The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the recall covers certain Fanny Bay, Sunseeker and Cloudy Bay oysters under the Taylor Shellfish Canada brand.

In an emailed statement, Alberta Health Services said that the Stollery will have gaps for three nights as physician shifts go unfilled, but added it is trying to fill the shifts. 

AHS warned that a person with lab-confirmed measles was in public settings in Calgary while contagious between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17.

The premier makes no apologies for an ambitious reform agenda. But the more a government dismantles and rebuilds, the more risk there is for road bumps, growing pains and outright mistakes.

While less people are answering the call to move to Alberta, it still led all other provinces and territories in population growth and interprovincial migration in Q3 of 2024.

Honey produced in the province was worth $100 million in 2023. This year, it was worth just $75 million.

A new Indigenous immersive language program inspired by the Māori communities of New Zealand is looking to help preserve Plains Cree, a dialect of the Cree language. The program, called a "language nest," is a non-classroom space for fluent Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers from the local community to help children learn the Cree language in their formative years.

Dane Skinner, 60, was convicted of fraud over $5,000 and money laundering for a fraudulent investment scheme he ran over five years in central Alberta.

Many Canadians, young and old, have taken a modern twist on the winter village display by building it out of Lego bricks.

Canada’s chief actuary says Alberta would be entitled to interest from the Canada Pension Plan proportional to the money Albertans invested, should the province withdraw from CPP.

A Calgary man who killed his drug-dealing boss pleaded guilty to manslaughter Friday.

After a cold spell earlier this week, Calgary is warming up over the weekend, with a hotter Christmas than the city has seen in more than a decade, forecasted for next week.

The Alberta government says it is developing rules that will shape the future of coal mining in the province, but certain notable projects remain exempt from the new plan.

Numbers give news context, heft, and depth — and 2024 had lots of them. For example, the number of people without stable housing in Edmonton increased by more than 2,000, to 4,697. Meanwhile, a private-sector report called for governments to invest $427 million in the city's downtown, transit ridership rose 12% above pre-pandemic levels, and we learned the city's debt financing for the Yellowhead Trail freeway conversion will grow by $105 million.

As Taproot prepares for a holiday break, we're sharing which numbers might matter most in the years ahead.

0

That's the number Coun. Andrew Knack talked about in a motion that followed council's Dec. 4 approval of a 6.1% property tax increase for 2025. The motion, which Knack worked on with Coun. Tim Cartmell and Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, pitched zero-based budgeting for council's work on budgets for the 2027 to 2030 cycle. Knack said his colleagues are frustrated with the status quo and that this might be the salve.

"I think it's time for a true foundational budget," Knack said during the meeting. "It's not going to be easy, but it's going to allow the next council to fully understand where all of our dollars are going."

Zero-based budgeting starts a budget at zero rather than using a past budget as a starting point. Knack's successful motion means all City of Edmonton departments, agencies, boards, and commissions will present to council before the numbers are crunched for the 2027 to 2030 budget process.

Though Knack talked of going "line by line" through the budget, some question if it's possible. Allan Bolstad, a councillor from 1992 to 2004, wrote that the line-by-line approaches were already tried — and failed. Bolstad said the process is too intensive to be effective.

17

That's how many kilometres of new active transportation routes the city told Taproot it would build in 2024. That came more than a year after Edmonton's city council voted to invest $100 million in active transportation infrastructure. The 2024 promise comprises 10 routes covering 17 kilometres, budgeted in the $100 million pledged in 2022.

The cost of the bike lane investment has roused emotions since 2022, among both those wishing the build-out would accelerate and those wishing it would hit the brakes. In December, during budget adjustment discussions, Coun. Karen Principe introduced a motion to cut $67 million from the $100 million council endorsed in 2022, but it failed.

17

Seventeen is also the number of companies from the Edmonton region that made The Globe and Mail's 2024 list of the 416 fastest-growing in Canada.

Five companies from the region placed in the top 100: Cover All Program, MM Energy, Nanoprecise, Dragon Industrial Services, and Trust Science.

Other recognition came from the Information and Communications Technology Council. The group published a report that calls Edmonton the "backbone" of Alberta's interactive digital media industry. The report says gaming stalwart BioWare has created a "critical mass" of talent that continues to see Edmonton thrive over its 34 years. One challenge to that story, however, was the December story on job losses at Inflexion Games and the closure of Humanoid Origin.

20

That's the number for a bill that the United Conservative Party government introduced in April, and passed in October. While Bill 20 quickly drew heat for its changes to local governance and elections in Alberta, it also gave municipalities the power to offer tax breaks or deferments for up to 15 years on all residential properties.

Another part of the bill was a ban on voting tabulation machines for municipal elections. Many municipalities openly opposed the change, which is set to cost Edmonton $4.8 million extra in 2025.

1,550

Taproot started 2024 by examining the number of shelter spaces available across the city as temperatures plummeted and the City of Edmonton's efforts to remove people from encampments faced legal challenges.

On Jan. 9, the province said that the number of shelter spaces in Edmonton was 1,550. A Jan. 12 Postmedia report, however, suggested it was 1,429. Before Jan. 9, Homeward Trust had a page that allowed people to view the number of available shelter spaces. Then, it vanished. At a press conference on Jan. 12, Jason Nixon, the minister responsible for housing and homelessness, said the province asked Homeward Trust to take its page down because its numbers were wrong.

"They don't have access to the entire shelter system, only the provincial government does, and certainly I think they've done their best," Nixon said. "We're trying to get those numbers up to date. But with the large amount of new shelters that came on, the numbers were off by hundreds of beds."

As of Dec. 19, the province's data reporting page for shelter spaces now lists Edmonton's number at 2,046, with a utilization rate of 89%.

On this day in 1946, a funeral was held in the Freemason Lodge downtown.

The group's history in the area stretched back nearly a century and a half. In 1882, the first Mason lodge in what is now Alberta was founded by 13 members living near Fort Edmonton. It would last about six years before dissolving due to low membership. Other lodges began to form in the 1890s as the region's population continued to grow.

In 1903, construction began on the original Edmonton Mason Hall, on 102 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue. The upper floors of the building served as the location of the group's meetings and rites, while the first floor was rented out — Alberta College taught its first classes there, and it was later replaced by a cigar factory. A replica of the first Mason Hall still remains in Fort Edmonton Park.

Membership continued to grow through the first decade of the 20th century, and the group soon outgrew the original hall. In 1911, the group sought to fund the construction of an elaborate new hall by selling shares in the new building, but the response was underwhelming. It would take another 19 years before the new hall would begin construction.

When the cornerstone was placed in 1930, it was for a building that matched the Masons's craftsman roots. The new hall was designed by celebrated architect William Blakely, known for buildings that include the Christ Church Anglican Parish and Garneau Theatre (Blakely was a Freemason himself). The four-storey building was finished with brick and artificial stone. The Gothic design gives it a medieval feeling that sets it apart from the other buildings on 100 Avenue NW. Facing the street are two entrances — one for the public, the other for members. On the second storey, facing the street, there are six small alcoves above the windows, which were intended to display statues. The sculptures were ordered, but never actually arrived. To this day, no one — including the Freemasons themselves — knows what they were supposed to depict.

The main floor is dominated by a large auditorium with a sprung dance floor covered in oak. That space was not only for Masonic events, but also to bring rental income to the lodge by booking it for public events. Aside from the offices and meeting areas, the hall boasted the city's first lending library, as well as the first passenger elevator in the province.

Nearly a century after its construction, the Freemasons's Hall is still one of the most striking and intriguing buildings in Edmonton's core. It remains an active meeting place for the city's Masons, we well as a well-used performance and gathering space. Earlier this year, the hall's grand auditorium served as the spot for the first YEG Ballroom event, thought to be the first of its kind in the city.

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

As of Dec. 31, 2022, there were 13,483 people working for the City of Calgary. That number grew to 15,751 people as of Sept. 30, 2024, according to data provided to CBC News from the city.

Remote-triggered cameras show dog owners are letting their canines loose in green spaces home to coyotes, raccoons and other critters. 

The UCP has created a more generous gift policy and limited freedom of information access. On the horizon: relaxed rules for political aides.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to mix up his front bench today as he continues to face pressure to step down.

Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says charter schools will become a more established element of the province’s education system.

On Dec. 1, Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village hosted another successful edition of its annual Largest Christmas Cookie Sale in Pincher Creek History.

“It went really, really well,” says Logan Kennedy, operations lead at KBPV. “We had lots of people come, lots of support, lots of volunteers, and overall it was awesome.” 

The sale featured a whopping 1,350 dozen Christmas cookies and 50 kinds of Christmas treats, including an assortment of cakes, squares and other goodies. 

Attendance was strong at this year’s event, with about 385 people coming through. Organizers are said to be quite pleased with the turnout, one that more closely resembled the numbers seen at sales that pre-dated the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event could not have succeeded without community support — not just those looking for treats, but those baking and selling them as well. With 25 bakers and 25 day-of volunteers stepping up to support the museum, volunteers were key to the sale’s success. 

“We really rely on volunteers to pull these kinds of things off, so it was great to have that level of support,” Logan says. 

Volunteer Pauline Breeze, left, and Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village operations lead Logan Kennedy were still smiling as the museum’s annual Christmas Cookie Sale wound down after a busy day.

Shannon Peace © Shootin’ the Breeze 2024

Community feedback was overwhelmingly positive for the annual holiday tradition, with many shoppers voicing their favourite treats, including chiffon cakes and Linzer cookies.

The Largest Christmas Cookie Sale’s reputation has gone beyond Pincher Creek, with some shoppers coming all the way from Calgary, Fernie and Lethbridge to get their hands on fresh-baked goods.

According to Logan, the museum is very pleased with the funds raised through the event. The money from the sale will go toward the general operations and upkeep of the museum, including repairs to some of its historic buildings.  

On behalf of the staff at KBPV, Logan expressed gratitude to the community for their continued support.

“It’s always amazing how much effort goes into the cookie sale, but we couldn’t have done it without the volunteers and everyone who came out to buy treats and support us. Thank you,” says Logan.

For more information about upcoming events, visit Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village online. 

Ranger Gord Tolton takes a moment to replace his smile with a scowl for the camera. The frown immediately turned upside down after the photo was snapped.

Shannon Peace © Shootin’ the Breeze 2024