| Wednesday, Nov. 20 Alberta has hired former prime minister Stephen Harper as the new Alberta Investment Management Corporation board chair... Convicted murderer and dangerous offender Thomas Svekla, 56, was denied parole after 18 years in prison... An Alberta Emergency Alert test will hit your devices this afternoon... Is your health-care card tattered up? The Alberta government is renewing efforts to scrap paper cards and considering adding health-care numbers to driver’s licences...
Bruce Springsteen rocked Edmonton's Rogers Place last night, leading "a rapt congregation through close to three hours of praise, worship, and the casting out of demons," writes Tom Murray.
Thoughts on today's edition? Email ksmall@postmedia.com. — Kaylen Small |
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Alberta hires former prime minister Stephen Harper as new AIMCo board chair
The Alberta government has hired former prime minister Stephen Harper as the new chairman of the board of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) less than two weeks after it sacked all 10 prior board members. Harper’s hiring was announced via a news release on Wednesday morning. In a statement, Harper said he was not being paid for his role, describing it as a “meaningful act of public service to my adopted home province of the last 46 years.” |
Convicted murderer Thomas Svekla denied parole after 18 years in prison
Thomas Svekla — the convicted murderer and one-time suspect in a half-dozen homicides of vulnerable women — will remain in prison after the Parole Board of Canada found he remains a threat despite nearly 18 years behind bars. The parole board on Friday released an Oct. 27 decision denying the 56-year-old dangerous offender day and full parole. It concluded releasing Svekla would pose an “undue” risk to society and contribute minimally to his chances of reintegration. “Overall, you have not demonstrated sufficient change since December 2006 when you commenced your sentence,” the two-member panel told Svekla.
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Edmonton woman says pharmacist disciplined for accessing personal info tried to befriend her on social media
An Edmonton woman says a pharmacist sanctioned for accessing her personal information also contacted her on social media in a bid to become her friend. The Alberta College of Pharmacy temporarily suspended former Calgary-based Alberta Health Services pharmacist Sin Young (Jenny) Park in August after she admitted to accessing personal data belonging to a woman she had never met and who was not a patient. That woman, Natalie Chung, is now speaking out, saying Park also contacted her on social media and called her husband’s workplace “expressing an unwelcome desire to befriend me.”
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Bissell Centre space closed until further notice after Tuesday morning fire
The Bissell Centre’s inner-city community space is closed after a Tuesday morning fire caused unspecified damage to the building. In an email to Postmedia, the Bissell Centre confirmed it closed the space “until further notice” after a fire broke out at the community space on Tuesday. They said they’re still investigating what caused the blaze and the extent of the damage to the facility. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services also confirmed the fire and clarified that it happened outside the facility. The fire was put out just before 11:30 a.m. and there were no injuries.
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Around the province and beyond
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Alberta renews efforts to scrap paper health-care cards, integrate with driver's licences
The Alberta government is renewing its efforts to scrap the province’s paper health-care cards and is now again considering adding personal health-care numbers to driver’s licences. Premier Danielle Smith said on her Corus call-in radio show last weekend that the province is moving toward combining the two forms of identification. “We are working right now on having an integrated driver’s licence with Alberta health-care cards,” she said Saturday, adding the integrated photo identification card would also be available for those without a driver’s licence.
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Alberta is failing to adequately track highway maintenance, auditor general report says
Alberta is falling short of keeping track of whether or not highway maintenance is being done properly, according to a report by the province’s auditor general. On Monday, the Office of the Auditor General of Alberta tabled a report outlining the work done by the department of Transportation and Economic Corridors regarding highway maintenance. The report found the department approved all extra work and did not always comply with the sole-sourcing policy and did not always reduce payment for materials that did not meet their standards.
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Edmonton Oilers convoy takes control in Ottawa, dumps Senators 5-2
The way the Edmonton Oilers rolled into Ottawa and imposed their will on the nation’s capital Tuesday night you half expected their bank accounts would be frozen by the time they got home. Yup, the only things missing were honking horns and bouncy castles as the Oilers convoy, rediscovering the offence that had been missing for so long, stormed out to a 3-1 lead in the first period and coasted to a 5-2 decision over the host Senators. The Oilers own this town, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 trips to Ottawa.
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Edmonton Elks bring back Ed Hervey for second stint as general manager
If reincarnating the spirit of this city’s last Grey Cup championship in 2015 by bringing back head coach Chris Jones was a failed experiment, the Edmonton Elks are giving it another go. This time, it’s with general manager Ed Hervey. The club announced Tuesday Hervey will return to resume his former GM role, and that of vice-president of football operations. Hervey takes over for Jones, who had returned to Edmonton to take on the dual role of head coach and GM in 2022, on the way to missing playoffs with back-to-back seasons of 4-14, before getting fired following an 0-5 start to this year.
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Review: Bruce Springsteen delivers anthemic, heartfelt rock show to Rogers Place crowd
How many of you went to church on Tuesday night? No, not the one down the street with stained glass windows and wooden pews. I’m talking about the gathering at Rogers Place, where out-of-town preacher Bruce Springsteen led a rapt congregation through close to three hours of praise, worship, and the casting out of demons. That the demons were inner rather than supernatural doesn’t make this admittedly laboured analogy any less truthful. Work with me here, OK? |
'A timeless tale for a reason': New director for Citadel's A Christmas Carol leans into show's emotional connection
While it might be the first time that Lianna Makuch has directed A Christmas Carol — kicking off its annual run at The Citadel on Nov. 23 — she is far from a Scrooge newbie. After all, she was raised on The Muppet Christmas Carol (starring Michael Caine as Scrooge) and has returned to the movie numerous times since, even as an adult. “Michael Caine takes it so deadly seriously – he’s giving this beautiful performance with the Muppets. It’s emotionally connected,” says Makuch, 35. “That’s what makes that movie so great. And that’s what really works the best when it comes to this story.”
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A jogger is surrounded by frost and snow as they run stairs near Lansdowne Drive and 47 Avenue in Edmonton on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia |
Mannequin heads look out at pedestrians from the front window wig display at Mama Afro Beauty Supply, 9323 118 Ave., in Edmonton on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia |
Snow-covered mountain-ash berries frame a pedestrian near Whyte Avenue and 108 Avenue in Edmonton on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia |
Liberal Party has problems finding skilled workers to replace Justin Trudeau. Cartoon by Bruce MacKinnon |
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