Calgary video store Rough Cut Video is seeing a new generation of collectors interested in VHS tapes, Blu-rays, and 4K discs.

A Calgary man has been charged with manslaughter, in connection to a home invasion in a northwest neighbourhood last year that led to a man's death, police say.

A pair of Edmonton entrepreneurs have created an app to help people shop Canadian. They developed the app days before the U.S. government was supposed to impose stiff tariffs on Canadian imports.

Sisters Dialogue is celebrating the grand opening of its first brick-and-mortar location for the hundreds who have found safety and solidarity within their collective these past four years.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will try to strengthen Canada’s trade and security ties over the next five days with European allies also facing threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over their economy and sovereignty.

During the first month of the year, Lindsey Harrington doesn’t go to the grocery store. Instead, she uses whatever’s left in her fridge, freezer and pantry. And experts say that can go a long way to eliminating household food waste, which can in turn, save people cash.

The Edmonton-based Canadian Western Bank will now be managed by National Bank. This comes after the completion of a $5 billion acquisition. Laurent Ferreira is National Bank's CEO.

Duran Ross Buffalo, 40, was on trial this week, on charges of aggravated sexual assault and break and enter to commit sexual assault stemming from a Jan. 1, 2021, attack. After about an hour of deliberation, jurors delivered guilty verdicts on both charges late Friday afternoon.

Edmonton Elections has released more information about properly disclosing campaign finances, as political parties are introduced into this year's municipal election.

The Calgary Police Service's operating budget is facing a $28-million shortfall following a decrease in photo radar fine revenue, according to police Chief Mark Neufeld.

A 13-year-old boy died Wednesday night after being stabbed at an LRT station in downtown Edmonton, police say.

The public school board employing thousands of striking school support workers says the union representing them has left the bargaining table.

In March 2023, MaKami College, whose board of directors has donated more than $17,000 to Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP, became the first for-profit school to be listed as an Independent Academic Institution (IAI) in Alberta.

Two years later, the college is now registered as a not-for-profit, removing a crucial barrier to it receiving public funding, a prospect which the provincial government has previously insisted wasn’t going to happen.

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IAIs are essentially the post-secondary equivalent of charter schools. Their boards of governors aren’t appointed by the government, nor do their mandates require government approval.

The five other schools on the IAI list—Ambrose University, Burman University, Concordia University of Edmonton, the King’s University and St. Mary’s University—receive operational but not capital funding.

Since it was quietly added to the IAI list, an asterisk appears beside MaKami’s name indicating that it doesn’t receive public funds.

That might not be for much longer.

On Feb. 6, MaKami announced it “has successfully completed the final phase of its transition to becoming a public post-secondary institution by becoming a not-for-profit college.”

“Transitioning to a not-for-profit institution has always been part of our vision for establishing a lasting legacy as a college,” CEO Marija Pavkovic-Tovissi said in a news release that appears to be a slightly rewritten version of one that was posted on MaKami’s website on Jan. 8.

MaKami spokesperson Erika Barootes, Premier Danielle Smith’s former principal secretary and the director of issues management for the 2023 UCP campaign, posted the more recent release on LinkedIn.

“Today marked a major achievement for MaKami College,” wrote Barootes.

According to the provincial non-profits listing, however, MaKami was registered as an extra-provincial non-profit, meaning it has the option of setting up shop outside Alberta, on Aug. 26, 2024

UCP-connected lobbyists have repeatedly registered on MaKami’s behalf to make its case to the government since the UCP came to power.

Most recently, Enterprise Canada (not to be confused with the rental car company) registered to lobby the provincial government on MaKami’s behalf in December 2024, as well as July 2024, March 2024 and September 2023.

The designated lobbyists for MaKami are Colin Aitchison, who worked as a UCP communications staffer until June 2023, and Steve McLelan, who served as the director of research and policy for the UCP caucus until October 2020.

According to the registry, Aitchison and McLelan spoke to 18 governmental bodies, including the Premier’s Office, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Advanced Education, to “identify opportunities for MaKami College to continue to grow in Albertas [sic] post-secondary system.”

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Prior to its IAI designation, MaKami hired New West Public Affairs, a firm founded by former Conservative MP Monte Solberg, to lobby the government.

Another New West lobbyist listed as having worked on the MaKami file is Sonia Kont, the UCP’s VP of fundraising.

New West registered to lobby the government on MaKami’s behalf on Oct. 11, 2022, the day Smith was sworn in as premier, after registering four times during Jason Kenney’s premiership.

That very day, Smith referenced Alberta’s “wonderful colleges, like MaKami College” during her first press conference as premier.

CEO Pavkovic-Tovissi, her husband and siblings, all of whom sit on the corporation’s board of directors, donated more than $15,000 to Premier Smith’s 2022 leadership campaign and the UCP, as reported exclusively by this newsletter in May 2023.

At the time, MaKami College spokesperson Kamea Stacey said that any suggestion of the college receiving preferential treatment because of its founding family’s political donations or well-connected lobbyists is “not based in facts.”

“MaKami College employs hundreds of people and has thousands of students annually. We are a non-partisan, educational institution. Suggesting otherwise would be false,” wrote Stacey.

Ministry of Advanced Education spokesperson Sam Blackett told this newsletter that MaKami “will not receive provincial grant funding nor are they being considered for grant funding.”

Since then, this outlet revealed that Pavkovic-Tovissi’s brother, Vladimir Pavkovic, donated an additional $2,000 to the UCP during the first half of 2023. It’s unclear whether this came before or after it received IAI designation.

In July 2023, MaKami hired Barootes as its director of external relations “to help Makami College transition from a private to public IAI college in Alberta,” according to Barootes’ LinkedIn.

That same month, the premier instructed Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney to begin the process of allowing private vocational schools to confer diplomas and degrees, rather than just certificates.

"We are not going to be providing public funds to private colleges any time soon," Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney assured the CBC before adding a crucial caveat. “Unless there is a compelling economic reason that's outlined very clearly.”

In May 2024, Barootes was tapped to lead a new Applied Politics and Public Affairs diploma program at MaKami, which the college advertised at a table at the September 2024 Canada Strong and Free Network regional conference in Red Deer.

The establishment of an Applied Politics and Public Affairs diploma, which the college bills as the “only program of its kind in Canada,” is a symbol of how much the college has grown since it opened in 2021 as a massage therapy school at Edmonton’s Capilano Mall.

In 2019, the college moved to the site of a former Sears department store in Bonnie Doon Mall, doubling in size. In 2021, it opened a second campus at Calgary’s Marlborough Mall.

In addition to its massage therapy and applied politics programs, MaKami offers early childhood education, personal training, health-care aide and basic security training certificates.

Now, with non-profit status, the college can be integrated seamlessly into Alberta’s partially publicly funded post-secondary system.

A request for comment sent to Barootes’s email listed on the Feb. 6 MaKami news release bounced back, with a message from Microsoft Office 365 saying it couldn’t be delivered to a different email with a MaKami College domain.

An email to a Ministry of Advanced Education spokesperson went unacknowledged.

Cavalry FC had a memorable 2-1 win over Mexico's Pumas UNAM in the opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series Thursday.

More major road closures are coming along the Valley Line West LRT route, as the city and project builder Marigold Infrastructure Partners start partial and full closures to speed up its construction.

One of the organizers behind a project to plant a thousand trees in an inner-city neighbourhood says increasing shade and greenery isn't really the goal.

"The thing that will make this successful or not is how well we can connect with neighbours, which is kind of the point of the project anyway," said Dustin Bajer of Shrubscriber. "I mean, the trees, obviously, there's a lot of benefit that they do, but I think part of the project is stitching a bunch of community members together that may not know each other, that are all interested in gardening and plants and community building."

Shrubscriber, an urban tree subscription community, received a grant from the city to plant the trees in McCauley. Cultivate McCauley will help increase the neighbourhood's tree canopy from 13% to 15%, Bajer said. Edmonton hopes to increase the city's tree canopy cover to 20% by 2071.

"Truth be told, it's not hard to grow a thousand trees. That seems really ambitious, but it's doable," Bajer said. "The tricky part, actually, is going to be to find a thousand homes, or a thousand places for trees."

The first step will be to build micro tree nurseries. Volunteers will build propagation boxes out of old beehive components and install them on 16-square-foot wooden pallets. Each of the nurseries can grow about 144 trees. "I'm hopeful that the folks who have these little micro nurseries can kind of tap into their neighbours and friends in the community to tell them about the project and to offer trees to them," Bajer said. "The goal is to build a little bit of a network where Shrubscriber will work with the community to set it up, but we also want folks to take ownership over them and to propagate the trees and get excited about them and offer them as gifts to their friends and neighbours in the community."

McCauley is a good neighbourhood to try this project, Bajer said. It's culturally diverse, and while language barriers can present a challenge, people from different cultures bring unique gardening knowledge to the table, Bajer said. Italian, Ukrainian, and Chinese immigrants settled in McCauley in Edmonton's early days, and there have been more recent waves of people immigrating from Somalia and Vietnam. "So we have grapevines and pear trees and goji bushes, and I think it makes the neighbourhood kind of horticulturally interesting, if you're looking for it," Bajer said. "I think this is an opportunity to take a lot of that knowledge, to take a lot of that passion, and just bring those folks together on somewhat a regular basis, and get to know each other." McCauley residents who are interested in participating can sign up on the Cultivate McCauley website. Bajer is looking for people to host nurseries in their yards, but also to translate and volunteer for workshops, and will spread the word at a March event at Paper Birch Books.

Other than stitching community members together, Bajer said the thousand trees will have ecological and social benefits. Increasing tree canopy has been linked to reduced crime and increased property values. Trees add protection from wind and sun, which helps reduce heating and cooling costs in both summer and winter, and can help reduce flooding.

Most of the trees will eventually be planted on private property. Trees on public property are under stricter requirements, but for private property, you just need the permission of one landowner. Plus, the percentage of Edmonton's trees on private property is higher than those on public property — there are more trees on private property than there are in the entire river valley — meaning there is more space to make a real difference to Edmonton's tree canopy, Bajer said.

Bajer said he hopes the model could be used in other Edmonton neighbourhoods. "If I'm thinking big picture, I would love to see little mini tree nurseries throughout the city," he said. "A single person can grow a thousand trees in a very small piece of land. A hundred people each growing a thousand trees, or a hundred little nurseries — you're talking about tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of plants that could be propagated locally."

On this day in 1931, Edmonton's premier hotel was offering a Sunday dinner for 50 cents.

The special menu at the King Edward Hotel had everything from boiled mutton leg to chicken chow mein, finished off with "deep blueberry pie."

For decades, the King Edward was the leading hotel in downtown Edmonton. Its Victorian style, with red brick, white columns, and large cupolas, offered an air of luxury and prestige. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier stayed there when visiting the city, along with many other well-to-do travellers in the city's early history.

The hotel's luxurious reputation was far removed from its origins, as it was built on the site of a former livestock operation at the corner of what is now 101 Street and 101 Avenue. The land was owned by businessman and city alderman John Calhoun. In 1904, Calhoun started construction of the hotel, which he named after the current monarch, King Edward VII.

Calhoun's gamble paid off, and the hotel was an immediate success. So much so that it expanded twice over the next decade — once in 1908, and again in 1910. By that time, it was not only the largest hotel in the city, but a central part of the nightlife, with a popular cafe and tavern in the basement. Even when prohibition came to Alberta, from 1915 to 1923, the King Edward remained a popular gathering spot.

Calhoun sold the hotel in 1940. Shortly after the Second World War, the hotel underwent a massive renovation, which replaced the Victorian facade with a Modernist look. Two more expansions in 1951 and 1964, costing $300,000 and $250,000, respectively, added more rooms and amenities.

Like several other downtown hotels, the King Edward played an important role in the history of Edmonton's queer community. While not openly welcoming gay and lesbian patrons, the King Edward was considered a safe, tolerant place to meet and socialize, a reputation it gained soon after opening, and one that continued into the latter half of the century.

While many of the city's old hotels disappeared due to economics or changing tastes, the King Edward met a more tragic end. In 1978, a fatal arson fire destroyed the building, killing two people and sending 15 people to hospital. Although there were some attempts to rebuild the storied establishment, they never materialized. The ruins of the King Edward were demolished in 1980.

The Manulife building now sits on the site of the former King Edward. Like its predecessor did many times over its history, it will undergo a major facelift. Plans are underway for a $45-million renovation of the tower, which will bring changes to its lobby, common areas, and retail spaces.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.

The City of Calgary's community development committee unanimously approved recommendations for reimagining Calgary's recreational facilities, to meet the needs of the city's growing population.

The government of Canada says it is spending more than $60 million to help Jasper, Alta., recover from last year's devastating wildfire.

City councillors discussed new bylaw amendments that will bar tow truck drivers from coming within 200 metres of a collision scene, unless otherwise requested, or face a financial penalty.

The EHN Sandstone Recovery Centre, located in northeast Calgary, is for people aged 12 to 24 with complex eating disorders who have been referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.

Alberta’s auditor general has launched an investigation into procurement and contracting processes within the provinces’ health authority to address “concerns or allegations related to contracting and potential conflicts of interest.”

UCP MLA Chelsae Petrovic is cancelling coffee engagements with her constituents in Livingstone-Macleod after getting an earful about the province's decision to lift its coal mining moratorium.

An Edmonton family physician convicted of submitting hundreds of thousands of dollars in false billings has been sanctioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday the country should weigh building a new west-east oil pipeline after President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs exposed what he's calling a "vulnerability" in energy infrastructure.

Letter | Opinion

Following is an open letter to Pincher Creek town council.

At what point do policy, procedure and process eclipse the principle of  doing the right thing?

While this question may seem subjective, it becomes increasingly clear when town council deliberately opts to overlook its own bylaws and the concerns of its residents.

Isn’t it time to stop masking the situation with the misleading guise of “protection by process”?

Council’s persistent lack of transparency and refusal to accept financial accountability to the taxpayers in our community must be addressed.

I remain committed to raising our concerns regarding the proposed location for the new curling rink/facility.

Many citizens have confided in me their reluctance to voice their opinions due to fears of retaliation, such as job loss.

I personally have been labelled an “anarchist” by a councillor for challenging the rush to approve the building permit for the curling rink at Hole 7 on the golf course.

Failing to stand for something opens the risk to succumb to anything, and it appears that certain members of this town council take advantage of that principle.

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” — African proverb quoted by the Dalai Lama

This situation fuels our determination to advocate for transparency and accountability.

If this decision proceeds, it will be made without adequate due diligence or a thorough evaluation of the implications of this site change.

An anarchist, by definition, is an individual who resists authority, established order or ruling power. Our council is elected to prioritize the community’s best interests, not to impose mandates that serve their personal agendas, benefiting only a select few. Advocating for citizens to have a voice in a democratic society is hardly “anarchy.”

I urge certain councillors to reflect on their privilege and govern according to their mission, values and vision statement:

Respectful relationships; community teamwork; enabling and encouraging creative thinking; sincere two-way communication; a safe, friendly and vibrant community; sustainability: economic, ecological and intergenerational; and transparent decision-making processes.

I look forward to hearing from you and to information regarding a date for the open house concerning the proposed curling rink location.

Shootin’ the Breeze values reader contributions on local issues and activities. Opinions expressed in Mailbox articles are solely those of the writers and may not align with the views of our management and team.

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Edmonton commuters relying on the Metro Line LRT will have to make alternate plans after part of the the train line was unexpectedly shut down Thursday morning.

The City of Leduc plans to annex up to 38 quarter-sections of land to prepare for population growth over the next 50 years.

Jay Downton thinks opening a new coffee shop in the Cloverdale neighbourhood later this month could help increase interest in Edmonton's river valley.

"I bet you people will be watching," Downton, the lead investor and president of River Valley Hospitality, told Taproot about Cloverdale Coffee. "We're just doing our part to help (build community amenities), but it's going to take a team effort by a bunch of other like-minded Edmontonians."

Downton's work in the river valley happens through two businesses — River Valley Co and River Valley Hospitality. Their overlapping portfolios include Little Brick and the Umphreville Block property that houses their Dogpatch, Bread + Butter Bakery, and short-term rental suites. All are located in Riverdale, which is also in the river valley but north of Cloverdale, across the North Saskatchewan River.

Downton's partners for the hospitality arm are Carmen Winkler and Clark Murray. His other businesses are The Nation Network, the home of Oilers Nation, and the fast-casual franchise chain Oodle Noodle.

Cloverdale Coffee is the hospitality company's first foray into Cloverdale, a neighbourhood of less than 1,000 residents best known for hosting the Edmonton Folk Music Festival each summer at Gallagher Park. Strathearn Psychology solicited the group to open in the space adjacent to its practice at 9407 98 Avenue NW, which is on a busy arterial road for commuters. The coffee shop, which is just 248 square feet in size, will offer counter service for coffee and grab-and-go food, thanks in part to Bread + Butter.

Downton said adding amenities to the community is important. "Cloverdale itself is an amazing neighbourhood," Downton said. "(But) it doesn't have any services to draw the community together or to support the community. Sure, they can travel over to Riverdale or go up the hill to downtown, or Capilano, or (the) Whyte Avenue area, but (there is) nothing that's approachable by foot."

The new shop's location fits the hospitality group's ambitions to create amenities that draw in visitors to the river valley while also serving their host communities. Cloverdale's present lack of services (aside from Cafe Bloom within the Muttart Conservatory) is similar to Riverdale before his hospitality company opened its various businesses, he said.

"(Around) 2014, we had no real amenities in this beautiful space that we like to tell the world about," Downton said. "You'd always have to get in your car or go for a long cycle ride or walk up a big hill to get to one of the areas where there's a lot of commercial activity. We viewed this as a problem that we wanted to solve."

Downton's passion for the river valley's beauty is effusive. There is "no greater joy" than introducing Edmontonians to its neighbourhoods, he said, adding that hospitality helps lure people to the area while enhancing their outdoor experiences. Before Cloverdale Coffee, his work on that was concentrated in Riverdale, where Little Brick, Dogpatch, and Bread + Butter are congregated within two blocks of the neighbourhood. Retailer Good Goods moved into the Little Brick space last fall after receiving a grant to operate downtown and leaving shortly after.

Cloverdale resident Sandy Fleming told Taproot in an email that he and his neighbours are "very excited to have a new amenity here on this side of the river valley."

Not all private businesses are welcomed by residents of the river valley's neighbourhoods, however. A proposed Nordic spa in the Brander Gardens neighbourhood has been challenged due to concerns about traffic. If successful, the spa would replace a historic mansion that the University of Alberta, its owner, says it cannot maintain. The house was donated by the family of its original builder, Sandy Mactaggart.

Another question in the river valley is what might happen when work on changes to the area redevelopment plan, which came out in draft form in November, is completed. The draft has yet to be reviewed or approved by council.

Back to java, Cloverdale Coffee isn't the only new coffee game in town. In January, ACE Coffee Roasters opened its fifth location with a new spot inside Manulife Place, while Balay Coffee has begun to operate pop-ups inside Delavoye Chocolate on 124 Street NW.

Here are opportunities to inform municipal decision-making about policing, road safety, the name of municipal assets, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• Policing Community Engagement — The Town of Morinville invites residents to share concerns and priorities with local RCMP officers through a variety of engagement events. A survey is open on an ongoing basis, and two sessions at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre are taking place Feb. 12.
• Vision Zero Street Labs — The City of Edmonton is seeking feedback on recently installed traffic safety and calming measures in several neighbourhoods. Surveys for the Allard neighbourhood, the Idylwylde neighbourhood, and the Ritchie neighbourhood are open until Feb. 18.
• Grandin Renaming — The City of St. Albert is looking to rename various municipal assets bearing the name "Grandin," including the Grandin neighbourhood, Grandin Road, and Grandin Pond. The City's municipal naming policy calls for names that reflect nature, geography, Indigenous culture and history, and more. Residents can suggest names through a survey until Feb. 21.
• Policing Priorities Survey — The St. Albert Policing Committee, an accountability body that works with city council and the RCMP, invites residents to share feedback and priorities for policing. A survey will be available until Feb. 28.

More input opportunities

• Until Feb. 11: Public Maps: Delivering and Improving City Programs and Services (City of Edmonton)
• Until Feb. 14: 2024 Public Satisfaction Survey (Strathcona County)
• Until Feb. 21: Towards 40: McConachie (City of Edmonton)
• Until Feb. 21: Municipal Development Plan (Town of Morinville)
• Until March 28: Engage and Play: Shaping Public Recreation (City of Edmonton)
• Until April 15: Passenger Rail Master Plan Survey (Government of Alberta)

American refineries still rely on Canada’s supply, while OPEC+ nations can manipulate global markets to undercut U.S. producers. Ramping up shale and offshore drilling isn’t a sure bet, given investor reluctance, infrastructure challenges and local opposition.

Canada’s premiers have talked about the need to break down inter-provincial trade barriers for years but the trade tariff threat from U.S. President Donald Trump may prompt them to finally take action. 

Edmonton's new fire chief says he is ready to lead more than 1,300 staff in a growing city as calls to respond to the drug poisoning crisis, homelessness and deliberately set fires continue to soar. 

Canmore resident Austin Desylva was “shooting to kill” when he fired twice at an RCMP officer who’d attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the constable told a judge Wednesday. 

Lethbridge police allege the boy and his mother, Blanche Isobel Irene Fick, were taking drugs around 5 p.m. on Christmas Day when he overdosed at a home on the south side of the city.

A towing program may be on the horizon as Edmonton city council explores how to get cars off the street during parking bans or street sweeps.

The reeve of a southwestern ranching community says the municipal district has cancelled its appeal of exploration applications tied to the Grassy Mountain site in southwestern Alberta.

Nobody puts Lindsay Struthers in a corner, especially if it comes with the most unwelcome advice of what she can or cannot grow. “People say you can’t grow it, so I just like to prove them wrong,” Struthers told the Calgary Eyeopener in a Wednesday interview.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services says it seized one serval cat from an Alberta woman’s home on Nov. 30, 2023, following the execution of a warrant. 

A registered non-profit housing provider that moved vulnerable clients into hotel rooms last year is being sued by the Alberta government.

Local stories, news, obituaries, jobs, notices and events in Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass in the Feb. 5, 2025, issue of Shootin’ the Breeze.

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The Alberta government says it will be amending election rules to ensure displaced residents of Jasper will still be allowed to vote and run in the upcoming municipal election.

Letter | Opinion

Following is an open letter to Pincher Creek town council.

Opposition to the Pincher Creek Curling Rink Project Location is a group of concerned citizens that wish to be heard by council.

On Jan. 22, 2025, we asked to delegate at the Jan. 27 council meeting and were told we missed the deadline.

We looked this up in the town minutes and it seems the delegation application to council days to deadline bylaw changed last June. We of course had no idea of this; such important change to community involvement with our elected council.

Today [Feb. 3, 2025] we send another request to appear before you. According to the new Bylaw 1596-24, Delegations 103a, such communication shall be in the hands of the CAO not later than 4 p.m. one week prior to the Thursday agenda posting.

We missed as a delegation on Jan. 27 because it had to be in the CAO’s hands by Jan. 16?

We now have to figure out the agenda posting for the nearest available meeting. We missed the deadline for the Feb. 5 meeting and the deadline for the Feb. 10 meeting.

The previous bylaw or policy stated that the request had to be in by 4 p.m. the Wednesday before the agenda is made. That gave our community the opportunity to appear in a timely manner and worked for years.

The new bylaw is restrictive and I fear will discourage engagement with council face to face.

Can you amend this bylaw to make in-person presentations easier like it used to be last year?

Shootin’ the Breeze values reader contributions on local issues and activities. Opinions expressed in Mailbox articles are solely those of the writers and may not align with the views of our management and team.

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Chris Spearman, spokesman for Water For Food, says he is overwhelmed by the response to the group’s petition against the Grassy Mountain coal project. The petition focuses on concerns over water contamination and potential harm to southern Alberta’s agriculture industry.

After a soft launch and word-of-mouth campaign, the group secured 3,371 signatures in two weeks, far surpassing the initial goal of 2,000 by the end of January. 

The petition’s intent is to give a voice to Albertans who feel they will be negatively impacted by the coal mine. Many, including property owners who are not full-time residents, were not eligible to participate in the Crowsnest Pass plebiscite in November, when 70 per cent of voters said yes to coal.

“The people who were excluded from the non-binding plebiscite included the 200,000 people who live downstream from the proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine site in municipalities that treat river water to create potable water suitable for drinking, cooking and food processing,” Spearman says.

“Others excluded were farmers, ranchers, intensive livestock operators, irrigators and people employed at the large food-processing plants that operate in the region, including Cavendish Farms, McCain, Richardson Oilseeds and Sunrise Poultry.”

The petition urges the provincial government to immediately terminate the Grassy Mountain coal project proposed by Northback Holdings, citing two main concerns: First, Northback has not provided verifiable methods to control selenium contamination in the Oldman River basin; and second, the risks to the environment, water and southern Alberta’s agrifood economy far outweigh any potential benefits.

Energy Minister Rebecca Schulz has said the Alberta Energy Regulator will monitor river and surface water. However, Water For Food and other organizations argue that once selenium contamination occurs, it will be too late to mitigate the damage.

“Excessive selenium in our river water would shut down our agrifood economy in much the same way mad cow disease shut down the Alberta beef economy 20 years ago,” Spearman says. “One mad cow shut down Alberta beef for more than a year. If we ship selenium-tainted potatoes to Japan or the United States and they are rejected, it will shut down our whole agrifood economy here.”

“Our reading of five Alberta government research-based studies is that they confirm that excessive selenium contamination will definitely occur based on what has already occurred at existing coal mining sites in Alberta and British Columbia. The contamination concentrations will be higher here due to the volatile and unpredictable chinook wind conditions.”

Water For Food plans to share detailed information through a series of press conferences this week.

Spearman’s concerns and passion are built on 40 years of experience in southern Alberta’s integrated agriculture economy, as well as his time as mayor of Lethbridge and now as a resident of the MD of Pincher Creek.

His perspective is shaped by past experiences where economic development projects have benefited the region. However, he fears the Grassy Mountain coal mine could be the first to cause more damage than good.

“This is the very first time there’s an economic development project that could actually harm the region and all the economic development downstream. So that’s where I’m coming from, that’s why I’m concerned,” he says.

“After the non-binding plebiscite, Energy Minister Brian Jean famously said that democracy had spoken. Our message to Minister Jean is that democracy means that all affected get a voice,” Spearman says.

“We want to give everyone who felt they were disenfranchised, whether they were downstream or property owners, the opportunity to have their voice heard.”

Water For Food formally launched its petition on Tuesday and is seeking host sites to collect signatures until the end of February. Petition forms are available by email and original copies must be returned by mail or directly with a Water For Food member or drop location.

Further information can be found on the Water For Food Substack.

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Two military police members have been suspended from duty while an investigation takes place into misconduct an Ontario Superior Court Judge ruled took place during a sexual assault investigation, according to the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal.

Edmonton city council will forge ahead in using surplus school sites to build more affordable housing. The motion, passed on Tuesday, saw concerns expressed by councillors regarding red tape and regulation.

The number of video game companies operating in Canada dropped nine per cent in the wake of a pandemic-fuelled gaming boom, most of them smaller independent shops with fewer than 25 employees, according to an economic report on the industry.

Host Clare Bonnyman speaks with Heather Gerrard from Sober City YEG about how they bring people together, without alcohol.

Tariffs on Canadian goods are expected to have far-reaching effects on the City of Edmonton's budget. Local leaders and city staff are preparing for that reality.