The Pulse: Jan. 16, 2026

The more people see their neighbours installing solar panels, the more likely they are to consider it themselves, says the head of Solar Alberta as the organization prepares for its annual conference.

"There are now more than 40,000 Albertans with solar on their homes or businesses," Solar Alberta's executive director Heather MacKenzie told Taproot. "I imagine the average Edmontonian is probably solar-curious as they're seeing solar going up… all around them."

Solar Alberta is hosting its 12th annual Solar Show from Jan. 27 to 30. The conference, which has been fully virtual since 2020, is offering six webinars this year, catering to everyone from solar newbies to experts. The conference kicks off with Solar 101, a free session that MacKenzie considers the most approachable one for the average solar-curious Edmontonian.

Despite the end of incentive programs such as the federal Greener Homes initiative, small-scale solar is booming in Alberta, noted David Dodge of Green Energy Futures, based on data from the Alberta Electric System Operator showing an increase from 1,324 small solar sites in 2016 to 41,505 as of November of last year.

"Suffice to say, solar is becoming a mainstream investment for homeowners," Dodge said.

The Canada Energy Regulator says Edmonton is among the top five cities in Canada for solar potential, given the amount of sunlight we get. Solar Alberta gave Edmonton its highest grade on the solar report cards it issued to municipalities in 2025.

Edmonton participates in the Clean Energy Improvement Program, a program administered by Alberta Municipalities that allows residents to finance renewable renovations on their homes and businesses by incorporating payments into property tax bills, with terms of up to 25 years. The city has set aside $20 million to cover the financing, which is enough to support about 300 residential and 16 commercial projects.

"Not many municipalities have a low-interest finance program for businesses," MacKenzie said. "That's pretty special in Edmonton."

• The City of Edmonton is considering a bylaw that would require businesses to sort waste into multiple streams for recycling and composting, aiming to divert more waste from landfills. Non-residential sectors generate 70% of Edmonton's waste, half of which is organic. The City is surveying businesses and exploring grants and educational resources before presenting a finalized plan to a city council committee in summer 2026. Business owners like Gloria Bednarz of The Art of Cake and Allen Gao of Menya Mori support the concept but expressed concerns about implementation costs, infrastructure capacity, and the need for clear education from the City. Similar bylaws are already in place in other major Canadian cities.
• The family of an Edmonton woman is urging a communication policy change after she was stranded in a DATS bus that was stuck in the snow. This incident highlighted concerns about passenger safety and the need for DATS to provide more timely updates during service disruptions. "Some contact should have been made to the family after they waited for so many hours," said Terenia Maidens, the woman's sister.
• Edmonton's melting holiday snow has created significant mobility challenges, particularly for seniors and people with disabilities. Disability advocate Zachary Weeks said his wheelchair and accessible vehicle often get stuck in the snow, adding it has felt dehumanizing. Mayor Andrew Knack acknowledged shortcomings in the city's snow-clearing approach, adding that funding has not kept pace with growth. He said potential changes could include reintroducing calcium chloride to help melt snow and ice and towing vehicles that don't abide by parking bans.
• Two people were injured and 80 residents evacuated after an e-bike battery caused a fire on the sixth floor of a central Edmonton apartment building at 10020 115 Street on Jan. 14. Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services confirmed crews responded at 5:49pm, controlling the blaze by 6:33pm, and extinguishing it by 7:44pm. Damage is estimated at $500,000.
• Alberta has ordered a fatality inquiry into the Dec. 22 death of Prashant Sreekumar, 44, who died after waiting nearly eight hours with chest pain at Edmonton's Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency department. The province will also launch a pilot project to deploy triage liaison physicians at busy emergency departments in Calgary and Edmonton, including the Grey Nuns, to improve patient care amidst sustained system pressures and crowding.
• Edmonton's housing market entered 2026 with a comfortable balance for both buyers and sellers, according to forecasts from the REALTORS Association of Edmonton (RAE) and Royal LePage. A Q4 2025 report from Royal LePage showed the aggregate home price rose 1.2% year-over-year to $466,800. The RAE predicts the average home price will increase by 1.3% to $464,000 in 2026, with sales dipping 5% and new listings rising 0.3%. This cooling is attributed to declining population growth and growing housing inventory.
• Alberta Health Services issued a public alert after confirming a measles case at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital. An infected person was present in the hospital's foyer and cafeteria on Jan. 9 from 7:15am to 10:00am. Anyone born in or after 1970 with fewer than two measles vaccine doses or no prior measles infection may be at risk. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash. Exposed individuals should receive a vaccine within 72 hours.
• Huge lineups formed in Red Deer and Eckville on Jan. 14, as the Stay Free Alberta campaign gathered signatures for a provincial independence referendum, CBC reported. The Alberta Prosperity Project needs nearly 178,000 signatures within four months after receiving Elections Alberta approval for the petition in December. The campaign, with more than 2,000 canvassers, is planning more events across Alberta, including Okotoks and Drayton Valley.

On this day in 1988, Alberta's nursing union was preparing to hold an illegal strike vote.

The threat of a strike vote wasn't uncommon in the 1980s. Hospital nurses went on strike for the first time in the province's history in 1977, with subsequent strikes in 1980 and 1982, all of which saw the nurses win some concessions for improved working conditions. But the 1988 strike was much different, leading to criminal charges, attempts to bankrupt the union, and overwrought comparisons to terrorism.

Stung from the previous labour actions, Alberta's government passed a law in 1984 restricting hospital staff from going on strike. When Premier Don Getty's government started negotiating with nurses for a new contract in 1987, it pushed hard for rollbacks on wages and benefits, which would have erased much of what the union had won in the previous strikes.

After months of messy negotiation, the United Nurses of Alberta announced a vote to ask if members would be willing to go on strike. The province's Labour Relations Board responded swiftly, declaring that not only would a strike be against the law, but holding the vote to strike itself was illegal.

If the hope was to stop a strike vote from happening, it failed spectacularly. The union held the vote anyway. Nurses, angry with being denied even the chance to vote on a strike, voted overwhelmingly on Jan. 22 to stop working. That was the start of a heated 19-day strike.

Nurses from almost every hospital in Edmonton took to the picket line, braving -30C degree temperatures. Elective surgeries were cancelled, patients were sent home, and other hospital staff had to take over the essential duties of the nurses. The University of Alberta Hospital was the only fully functioning hospital in the city, since its nursing staff belonged to a different union. That led to a massive spike in transfers to the U of A, which saw a 350% increase in maternity patients alone during the strike.

The Alberta government responded with heavy fines, terminations, and 75 criminal charges in an attempt to break the strike. Some medical authorities compared the striking nurses to armed criminals and claimed the strike "was no different than terrorism." Public opinion was also divided. Many supported the law preventing hospital staff from striking. On the other hand, the UNA was flooded with small individual donations (as well as support from other unions across Canada) to keep it afloat in the face of massive fines.

Eventually, both sides returned to the negotiating table. On Feb. 13, a new deal was ratified and accepted by the union. The strike wasn't a complete victory for the nurses — the union ended up paying $425,000 in fines. But it prevented wage rollbacks, and the nurses' willingness to defy Alberta's no-strike law would help in later negotiations.

The 1988 nurses' strike is remembered as one of the biggest moments in Alberta's labour history. Hospital strikes remained illegal in Alberta until 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled such blanket bans unconstitutional. Earlier last year, the UNA agreed to a new four-year contract with the province. And in November, a strike by nurses and healthcare aides represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees was averted at the last minute by a new four-year agreement.

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

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

• Jan. 16: Unboxed: Georgia Swarm vs Calgary Roughnecks starting at 7pm at Rogers Place
• Jan. 16: Tom Green: Stompin' Comedy Tour starting at 7pm at Horowitz Theatre
• Jan. 16-18: RiverCity Bluegrass Festival at Edmonton Inn and Conference Centre
• Jan. 17: Le temps d'un café starting at 10:30am at CAVA
• Jan. 17: Grand Sinulog Festival starting at 5pm at The Royal Palace
• Jan. 17: NieR:Piano Concert - Journeys 12025 starting at 8pm at Horowitz Theatre
• Jan. 17-18: Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• Jan. 18: Robert Burns Celebration starting at 12pm at Rutherford House
• Jan. 18: Crafternoon starting at 1pm at Ritchie Community Hall
• Jan. 18: Robin Layne and the Rhythm Makers starting at 2pm at Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts
• Jan. 18: Business Networking: Gaming Industry #3 starting at 6pm at Boa and Hare
• Jan. 18: Olympic Tasting Experience starting at 6pm at Ernest's Dining Room

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Jan. 23: LPW 44: Great Scott! at The Rec Room (South Common)
• Jan. 26: Innovation & Alberta's Economic Future with Minister Nate Glubish at Chateau Lacombe Hotel
• Jan. 28-31: Flying Canoe Volant at Mill Creek Ravine

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

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