EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers released their list of protected players deemed off-limits during the NHL expansion draft.

The NHL team decided to protect forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Zack Kassian, and Josh Arcihbald.

In terms of defense, Ethan Bear, Duncan Keith, and Darnell Nurse were placed on the protected list.

Goalie Stuart Skinner rounded off the list.

All NHL teams except the Vegas Golden Knights had the option to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie. Any players with a no-move clause had to be protected while any first or second-year skaters were exempt from selection.

Other players not protected can be selected by the newest addition to the hockey league, the Seattle Kraken.

The expansion draft will take place Wednesday evening.

The team must choose 30 players with a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goalies from unprotected players. The Kraken can choose a maximum of one player from each team.

EDMONTON — Wildfire smoke continues to envelop Edmonton and most of Alberta Sunday, prompting an air quality statement from Environment Canada.

Edmonton’s air quality reached a week-high of 10 Saturday afternoon.

Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index considers a 7-10 to be “high risk” and encourages people to minimize their time outside.

The weather agency said Edmonton’s air quality was observed as an 8 Sunday morning and forecasted a value of 10 plus as the maximum value to be reached later in the day.

Calgary was observed to have a value of 10 Sunday morning and also expected to reach an air quality index of 10 plus overnight.

Air quality alerts were in place for most parts of the province Sunday except for northwest regions, including Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge, Peace River, High Level, and Fort Chipewyan.

“Air quality can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably hour by hour,” the air quality statement read. “Consider taking extra precautions to reduce your exposure.

“Wildfire smoke is a constantly-changing mixture of particles and gasses which includes many chemicals that can harm your health.”

Environment Canada expects “very high” air quality values to be experienced throughout the province until mid-week, especially in central and northern regions.

Alberta Health Services suggests residents in areas of poor air quality due to smoke close all outside windows and doors, keep car windows and vents closed while driving and using fans on air re-circulate mode, avoid running fresh air ventilation systems that bring outdoor air inside a home, and turning furnace thermostats and furnace fans to the minimum setting.

Anyone experiencing symptoms due to the smoke can call 811 to speak to a registered nurse.

To see what parts of the province are under an air quality statement, visit Environment Canada’s website.

Century Downs in Calgary and Century Mile in Edmonton cancelled all live horse racing Sunday due to the poor air quality.

EDMONTON — The federal leader of the NDP continued his tour of Alberta with a stop in Edmonton on Sunday.

Jagmeet Singh visited Edmonton as the second stop for his three-day tour of the province after visiting Calgary on Saturday.

The politician visited the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market with Edmonton Strathcona MP Heather McPherson – the only sitting MP from his party in the province. While there, he spoke with Edmontonians and took questions from the media.

No federal election has been called, but recent visits in Alberta from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Erin O’Toole have fuelled speculation the writ could be dropped.

When asked about if he believes an election was coming, Singh said the party is ready should an election be called.

“I have always said I don’t think we should be going to an election. We should be getting the help people need,” he said. “Justin Trudeau has promised a lot of things– let’s do that work.

“I want to get back to work. My focus is on getting people the help they need.”

Singh also addressed the need to diversify Alberta’s economy to help get people back to work in a sustainable way.

“People are worried about their future when it comes to jobs. People are telling me that they want to see investments in diversification,” Singh told media.

“The economy here in Alberta needs to be diversified so workers have an opportunity to live a good life, to earn a good living and aren’t so worried about the precarity of their jobs.”

The NDP leader also spoke about how the party is focused on ensuring Canada has a strong economic recovery from COVID-19 and that government aid is focused on supporting workers, not corporations.

“In Alberta things have been already bad, even before the pandemic,” he said. “We saw in the pandemic people didn’t have access to medication and lost access to benefits.

“Everyone in our country should have those supports.”

He added that the federal government should be using Alberta energy workers who are short on work right now to help retrofit buildings and remediating oil wells.

Singh was also asked about his thoughts regarding Alberta’s referendum on equalization. He said it was “ironic” that Premier Jason Kenney was fighting against the formula for equalization when he helped create it during his career as a federal politician. The NDP leader said he would be open to ensuring Alberta got a fair deal.

“We are very open to making sure there is a fair transfer and making sure that Alberta gets its fair share, that all provinces are dealt with fairly,” SIngh responded.

Singh also meet with Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker and the Metis Settlements General Council on Sunday. Those events were closed to the public.

EDMONTON — For the third time, non-profit organization Peace Camp YEG has launched a camp to serve Edmonton’s homeless population.

Officially launched on July 10, Peace Camp 3 is intended to be a safe space for those experiencing homelessness and offers shelter, food, and access to harm reduction supplies.

The camp is located at the city’s Indigenous Art Park along Queen Elizabeth Park Road.

Volunteers say the camp has returned since Edmonton is still experiencing a shortage of housing programs.

“It’s mainly as the name says: Peaceful,” Kay Del Rio told CTV News Edmonton.

“We’re trying to provide residents with the supplies that they need, whether its denture cleaner or food, tents, clothing – whatever we can provide in order to make sure that they’re taken care of.”

The peace camp currently has 20 residents.

EDMONTON — A local organization hosted a garage sale and barbecue Friday and Saturday to fundraise and bring awareness to the work Prosper Place carries out.

Prosper Place is a non-profit founded in 1993 that gives people living with mental illness non-clinical support through classes and workshops, while also having a chance to have social, workplace, and recreational opportunities.

“Prosper Place tends to be a hidden secret in Edmonton,” Jessica Meilleur, culture manager and staff member, told CTV News Edmonton. “We give people purpose and a sense and feel of community.”

Anyone with a diagnosed mental disability is eligible for a membership with Prosper Place.

“We are a non-judgemental place where people are welcome to be themselves and just shine and grow in their recovery,” Meilleur added. “We are one big family here at Prosper Place.”

Meilleur said the fundraiser was put together and run by members of Prosper Place.

“This gives them purpose and a project to work on,” she said. “They feel proud to present it to the community.”

Prosper Place hopes to raise around $3,500. Funds will go towards supporting programming.

To learn more about the local non-profit or donate, visit their website.