government does not condone hate speech or violence but is committed to upholding free expression regardless of religious or political belief. The Edmonton Police Service refused to comment.
• Alberta recorded its highest-ever number of opioid-related emergency calls in 2025, and Edmonton accounted for nearly 70% of the province's 10,562 responses. However, overall opioid deaths in Alberta fell to 1,154 in 2025, the lowest since 2019. Addictions physician Dr. Monty Ghosh of the University of Alberta said Edmonton has become the country's worst spot for overdoses, driven by an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply that now includes new opioids far more potent than fentanyl. Carfentanil, which is more than 100 times stronger than fentanyl, was detected in 89% of Edmonton's opioid deaths in 2025, up from 17% the year before. Ghosh warned that the province's closure of supervised consumption sites, including one at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, would push more people into emergency rooms. The province acknowledged that no community is being hit harder by addiction, but noted that it has invested more than $30 million in addiction and mental health supports in Edmonton, including more than 400 treatment and stabilization beds, and that the declining death statistics show it's plan is working.

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ON THE AGENDA

This week, Edmonton’s city council returns from its summer recess to discuss the financial statements from the associations that oversee business improvement areas, potential updates to the City Plan, and the implications of allowing city employees to administer naloxone while working.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on Aug. 10, an urban planning committee meeting on Aug. 11, and an executive committee meeting on Aug. 12.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• An auditor has found that the Chinatown and Area Business Association’s 2025 financial statements did not include sufficient and appropriate audit evidence for the second year in a row, says a report to be presented to executive committee. The auditor also found issues including a lack of segregation of duties, poor organization of source documentation, limited review of financial statements, and no tracking or reconciliation of gift cards. Administration said it will bring forward options later this year that could result in the organization suspending or disestablishing. Administration said it will continue to work with the association to obtain financial updates.
• Administration will begin updating the City Plan, as Edmonton is expected to reach its first population threshold of 1.25 million in 2026. A report to be presented to urban planning committee said that city staff will analyze the progress of the plan’s targets and metrics and make minor administrative corrections. Next, staff will create a plan for the work to follow, which could range from targeted amendments and new implementation projects to a comprehensive renewal of the plan itself. Some metrics can be measured with available data, while others would use data from the 2026 federal census, which won’t be available at a neighbourhood level until 2028.
• Allowing city employees to administer naloxone on shift would require a dedicated program, says a report set to be presented to community and public services committee. Only trained city employees, such as peace officers and firefighters, are allowed to administer the opioid overdose reversal while on shift. Councillors inquired earlier this year about allowing other employees, including transit operators and library staff, to volunteer to use naloxone. The report said the city would be required to train those employees in administering first aid and naloxone, as well as in safety de-escalation and self-defence. The change would also come with legal implications and increased litigation risks and union implications, the report said. In 2025, 770 people died of overdoses in Edmonton, setting a new record and exceeding Calgary’s death rate from drug poisoning.

• Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta's public safety minister have criticized the Edmonton Police Service over a social media post that urged residents to report hate incidents. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said officers should concentrate on violent crime, theft, illegal drugs, and vandalism rather than policing opinions or hurt feelings, and said the Government would press police agencies to make those crimes the priority. Smith backed him, describing free speech as a foundational Alberta value and warning against a "slippery slope" of policing controversial or religious statements. Critics, including a former member of the Edmonton police commission, called the ministers' intervention an overreach and argued the issue belonged to the police commission, not the Government. Others warned the response could discourage people from reporting hate and undermine public trust in the police. The police service declined to comment.
• A week into Alberta's new self-referral system for medical imaging, clinics and technologists are questioning whether it will work. Under the change, patients can book and pay up front for tests such as MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds without a doctor's referral, and the Government will reimburse the cost only if a scan uncovers a previously undiagnosed cancer. Some clinics are turning away self-referrals while they work out how the policy operates. Gina McRae of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists said the province does not have enough technologists to meet current demand, pointing to a shortage her organization estimated at about 202 full-time positions and expected to double by 2028. She warned that patients with no history of cancer could book scans and lengthen waits for higher-risk patients in the public system. Critics also argue nothing in the rules guarantees that publicly referred patients keep priority, raising questions about whether the move edges Alberta toward two-tier care, though the Government says physician-referred tests will still come first.
• The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging the Alberta government to scrap its provincial fuel tax as oil prices climb. At a Calgary news conference, the federation's Alberta director, Kris Sims, said drivers pay roughly 27 cents per litre in tax at the pump, including a provincial fuel tax of 13 cents per litre that she argued the Government should remove immediately. Sims said many Albertans had been counting on fuel-tax relief and noted that the province's $100 rebate must be claimed through an online form, which she said is harder for seniors to access. She also called on Ottawa not to restore its 10-cent-per-litre excise tax, which the federal government has suspended. The appeal came with oil trading around $75 a barrel.
• A new report from the Fraser Institute estimates the average Canadian family will pay between $6,464 and $21,115 for public health care in 2026, arguing that most people underestimate the true cost because the system is free at the point of use. The think tank found that a family earning about $88,572 will contribute roughly $8,644 toward health care through taxes, while the top 10% of earners, those making $454,221 or more, will pay about $66,350. Households in the lowest income bracket, earning $17,654 or less, will pay around $637. Comparing insurance costs from 1997 to 2026, the study found the price of public health care has climbed 2.3 times as fast as the cost of food and 1.5 times as fast as the cost of shelter. The authors argue that because Canadians pay for health care indirectly through taxes, they cannot easily judge what they are contributing or what they receive in return.
• Alberta's new integrated driver's licences have led to long delays at registries for some applicants. Rolled out on July 2nd, the cards now embed a person's citizenship status and health care number, and applicants must show proof they are legally in Canada along with photo identification and their health card, where previously a current licence and a piece of secondary identification were enough. Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally acknowledged the added steps are lengthening wait times and said he regrets the stress the process is causing. Some long-time residents have been turned away repeatedly, including a Grande Prairie woman who immigrated in 1975 and made four visits totalling more than four hours at the registry without obtaining a card. Alberta's privacy commissioner has separately raised concerns that putting health numbers on the cards increases the risk of fraud, and the Government is offering an interim 60-day card to those still gathering documents.

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Don't miss three party-filled days of Caribbean culture in the heart of downtown at Cariwest, examine how historical legacies and contemporary influences shape relationships to traditional Indigenous spirituality at Harcourt House’s exhibition Expressions of Métis Religion and Spirituality, join the Edmonton Short Film Festival as they showcase outstanding queer storytelling from Edmonton and beyond at the PRIDE Pop-Up Screening & Community Mixer, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

Hello KEP Neighbour,

Here’s what’s happening around the community this August! Inside you’ll find updates from the King Edward Park Community League - upcoming events and programs, City news, road and construction updates, local resources, and more.

Know something happening in the neighbourhood or have an idea for the newsletter? Let us know — we’d love to hear what you’d like to see featured here!

Thank you,

Your KEP Community League Board

 League Membership 

Keep Reading:

• KEP Community League News:
• Urgent Notice: Tennis Courts Temporarily Closed
• Help Bring Community Soup Nights to KEP
• Save the Date: Community League Day - Sept 19
• Help Create a Community Rain Garden
• Community Shout-Outs
• Edmonton's Littlest Folk Festival
• Edmonton Events & Happenings
• City Info & Updates
• City & Community Resources

Community League News

Urgent Notice: Tennis Courts Temporarily Closed

The tennis courts at the Small Hall are temporarily closed. There has been an issue with the pit excavation at Duncan Innes Park. The City is working on a solution and will be providing more updates to the League as the situation moves forward.

Until then, we have locked the tennis courts and will share relevant updates when we know more about the timeline of this closure.

🍲 Help Bring Community Soup Nights to King Edward Park!

We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help launch a recurring Community Soup Night—a cozy potluck where neighbours can gather over a warm bowl of soup, connect, and build community.

Several volunteers have already expressed interest in helping, but we're still looking for someone to take the lead and help turn this idea into reality. If you enjoy organizing events or bringing people together, this is a great opportunity to make a lasting impact in the neighbourhood.

Interested in helping? We'd love to hear from you! Contact programs@kingedwardpark.org to learn more or express your interest.

Let's build something warm, welcoming, and delicious—together!

🎉 Save the Date: Community League Day – September 19!

Community League Day is just around the corner, and we're getting ready for another fun-filled day in King Edward Park!

We'll be looking for volunteers to help with set-up, tear-down, and keeping the event running smoothly throughout the day. If you're interested in lending a hand, we'd love to have you. To get involved, contact events@kingedwardpark.org.

More details about this fun (and tasty!) community celebration are coming soon, so be sure to mark your calendars for September 19!

🌿 Help Create a Community Rain Garden!

We're looking for community members who are interested in helping plan and build a new rain garden along the south side of the King Edward Park Community League's Large Hall.

Whether you have experience with native plants, landscaping, gardening, project management, or simply enjoy community beautification projects, we'd love to have you involved. This is a great opportunity to help create a beautiful, environmentally friendly space that benefits both our neighbourhood and local wildlife.

Interested in joining the project? Please contact jmertz@kingedwardpark.org to learn more or express your interest.  

Community Shout-Outs

🎶 Edmonton’s Littlest Folk Festival (ELFF)

King Edward Park neighbours and friends are invited to Edmonton's Littlest Folk Festival (ELFF) on Saturday, August 15 at Donnan (Arena) Park (9105 80 Ave).

Come out and enjoy the live music, dancing, a community potluck, and have fun with your neighbours!

Event Schedule

• 🚲 12:00 p.m. – Kids' and Grown-Ups Bike Parade
• 🎵 1:00–10:00 p.m. – Live music
• 🍽️ 6:00 p.m. – Community Potluck Supper
• Roast pig/hamburgers/veggie dogs
• Please bring a side dish to share (salad, dessert, etc.).

This beloved neighbourhood event is organized by the Cunningham Family Band along with many dedicated neighbourhood volunteers and friends.

ELFF is proudly supported by the King Edward Park Community League, the City of Edmonton, La Cité Francophone, Right at Home, Totem Outfitters, Vertically Inclined Indoor Rock Climbing Gym, and many other local businesses.

Reusable plates will be available, but if you're able, please bring your own plate to help reduce waste.

Donations Welcome

There is no admission fee, but donations are greatly appreciated to help support ELFF and the many community events and activities held at Donnan Park throughout the year.

Questions or Want to Get Involved?

For general information, contact Becky at palmerrj@shaw.ca or (780) 965-6542.

Interested in volunteering or participating in the Kids' Bike Parade? Contact Kory at korybh@gmail.com or (780) 485-0980.

—

If the weather doesn't cooperate, the festival will move indoors to St. Paul's Place (9155 79 Ave), directly across the street from Donnan (Arena) Park.

We hope to see you there!

• Today's edition of Edmonton Minute is a special one: it is our 300th issue. Every week, we read the agendas, reports, and local news coming out of City Hall so that you can stay on top of the decisions that affect your neighbourhood and your wallet in just a few minutes. We want to thank you, our readers, for opening, sharing, and replying to our emails over all these years - your support is what keeps it going. Edmonton Minute is published by Common Sense Edmonton, and our work is funded solely by readers who chip in what they can, so if you find Edmonton Minute valuable, please consider making a donation to help us keep it coming every Monday for the next 300 issues!
• It is a quiet week at City Hall, with just one meeting on the calendar: the Agenda Review Committee will meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am, and both of the items on the agenda will be discussed in camera (in secret). Council's regular committee lineup resumes next week, with the Community and Public Services Committee meeting on August 10th, the Urban Planning Committee on August 11th, and the Executive Committee on August 12th, each at 9:30 am.
• A new lobby group calling itself the Infill Action Committee is campaigning for the provincial government to step into municipal policy on infill and zoning in Edmonton. More than 150 people gathered at a northside seniors centre on July 28th to hear about the campaign and sign letters to cabinet ministers, and the group plans to send between 300 and 400 letters per week to the province until October. Organizers say the letters will focus on issues they attribute to the City's blanket zoning policy, which allows dense infill multiplexes of six or eight units in residential neighbourhoods where lots are big enough, pointing to impacts on infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and affordable housing. Co-founder Jesse Watson, who ran for Council last fall in Ward 2 (Anirniq), says thousands of residents are scrutinizing the quality and impact of multiplexes built in mature neighbourhoods since the new zoning bylaw took effect in 2024, and calls infill "an election issue". Mayor Andrew Knack argues provincial involvement would be unnecessary and unhelpful, saying local zoning rules should be set by local governments and noting that no government MLAs represent Edmonton constituencies. He also points to changes Council has already made, including lowering the maximum height allowance in residential neighbourhoods from 10.5 meters to 9.5 meters as of August 1st.
• Meanwhile, Ward 5 (O-day'min) Councillor Anne Stevenson is calling for a formal business-friendly construction policy to reduce the impact of City infrastructure projects on local businesses. Last month, Council voted to direct Administration to explore a policy that would formalize the requirement for proactive mitigation strategies, clear communication, and safe, accessible site management in project planning. The report is due back in 2027, with the aim of having a policy in place for next year's construction season. Stevenson suggests options like closing a single block and renewing the sidewalks, curbs, and road all at once, and says a modestly higher cost to finish projects faster, such as 10%, could be a net gain in the long run. Edmonton Chamber of Commerce president Doug Griffiths welcomed the motion but said he would have liked to see it sooner, urging better notification of upcoming projects so businesses can adjust. Downtown Revitalization Coalition chairwoman Cheryll Watson argues that maintaining access must become the City's top priority, with nearly every route into downtown currently affected by construction.
• New crime data shows Edmonton's overall crime severity index fell 6.5% in 2025, hitting its lowest level since 2021, though the details are mixed. The index weights crime by seriousness, and while non-violent crime severity dropped 11%, the violent crime severity index rose 3.2%, meaning the violent offences that did occur were on average more serious. The total number of crimes per 100,000 people also rose, by 3.2%, and property crime jumped 10.1%, driven by increases in shoplifting, mischief, and theft from vehicles. Edmonton Police Service Inspector Bryce Gibbon says the city has also seen increases in robberies, assaults against peace officers, uttering threats, and child luring files, with overall calls for service up 4.3%. Police say a crime-reduction strategy launched this year, called Safer Edmonton, which uses crime mapping and data analysis to target enforcement, is showing promising results, with crime and violent crime rates down as of June. Ward 4 (Dene) Councillor Aaron Paquette says the statistics point to broader social issues that cities cannot address on their own without provincial support.

• Albertans can now pay out of pocket for MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds and X-rays without a doctor's referral, under a new self-referral system that took effect last Friday. Patients pay before receiving the test, either directly or through private insurance, and results go straight to the patient and into their electronic health record. If a test leads to a new cancer diagnosis, the patient can claim reimbursement at publicly funded rates for up to a year from the date of diagnosis. Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Justin Wright says participating private clinics must maintain the same access to physician-referred, publicly funded services they provided before the change. The provincial government says Alberta is the first province to let patients self-refer, pay, and be reimbursed this way, while Alberta Medical Association President Dr. Brian Wirzba warns the change could add to public-system backlogs through false positives and incidental findings. The president of Canada Diagnostic Centres estimates private diagnostic testing could quadruple to 50,000 or 60,000 tests a year, still a small share of the 7 million exams the system handles annually. 
• Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith announced a new Canada-Alberta housing infrastructure agreement in Red Deer last Wednesday. The deal lets Alberta municipalities access more than $510 million in federal funding over eight years through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund for water and wastewater projects that enable new housing, with the Province contributing at least one third of eligible project costs. Carney claims the agreement will support 750 skilled trades jobs every year. [Editor's Note: Why can't Albertans just pay less to Ottawa in the first place, rather than sending extra money to the federal government and then having to negotiate to get some of it back?]
• Speaking at the same Red Deer announcement, Premier Danielle Smith also pitched changes to Canada's equalization program. Smith says the provincial government's calculations show "have-not" provinces have been overcompensated by $7 billion over the last 5 years, and she wants the escalator that grows the program with the size of the economy removed, with the excess distributed back to provinces on an equal per capita basis. The current formula is largely based on recommendations from a 2006 report, and the federal and provincial governments are due to consult on renewing equalization before March 31st, 2029. Carney said Canadians across the country should have reasonably comparable services and resources, but acknowledged that how provincial resources are calculated will be looked at as the review approaches. University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe notes the formula can discourage receiving provinces from maximizing their own resource revenues, since higher revenues mean lower equalization payments, and suggests any review should also look at other federal transfers such as health funding. While reform of the formula would be an improvement over the status quo, it's a far cry from the complete abolition of the program that 62% of Albertans voted in favour of in 2021.
• Musician Corb Lund's Water Not Coal campaign has filed for judicial review of Elections Alberta's decision to reject its petition calling for a ban on new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The petition was submitted last month with more than 196,000 signatures, above the 177,732 required for a citizen initiative, but Elections Alberta's random statistical sampling verified only 172,088. The application, filed in the Court of King's Bench last Wednesday, argues the rejection was unreasonable and procedurally unfair, with Lund saying signatures were disqualified over mismatched middle names and addresses and that verification agents did not prompt electors for missing details. Lund wants a judge to either declare the petition successful or send it back to Elections Alberta. The group is not alone in raising concerns, as organizers of the pro-separation Stay Free Alberta petition, which passed verification earlier in July, are asking for a legislative review of the same process. Elections Alberta says its sampling method is set out in the Citizens Initiative Act and uses the same formula as other North American jurisdictions with similar petition processes.
• The Alberta NDP continues its campaign against new AI data centres this week, announcing additional consultation events in St. Albert and Red Deer to gather feedback on proposed projects. The party says its primary concerns are the potential impacts on electricity demand, water use, and noise in nearby communities. The provincial government says these concerns are unfounded, as any data centre built in Alberta are required to provide their own electricity generation, use closed-loop cooling systems that minimize water consumption, and be built in existing industrial areas away from residential neighbourhoods. The NDP's campaign mirrors many of the arguments used in past anti-development campaigns against Alberta's oil and gas industry, while also reflecting the messaging of far-left environmental activist groups in the United States that have also organized against new data centres on environmental grounds. Supporters of the projects argue that Alberta's competitive electricity market, industrial land base, and abundant natural gas make the province an attractive destination for billions of dollars in private investment, jobs, and tax revenue.

Woodvale Outdoor Rink Update

We are thrilled to share some exciting news—the multi-sport rink is officially re-opening! Over the past weeks, we’ve been working diligently to enhance this space, and we’re pleased to announce that the sport line painting has been completed. Even better, we’ve just installed pickleball nets, responding directly to your feedback from last year’s community survey. Pickleball was at the top of the list for desired improvements, and we’re delighted to deliver on that request.

To make the most of our rink, we’ve created a fresh layout: one half is dedicated to hockey and inline skating, while the other half is set up for pickleball. This new arrangement means more ways to play and enjoy the outdoors together. Please remember to bring your own equipment, as we encourage everyone to make the space their own.

A friendly reminder—no bikes or scooters, please. The rink’s surface isn’t designed for those activities, and we want to keep the newly painted sport lines in great condition for all users.

Thank you for your input and enthusiasm for our community spaces. We hope you enjoy the improved rink and look forward to seeing everyone out there soon!

Walk Your Block Photo Challenge!

As you participate in Walk Your Block #599, snap a photo of:

🌳 Your favourite green space

🐾 A walking companion

🌻 A beautiful garden

🏡 A unique feature in the neighbourhood

☀️ A great summer view

Share your photo in the comments and inspire others to get outside and explore!

Learn about the program: Walk Your Block Program

Submit your participation: Participation Form

📅 Our Community Walker Number is #599

📍 Woodvale Community

Let's see Woodvale through your eyes! 📷💙

Green Shack Programs

Children are invited to get active and join City Green Shack Leaders this summer for games, sports, crafts, music, drama and special events! The free drop-in program is designed for children ages six to 12, but children of all ages are welcome. Children under six years of age can still participate if they have a parent or guardian with them. The 2026 Green Shacks program runs from June 29 to August 21.

In addition, the City has partnered with the Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Public Library and Sport Edmonton for additional programming at some Green Shack locations. There are 238 Green Shack sites this summer, and partnered locations are indicated on the online map. Learn more at www.edmonton.ca/greenshacks. 

Mosquito Control Program - we need YOUR help!

With the heavy rain we’ve seen this season, our local mosquito population is becoming larger than usual. The City of Edmonton’s Mosquito Control program is working hard to keep our parks and outdoor spaces safe, healthy, and enjoyable.

Our Ditch and Ground Control teams have been on the move since April, treating roadside ditches and targeted habitats to control mosquitoes before they even hatch. We are also being much smarter about how we track them; the City now uses advanced carbon dioxide-baited traps to accurately target blood-seeking insects, rather than light traps that catch every helpful pollinator in sight.

While our crews are hard at work, we also need your help in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds. How can you help?

• Report any standing bodies of water that occur within residential areas by contacting 311. These are potential developmental sites for mosquito larvae. City crews will inspect sites and treat if required.
• Drain or fill low-lying areas that collect and retain water that mosquitoes can breed in.
• Items such as old tires, rain barrels or even eavestroughs can be a potential breeding site for some species of mosquitoes. These should be inspected regularly and drained if larvae are found.
• Store pails, buckets and other equipment in such a way that they do not collect rainwater and organic material.
• Keep ornamental pools, ponds and dugouts free of vegetation around the edges.
• Mosquito adults require shelter. Cutting tall grass, weeds and underbrush removes the areas of shade and high humidity that they need for survival.

For more information on the City’s mosquito program and how to protect yourself, visit edmonton.ca/mosquito.

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Attend an open rehearsal of Voices at Play—

collaborative playback theatre designed to amplify the voices of Muslim and racialized actors in Edmonton, check out the opening reception of Camryn Carnell’s solo exhibition

A Scrappy Sensibility at Alberta Craft, explore the world’s largest three-day multiculturalism celebration at the Edmonton Heritage Festival, get a sneak peek of upcoming Fringe plays at Script Salon’s Fringe Script Tease, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

HEADS UP! Earlier this week, a limited number of pay machines were identified as having a ‘scan to pay’ decal affixed to the ‘tap for payment’ area on the pay machine. If a customer unknowingly scans the QR code, they will be taken to an illegitimate website to enter information and payment to purchase a parking session. Several steps have been taken since the incident was reported. These included: • Corporate Security has worked with the domain providers of the URL for both the illegitimate website and QR code host website to have the links decommissioned. • Calgary Parking has been conducting a sweep of all pay machines to remove unauthorized decals. • Law and Privacy have been engaged with respect to legal and privacy impacts. • Video footage at Calgary Parking lots has been analyzed and a potential suspect has been identified. • Corporate Security has engaged Calgary Police Services on the matter. Calgary Parking will be placing updated information on http://calgaryparking.com and social media channels. If you are worried if you have become a victim of fraud, please make sure to contact your financial institution and report it to the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line (403-266-1234) or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm). Please be sure to reach out to our office at ward14@calgary.ca should you have any questions regarding the above.

The latest edition of the BOYLE MCCAULEY NEWS is not only right on schedule, its available to read now to find out what's happening the remainder of summer and into early autumn.

The destructive power of climate change hits home for many of us with the incredible storms we’ve recently experienced in Edmonton. One of the ways we can mitigate the damage is to preserve as many mature trees in Edmonton as possible. And one way to do that is to have a robust Private Tree Bylaw to prohibit the wholesale destruction of trees on properties undergoing infill.

The City of Edmonton is gathering feedback until August 4 for a new 10-year Urban Forest Management Plan. Here’s the link to a survey that takes 10-15 minutes to complete: https://www.edmonton.ca/residential_neighbourhoods/gardens_lawns_trees/trees-urban-forestry

A Private Tree Bylaw is not the focus of this survey, but if it is something that you feel is important, here’s a chance to provide some input on an initiative that Council has the power to make happen. Although City Administration has argued that a Private Tree Bylaw would be costly and complex to enforce, most major cities in Canada now have such bylaws, which limit destruction of trees on private property. Why can’t Edmonton take meaningful (and immediate) action to protect our critical tree canopy?

Preserving mature trees:

• Improves air quality
• Reduces urban heat
• Manages stormwater runoff
• Helps maintain biodiversity in our urban environment
• Enhances the aesthetic appeal of our neighbourhoods

Here’s the link to more information offered by the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition in their piece entitled “Edmonton Needs A Private Tree Bylaw” - https://www.ervcc.com/tree-equity

This survey closes on August 4, so if you have time this week to do the survey, great!

• The Government of Alberta has announced a $30-million expansion of addiction services in the Edmonton area, the centrepiece of which is a new secure facility inside Edmonton police headquarters where officers will be able to detain intoxicated people for up to 24 hours. Under the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, police will be able to hold people they believe are high on drugs or alcohol and pose a risk to themselves or the public, in an 18-bed Integrated Stabilization Centre scheduled to open later this summer. The province describes the centre as a secure but non-criminal space, and Edmonton Police Deputy Chief Derek McIntyre says the aim is to divert people away from the justice system and connect them to voluntary treatment once they have been stabilized. The funding also adds more than 400 treatment, housing and stabilization beds across the region, including 25 new beds at the Lakeview Recovery Community in Gunn and new recovery communities at Enoch Cree Nation and the Métis Nation. The province is separately building compassionate intervention facilities in Edmonton and Calgary for involuntary addiction treatment, which are expected to open in about 18 months. Mayor Andrew Knack said he might not have supported the stabilization centre on its own, describing it as one of a host of tools in the announcement.
• A coalition of downtown business advocates is calling on Edmonton City Council to treat downtown economic stabilization as an immediate priority after more than half a dozen restaurants announced permanent closures this summer. The Downtown Revitalization Coalition, chaired by Cheryll Watson, has put forward a Downtown Economic Stabilization Plan and wants Council to direct the City Manager to act rather than let the issue wait until the fall. Watson argues that construction is necessary but that the way it is being managed is placing an unsustainable burden on businesses already dealing with public safety concerns, reduced foot traffic and rising costs. Heather Thomson, vice-president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, says the downtown is currently seeing two businesses close for every one that opens, and that many of the closures have been close to the large LRT construction sites. Mayor Andrew Knack acknowledged that more construction is under way this year but pointed to a motion he brought forward last year that he claims sped up some intersection work, and he said he expects further discussion of downtown funding when the next four-year budget is debated in December.
• Meanwhile, Edmonton City Council has approved changes to the way it regulates lodging houses, tightening rules meant to stop them from being run as short-term rentals like Airbnbs and adjusting the zoning bylaw to limit them in most residential areas. Under the change, approved at Council's July 7th meeting, lodging houses would generally be restricted to row housing, multi-plexes and garage or basement suites. Ward 5 (O-day'min) Councillor Anne Stevenson has questioned the approach, warning that it would remove the option of student and lodging housing in many newly built row houses and cut off important lower-cost options where they are most needed. The University of Alberta Students' Union says affordability is its members' central concern, pointing to students taking on part-time work and graduating with more debt alongside the need to keep housing safe from exploitative rent schemes. A public hearing will be scheduled before the changes take effect.
• Alberta's municipalities have been told they cannot campaign for or against separation in the province's October referendum, even as individual Mayors and Councillors continue to take sides. Elections Alberta has issued a bulletin clarifying that under the Elections Finances and Contributions Act, municipalities are treated as prohibited corporations and cannot register as third-party advertisers or spend to support either outcome. The restriction follows a motion Edmonton City Council passed earlier this month, backed by Mayor Andrew Knack, declaring that Alberta should remain part of a united Canada. Knack argues the referendum question is a distraction and says he has had to reassure investors and employers worried about the uncertainty. Political scientist Brendan Boyd notes that elected officials can still voice opinions and pass motions, but that municipalities themselves have to be careful about how far they go. 
• Finally, the Telus World of Science Edmonton will remain closed until at least November after severe flooding during a recent storm forced it to evacuate and shut its doors. Chief Executive Constance Scarlett said the science centre has temporarily laid off 147 employees, about 68% of its staff, because it relies on admissions for roughly 80% of its budget and cannot sustain its usual staffing without visitors. Current assessments suggest restoration could take months, with flooring, cabinets and drywall needing replacement in many areas, though the centre says it is exploring a partial reopening earlier in the fall. Refunds for camps, tickets and events scheduled up to the end of September are being processed automatically. The nearby Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre was also closed by flooding and a power outage, but the neighbouring Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre remains open apart from its running track.