The Pulse
Nov. 11, 2026

After months of advocating against a decision to move a war memorial instrument from the University of Alberta to a town north of Lethbridge, this Nov. 11 has a deeper meaning for Haley Simons.

"I feel much more strongly about Remembrance Day now," said Simons, who is part of the Unite for the Pipes group. "The tie for me is stronger and a lot more tragic."

The university announced in April that it would remove the Casavant Opus 3358 organ from Convocation Hall to facilitate renovations to enhance accessibility. In August, the university said it had found a permanent home for the instrument with the Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Picture Butte. The university told Taproot the organ has now been fully dismantled and is in storage while the congregation builds a new facility to house it.

The memorial organ traces its origins to the aftermath of the First World War, when the university sought a way to honour 82 students, staff, and alumni who had died in service. A War Memorial Committee considered several possible tributes before deciding that an organ would be the most fitting. The university's alumni history records that graduates, professors, students, and campus workers contributed to a $12,000 fundraising campaign led by the Alumni Association. Casavant Frères installed the instrument in Convocation Hall in 1925.

Back then, about a decade after the university opened, it was still a small, tight-knit community of a couple hundred people, said Andy Grabia, an organizer of the Unite for the Pipes campaign. "It's not like now with the school of 50,000 people — they knew each other very well, and they lived with each other, and were possibly related to each other," he explained on Episode 372 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast.

Simons said it's important to also consider the percentage of U of A members who were sent away, and how many didn't come back, to put the impact into perspective. "We talk about these 'soldiers' who went to war — they weren't. They were students, they were your colleagues, they were professors, they were the kids," Simons said. "Sure, everybody knew the kids, there was a community component, but imagine what you would feel like if you had 40% of your entire institution being called away, and 20% of those not coming back."

The organizers chose the organ out of the many options because they wanted to remember their colleagues through music, Grabia said. "They felt that was a very appropriate way to be able to mourn — to experience joy and sadness and all the things that music provides us."

The organ was cleaned, expanded, and reconditioned in 1947, when the memorial was broadened to recognize university community members killed in the Second World War. The original instrument was replaced by another Casavant organ in 1978.

• Edmonton's naming committee recommended renaming Government Centre LRT station Buffalo Crossing, subject to city council approval. The urban planning committee will discuss the proposal on Nov. 17. The estimated $350,000 project follows council's 2021 decision to remove references to Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, who advocated for residential schools.
• In a construction season update, he City of Edmonton said of its 219 active projects, 81% were on schedule and 93% were on budget. It expects to complete about 65 projects by year-end, including completed construction at Hawrelak Park and the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre. The City said it used full or partial road closures in an effort to compress multi-year construction into one season.
• Edmontonians can mark Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 at ceremonies and events across the city and surrounding communities. City Hall will host its annual ceremony from 10-11:30am, followed by a procession to the cenotaph for two minutes of silence and wreath-laying. Other local events include ceremonies at the Beverly and Calder cenotaphs, Griesbach and West Edmonton Mall, while the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum will offer family-friendly activities and music. The High Level Bridge will be lit red to mark the occasion. St. Albert and Strathcona County will also host ceremonies.
• Warmer and drier weather is expected to persist in Edmonton through December, extending an unusually dry autumn across Alberta. The city recorded a high of 15.3 degrees Celsius on Nov. 8, well above the seasonal average daytime high, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor. A high-pressure system over the Rocky Mountains is diverting moisture northward into the Arctic, and forecast models suggest it could persist into December. Continued dry conditions could increase the risk of grass fires.
• Former paramedic Ashley Ryan read a victim impact statement at Dennis Okeymow's sentencing hearing, describing responding to her husband's fatal shooting. Okeymow was convicted of manslaughter after supplying the rifle used to kill Edmonton Police Service officers Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan in 2023. The Crown sought 12 to 15 years in prison, while the defence requested time served followed by three years of probation.
• The Red Deer Arts Council plans to close its office and community gallery by Nov. 27, saying funding cannot sustain its staff, programs, and commitments. It plans to wrap up remaining programs by Dec. 31 and expects to dissolve the society and deregister the charity in 2027. It is seeking other organizations to carry on some programs.
• The Alberta NDP demanded Minister Dale Nally repay $5,400 for distillery tours during a government delegation's September 2025 trip to Kentucky. It said documents indicated the husband of Nally's chief of staff did not reimburse his share of group transportation costs. Nally's office said the husband paid his own expenses, and the government said taxpayers were not billed for alcohol.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Spruce Grove Remembrance Day starting at 9:30am at TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre
• City of Leduc Remembrance Day starting at 9:45am at Alexandra Park
• City of Edmonton Remembrance Day Ceremony starting at 10am at Edmonton City Hall
• Remembrance Day 2026 starting at 10am at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre
• Strathcona County - We Remember starting at 10:30am at Millennium Place
• Stony Plain Remembrance Day Service starting at 10:30am at Heritage Park Pavilion
• St. Albert Remembrance Day Ceremony starting at 10:30am at Perron District
• Remembrance Day Object Table starting at 1pm at Royal Alberta Museum

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 15-22: Metis Week at various locations
• Nov. 21: SkirtsAfire's Let it Luz Fundraiser at ArtsHub Ortona
• Dec. 2: Sir András Schiff in Recital at Winspear Centre

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

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