The Pulse
May 31, 2024

A rainy and cool May has made a "tremendous improvement" to drought conditions across the Edmonton region, but experts warn that a dry month could quickly reverse that progress.

"I never want to tell people that the drought is over in terms of, 'Go ahead and waste water,'" Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, told Taproot. "There's certainly concerns, and we should be proactively saving as much moisture as possible and not think that the drought is completely over at this point because we're still recovering."

Indeed, if the current damp and cool temperatures shift to dry and hot, "we can revert back into a really bad situation quickly," Hadwen said.

Most of the province is experiencing drought conditions. Alberta is at Stage 4 of its response plan for water shortages. Stage 5, the most extreme, would involve declaring an emergency. The driest areas are in south-central and northwestern Alberta.

About 60 millimetres of rain fell in the Edmonton region in May, about double the precipitation received in the same month in both 2022 and 2023. Hadwen said while that has helped crops get a good start, it isn't enough to undo precipitation levels that have been about 150 millimetres below normal over the last three years.

"That (lack of rainfall) will only impact agriculture if we start to see some of those really dry, long, extended periods where the crop is relying on that deeper soil moisture," he said. "It's going to reflect a little bit in terms of pasture production as well, because the pastures haven't fully recovered from the past previous years of drought."

The dry and warm El Niño climate pattern has been affecting weather globally since June 2023. Hadwen said if El Niño continues, agriculture may struggle, as the crops won't be able to rely on reserves of deep-soil moisture.

In 2021, when Edmonton experienced a simultaneous heat wave and lack of precipitation resulting in falling water levels, it enacted water-use restrictions — as did Strathcona County, Spruce Grove, and Stony Plain.

Experts said that while the 2024 drought is making agriculture relatively precarious, they don't expect water restrictions to affect people in the region's cities, but do suggest conservation should be top of mind.

• The Edmonton Catholic School Division is forecasting a $14.2-million deficit in its 2024-2025 operating budget, requiring it to draw more than $12.2 million from its surplus. Schools are at 98% utilization across the division, with 113% utilization in high schools, after enrolment grew 15% since 2021-2022, the board said. Like the Edmonton Public School Board, which was also forced to dip into surplus for next year's budget, the Catholic division said the province's "weighted moving average" funding formula is not keeping up with inflation.
• University of Alberta president Bill Flanagan provided an update on the status of a third-party investigation into the university's handling of a protest encampment on May 11. The General Faculties Council unanimously passed a motion on May 27 asking for a third-party investigation, with further details to be confirmed at a June 14 board meeting. "As I stated at GFC, I welcome this motion," wrote Flanagan. "It is an important step forward for the whole university community." The encampment removal could also be investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, but that investigation would focus only on police actions.
• With International Trails Day being recognized June 1, the City of Edmonton suggested some ways to enjoy river valley parks and trails this summer, including a free family-friendly rangers program at Northeast River Valley Park, assorted outdoor school and group programs, a series of City-led bike ride-alongs, and an elegant feature pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory.
• The real estate news source STOREYS took a look at the planned office-to-residential conversion of the Phipps McKinnon Building on Rice Howard Way in downtown Edmonton. Josan Properties will only be converting half the office space into residential, saying it makes more financial sense after council backed away from offering an incentive program requested by developers. The company bought the building in March, as well as the neighbouring buildings housing Sherlock Holmes Pub and Sorrentino's.
• The City of Saskatoon is considering pursuing something similar to the navigation and support centre in downtown Edmonton that the Alberta government opened in January after the Edmonton Police Service ramped up efforts to take down encampments housing people experiencing homelessness. While some advocates have been critical of the centre, the Alberta government said in March the project was a success, and announced plans to open a similar facility in Calgary.
• Global News spoke to Mary Loewen, an Edmonton grandma known as Mama Stanley who has gained some fame dressing up as the Stanley Cup for every Edmonton Oilers game day. The costume involves silver skin paint, a wig, satin gloves, and a bedazzled Stanley Cup top hat. Loewen, often spotted during broadcasts at Rogers Place, estimates she has posed for about 10,000 photos with fans.
• CBC News obtained an Alberta Health Services report through a freedom of information request showing the province is falling short of its guidelines when it comes to health and safety inspections at licensed daycares centres. Between April 1, 2022 and March 18, 2024, the province inspected 1,315 daycares with food facilities, of which more than 40% were cited for food handling and hygiene violations. In the 12 months leading up to March 18, 2024, 20% of daycares with food facilities were not inspected. The news comes about eight months after an E. coli outbreak at a Calgary-area facility that served daycares, which led to 356 confirmed cases. AHS said it is working toward a minimum of one inspection per childcare facility every 12 months.
• The Alberta legislature concluded its spring session, with the UCP government passing a series of controversial bills that analysts see as expanding the province's powers. Among the bills that passed are Bill 18, which requires provincial entities to have their federal funding agreements vetted by the Alberta government; Bill 20, which introduces highly contested changes to municipal governance and elections; Bill 21, which gives the province more control over local emergency responses and also pushes the date of provincial elections from May to October; and Bill 22, which would reorganize Alberta Health Services into four organizations.
• The Edmonton Stingers will play their 2024 home opener at the Edmonton EXPO Centre on June 2, when they will face off against the Saskatchewan Rattlers. The team is undefeated this season going into the game.

Here are some events happening this weekend in the Edmonton area.

• May 31: Echoes of Thunder Curator Tour starting at 12:30pm at the University of Alberta Museums
• May 31: Disco In The Parking Lot Festival starting at 5pm at the Grindstone Comedy Theatre & Bistro
• May 31: Musician in Residence Presents a Spring Showcase starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• May 31-June 2: Edmonton Drag Festival at Churchill Square
• May 31-June 2: Farmers' Days Rodeo and Exhibition at the Stony Plain Heritage Park Pavilion
• June 1: 2024 YEG Trail Blazers — A Kids' Mountain Bike Race starting at 8:30pm at Gold Bar Park
• June 1: Trails Day Celebration starting at 9:30am at the Alfred H. Savage Centre
• June 1: Connect With Our Roots and National Indigenous History Month Launch starting at 10am at 210 Dunvegan Rd NW
• June 1: Saturday Morning Market at South Common Grand Opening starting at 10am at 2110 101 St NW
• June 2: Saskatchewan Rattlers vs. the Edmonton Stingers starting at 4pm at the Edmonton EXPO Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• June 12: BioAlberta Celebration of Summer Social Event at Brewsters (Unity Square)
• June 19: Dr. Marie Wilson: Keeping Reconciliation Alive at the Citadel Theatre
• June 21: Spoke n' Loam Urban Forestry Conference at the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.