An Edmonton man has been sentenced to fifteen and a half years for kidnapping, confining and sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in 2020. Wade Stene learned his fate yesterday afternoon after pleading guilty to the charges in February. Justice Susan Richardson says the crime was planned, predatory and brazen, noting Stene has not shown that he is truly remorseful. The girl's family says the past two years have been impossibly hard and thanked the Edmonton Police Service, the Stollery Children's Hospital and the Zebra Child Protection Centre for their support.

Free tickets for the Pope's mass in Edmonton are up for grabs starting this morning. Pope Francis is to speak at Commonwealth Stadium on July 26th. A second block of tickets is to be released on July 11th and a final block on July 18th. Priority seating is being given to former residential school survivors, elders and knowledge keepers. All tickets are free and will be available at papalvisit.ca. Only six tickets can be ordered at a time. Commonwealth Stadium has a capacity of 60,000. The pope will be in the Edmonton area between Sunday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 27. Pope Francis will go to

EDMONTON - The Alberta government says it will extend its electricity rebates until the end of the year as the cost of living continues to rise. Dale Nally, who's the associate minister of natural gas and electricity, says the United Conservative government is doubling the rebate to help reduce the financial burden on Albertans. The government says the electricity rebate program will now offer about $600 million in relief through 2022. It says the program will provide nearly two million homes, farms and small businesses with a monthly $50 bill credit each month from July until December. The go

The Alberta government is set to announce that electricity rebates will run until December. The are reports that government will extend the 50-dollar per month rebates until the end of the year. In late June, the province confirmed Albertans would see the rebates on their bills in July, August and September. In May, the province said the first three months would give two-million homes, farms and small businesses approximately 300-million dollars in relief.

Police in southern Alberta say an owner of a mechanic shop faces 62 charges after an investigation into alleged fraud. Investigators say they have identified more than two dozen victims and believe there could be more. Police say an investigation started last year into Fisher Diesel in Lethbridge, Alta., after reports of questionable business practices. Police allege that between 2018 and 2021, the victims they identified lost a combined $500,000 from credit card fraud and for advanced fees charged for services that were never rendered. Lethbridge police say the 40-year-old business owner, who

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says the city has delivered with a plan for a centre where social workers, firefighters and peace officers could work together to reduce crime, and now it is time for the province to step up. City council voted unanimously yesterday to ask the government of Alberta to support the creation of a hub in Edmonton's Chinatown. In May, Justice Minister Tyler Shandro used his ministerial power to demand a report from the city on what is being done to get crime under control. Edmonton police officers have already increased their presence in problem areas.

The Alberta government is expanding its support for Ukrainians coming to the province from the war-ravaged country. Premier Jason Kenney says there's a special, deep connection between Alberta and Ukraine. He says starting July 25, Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the province would be eligible for temporary financial assistance for basic living expenses _ such as food, clothing and rent _ for up to six months. He says those arriving later this month would also be able to apply for child care support for the first six months. Kenney says the expanded support is key for people, particularly women

Hundreds of people gathered in Calgary and Edmonton yesterday to support women who are affected by the U-S Supreme Court's decision to end constitutional protection for abortion. Rallies were held at the Alberta Legislature grounds in the capital city and at a march in Calgary. The group in Calgary walked from Harley Hotchkiss Gardens to Olympic Plaza, chanting ``my body, my choice'' and holding up signs about a woman's right to choose. On June 24th, the U-S Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe versus Wade case, a decision from 1973 that provided women the constitutional right to abortion

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has indicated his United Conservative government will reveal details next week about additional support to help people deal with high inflation. Earlier this week when Finance Minister Jason Nixon announced a $3.9 billion surplus at the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year ending March 31, Nixon said one of the goals was to examine further ways to help Albertans get through the current stretch of rising prices.Kenney said there will be an announcement about more support, which he believed would come this week.