-If you normally get the GST credit, you should be seeing the grocery rebate alongside it in your bank accounts today.
Revenue Canada says about 11-million Canadians are set to receive that extra money, and amounts are going to vary.
If you normally get your GST credit by cheque in the mail, it may take a bit longer.

***********************

-A report on food affordability says it’s time for Canada to get rid of “best before” dates on food products.
Researchers say they believe a lot of people don’t really understand that “best before” dates aren’t expiration dates, and so wind up tossing out food items that are still good.
Food experts say Canadians can help themselves by learning more about food safety, so they can figure out if something actually is no longer usable.

***************************************************************************************************
-Some city of Edmonton workers who had their wages frozen five years ago are asking for them to be thawed out.
Among them are 911 dispatchers, librarians and office workers who say they’re being hit by cost of living hikes just like everyone else.
More than 1-hundred of these employees were rallying outside city hall yesterday.

***********************

-Municipalities and Metis Settlements that were affected by the recent wildfires in the province can now apply for financial support from the government, to help in rebuilding and recovery efforts.
Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says the Disaster Recovery Program is not for residents and businesses, as they can work with their insurance companies.

Ellis says money would cover the wages of volunteer firefighters, and to make sure evacuation centres have everything they need, among several other things.

Applications can be made through the Government of Alberta website.

*********************

-RCMP have charged a 40-year old Lake Louise man with arson in connection with the huge blaze that destroyed the main employee residence at Lake Louise Resort on Monday.
Mounties had been called about a distressed man armed with a weapon standing on the roof of the building, while it was on fire.
They managed to talk him down and take him to the hospital.
He was charged a while later.
More than 1-hundred workers have been displaced by the blaze.

*********************

-Alberta’s Transportation Minister is among those calling on the feds to seriously consider back-to-work legislation to end the strike by BC port workers.
The employees went off the job Saturday morning to back their concerns, but talks with the Marine employers group stalled on Monday.

************************

-As of this coming Monday, some Edmonton police officers are going to start wearing body-cameras.
The province made it mandatory in March, so EPS is going to kick off a six month trial of body-cams next week.
Thirty-five officers working with Transit & Community Safety Teams, the Healthy Streets Operations Centre Community Safety Teams and the High-Risk Encampment Teams will be outfitted with them.

“We’ve heard from many of our members that they are looking forward to wearing cameras and are hopeful that it will improve officer safety by affecting the behavior of the individuals they interact with and subsequently deescalating situations,” says Superintendent Derek McIntyre with the EPS Crime Suppression and Investigations Division.

“Video can be a helpful and beneficial tool for all parties in police interactions and will hopefully also assist investigators by improving evidence collection, documentation, early case resolution and successful prosecution.”

The teams selected were intentional, as they will provide a broad snapshot of a large and varying number of police interactions in complex environments with citizens from various communities. This will allow the EPS to assess the operational impacts of the cameras and identify any gaps and areas for improvements, such as what resources and processes are needed to support an effective program service wide.

“In addition, these teams will allow us to trial the cameras while working closely with our many valued community partners whose feedback on how we implement them is important.”

What to expect
Citizens interacting with officers on these teams will notice a camera affixed to the front of their uniforms. The cameras are approximately the size of a deck of playing cards and officers will begin recording when they start a public interaction such as when they start investigating an individual; or when they are asking a person questions for the purpose of collecting their information. While not legally required to do so, officers will do their best to advise citizens when they are being recorded.

The camera will be turned off at the conclusion of an officer’s interaction with the public or when they determine that continuous recording is no longer serving its intended purpose. At the end of every shift, all officers will dock their cameras and footage will automatically be uploaded to a designated secure storage location. Recorded data cannot be altered or deleted at any time, and all footage will be logged and submitted as part of disclosure to the Crown when charges are laid.

Privacy concerns
“We understand the public may have privacy concerns regarding body worn camera use and we want to assure citizens that all draft EPS policy, procedure and training related to the cameras incorporates and speaks to the applicable legislation,” says McIntyre.

Body worn cameras are subject to Sections 33C and 33B of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act which authorizes the collection of information from the public. The Health Information Act will also apply when officers are present in healthcare facilities.

They’ll be trying out different kinds of cameras and then choose the most suitable vendor.  (photo courtesy of EPS)

 

**********************

-Construction is supposed to get underway later this summer on The Pointe ag facility in Strathcona County.
It’s going to include arena space, animal housing and a wash bay, along with considerations for biosecurity measures.
County officials say it will be able to adjust to different needs, including equine events, farming trade shows, 4-H clubs and even dog agility competitions.
The Pointe will be built on land about 15 minutes northeast of Sherwood Park, and is expected to be ready by the summer of 2025.  (photo courtesy of SC)

************************

-The Rocky Mountain Nationals are happening at Rad Torque Raceway this coming Friday through Sunday.
There’s going to be a lot going on, including the best sportsman drag competition, along with the national hot-rod Canadian Open racing series.
You can also check out the world’s fastest truck, which happens to be a 57 Chevy pickup with a 7000 HP twin-jet engine, which allows the truck to reach speeds of more than 350 miles an hour.

************************

-If you’re a fan of the Edmonton Street Performers Festival, you can get a sneak peek of what they’ll be doing this year at the “What’s Up Wednesdays” event today in the Ice District downtown.
That segment runs from 11:30 til 1pm, and everyone’s invited to join one of the artists to learn how to juggle and spin plates.
StreetFest gets underway this Friday.

**********************

-Jays edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 yesterday. They meet again this evening at 6:10pm. Pitcher Alek Manoah is supposed to return from the minors on Friday, as everyone is hoping he’s got his mojo back.

-Edmonton Riverhawks have an exhibition game against the Baseball Alberta provincial team, just after 1 this afternoon at ReMax Field.

-The Brick Invitational continues at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace. Team Brick Alberta split their games yesterday, beating the Western Selects 2-1 and then losing 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens. They take on the Detroit Junior Red Wings at 3:50 pm this afternoon.

-Edmonton Stingers are hosting the Calgary Surge at the EXPO Centre this evening.  Game gets underway at 7:30pm.