Michael Arnold, 36, from Edmonton, was on trial for first-degree murder in the death of Nakita Baron and attempted murder of her husband, Talal Fouani, who were shot while in their Bentley outside their Calgary home in August 2022. 

The organization that represents Alberta's cities, towns and villages is concerned about the increase to the education property tax announced in Thursday's provincial budget. 

Grant Sneesby, 74, was granted statutory release from prison earlier this month. He was convicted for the death of Gloria Gladue, a 44-year-old woman whose remains were found in rural Manitoba in 2018 — almost three years after she was last seen in northern Alberta.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky might be in the penalty box in the minds of many Canadians right now, but one Alberta-based superfan says his admiration for the Great One remains intact.

An archaeological field school hosted by Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in Alberta is proving the community's oral history true and teaching other Indigenous people how to do the same in their communities.

A man is dead following a "medical event" suffered in police custody, after he reportedly threatened another resident in his apartment building, Edmonton police said Friday.

1- On Monday, February 24, 2,000 education support workers from Calgary and area hit the picket lines. They joined 4,000 more workers in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and the Sturgeon School Division who are already on strike.

2- On Tuesday, February 25, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange fired CIO (Chief Information Officer) of AHS Penny Rae. Rae is recognized as one of Canada’s top women leaders in digital health. Previously, on January 8, LaGrange had fired the CEO of AHS, Athana Mentzelopoulos, who filed a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit. Then, on January 31, LaGrange fired the entire AHS board.

3- Pete Guthrie, the Minister of Infrastructure, resigned from cabinet February 25, saying he lacked confidence in the government’s procurement processes. Earlier he had called for LaGrange to step down during investigations into serious allegations made by Mentzelopoulos.

4- The legislative assembly resumed sitting for its spring session February 25.

5- On Thursday, February 27 the government presented Budget 2025. Highlights:

– $5.2-billion deficit on total spending of $79-billion, with more money for contingencies, tariffs and disasters

– $26-billion for capital projects such as hospitals and highways, including $2.6-billion for new schools

– personal income tax cuts costing the government $1-billion in foregone revenue and saving individual Albertans roughly $750 a year

– contributions are projected to grow the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund to $250-billion by 2050

6- Budget 2025 also allocates $180-million over three years to build two 150-bed addiction treatment centres, one in Calgary and one in Edmonton, under the proposed Compassionate Intervention Act, which allows forced treatment.

7- As the Budget was being presented, 50 busloads of striking education support workers protested outside the legislature. The average school support worker in the province makes $34,500 per year, said CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill.

The post The Week in Alberta (Feb 24–28, 2025) appeared first on Alberta Views.

Alberta has a new minister of infrastructure. Martin Long has been appointed to the cabinet post after the previous minister resigned earlier this week.

After years of criticizing the provincial government for shortchanging Edmonton, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says the province's latest budget, which restores provincial grants in place of property taxes and funds several revitalization projects in the city's core, is a step in the right direction.

On this day in 1949, a new novel by one of Canada's most influential mystery writers was hitting Edmonton bookstores.

Frances Shelley Wees didn't spend much time in Edmonton. Wees recalled moving dozens of times in her early life, so she didn't spend much time anywhere. However, the years she spent in Alberta put her on the path to becoming a prolific, beloved novelist.

Wees was born in 1902 in Oregon, although her family soon moved to Saskatchewan, where she spent her childhood. After working as a teacher in Saskatoon, Wees moved to Edmonton in the 1920s to study at the University of Alberta.

During her time in Edmonton, two events set her on the path to becoming a professional author: She wrote her first novel (which has never been published), and she met her husband, Wilfred, who was also a student. Passionate about both education and literature, Wees was heavily involved in organizing so-called "Chautauqua" events that featured public debates, performances, and artistic displays, which were wildly popular in the 1920s (Edmonton's embrace of the Chautauqua trend still lives on at the Royal Alberta Museum, which has a theatre named after the movement.

The pair remained in Edmonton before they moved to Canmore, where Wilfred had received a job offer. Wees's career as a professional novelist started in earnest when Wilfred read one of her manuscripts. He decided to type it up and then sent it to a publisher in New York. The Maestro Murders was published in 1931. It was the first of more than two dozen mystery and romance novels that Wees published during her lifetime, along with poetry and articles. She later moved to Toronto, and then to British Columbia, but she remained a popular figure among Edmonton readers, and the city occasionally played a part in some of her books.

Wees died in 1982.

Wees's success is one page in Edmonton's storied literary history, one that continues with new local authors in both fiction and non-fiction. The last few months have seen the release of new books by local writers, such as Timothy Caulfield, who focuses on how information spreads online, and The Shape of Lost Things by Governor General's Book Award winner Sarah Everett.

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

Biboye Onanuga, the full-time drummer sitting behind many different kits, is trying to use his role as the Edmonton Public Library's musician in residence to connect musicians to the city's growing scene.

"A lot of the work I do, it's almost like the music is on the side," Onanuga told Taproot. "It's a vehicle to connect with people and support them in their lives outside of music."

Onanuga has in the past worked for The Mustard Seed, Hope Mission, and other social agencies. He considers himself a "global citizen," having lived in England, Nigeria, and other places before moving to Edmonton at age 9, so he said he knows firsthand how music can help people make new connections.

"I've always had this weird relationship (to music) where, when I don't have a day job that is social-programming oriented, I honestly feel gross about just playing music. A lot of those jobs weren't explicitly music-related, but I'd bring music into them."

He became EPL's second musician in residence in September, following in the footsteps of Mallory Chipman, and will serve through the end of June. The residency program was funded by the 2023 Edmonton JUNOs Host Committee. Though EPL has enough left in the pot for one more resident after Onanuga, it told Taproot in an email that it's looking for ways to keep the program alive beyond that.

The EPL residency entails programming public events and working one-on-one with musicians to help them meet their artistic goals, including in studios at the Stanley A. Milner Library. Onanuga said many Edmontonians who have used his services are immigrants to Canada, who can struggle to see a place for themselves in music. "I get to be the person that says, 'Your music is beautiful and you should keep doing it, and here are some environments that are safe and supportive where you can play music in Edmonton.'"

Onanuga said he aims to connect clients to the city's music scene. It's a scene he's deeply woven into. He runs the weekly New Standards jam session at The Common. Outside of EPL and New Standards, he's in Good Information, a band that combines elements of hip hop and jazz — two genres he's especially passionate about (Good Information has an album that will probably be released next year, Onanuga said, and will next perform on May 9 and 10 at 9910). Onanuga also plays live scores for Citadel Theatre shows, for people such as the artist and CBC Radio host Odario, and for a new jazz (and more) night called Daze Days on Sundays at Mimi, one of Daniel Costa's many restaurants. He also recently led a sold-out tribute to hip-hop legend J Dilla at Yardbird Suite, and hopes to make it an annual event.

In much of this work, Onanuga helped build connections before becoming EPL's musician in residence. One example is the rapper and singer, J Scope, who moved to Edmonton from Ukraine in 2023 after Russia invaded the country. J Scope found his backing band members at the New Standards event.

Onanuga said he hopes to cap off his EPL residency with an event that will feature musicians who have worked in isolation and haven't been able to connect with collaborators on stage before. It's still at the idea stage, he said, but he hopes to pull it off before the end of June.

"A big snag artists are facing is that, these days, we can all make music from our own homes and just be bedroom producers," he said. "I'm hoping the capstone of my time (with EPL) will be to secure some funding to hire some musicians to play one or two songs with some of the artists that I've met over the past year who are ready to do that."

The Alberta Energy Regulator is facing criticism after it fined a mining company $9,000 for releasing coal-contaminated waste into a major tributary to the Peace River.

New funding for some major projects in Calgary was announced on Thursday as Alberta’s UCP government released its 2025 budget.

Nate Horner really didn't want a deficit. But he has one, thanks to a new threat and an old campaign pledge.

Avalanche Canada has issued a special public warning for most forecast regions in British Columbia and western Alberta through the end of Monday.

Alberta’s new budget means nearly all Albertans will pay less in income taxes, while home and business owners will pay more in provincial property tax, especially those living in Calgary. The province also expects to take in more money from several other new taxes and fees.

Pilot on helicopter equipped with a suspended water bucket had been dispatched to douse the flames of a wildfire burning northeast of the Peace River Airport. 

Another high ranking Alberta Health Services official has been ousted and hundreds of staff are being transferred to the province's new acute care agency, as the government continues its complete overhaul of the health system while embroiled in a contract procurement controversy.

Police say the incident happened near Our Lady of Peace School on Wednesday afternoon.

The deaths of two men at the Edmonton Institution within the past week is prompting one advocate to renew calls for a public inquiry into conditions at the maximum-security prison. 

Here are opportunities to inform municipal decisions about policing in St. Albert, rezoning applications, transit, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you live.

• Policing Priorities Survey — The St. Albert Policing Committee, an accountability body that works with city council and the RCMP, invites residents to share their feedback and priorities for policing. A survey will be available until Feb. 28.
• Windermere Crescent rezoning — The City of Edmonton received a request to rezone a parcel of land in the Windermere Crescent area from a Rural Residential zone to a Small Scale Flex Residential zone. If the application is approved, the developer will be allowed to subdivide the site and add small-scale housing up to three storeys tall. Residents can ask a question or share their thoughts on a discussion board until March 2.
• Youth Transit Experience Surveys — The City of Edmonton wants feedback from young riders about their transit experiences, which will be used to inform service and program improvements. A survey for riders aged 12 to 18 and a separate survey for parents and caregivers will be open until March 19.

More input opportunities

• Until March 4: Vision Zero Street Labs — Carlton, Laurel, and The Orchards (City of Edmonton)
• Until March 5: New Aquatics Centre Survey (Fort Saskatchewan)
• Until March 5: Public Art Plan (Strathcona County)
• Until March 11: Vision Zero Street Labs — Newton and Parkdale (City of Edmonton)
• Until March 28: Engage and Play: Shaping Public Recreation (City of Edmonton)
• Until April 15: Passenger Rail Master Plan Survey (Government of Alberta)

Boyle Street Community Services and the Edmonton Arts Council are launching a year-long residency for an artist or collective to work with vulnerable Edmontonians while also furthering their artistic practice.

Applications for the residency are open until March 14 at noon. The maximum budget for the residency is $100,000. The idea came from Edmonton-based arts advocate Leon Zupan, who is currently board chair of the Art Gallery of Alberta. At the time, he was helping fundraise for Boyle's for okimaw peyesew kamik (King Thunderbird Centre) and was also an EAC board member.

While the residency will give an artist or group a chance to create a body of work, Diana Elniski, Boyle's executive advisor, said clients will benefit, too. Art is an important way for vulnerable people to work through stigma and marginalization, she said. "I don't think people necessarily understand the healing impact that (art) really has, the spiritual care that it gives to the people that we serve," Elniski said. "This is something that really fills people's cup, and is oftentimes what really can help them take that next step towards stability."

Elniski said social services in major cities like Vancouver and San Francisco often prioritize arts programming. Boyle has done that on an ad-hoc basis over the years, so it will be exciting to have a full-time artist working with the community, she said. The artist will work in a dedicated space at the Mercer Building, which Boyle moved into in 2023.

Renee Williams, executive director of the EAC, told Taproot the residency aims to provide the artist or collective healing, cultural connection, and community empowerment, and that the organization wants to support marginalized voices. While some residencies require a final project or outcome, this one won't, Williams said.

"This is a unique opportunity and an initiative that we're partnering with Boyle Street on, and I don't want to be too prescriptive," she said. "I want to make sure that we're really leaving it open for imagination and creativity and lived experience that comes through."

Artists of different disciplines are welcome to apply. "We all know there's so many ways that you can tell a story — you can use film, you can use visual arts, you can use beadwork, you can use kind of anything," Elniski said.

Applicants are encouraged to include components open to the public in their application, like exhibitions, workshops, or presentations. The EAC also said artists should consider if they will need mental health strategies for working with people who have experienced trauma through homelessness or poverty.

"If anybody had any questions, I'd encourage them to visit some of our sites, if they were interested in the work Boyle Street does," Elniski said.

Boyle's King Thunderbird Centre is under construction at 10010 107A Ave NW. The organization worked with EPCOR to raise another $815,000 toward the centre in the fall. It's scheduled to open by the end of this year.

Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner is introducing a provincial budget Thursday amid concerns and uncertainty about the economic impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States. 

Since 2000, Alberta has hired more U.S. lobbyists than any other province, or even the federal government, according to U.S. regulatory data. But how effective is that approach as a way to influence policy south of the border?

About 10,000 hotel rooms are expected to be booked, and the event is anticipated to bring about 2,000 delegates, 1,400 journalists and 70 official guests to Calgary and K-Country, according to a report to the Calgary Police Commission.

Around 800 peace officers working in large and mid-sized cities across the province will now co-ordinate with local police agencies and share data, as the the Alberta government turns its attention to addressing the fentanyl crisis in the province.

The lawyer for the man accused of murdering a woman and trying to kill her husband argued the prosecution’s theory of the fatal shooting being a paid hit “doesn’t make sense.”  

Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says he has directed school divisions to make efforts to provide in-person learning options to all students as a support worker strike continues.

Just when you think a provincial boundary is set in stone, the geological whims of the Rocky Mountains have other ideas.

April 12, 1943 – Feb. 22, 2025

Mick Bonertz, beloved husband of Claire Bonertz, of Pincher Creek, Alta., passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 81.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his loving wife of 57 years, Claire; his children, Mitch (Rose) Bonertz, Alana (Mike) Hansen, Ross (Heather) Bonertz and Kent (Wendy) Bonertz; his grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Alyssa and Jenna Hansen, Brady Bonertz, Denver and Vienna Bonertz.

He is survived by brothers and sisters in-law: Ron Schmidt, Judy Bonertz, Bruce and Deb Stewart, Brad and Kathy Sawyer. He is also survived by many other family members, nephew, nieces, cousins and dear friends.

Waiting to welcome him home are his parents, Mabel and Otto Bonertz, his brothers Jerome, Jack and Bing, and sister Elaine Schmidt. Also, his father and mother in-law, Bradford and Jopie Sawyer, and nephew Christopher Ames.

Mick was born on April 12, 1943, in Pincher Creek, Alta., to his loving parents, Mabel and Otto Bonertz. He grew up on a ranch in Twin Butte surrounded by miles of grassland and the beautiful Rocky Mountains stretching as far as the eye could see.

In his early years he had the privilege of attending a one-room schoolhouse and he often shared his fond memories of riding horseback to and from school daily with his brothers and sister. He then continued the remainder of his schooling at St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek. Following high school, he ventured to Nelson, B.C., to pursue post-secondary education, but learned very quickly his true calling was ranching and farming and returned home.

The life he created on the farm for his family was his greatest accomplishment. He was an incredible cowboy and the hardest working man, producing award-winning Hereford cattle. His true passion.

He had a great love of sports and showed his amazing athleticism playing hockey, fastball, skiing (snow and water) and curling. Following his health issues, he no longer played sports but was able to enjoy watching and cheering on his children and grandchildren – his pride and joy.

Mick loved spending time with people, especially reminiscing about old times with all his dear friends and family. His friends came from all aspects of his life, and he always ensured to maintain contact, spending many evenings on the phone catching up. We will always cherish his many stories and recollections, not to mention his laughter. He loved to tease and joke.

He was very generous and always there for those in need. He found great joy helping those who were less fortunate. Inside his sometimes tough exterior was a very kind and loving person.

Despite having health issues as a young adult, he never let this define him. He continued to live life to his fullest until his very last day. Over the past week, he reminisced about his long and incredible life. He was the most loving father, husband and Papa. Your job is done! Rest easy!

A memorial mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Pincher Creek Community Hall, 287 Canyon Dr., Pincher Creek. Mick will be laid to rest at the Fairview Cemetery following the memorial mass. A reception will be held at the Heritage Inn following the graveside service.

To send a condolence or to view the livestream, please visit www.edensfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Eden’s Funeral Home

The obituary for Gerald Michael ‘Mick’ Bonertz appeared in the Feb. 26, 2025, issue of Shootin’ the Breeze. Condolences are extended to family and friends.

The post Obituary | Gerald Michael ‘Mick’ Bonertz appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Johnny Bright made history in the fall of 1951 when he became the first Black player to take the field at Oklahoma A&M's stadium.

The federal justice minister has ordered a new trial for an Edmonton man convicted in the killing of a 34-year-old woman who disappeared from the city in 1987.

The former head of Alberta Health Services Athana Mentzelopoulos tried to caution the government about the potential impact of chartered surgical facilities on the provincial health-care system months before she was fired, CBC has learned.

Letter/ Opinion

Chis Spearman — Water For Food

Following is an open letter to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Albertans expect transparency, accountability and responsible stewardship of our natural resources. As stewards of the province’s coal reserves, your government has a duty to ensure that any decision made regarding coal mining protects our land, our water, our communities and our long-term economic prosperity.

We are writing to seek immediate clarification on serious contradictions in your government’s statements regarding the Grassy Mountain Coal Project and the proposed Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI).

What type of mining will actually take place at Grassy Mountain?

Your government has issued contradictory statements about the mining method proposed for Grassy Mountain.

—On Dec. 20, 2024, at a media conference, Energy Minister Brian Jean confirmed it would be an open-pit mine.

—On Jan. 25, 2025, on your weekly radio show, you stated it would not be an open-pit mine.

Which statement is correct? If it is not open-pit mining, what specific method will be used?

The industry has floated buzzwords like “high wall mining” and “CIMI technology,” which appear to be little more than rebranded open-pit mining with the same risks of selenium contamination, windborne coal dust and long-term land degradation.

If this mining method is truly different, why hasn’t Northback Resources been transparent about it? They have refused to answer public concerns for over eight months.

Can the Alberta Energy Regulator be trusted to protect our water?

Your government has stated that AER monitoring will ensure environmental safety. However:

—Five Alberta government studies confirm that selenium contamination is inevitable from coal mining in this region.

—The Globe and Mail (Jan. 6, 2025) reported that AER’s monitoring is understaffed, under-resourced and ineffective.

—Alberta has no enforceable regulations for selenium pollution, only vague “guidelines” that fail to require meaningful action.

No conservative-minded government should tolerate a regulatory system that is both toothless and ineffective.

If AER cannot stop contamination before it happens, how can we trust it to clean up the mess afterward?

Why are Albertans being excluded from coal policy consultations?

Your government has made it clear that consultations on Alberta’s new coal policy will be limited to coal companies.

—Why are farmers, ranchers, municipalities and Indigenous communities being excluded?

—Why are foreign-owned coal companies being prioritized over the Albertans who own these resources?

Historically, over 70 per cent of Albertans have opposed coal mining in the Rockies. Albertans have fought this battle before — and won.

If this project is truly in Alberta’s best interest, why avoid consulting the people most affected by it?

Why is Grassy Mountain being treated as an “advanced project” when it was rejected?

Grassy Mountain was already rejected in June 2021 by a joint federal-provincial review panel because its risks outweighed its benefits.

Northback Resources then challenged the ruling in court three times — and lost every time.

Despite this, Minister Jean now falsely claims that Grassy Mountain is an “advanced project.”

The reality:

—The Alberta government still lists the project as “terminated.”

—Northback itself has publicly stated that the project is cancelled.

How is a project that was rejected, lost in court and declared terminated now considered “advanced”?

This undermines the rule of law and due process — principles that conservatives should stand for.

Why is your government opening all of the Eastern Slopes to coal mining?

Your government claims this decision avoids legal action from coal companies.

Yet Alberta law already provides the legal power to block coal mining in the public interest under the Mines and Minerals Act (Section 8).

Why, then, is your government choosing to sacrifice Alberta’s Eastern Slopes rather than stand up to foreign coal companies?

The business case for Grassy Mountain doesn’t hold up

The proposed mine would create only 400 jobs for just 23 to 25 years, but at the expense of a multibillion-dollar agrifood industry that supports over 200,000 Albertans in the Oldman River basin.

This is not a trade-off Albertans can afford.

Where will the water come from?

Southern Alberta already faces chronic drought and strict water allocations. Coal mines require massive amounts of water, yet:

—Your government has not explained how much water will be diverted from agricultural use.

—Once contaminated, selenium cannot be removed from drinking water with current technology.

Can you confirm where Grassy Mountain will source its water, and how much will be taken from Alberta farmers and municipalities?

What mandate do you have to reintroduce coal mining?

In 2019, the UCP did not campaign on opening the Rockies to coal mining. When they attempted to do so, Albertans rejected it overwhelmingly.

Now, in 2025, you are again moving forward without a mandate from the people. If coal mining is truly a priority for your government, then take it to an election. Let Albertans decide.

Premier Smith, the Grassy Mountain coal project and coal mining in the Alberta Rockies are the wrong decisions for Alberta.

This is not a right versus left issue.

This is a right versus wrong issue.

Your government is making decisions against public will, against scientific evidence and against Alberta’s long-term interests, for the short-term gain of foreign coal companies.

We demand clear, public answers to these concerns. Albertans deserve to know. Until these questions are answered, Grassy Mountain must not proceed.

Shootin’ the Breeze welcomes submissions about local issues and activities. Personal views expressed in Mailbox items are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Shootin’ the Breeze ownership and staff. Mailbox articles include letters to the editor, op-eds, news releases and notes from our readers.

The post Answers demanded to coal mining concerns appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Opinion

Monica Field and David McIntyre — Crowsnest Pass

Albertans are scared. For many, access to life-essential water is at grave risk.

Throughout southern Alberta, where drought and a lack of water are threatening crops and frightening residents, access to the land’s limited sources of water becomes critical, crucial to life. 

Is anything more precious than an intact watershed? When coal was first discovered in Crowsnest Pass, it was seen as black gold. What thought was given to water? 

Today, people in the know respect the fact that ecologically functioning landscapes and watersheds are necessary for survival. They’re priceless. They’re worth far more than coal, far more than short-term, short-sighted profit for a select few.

Coal exploration and mining, if approved on Alberta’s Eastern Slopes, are guaranteed to further reduce and degrade the land’s meagre supply of water. This water, already seriously over-allocated and impacted by drought, is essential to the prosperity of the prairies and existing agricultural demands. 

The people of Alberta never invited coal speculators to dig up Alberta’s revered and treasured mountains. They never agreed to the prospect of having bulldozers excavate cherished heritage rangelands in a brutal, destructive quest for coal. They didn’t envision, even a few short years ago, a day when they’d suffer from coal mining’s devastating impact on their iconic Rocky Mountain headwaters, the water tower for southern Alberta. 

Recently, an independent polling firm, Leger, was asked (by Livingstone Landowners Group and Save the Mountains) to contact Albertans and obtain their opinions with respect to coal mining on Alberta’s Eastern Slopes. The poll, mirroring previous polls, indicated that three-quarters of Albertans oppose coal mining in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain headwaters — results virtually identical to an earlier report the province’s Coal Policy Committee submitted to the Government of Alberta in response to its request for issue-defining data. 

Today, in the wake of the government’s recent decision — surprising and shocking! — to reopen Alberta’s headwaters to coal mining exploration and potential coal mining, public outrage manifests itself in the form of protests, phone campaigns, benefit concerts, and countless letters and phone calls to politicians. 

The Government of Alberta appears uninterested in the expressed core needs and values of Albertans, and uncaring and unmoved, too, by the disturbing findings of scientists who have spoken and written to formally document the negative impacts of coal exploration and mining on the environment and human health. 

The government appears oblivious to the ever-increasing impact of headwaters landscape destruction, and degradation of the land’s ability to capture, hold and slowly release water amid lingering drought and climate change chaos. 

When an irrational government fails to protect life-essential water, ignores science-based findings of respected scientists and health-care professionals, and disregards the clear and decisive will of the people, we hear voices in the street and the sound of running feet.

Shootin’ the Breeze welcomes submissions about local issues and activities. Personal views expressed in Mailbox items are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Shootin’ the Breeze ownership and staff. Mailbox articles include letters to the editor, op-eds, news releases and notes from our readers.

The post Whispering the word — ‘Revolution’ appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Local stories, news, obituaries, jobs, notices and events in Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass in the Feb. 26, 2025, issue of Shootin’ the Breeze.

The post News and events: Pincher Creek & Crowsnest Pass | Feb. 26, 2025 appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

The solar industry in the province continues to grow, even after a seven-month moratorium on renewable energy projects was announced by the provincial government in August 2023.

As the carbon capture industry accelerates in the province, Varme Energy Inc. has brought its leader from Norway to Edmonton to help secure a final investment in a facility it's building in Alberta's Industrial Heartland.

"When we saw that things are going to go slower in Europe on carbon capture, we decided to put all of our focus on Canada," Andreas Grav Karlsen, who holds senior positions with Varme Energy Inc. and its majority owner, Varme Energy AS, told Taproot. "I'm here to add support to the team, to focus on the commercial piece, and on project development."

In January 2024, the company announced a 15-year deal with the City of Edmonton that will see it take 150,000 tonnes of the city's landfill waste, for which the city will pay a disposal fee. Varme plans to both burn that waste to generate electricity as well as to capture carbon in the process, and to reclaim anything in the waste that has reuse value. Varme anticipates its facility will be up and running in 2027. It will be built in Strathcona County on land owned by Gibson Energy.

Varme is also planning to build similar facilities in Innisfail and in Midlands, England, but the Heartland project is outpacing the others, Karlsen said. He said that's because the Edmonton region has carbon-capture infrastructure like the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, a 240-kilometre pipeline built to transport carbon into depleted oil reservoirs. The trunk line, built between 2018 and 2020, is the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world, according to the provincial government. Alberta is also "very industry friendly" and has a deregulated energy market, Karlsen added.

Sean Collins, the CEO of Varme Energy Inc., declined to disclose exactly where the company's new facility will be located, but shared it is "single-digit kilometres" from incoming carbon-capture infrastructure like Shell's Polaris and Bison Low Carbon Ventures's Meadowbrook project.

The proximity to that infrastructure lowers the cost to store captured carbon, Karlsen said. On cost, he compared his former home, Norway, where captured carbon must be transported by truck and boat before being stored, to Alberta. "The cost per tonne in transportation storage is three to four times higher in Europe," he said.

Carbon capture, storage, and utilization has many critics. Some suggest it is "smoke and mirrors" to help industries that produce hydrocarbons also appear to be acting on climate change. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the technology can play a role in fighting climate change but "won't fix our climate change problem."

Collins said carbon-capture technology is not being used to defend the expansion of oil and gas production, and that it's proven to work. Carbon is "not a bogeyman, it's just a gas," he said. "You capture it and monetize the sequestration of that."

The region has been burned by carbon-capture projects in the past. Last spring, Capital Power pulled the plug on a planned $2.4 billion carbon capture facility. It said while carbon capture is technically viable, the project was not economically feasible.

Collins said Capital Power's project was about 100 kilometres from carbon pipelines, while Varme's is much closer.

Collins also said Alberta is particularly suited for carbon capture because the province was the first jurisdiction "in the western hemisphere" to establish a carbon capture protocol, back in 2015. A new protocol arrived in January to add "pathways" to create CO2-removal credits, Collins said. More recently, Natural Resources Canada made four investments in carbon capture research projects in Alberta, including ones at the University of Alberta and InnoTech Alberta.

Karlsen said that carbon capture and waste-to-energy are both "proven technologies," though Varme's will be the first facility that does both at a large scale in Canada. He said connecting one to the other with a pipe is the "novelty" that Varme brings to energy.

Once the facility becomes operational, Varme will make part of its profit through a credits agreement with the federal government. The Canada Growth Fund has agreed to use its Carbon Credit Offtake arm to purchase 200,000 tonnes of captured carbon at a starting price of $85 per tonne for a term of 15 years. The agreement allows Varme to resell up to half of its carbon credits to other companies. Announced in June, Edmonton Global called the deal the first of its kind for the region.

Karlsen helped launch Varme in 2022 after working in oil and gas for 10 years. He said his experience in different forms of energy leads him to believe Varme could be a supplier for customers with big electricity demands, like the hyperscale data centres for artificial intelligence, which the province wants to lure.

"We are an exporter of power, so we can co-locate our facilities next to industry," Karlsen said. "The data centre industry could be one." He also said data centres could simply buy energy Varme wants to eventually sell to the Alberta grid.

Collins said Varme is targeting a final investment decision this year. The company also wants to work with the Government of Alberta on regulatory decisions that affect the future of emissions credits as construction nears.

Jeromy Farkas ran for the city's top job in the 2021 municipal election but finished second to another councillor, Jyoti Gondek, who is now mayor.

The Prairie Economic Gateway Agreement proposes the creation of an inland port near Calgary's eastern limits that will leverage Canadian Pacific Kansas City's rail network to increase interprovincial trade, the city says.

Charitable organization Vecova, which supports people with disabilities, has officially opened its new location in Airdrie — months before its main building in northwest Calgary is slated to shutter.

Prosecutor Hyatt Mograbee suggested Michael Arnold shot two people as part of a murder-for-hire execution, targeting a man who’d recently been implicated in money laundering for organized crime.

A contentious revamp of Edmonton's public spaces bylaw was unanimously passed by city council Tuesday.

City administration will now develop an implementation plan that includes a funding strategy to ensure the cost burden doesn't rely solely on municipal taxes.

CBC's local podcast looks at the power of buying Canadian, and where we could feel Trump’s tariffs most at home.

Bowden, Alta., Mayor Robb Stuart is fielding calls and emails from residents upset about a billboard encouraging Alberta to join the U.S. But he says the town didn't approve it, and can't take it down.

Traffic is being re-routed as a section of Highway 1A is not passable, according to a news release from the RCMP sent Tuesday afternoon.

Thousands of school support workers are on strike, and union organizers argue mandates from the provincial government are restricting the employers' ability to negotiate a new agreement.

The politically charged Keystone XL pipeline is back in the spotlight, with U.S. President Donald Trump pitching the company behind the project to return to the U.S. and "get it built – NOW!"

Alberta Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie has resigned from his position, citing a lack of confidence in the government's procurement practices.