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.

A school south of Edmonton is among 10 schools from around the world shortlisted for the World's Best School Prize for Environmental Action contest. Lacombe Composite High School is the only school in North America to be nominated. The school has 32 solar panels that produce up to four per cent of the school's electricity, and students also replaced a portable classroom with a greenhouse that operates solely with renewable energy. Five winners of the contest are to be announced in the fall and a prize of about 322-thousand dollars will be shared.

Police in Calgary say a man faces 25 charges after a stolen vehicle dragged a firefighter while it was driving away from a crash on Saturday. The firefighter was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Prior to being arrested, the suspect is also alleged to have rammed a peace officer's vehicle during an attempted stop outside of Calgary. Thirty-five-year-old Jakub Matthew Kornacki will appear in court July 18th. The suspect has been accused of damaging an Esso gas station in Strathmore, Alta., and a railway crossing barrier while trying to flee the scene.

The Calgary Stampede has received more than $10 million from the federal government to help it bounce back after last year's event was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A report to the city this week showed the Stampede had an operating loss of $8.3 million in 2021. Last year's Stampede ran at half capacity because of COVID-19 public health measures and was cancelled all-together the year before. Daniel Vandal, the federal minister for Prairies Economic Development Canada, says the money aims to support a full-scale Stampede to deliver the ``authentic western experience'' this year. He

Ten suspects have been arrested and face a total of 139 charges following the bust last summer of a drug lab south of Calgary. They are being charged with a variety of offences ranging from fentanyl production to criminal conspiracy. Police say seven of the accused are from Edmonton and three are from Okotoks. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team says officers seized drugs, weapons, cash and vehicles in one of Canada's largest fentanyl seizures. ALERT says it seized 13.6 kilograms of fentanyl, 11.9 kilograms of fentanyl precursors, 6.6 kilograms of opioids, 9.9 kilograms of methamphetamin

Alberta is back in the black in a big way turbocharged by high-flying oil prices. Finance Minister Jason Nixon says the final number on the 2021-22 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, is a $3.9-billion surplus. It's the first time in seven years the provincial budget will not sport red ink on the bottom line. It represents a head-spinning turnaround from the $18.2-billion deficit predicted when the budget was introduced during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2021. Alberta's bread-and-butter oil and natural gas industries have soared in recent months, as global economies rampe