EDMONTON – A military contingent is expected to be in position today to decide where to deploy eight critical care nurses who will help Alberta fight COVID-19.

Public Safety Canada says the Canadian Red Cross is also planning to send up to 20 medical professionals, some with intensive care experience, to augment or relieve staff working in Alberta’s hospitals.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canadian Armed Forces members will use their experience to help Alberta battle the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Operation LASER is the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to COVID-19.

Sajjan says that since the beginning of the pandemic, the military has responded to more than 65 requests for assistance from provincial or federal partners.

Newfoundland and Labrador is also sending a medical team of five or six intensive care staff to work in Alberta’s northern oil hub city of Fort McMurray.

Alberta’s health delivery agency has seen over 1,000 new daily COVID-19 cases for weeks, and has had to scramble and reassign staff to handle the surge of intensive care patients.

Premier Jason Kenney announced last week that his government was finalizing the deal for outside support from the military.

“I know that Alberta health-care workers will be grateful for the helping hand and that all Albertans are thankful for any assistance at this challenging time,” Kenney said Thursday in Calgary.

Some of those health-care workers have called on Kenney to do more.

Intensive care physicians, emergency ward doctors, the executive of the Alberta Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association have called for a swift lockdown to reverse the tide of COVID-19 patients.

Kenney has said he wants to see if recent health measures including a mask mandate, gathering restrictions and a form of vaccine passport boost vaccination rates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2021.

EDMONTON – Edmonton police are investigating after a man was found dead, his body burned, inside a tent near the river valley.

Police responded to the area of 75 Street and Ada Boulevard Sunday, according to EPS.

Police added that the death is not believed to be suspicious at this time. The man has not been identified.

EDMONTON – Volunteers came together on Saturday to tidy up a local cemetery with veteran grave markers ahead of Remembrance Day.

Edmonton’s Beechmount Cemetery has more than 1,900 grave markers for fallen Canadian veterans. A group of youth took it upon themselves to help clean away dirt on the headstones.

“The military has always been important to my family,” Jonathan Hobson said. “We are showing the respect these headstones deserve.

“Leaving them in disrepair and leaving them dirty doesn’t show we’re thinking of them the way we should.”

“It’s teamwork and working with each other for such a meaningful cause,” Brookelynn Fiddler said.

Many participating youth are members of local cadet programs that share personal connections with the country’s past and present military.

“As a veteran myself, to see youth come up and say they want to be involved in the act of remembering speaks volumes to their calibre and what they believe in,” Justin Yaassoub told CTV News.

“(Doing this) is the only way we can keep the remembrance going,” Hobson added. “If we let it end with this generation, we won’t have anyone to pass it down to.”

EDMONTON – Jesse Puljujarvi had a pair of goals as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a two-game skid in pre-season play, defeating the visiting Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Saturday.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the game-winning goal with 1:56 remaining in the third period to break a 3-3 deadlock. Devin Shore also scored for the Oilers (3-1-1).

Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey replied for the Jets (1-1-1), who suffered their first loss in regulation in pre-season.

Down 3-1 in the third, Winnipeg fought back to make it a one-goal game with 8:24 left as Declan Chisholm sent a pass through a defenceman’s legs to allow a back-door tap-in by Scheifele.

The Jets then tied it up a couple of minutes later as Morrissey was left alone in front to bang home a pass from Evgeny Svechnikov.

Edmonton regained the lead with just under two minutes left in the game as Leon Draisaitl stripped a puck and then sent a long backhand pass through traffic to Nugent-Hopkins, who beat Eric Comrie for the winner.

The Jets took an early lead four minutes into the opening frame after the Oilers allowed an odd-man break on the tail end of their first power play. Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen was able to make an initial save on Kristian Vesalainen, but had little chance on the rebound as Connor notched his second of the pre-season.

Edmonton bounced back on their next power play late in the first as Puljujarvi tipped a long Draisaitl shot past Jets netminder Comrie.

After several quality stops by Koskinen, the Oilers surged ahead 3-1 with goals just over two minutes apart.

With seven minutes left in the second period, Shore tipped home a Brendan Perlini shot, which was followed up by Puljujarvi scoring his second of the game and third in exhibition on a booming slap shot.

The Jets are back at it on Sunday as they head to Vancouver to face the Canucks. The Oilers remain home to welcome the Calgary Flames on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2021.

EDMONTON – An autopsy confirmed that a targeted shooting in south Edmonton was a homicide.

The Edmonton Police Service said in a statement that Samaan Wani, 25, died as a result of gunshot wound after a targeted shooting on Sept. 23 in the area of 23 Avenue and 106 Street.

Police are still searching for a black truck, possibly a Dodge Ram, they believe was in the area at the time of the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to contact EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.