Notice of Meeting! Come learn about the concerted letter-writing campaign, whereby we are all urging the province to step in on our behalf to stop predatory infill. Nita Jalkanen will also be speaking briefly about the class action movement. All are welcome. Spread the word.

We're in the last stages of summer and right on schedule is the latest edition of THE MILL WOODS MOSAIC.

ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, Edmonton city council will discuss rezoning applications in the new neighbourhood of Gorman and the old neighbourhood of Garneau, as well as in the Girard Industrial area for a wellness facility.

There is a public hearing on Aug. 17, a council meeting on Aug. 18 and 19, and a special city council meeting on Aug. 21.

Here are some key items on the agenda this week:

• Council will review broad planning documents for the future Gorman neighbourhood in north Edmonton, which is envisioned as a transit-oriented community built around an LRT stop. The developer proposed amendments to the area structure plan and neighbourhood structure plan to re-designate some areas for higher density than what is currently allowed. Administration said the application is an improvement to the plan because it maintains the NSP’s vision of a transit-oriented community while providing more opportunities for medium- and high-density uses in logical areas served by amenities.
• The Hope Mission has submitted a rezoning application for a lot at 7011 Girard Road NW, to allow for an emergency shelter and wellness facility that would support up to 125 people experiencing homelessness. Some nearby residents said they oppose the facility because they think it would bring crime to the area; they also cited the site’s proximity to Pure Casino Edmonton on Argyll Road as well as liquor and cannabis stores, which could conflict with the path to recovery for occupants.
• Council will review a rezoning application for a property in Garneau that would allow for increased site coverage, an additional 2.5 metres in building height, and a reduced rear setback. Administration said it supports the application because the scale of development is appropriate within the University major node and provides additional housing units near local businesses, open space, school sites, and active transportation. Some Garneau residents said they oppose the rezoning because the proposed development would alter the historic character of the area and preempt the Garneau Community League’s pending proposal to designate part of the neighbourhood as a special character heritage area.

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• City Council holds a public hearing today at 9:30 am, with 19 planning and rezoning bylaws on the agenda. The most contested is a Hope Mission application to rezone 7011 Girard Road NW from medium industrial to business employment so that an existing thrift store building can be converted into a permanent emergency shelter and wellness facility for up to 125 people. Of the 33 responses the City received from the 72 nearby property owners it notified, 32 opposed the rezoning, and none supported it, with the concerns raised most often being public safety and crime, the site's position beside a heavy rail corridor, and the effect on the economic viability of surrounding businesses. Administration supports the application, arguing the business employment zone was designed as a buffer between industrial and non-industrial uses and that the site's industrial capacity would not meaningfully shrink. Also on the agenda are rezonings for small- to medium-scale housing in Garneau, Central McDougall, Fulton Place, and Carlton, a small commercial centre in Tipaskan, and an amendment that shifts responsibility for several arterial road upgrades in the Castle Downs area from the City onto developers. 
• City Council meets tomorrow at 9:30 am, and ten Councillor motions are queued for debate. Ward 3 (tastawiyiniwak) Councillor Karen Principe wants Administration to report on how infill housing affects surrounding property values, a motion she first gave notice of in June and which was laid over from the July meeting. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan is asking for an unfunded capital profile for a fare gate pilot at one or more LRT stations to be considered during the 2027-2030 budget deliberations, along with five years of monthly ridership, fare compliance and on-time performance data for the high floor LRT. Ward 6 (Métis) Councillor Ashley Salvador is seeking analysis of new off-site levies to help pay for facilities and infrastructure in the City's future growth area, and a separate memo on enforcement of the Centre City Temporary Parking Program, including how many downtown surface lots are still operating without a valid development permit. Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz wants options for protecting neighbouring properties during construction, including shoring, plus an update on the centralized infill inquiry line run through 311. The meeting is scheduled to carry over to Wednesday at 9:30 am if the agenda is not finished.
• Four borrowing bylaws also come before City Council tomorrow, all flowing from budget adjustments Council approved in June. One would raise the borrowing authority for the downtown Community Revitalization Levy projects by $1.85 million, from $54.28 million to $56.13 million, to cover a net $2.97-million cost increase driven mainly by a new streetscape project at 103A Avenue and 99 Street that carries a total cost of $23.50 million. A second adds the $14.52-million rehabilitation of Fire Station 22 in Wîhkwêntôwin to the City's climate resilient facility upgrades borrowing, funded in part by $2.50 million of tax-supported debt shifted out of another project in the same bylaw, and pushing that group of projects from $118.03 million to $124.41 million. A third reduces borrowing for planning and design work on the same downtown levy program. The fourth would authorize $704,059 in tax-supported debt for the Gariepy neighbourhood and alley renewal, a project now costed at $34.39 million, and it receives first reading only tomorrow before returning to Council on October 27th.
• The City of Edmonton has expanded its order of new high-floor rail cars for the Capital and Metro lines from 32 to 40, at a total cost of $368 million. The cars will be built by the Hyundai Rotem Company, which is also supplying the low-floor trains for the Valley Line, with design and manufacturing to begin later this year and delivery expected by 2030. They will replace the Siemens U2 cars that have been running since the system opened for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, one of which has logged more than two million kilometers. LRT expansion and renewal branch manager Bruce Ferguson said the City increased the order because buying additional vehicles now is cheaper than adding them later if demand turns out to be higher than projected. The new trains are timed to arrive with the first phase of the Capital Line's southern extension, a $1.38-billion project that will run 4.5 kilometers to the Heritage Valley Transit Centre by 2029 and includes an underpass at 23 Avenue and two new bridges.
• Elsewhere on the transit file, City Councillors on the Community and Public Services Committee decided last Monday to explore offering naloxone training to Edmonton transit inspectors, who are not currently among the staff issued the overdose-reversal drug. Ward 10 (Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi) Councillor Jon Morgan, who worked as a transit inspector before his election, put the proposal forward and said he wished he had more tools to respond to overdoses. Administration had prepared a report warning that administering naloxone carries risks for employees, including exposure to opioids and drug paraphernalia, potentially violent reactions from people who receive it, and occupational health and legal implications. Several speakers pushed back on that assessment, including a nurse who told the Committee she has reversed more than 100 opioid poisonings without ever encountering a violent reaction. The report noted that Calgary, Toronto, and Strathcona County take approaches similar to Edmonton's, and that sworn police officers in Calgary and Edmonton are already trained and encouraged to administer the drug

• Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says the provincial government will introduce bike lane legislation when MLAs return to the Legislature in late October, after more than 13,000 people used a provincial website launched last month to identify problem bike lanes. Under the plan, a city wanting to build a new bike lane would have to show evidence that it is needed and will not have negative impacts on the community, and would have to make a case to the Province to keep lanes already in place. Dreeshen says the legislation would give the provincial government authority to demand detailed data on any bike lane, including usage, effects on traffic and neighbouring roads, and impacts on local businesses, and to remove existing lanes that do not meet the threshold. He says neither Calgary nor Edmonton has handed over those numbers, and argues that either councils lacked the data when they made the decisions or the data is weaker than they have let on. Dreeshen acknowledges the plan will draw opposition, saying there will be "loud special interest groups" but that the government is not afraid of making the right decisions.
• On another file, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says Alberta has eliminated 20 unsafe carriers from its roads and issued 443 administrative penalties since October as part of a continuing crackdown on commercial trucking. Of those, 13 were what the Province calls chameleon carriers, companies that change names, create new entities or relocate operations across jurisdictions to evade regulatory oversight. One of them, Conquer Transportation, was shut down in June after an investigation into a fatal collision in Brandon, Manitoba, found wilful and sustained non-compliance. The carrier was fined $16,500 and had its safety fitness rating downgraded to unsatisfactory, which halted its operations immediately, and Manitoba says the same company had lost its safety certificate there in 2021 before re-registering in Alberta under a slightly different name. Dreeshen also says 5 fraudulent Class 1 trucking schools have been shut down, and that a three-day check stop in May found 20% of the 81 commercial drivers stopped were suspected of being misclassified as independent contractors. Alberta is working with other provinces and the federal government on a national database intended to close the interprovincial data-sharing gap that chameleon carriers exploit.
• Albertans will face 10 questions when they vote in the October 19th referendum. Four of them are related to constitutional issues, asking whether Alberta should work with other willing provinces to name its own Court of King's Bench judges, opt out of federal programs with no loss of funding, establish the supremacy of provincial laws over federal law, and abolish the Senate. Justice Minister Mickey Amery argues that provinces lack a meaningful voice in the appointment of superior court judges, a federal power dating to 1867, and Premier Danielle Smith has said provincial control would help ensure judges reflect Alberta's "distinct legal traditions". The Canadian Bar Association counters that the language implicitly impugns sitting judges, and a retired Court of King's Bench justice said she is at a loss to identify what a distinct Alberta legal tradition would be.
• Alberta has likely accumulated a surplus of $3.8 billion so far this fiscal year, according to University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe, a sharp reversal from the $9.4-billion deficit the provincial government tabled in February. Tombe estimates that every US$1 per barrel change in the price of oil is worth about $680 million to the province's bottom line, and West Texas Intermediate crude sat at US$83.09 on Tuesday afternoon against US$60.50 when the budget was tabled. He calculates that Alberta needs oil at US$66 per barrel to balance the budget, and that at current futures prices the year could instead close with a surplus of roughly $6 billion. Tombe cautions that high prices do not fix what he considers the province's underlying problem, a deepening reliance on a volatile revenue source that will eventually fall again. A press secretary to the minister of jobs, economy, trade and immigration said the Province will publish an update on the impact of oil prices on the deficit later this month, and that the long-term effects remain uncertain. Sustained high prices cut the other way for households, and Tombe earlier estimated that oil holding near US$90 a barrel would cost the average family about $1,000 more a year.
• The Alberta government is delaying some of the changes included in its new education legislation. The postponed measures include restrictions on which flags schools can display, a requirement to play the national anthem weekly, and giving the education minister authority to name or rename public schools. The government says it remains committed to the changes but wants more time to ensure schools and education partners are prepared. Critics, including teachers and the Opposition, have raised concerns about the impact of the flag rules on schools’ ability to recognize different communities and cultures. Other parts of the legislation, including changes to student conduct, provincial exams and school board responsibilities, are still expected to take effect September 1st.

Things to Do This Week

Things to do this week: the Edmonton Fringe Festival, Open Farm Days, Mushroom Expo & MORE!

• Catch an Edmonton Fringe Festival show (various locations)
• The 45th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival returns this week August 13 to 23, spotlighting more than 200+ theatre productions across 37 venues with more than 1,600 artists! I’m going to catch Just Felice Makes Friends on Opening Night!
• Head out to rural Alberta for Open Farm Days (various locations)
• Alberta Open Farm Days returns this weekend Aug 15 & 16. This is your opportunity to take a free, behind-the-scenes look at the province’s agriculture and local food system, learning where your food comes from, how it’s produced and the meet the farmers, ranchers, brewers, and more producers who make it happen. Browse farms by distance, type, events and activities offered, and plan your rural route. Plenty of options close to home!
• Taproot has a round-up of food-focused Open Farm Days events!
• Celebrate Ukrainian Day (Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village)
• Ukrainian Day 2026, an annual celebration of Ukrainian culture and heritage in Alberta featuring a vibrant afternoon of traditional music, song and dance, is at Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. Enjoy historical village activities, children’s activities, community pavilions, vendors, food services, performances and more!
• Check out Youth Day Edmonton (Castle Downs Park Pavilion)
• The 15th annual, FREE, Youth Day Edmonton presented by SOS Safety Magazine takes place Saturday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Castle Downs Park Pavilion. The all-ages event includes bouncy castles, free food, face painting, DJ, special guest appearances, lots of big prizes, and MORE!
• There’s a few art-themed events to take in this weekend:
• The Highlands Art Walk runs Saturday, Aug. 15 from 1-8 p.m. at 65 Street south of 112 Ave.
• The Station Park Art Walk on Whyte Ave. runs Saturday, Aug. 15 from 12-8 p.m. at 8115 Gateway Blvd.
• Catch an Afternoon Sound Session on 124 Street and area this Saturday, Aug. 15. (various locations) from 12-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. There are three more summer Sound Sessions after this weekend too.
• You may also be interested in these events & activities:
• The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival runs August 14-16. Check out the race at Telford Lake (Leduc Boat Club). I guess the North Saskatchewan River is too low so they had to switch to the lake.
• FAVA, Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta presents a FREE summer BBQ (and Edmonton’s littlest Folk Fest) on Aug. 15 at 6 p.m.
• Peach Fest and the Orchard Seed Market is taking place at Steve And Dan’s Wildflower Farm Store on Saturday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Spruce Grove’s last Summer Night Market is Saturday, Aug. 15 from 4-9 p.m.
• Home in Chinatown is offering a FREE Family Photo Day on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Edmonton Chinatown Multi-Cultural Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Share feedback about what makes you feel at home in the neighbourhood and enjoy free family portraits, snacks, and more.
• You can get tickets to the Edmonton Love & Unity Reggae Festival at the Heritage Amphitheatre Hawrelak Park on Aug. 15.
• Check out The Summer Series curated Saturday pop-ups, tasting, and meet-the-maker moments at Little Brick Cafe (the next one is Aug. 15)
• The Wild Mushroom EXPO presented by the Alberta Mycological Society runs Sunday, Aug 16 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. One day only, hundreds of wild mushrooms in one place!
• Attend a FREE Garden Party at CO*LAB Courtyard on Sunday, August 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Food, games, community connection and more!
• Stop by my non-profit Chúng Ta Cùng Nhau Vietnamese-Edmonton Cultural Society’s entertainment booth at the Edmonton Marathon this Sunday, August 16 between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. (approx) and join us in cheering on runners! We have a local Vietnamese BSMT DJ TINA spinning Vinahouse & Top 40s to keep the energy up and thanks to Banh Mi Diddy and Rachel Fung & Associates we are sharing free, cold Jasmine green tea as bonus hydration!
• Don’t miss Stony Plain Road’s free Music on the Road outdoor concert series taking place Saturdays through the summer.
• And here’s some things happening just outside of Edmonton:
• Mundare Agri Days runs this weekend Aug. 14-16 in the central Alberta Town of Mundare, about an hour drive from Edmonton. There’s a parade, ball tournament, beach bash, street party, entertainment, market, bouncy castles, and more including:
• Mundare’s World’s Largest Sausage is turning 25! Celebrate 25 years of one of Alberta’s most recognizable roadside landmarks located at 5212 50 Street, Mundare. Come for the party from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Take a photo with the sausage, and celebrate a big piece of Mundare history!
• Head out to Stony Plain, Alberta on Thursday, Aug. 13 (evening) for a FREE outdoor film screening of the Smurfs movie.
• Also on Saturday, August 22, check out the Stony Plain Artwalk.

Food to Eat This Week

• Enjoy the return of SABOR’s Fish & Chips Friday Fundraiser (10220 103 St.)
• Fish & Chips Friday by SABOR is back for August! Line-up for affordable and delicious $15 fish & chips with 100% donated to Ronald McDonald House Alberta and Santa’s Anonymous. Starts at 11 a.m. until they run out (and they do often sell out so come early!) Remaining dates: August 14, 21, 28.
• Check out the first Edmonton Food Truck Frenzy! (Klondike Park, EXPO Centre)
• 10 Edmonton food trucks including some longtime favourites Drift Food Truck, Calle Mexico, and Smokehouse BBQ, are coming together on Friday, August 14 from 5-9 p.m. at Klondike Park, Edmonton EXPO Centre for the first Edmonton Food Truck Frenzy. It’s FREE to attend plus free parking, family-friendly, bar available for drinks, DJ for vibes, and Edmonton’s Food Bank is collecting donations on site.
• Matcha lovers you may be interested in the Matcha Social (10242 106 St.)
• Brewkada and neverthesame are hosting a MATCHA SOCIAL at Last Modern Events in downtown Edmonton (10242 106 St.) this weekend Aug. 15 & 16. It’s free to attend, there’s giveaways, passports, prizes, and $5 or less for mini matchas! I’m looking forward to checking it out (I love matcha lol).
• Go on a little 110 Street & Area Food Crawl (110 St. between 105 & 106 Ave.)
• The 110 Street strip between 105 & 106 Avenue (and surrounding streets) near downtown Edmonton just north of MacEwan University has become such a fantastic local food zone! For my belated birthday, my friend and I planned a delicious lunch food crawl featuring three spots that were all conveniently located right on the same street!
• Stop 1: Banh Mi Diddy for cold cut ($11) & chicken ($12) Vietnamese sandwiches (freshly baked daily with the best mayo) and a comforting cup of pho.
• Stop 2: White Rabbit Ice Cream for a kids cup of mango sorbet ($4) & Cookie Monster single scoop ice cream ($6).
• Stop 3: Rari-Tea for strawberry matcha lattes ($8) & passion fruit teas ($6.50).
• All three are great spots to support with tasty food & drink to try, and they’re all Asian-woman owned (Vietnamese, Japanese and Filipino). Copy this food crawl or add in some other stops at great local spots on 109 St. and 111th St.!
• Here’s a few Edmonton food events & activities you may be interested in:
• Congratulations to Coliseum Steak and Pizza on 50 years in business!
• Props & Hops (ages 18+) takes place at Alberta Aviation Museum on Aug. 14.
• The Willow Park Wine & Cheese Tasting Fundraiser is on Aug. 14 supporting Hope Lives Here Animal Rescue Society.
• There’s a few Edmonton restaurants participating in Alberta on the Plate Dine Around Festival, a tasty food festival running until August 16!
• The Taco Shop is offering a three-course Oaxacan Dinner with Three Mezcal pairings on Aug. 17.
• Get tickets to West Block Food Crawl taking place August 19, September 16, and 23.
• Stop by The Butchery by RGE RD for a Summer Patio BBQ on Aug 21 or 27.
• Ignite Market, a new Edmonton night market, runs August 28-30.
• The Common’s Streetcar Cask parties take place on Thursdays every week this summer. Sister restaurant Dolly’s is doing streetcar parties Wednesdays.
• Edmonton’s Chinatown Dragon Food Tours run Wednesday through Sunday throughout the summer.
• The Old Red Barn’s Farm to Flame Dinners run weekly through September.

What's on in Edmonton this weekend? Don’t miss out on free live music and performances this summer at Afternoon Sound Sessions on 124 St, experience energetic performances at the Edmonton Love & Unity Reggae Festival, enjoy an evening of great food, live music and community at the FAVA Summer BBQ and Edmonton’s Littlest Folk Fest, join author RM Briggs for the launch of Science Fiction Tales: Volume III, catch American singer songwriter Sean Rowe with Exandra Fang at the Buckingham, and so much more!

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

• 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.

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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.