• Edmonton River Valley Coalition calls for dedicated spaces for encampments

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-30 20:11:26.0
  Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety]

  During the one-year review of Edmonton's public spaces bylaw, city officials reported that bylaw officers issued 7,904 trespassing tickets and approximately 1,900 bans in 2026 to date, carrying $600 fines and mandatory court appearances. Activists and advocacy groups, including the Can Man Dan Foundation and the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition, criticized the bylaw for criminalizing poverty and called on the City of Edmonton to fund sanctioned outdoor encampments and expand winter shelter access. In response, Edmonton City Council voted 4-1 to develop operating procedures to suspend the ban on loitering in transit stations during extreme winter weather activations.

  Read Original

• House fire in Parkview 'suspicious,' say Edmonton investigators as community grapples with infill woes

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-09 18:03:45.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Housing, Public Safety]

  A vacant residential property purchased by infill developer Davach Properties at 147 Street and 88 Avenue in Edmonton was heavily damaged in a suspicious fire on September 6, 2026, prompting a police investigation. The blaze occurred hours after approximately 200 residents gathered at the intersection to protest the City of Edmonton's new 2024 zoning bylaws, which permit multi-unit infill developments of up to eight units on mature neighborhood lots. Ward Nakota Isga Councillor Reed Clarke stated the incident highlights community anxieties regarding vacant construction sites and remarked on the need to evaluate funding and resources for municipal bylaw teams overseeing infill compliance and construction oversight.

  Read Original