EDMONTON — A transformative concept for Edmonton’s river valley has reached a new stage in its design process. As the city enters the third phase of public engagement for its Touch the Water promenade, the proposal promises the project will do just that.  

It’s an idea that’s been talked about for nearly 10 years, but according to the project’s supervisor for open space planning and design Geoff Smith, plans began in earnest in 2019.

Two years later, the current design concept was developed based on input from Edmontonians during two phases of engagement, the latest happening last fall. 

The current design shows the proposed promenade would run along the north shore of the North Saskatchewan River in two sections, totalling four kilometres in length. 

“Combined, a single concept plan has been completed for those two areas,” Smith told CTV News Edmonton from Walterdale Bridge.

One section, known as the Rossdale Area, would extend from 94 Avenue, near the former Rossdale Power Plant, to Walterdale Bridge,

The other section, known as the North Shore Area, is proposed to run from Government House Park to Walterdale Bridge.

“We’re now embarking upon the third phase of engagement for the Rossdale Area only,” he said.

Smith said, starting on Monday, the city is asking people who enjoy the Rossdale area to give their opinions on what they’d like to see in the next stages of design for that section of the proposed promenade.    

“This area certainly has been reinvigorated with the Walterdale Bridge and the former power plant is really seen as a central node meeting place that will be central to this project,” he said. 

“It’s really seen as an activity hub, an area that could support some small-scale commercial activities such as cafes and restaurants, coffee shops, some small retail.”

Smith pointed out that the current design for the promenade builds on existing infrastructure where Edmontonians are already gathering and meeting.

“Whether it’s cycling and walking along the river, crossing the bridge, meeting at the Rossdale Power Plant – those enhancements would allow for more people to attend and enjoy the area.”

FUNDING FOR CONSTRUCTION NOT YET APPROVED

The project is funded for planning and design, said Smith, and that work will be completed by the fall.

And while funding has yet to be approved for construction, Smith noted that it’s anticipated the promenade would be built in phases over a number of years.

“In order to identify what the prioritized areas will be,” he said, “we’ll have to work with council and seek guidance from council through budget sessions.”

According to Smith, Edmontonians will get a better idea of cost estimates during the next level of detailed design.

You can participate in the city’s third phase of public engagement online, from July 19 to Aug. 3.   

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s David Ewasuk

EDMONTON — Alberta reported 130 new COVID-19 cases for the past three days.

The province added 38 cases on Friday, 43 on Saturday and 49 on Sunday.

There are 605 active COVID-19 infections in Alberta, 100 hospitalizations and 27 people in ICU.

Two Albertans were reported to have died of COVID-19 since Friday.

As of Sunday, Alberta Health Services administered just over five million vaccine doses.

“Vaccines have proven to be, by far, the single most effective way to protect us and our communities from COVID-19,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said in a news release. “While COVID-19 cases are declining right now, this virus remains a serious public health concern. Every dose truly does make a difference in reducing infection and spread of COVID-19.”

Nearly 75 per cent of Albertans have received one dose and almost 60 per cent are fully immunized.

EDMONTON — The minister of health in Alberta says the NDP is “lying” and exaggerating claims about shortages in health-care staff in the province leading to temporary service level reductions.

Tyler Shandro was asked by reporters about staffing shortages at health-care facilities across the province at a media availability Monday.

Multiple hospitals across the province have faced bed closures and staff shortages. Earlier this month the Royal Alexandra hospital – the largest in Edmonton – closed six beds in their emergency room.

On Friday, another 12 beds were closed at that facility until receiving morning staff relief.

Additionally, Fort Vermillion’s St. Theresa General Hospital emergency department announced on Friday that it would have no overnight physician coverage temporarily until the end of the month.

McLennan’s Sacred Heart Community Health Centre had limited physician coverage over the past weekend.

On Saturday, the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton reduced nurse service levels at their endoscopy unit due to “unforeseen medical leaves of several staff in rapid succession.”

The minister maintained on Monday that staffing reductions are temporary and that they are resulting from residual pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and seasonal vacations.

“I understand the NDP are going to – as they’ve done for the last year and a half – hypercriticize issues and quite frankly lie,” Shandro said, “about our response to the pandemic and lying about what is actually happening in the province.

“AHS has done an amazing job in being able to make sure that resources are deployed, and to make sure that people get critical care that they need throughout the province,” he added. “Surgeries are happening as they need throughout the province. They’ve done an amazing job acting dynamically as the situation changes throughout the province.”

When asked if Alberta is attracting health care workers to the province, Shandro said recruitment targets were being met.

“We have a thousand more nurses than we had a year ago,” he said. “We are recruiting more. Month over month, quarter for quarter, year over year, we have more physicians, more nurses because we continue to show Alberta is a great place to live.

“Everybody wants to come to Alberta because it is an amazing place to live.”

BED CLOSURES ARE ‘VERY REAL’: NDP

Rachel Notley told CTV News Edmonton in a statement that the bed closures and staff reductions are “very real.”

“These bed closures are publicly reported by AHS,” she said. “They are very real, and they are putting Albertans at risk. It’s disgraceful that Tyler Shandro continues to gaslight Albertans and refuse to accept responsibility for his ongoing failures as Health Minister.”

Notley added that the health-care staff shortages are creating a “dangerous situation.”

“We have repeatedly called on Tyler Shandro to take action, but all he has offered Albertans is excuses and finger-pointing,” the leader of the official opposition said. “Let’s be clear: we are here because Jason Kenney acted last and acted least in the second and third waves.”

Notley called on Shandro to create a plan to keep Alberta’s hospitals open, without reductions in service.

“Our healthcare heroes are burnt-out and patients who are arriving much sicker than before because their conditions have been left unaddressed for a year and a half.”

EDMONTON — The Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton is now the latest in a string of health care facilities in Alberta facing bed closures or service reductions.

In an internal letter from Covenant Health that CTV News Edmonton obtained, the hospital operator said “unforeseen medical leaves of several staff in rapid succession” were to blame for a lack of endoscopy coverage at the hospital.

Starting Sunday, there would be no weekday nursing coverage from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and no weekend nursing coverage from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the endoscopy unit.

There would be staff on site to triage or direct patients to other facilities in the Edmonton health zone.

“The Grey Nuns Hospital Endoscopy Department currently does not have the nursing complement to cover evening and night call on the weekdays and night call on the weekends,” the letter read.

Marguerite Watson, Covenant Health spokesperson, told CTV News Edmonton in a statement that the endoscopy unit at the Grey Nuns would operate at 80 per cent outpatient capacity.

“(This is) as a result of staffing coverage issues due to pre-approved staff vacations and unexpected absences for non-COVID-related medical concerns,” Watson said.

She added that no other departments at the hospital currently face service impacts of that level.

“Unit leadership is working closely with the site and the Edmonton Zone to ensure any resultant impacts to patient care are minimized,” the spokesperson added. “We remain committed to ensuring all patients receive safe, high quality care.”

Reduced service is expected to be in effect until Aug. 3.

The Grey Nuns is not the first hospital or health care site to temporarily reduce service levels.

Rural hospitals across the province have faced bed closures and shortages. Earlier this month the Royal Alexandra hospital – the largest in Edmonton – closed six beds in their emergency room.

On Friday, another 12 beds were closed at that facility until receiving morning staff relief.

Additionally, Fort Vermillion’s St. Theresa General Hospital emergency department announced on Friday that it would have no overnight physician coverage temporarily until the end of the month.

DISTURBING AND UNPRECEDENTED: NDP

David Shepherd, NDP health critic and MLA for Edmonton-Centre, told CTV News Edmonton in an interview that the reductions in health care service across Alberta should concern everyone.

“Frankly, it’s very disturbing and utterly unprecedented,” Shepherd said.

“They are no longer able to provide the full range of those services at the Grey Nuns Hospital. Which means patients will have to travel further. Patients in hospital will have to be transferred by ambulance.”

In a media availability last week, Minister of Health Tyler Shandron acknowledged that July would be a month where the heath care system would face “pressure” due to vacations and the pandemic.

“The minister has said, ‘I expected this. I knew this was going to happen,’” Shepherd added. “He seems to say he is okay that we are having to close beds at unprecedented levels across the province including now at two of our busiest hospitals in Edmonton.”

Lorian Hardcastle, a University of Calgary associate professor and expert in health law and policy, said the current situation is concerning as the health care system has not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and adverse relations with the provincial government.

“Certainly right now we’re seeing a more burnt out healthcare workforce, more so than probably we’ve ever seen,” Hardcastle said. “Seeing how that will effect recruitment and retention does make this an interesting case study.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Ryan Harding

EDMONTON — Two people were killed in a collision on a rural road east of Beaumont Sunday afternoon.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. on Township Road 505 between Range Roads 235 and 240. The area was completely closed to traffic for several hours.

At 8:30 p.m. an RCMP spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Edmonton that two people died in the crash, but no further information was provided.

The total number of people involved was not released, no information was provided about the victims, and RCMP did not comment on how the collision occurred.

A traffic analyst was on scene taking photos and measurements. A black SUV was on the road with heavy front-end damage, while another vehicle could be seen destroyed in the ditch nearby.

Victims services workers were at the crash site.

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it becomes available.