The Pulse
Oct. 7, 2026

Two newcomers who ended up in Edmonton from very different places are working on a documentary called Frozen Injera to capture both the joys and the hardships experienced by the Eritrean community.

Collaborators Dmitrii Eske and Amanuel Hagos, from Russia and Eritrea respectively, connected while Eske was working at a bank, helping new arrivals get established. There he met many Eritreans and picked up some words of Tigrinya.

"I absolutely fell in love with the community; I absolutely fell in love with the people," Eske told Taproot. "When I had an opportunity to stop working in a bank and restart my career, this was the first project that I thought about."

Eske, who was part of the team behind Beef, a 2019 documentary about Russian hip-hop, never planned to move to Canada. He was visiting the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 when someone stole his bag and passport. The Russian government refused to issue him new travel documents because he had attended rallies and meetings that were critical of the government, he said.

"Then COVID hit — long story short, I lived for, like, one-and-a-half years without any ID and without a work permit," Eske said. "So I started from the bottom. I worked in construction and then for a bank."

Hagos, director of photography and co-producer for the film, began his refugee journey in Ethiopia, surviving mortal danger during an arduous crossing into Sudan, then spending 11 years in Israel before making his way to Canada. He wants more people to know about Eritrean life.

"I just want to explain and to share our culture with the people of Canada," he said. "We have a big community, but I don't think everyone knows my country."

Nanu Alem, one of the subjects of the film, has been in Edmonton for about four years, and is a TikTok creator with 200,000 followers who watch her smile and dance to ebullient music with her family.

Indeed, Frozen Injera isn't ultimately about persecution — it's about persistence and the refusal to lose your capacity for joy. "A documentary about Eritreans in Canada rebuilding their lives, weaving threads of memories, humour, and warmth to discover home in the most unexpected corner of the world," its tagline reads.

But the horrors of crossing the Sinai Peninsula, such as human trafficking, kidnapping, sexual violence, and murder, cannot be ignored. Even arrival at the Israel-Egypt border is perilous; Alem dodged gunfire between the two nations' forces.

"People are just walking in the desert for like 14 days," Eske said. "There are hyenas and border patrols — it's crazy. These people are just looking for a better life."

• Edmonton city council voted 7-6 to keep the $0.25 fee for paper bags at drive-thrus. An administrative report found single-use waste has fallen 30% since Edmonton introduced its single-use item bylaw in 2023, although the data does not distinguish between different types of retailers. Supporters say the fee encourages people to reduce waste, while opponents argue it unfairly affects people on fixed incomes. The report also found paper bag waste has declined 10% despite more businesses switching from plastic to paper.
• Edmonton city council voted 8-5 to approve an increase to the electricity franchise fee charged to EPCOR, which will mean higher power bills for residents starting Jan. 1, 2027. The fee will rise from 17.65% to 19.4% of electricity distribution charges, bringing Edmonton in line with Calgary. The City had considered raising the fee to the maximum 20%, which would have increased the typical monthly fee from $9.06 to $10.27.
• City council outlined how it will debate Edmonton's next four-year budget, with draft plans set to be released Nov. 2. Mayor Andrew Knack said the budget will put greater emphasis on renewing infrastructure and maintaining services while keeping property tax increases in check. The budget process includes separate capital, operating, utility and city auditor budgets, with public hearings beginning Nov. 23. Council aims to approve the budgets by Dec. 18 while rebuilding the City's financial stabilization reserve to $150 million. Knack said Edmonton needs to keep the new budget below the cost of the current four-year plan as it deals with affordability concerns and the financial pressures of rapid growth.
• An arbitrator awarded the City of Edmonton $5.1 million against Advanced Coolant Technologies in a dispute over coolant the City alleged damaged its fleet. The award included $2.6 million in damages, plus legal costs, interest and expert fees. Company president Duane Bassani said the company disagreed with the settlement and denied the coolant was defective. "We provide superior service to our customers and have been doing that for 26 years," he said, and told CBC News that the arbitrator also found the City responsible.The City originally sued Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc., Advanced Coolant Technologies Inc. and WEBA Technology Corp. Petro-Canada was dropped from the claim in September 2025, while WEBA was not part of the arbitration/settlement.
• Two granite sculptures, Two Souls Touching and The Bear by Stewart Steinhauer of Saddle Lake Cree Nation were installed at the Amisk Wâciw Âsokan (Beaver Hills Bridge), which connects northeast Edmonton and Strathcona County, to mark 150 years since Treaty 6 was signed. Steinhauer completed the works with the help of two apprentices.
• Residents of Edmonton's La Perle neighbourhood say an abandoned property near an elementary school has deteriorated for nearly two years and poses safety concerns. One resident told CityNews her child was injured after tripping on the fence supports. The property, which was sold in 2024, was initially going to turn into a daycare but those plans never materialized. The City of Edmonton said an inspection found the property secured and that it does not require owners to redevelop a secured site.
• Edmonton Public Schools trustees voted to review the division's policies for barriers to migrant children's access to school. The review will consider whether registration rules can change to keep children whose immigration status has lapsed enrolled.
• Members of the Alberta Medical Association ratified a proposed three-year pay deal with the province. The association said 22% of eligible members voted, and 76% of those supported it. The association and province said they would share details once the agreement was finalized.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• In The Loop: Circular Food Economy starting at 9am at Brighton Block
• Freedom in Focus: The Legacy of George Hunter starting at 9am at University of Alberta (Oborowsky Degner Seminar Hall)
• Estate Taxes starting at 1:30pm online
• Step Up: Communicating on Camera starting at 3pm at Onlea Enterprises Inc
• Risk & Rosé: Navacord Social starting at 4pm at Navacord
• YEG Food Founders Showcase starting at 4:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Canadian Finals Rodeo at Rogers Place until Oct. 10
• Estate Administration 101 starting at 6:30pm at Central Lions Senior Citizens Recreation Centre
• Tenuta Fanti Wine Dinner starting at 6:30pm at JW Marriott (Edmonton ICE District)
• 6 Guitars starting at 7pm at Festival Place
• Monica Miller Memorial Lecture featuring Lisa Moore starting at 7:30pm at MacEwan University (Allard Hall)
• Mark Davis starting at 7:30pm at Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 14: Hate Crime Safety: Beyond the Report at Kirk Centre
• Oct. 18-25: Edmonton Games Week at various locations
• Oct. 24: Gateway to the Stars at Elk Island National Park

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? We wrote about it here.