The Pulse
July 9, 2026

Here's what you need to know about Edmonton today.

Essentials

21°C: Cloudy. A few showers beginning early in the morning and ending in the afternoon then 30% chance of showers later in the afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm in the morning and afternoon. Amount 5 to 10 mm. High 21. UV index 3 or moderate. (forecast)
White/Red: The High Level Bridge will be lit white and red for the 50th Anniversary of EJCA. (details)
7pm: The Edmonton Elks play the Ottawa Redblacks at Commonwealth Stadium. (details)
3-2: The Edmonton Riverhawks defeated the Nanaimo NightOwls on July 8. (details)
7:05pm: The Riverhawks host the NightOwls at RE/MAX Field. (details)
6pm: The Edmonton Stingers play the Winnipeg Sea Bears at Canada Life Centre. (details)

People cross the street at Calgary Trail and Whyte Avenue

Removal of Whyte Ave scrambles delayed until 2027

July 8, 2026
By Stephanie Swensrude

Three scramble crossings on Whyte Avenue will remain in place for another summer season so the city can better coordinate with events and construction projects.

Earlier this year, the City of Edmonton quietly posted online that it would be converting the scramble crosswalks back to traditional ones as part of the transit priority measures project. The intersections at 105 Street, Gateway Boulevard, and Calgary Trail were set to be redesigned this summer in a bid to get buses down the avenue faster. Shafayat Hossain, engineering project manager with transportation planning and design at the City of Edmonton, told Taproot in March that the whole suite of changes could halve transit delays at those intersections. The redesign will expand pedestrian space and remove bus bays, so buses won't have to exit and re-enter traffic.

The redesign has now been put on hold until next summer. "The new schedule will allow the city to issue a longer construction tender, increasing market interest and helping secure the best value," spokesperson Nicole Boychuk told Taproot. "The revised schedule will help to ensure construction can be completed within a single construction season, reducing the risk of work pausing over winter and minimizing overall disruption in the area."

At a scramble crosswalk, all vehicles stop, allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection in any direction, including diagonally. The scramble at 105 Street was added in 2018, and the scrambles at Gateway Boulevard and Calgary Trail were added in 2021.

Active transportation advocates say scramble crosswalks are safer because they completely separate vehicle traffic from pedestrians, as drivers are not allowed to turn through a crosswalk at the same time that a pedestrian would be using it. The redesign is expected to prohibit right turns on red and allow left turns only during a dedicated arrow, which means the only time vehicles and pedestrians could end up in the same space is during a right turn on green, as long as everyone follows the signals properly.

While the city received both negative and positive feedback about the plan to remove the scramble crosswalks, it was not a factor in the decision to adjust the project schedule, Boychuk said.

A memo sent to councillors in April, shortly after the project gained media attention, said construction was expected to take four to six months. Administration said it would install signage about the redesign to educate pedestrians about the changes. The memo said administration would monitor the crosswalks and consider adjustments for pedestrian safety.

Permalink Share

Headlines: July 9, 2026

July 9, 2026
By Mariam Ibrahim

Major tech company Meta has announced plans for a $13 billion data centre in Sturgeon County, making it Canada's largest data centre project. The facility will use a closed-loop, liquid-cooling system, to minimize water use, consuming less than a typical regional golf course. Mayor Alanna Hnatiw highlighted benefits, such as local jobs and economic diversification. Porponents of the project say it is expected to catalyze further development, and will positively impact Alberta's power grid by reducing overall transmission costs for ratepayers. Capital Power will supply 250 megawatts of energy for the development. The project is expected to create 3,000 construction jobs and 300 operational jobs and provide $250 million in annual benefits to Alberta. While praised for boosting AI infrastructure, critics worry about natural gas reliance affecting local energy prices.
Coordination between the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Police Service has reduced abandoned vehicles on city streets by 73% over the past three weeks, thanks in part to additional storage at the Police Seized Vehicle Impound, the City said in a release. The number of vehicles waiting to be towed fell from 682 in June to 181 in July. A phased approach helps clear the backlog, prioritizing vehicles that pose safety risks. An active towing queue is now publicly available on the city's website.
Blake Desjarlais has stepped down as chief of staff to Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack, just three months after his appointment. Desjarlais, a former MP credited as the first two-spirit representative in the Canadian House of Commons, cited mutual agreement and respect in the decision to leave. Desjarlais previously served as an NDP MP for Edmonton-Griesbach but lost his seat in 2025. Knack commended Desjarlais's service and expressed confidence in his continued commitment to the community.
Amid Edmonton's ongoing population boom, a new report by Avison Young highlights 6.3% population growth in Beaumont, which is leading the greater Edmonton region. Leduc County and Spruce Grove also saw significant increases, attributed to interprovincial moves from Ontario and B.C. Brandon Imada of Avison Young cited affordability and infrastructure as key draws, noting that lower taxes make development attractive. While BILD Edmonton Metro advocates for expanding neighbourhoods south of 41 Avenue SW, Coun. Michael Janz warned that increased city budget burdens, especially in police and transit, could result.
Justin Bone, accused of two murders in Edmonton's Chinatown, testified that he remembers nothing about the incidents due to methamphetamine use and hallucinations. Arrested more than four years ago for the deaths of Ban Phuc Hoang and Hung Trang, Bone testified that prior to his arrest, he had been using methamphetamine and wandering the city. Despite surveillance footage and deliberate actions noted by the Crown, Bone said that his memory is unreliable. The trial continues, with Bone's defense expected to present additional evidence.
Rocco Caterina, a former Edmonton city council candidate, was arrested and charged with possessing child sexual exploitation materials following an international investigation led by Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service, CBC News reported. Caterina was detained in Stony Plain on May 27 by Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Teams as part of a probe involving suspects from 14 countries. The investigation used cryptocurrency tracing to identify users of illicit dark web content. Caterina, who unsuccessfully ran for city council in 2017, is the only Canadian charged so far. His court appearance is set for July 15.