Hello everyone,

I hope you all had an opportunity to enjoy the sunshine this weekend! As always, we have some great pitches for you this week. Take a look and see if anything interests you!

Best,

Peris

News Pitches

You can reach Peris at [email protected] or over Slack!

3D printing heats up food safely 

Experiment builds knowledge about increasing food safety in the rapidly developing technology.

New nurse practitioner sets up clinical practice in small-town Alberta

The village of Consort has hired Christie Brulhart to provide desperately needed primary care.

Drug discovery puts PhD grad on the leading edge of medical science

Yasser Tabana’s experiences developing an immune-boosting drug to fight cancer set him up for success as a postdoc working on a blood test to diagnose autoimmune diseases.

From academic setback to gender activism 

Master of arts grad explores cultural solutions to intimate partner violence.

From childhood fear to aviation innovation

Graduate’s expertise in biojet fuel drives his interest in renewable energy legislation.

Opinion Pitches

You can reach Leah at [email protected] or over Slack!

Police commission versus City Council: Edmonton Police Commission (EPC), which oversees Edmonton Police Service (EPS), has clashed with City Council. EPC declined an invitation to a council meeting to further discuss an audit of EPS. EPC declined to release an audit of EPS in April, despite receiving a significant amount of city tax dollars. How can the relationship between the city, EPS, and EPC be improved? Is it as simple as EPC providing an audit or is there more that needs to be done?

U of A improving their cleaning standards: Earlier this month the University of Alberta’s cleaning standards improved from “moderate dinginess” to “casual inattention” in offices. The president of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA) said that staffing levels for cleaning and maintenance isn’t the same as pre-pandemic levels. The university also announced that they will be reallocating funding towards cleaning and maintenance services in learning spaces. Why are the U of A’s cleaning standards so bad? Does it come down to staffing issues as the president of NASA suggests or are there other contributing factors? How does this affect faculty and students

Hope for a carbon capture project: An Albertan carbon capture project that would turn waste into energy recently got federal funding. With this project, instead of waste being sent to Edmonton’s landfill, it would be incinerated and used to create electricity. This seems like a win-win, but carbon capture projects haven’t had an easy time in Alberta. How can the success of this project be ensured? And if it is successful, what will it mean for renewable energy and management of waste across Alberta?

Alberta’s Heritage Fund: Premier Danielle Smith is now talking about using the Alberta Heritage Fund to prop up fossil fuel projects that can’t get financing. The government has been criticized for mismanaging the fund, but Smith seemed to want to get it back on track. Is this a responsible use for the fund? Or does it detract from the earlier sentiment of wanting to manage it more responsibly? How should the Heritage Fund be used?

Time for Trudeau to go?: A Toronto byelection is making the Liberal Party more nervous than it probably should. The seat is considered to be a Liberal stronghold, but Canadian’s opinion of Justin Trudeau challenges that. The federal election is still a year out, but speculation around whether Trudeau should stay or go is growing. And if he is going to pass the torch off to someone else, he should do it soon. Would Trudeau stepping aside give the Liberal Party a better chance come next year’s election? Or does Canadian’s resentment of the government run deeper than Trudeau?

Burlap Sack — Construction season: Navigating Edmonton is hard enough as it is, but then construction and detours are added to the mix and it’s almost impossible. Construction season is back in full swing and so is people’s frustration with it. Air your grievances about the inescapable construction and endless detours.

A&C Pitches

You can reach Dylana at [email protected] or over Slack!

Festival Review: The Works Art & Design Festival

“Located in the heart of Edmonton at Sir Winston Churchill Square, The Works is a free event for the public. Attendees can expect to be dazzled by an array of interactive displays, immersive art experiences, and a diverse lineup of performances that highlight local and international talent.”

This festival takes places July 27 — June 1. Pick a date and write a review! Click here for the full list of artists.

Column: Street Finder

While Edmonton has gained the unfortunate nickname Deadmonton (for more reasons than one) many areas of the city are decidedly not dead. Pick your favourite area of the city and write an article dedicated to detailing what charms you about this site. Chosen areas can be established or up and coming, but should feature locally-based, unique attractions. Suggestions include but aren’t limited to; 124th Street and Manchester Square. 

Album Review: Hibernate by Rachel Gleddie 

“A Canadian singer/songwriter who, through introspective lyrics and thought-provoking musical textures, draws her listeners into a world in which life’s highs and lows are given space to breathe. Influenced by multiple genres (folk-pop, new americana, and a pinch of alt-country), Rachel Gleddie invites listeners on an unique adventure, where genres meld and intrigue is found in unexpected details.”

Rachel Gleddie’s LP comes out June 28th. Listen to the album and write a review!

Album Review: Good Boy by Geoffroy

“Almost 10 years removed from his first release, this project was sparked with the intention of creating Geoffroy’s most authentic work to date, blending organic instrumentation and electronic elements into a bright and rich album filled with diverse sounds, a collection of songs that moves beyond the brooding depth that has defined recent works.”

Review Montreal-based artist Geoffroy's fourth LP!