The Pulse
May 7, 2026

A former dental hygienist is scaling her staffing management company after she learned the hard way that things could be better — for her industry and others.

"I felt like I wasn't getting treated fairly," Aisha Abdul, founder of Fairly Staffing, said of her former life in a dental clinic. "Time off was very much capped, I felt like I wasn't getting paid what I deserved, and there was no flexibility in my schedule … So I quit my job at a time where it was very scary, because I was surrounded by people that were working at the same clinic for like 20 to 30 years."

Abdul then worked for temp agencies, but she found herself double-booked for shifts and facing other irritations. To solve the kinds of problems she was encountering, she started Fairly Staffing in 2022. It is a platform to allow dental clinics to fill vacancies more efficiently and to give freelance dental workers more freedom. The platform now serves 600 dental clinics with 3,000 dental temps. And it has features such as tools for payroll and tax reporting, as well as an AI-powered "career coach" and now pay advances for workers.

"I feel like I'm hitting two birds with one stone here," Abdul told Taproot. "It's not only empowering temps, but also helping out dental offices by adding so much more value than just, you know, 'Here's a temp for the day.'"

Four years later, she counts the Accelerate Fund as an investor. Fairly Staffing is among Scale Up Canada's Edmonton50 for 2026, a list that recognizes the city's most scalable (and thus investable) companies. Fairly was also among the top 20 companies pitching for investment at Startup TNT's latest Edmonton summit.

Hiring a CEO with a successful track record helped Abdul move Fairly Staffing to that next level.

"One of the things I brought on was a product focus — 'How do we evolve this?'" said Amir Reshef, who co-founded legaltech company DealCloser and served as CEO there until 2023. "I was able to bring with myself a network of investors from my first company that invested in Fairly. Raising money is a big aspect of a startup."

Reshef said the Accelerate Fund investment is helping Fairly Staffing go where it can capitalize on demand. Ontario is a particularly attractive opportunity because of its population size and its concentration of head offices for dental support organizations, which provide administrative support such as human resources to clinics.

"We want to move up into getting more dental support organizations (as clients)," he told Taproot. "We work with a lot of clinics that belong to DSOs, but we want to work more with the head office level," he said.

• The City of Edmonton is launching its free forest bathing program, with weekly sessions set to begin on May 14. Residents can improve their well-being through a guided sensory experience in city parks, fostering a mindful connection with urban forests. Certified guides from the City's Community Forestry team will lead participants in these forest therapy sessions throughout the summer. Registration is available online.
• Edmonton will host more than 2,500 delegates for the 125th annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities in its downtown core from June 4-7. Mayor Andrew Knack hopes to facilitate debate on how municipalities are funded, noting that they manage 60% of infrastructure but receive only eight cents of every tax dollar. The conference, themed "Building the Future Together," will showcase Edmonton's businesses, arts, and culture through tours and events, while delegates discuss national municipal policies and attend a trade show.
• Edmonton business owners on 124 Street are frustrated over the City of Edmonton's parking app, citing confusion from outdated EPark signs and difficulties for seniors who don't have smartphones to use the new "HotSpot" app. While Coun. Michael Janz acknowledged "growing pains" and emphasized improving the digital experience, Mayor Andrew Knack said he wants to explore options for physical parking payments for those without smartphones.
• The Edmonton Police Service has laid additional charges against William McMullin, 56, in an ongoing sexual assault investigation, bringing the total to 22 charges. Nine women have now come forward, including five since police released information about the case in March, alleging their were drugged and sexually assaulted. Investigators believe that incidents may date back to 2021 and potentially involve victims in Calgary.
• The Edmonton Police Service charged two 13-year-old boys in connection with an attack on a 66-year-old woman who was sprayed with a fire extinguisher at a bus shelter on McConachie Boulevard and 64 Street in northeast Edmonton on April 19. Paramedics treated the woman at the scene following the random attack. One teen faces charges including assault with a weapon, housebreaking with intent, mischief, and theft, while the other is charged with assault with a weapon and theft.
• The Alberta government is investing $8.9 million to launch a provincial forensic DNA laboratory just east of Edmonton in Sherwood Park. The province said the facility will reduce turnaround times and cut costs by up to 40% per DNA case. Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel expects that the lab will lead to quicker case resolution for Albertans. The province aims for a federal cost-sharing model to potentially operate the lab at "net-zero cost." by 2031. Services will phase in, accepting property crime DNA by 2029 and expanding to serious crimes like homicides by 2031.
• The United Conservative Party caucus confirmed staff attended an April online meeting hosted by the Alberta separatist group Centurion Project, where, the Alberta NDP alleges, participants were shown a database containing personal voter information. The NDP says video from the meeting shows organizer David Parker searching former premier Jason Kenney's name in a "search electors" tool, though CBC News has not independently verified the footage. The allegations surfaced after a judge ordered the group to shut down the database amid investigations by Elections Alberta and the RCMP into a possible voter data breach.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• How to Build a Small Business Website with AI – From Setup to Growth starting at 12pm online
• BOMA Connects: District Energy Series - Session 1 starting at 3pm at Citadel Theatre
• Table Top Games Night starting at 5pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
• YEG Startup Community Awards starting at 5:30pm at The Standard
• Dentons Startup legal 101: What Every Founder Needs to Know starting at 6pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Love, Statistically Speaking streaming all day
• Book Launch with Adam Rogers starting at 7pm at Audreys Books
• NAIT Student Film Festival starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• In Full Colour: The Vox Collective & Special Guests starting at 7:30pm at Garneau Theatre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• May 14: State of the City Address at Edmonton Convention Centre
• May 22: Coffee with the Chamber at Sawmill Prime Rib & Steakhouse
• May 29-June 1: International Children's Festival of the Arts at St. Albert Place

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

Need a hint for 7-Across? Here you go.