EDMONTON — As temperatures in Alberta’s capital city pass record highs this week, many Edmontonians are looking for creative ways to stay cool. For some in the city, that might even mean sleeping at their place of employment.

Of course, when you work at a hotel that might not sound so bad.

“When we knew it was going to be so hot, we thought that we’d reach out to all of our associates,” the Westin hotel’s Joumana Ghandour told CTV News Edmonton, “and we offered for them to come stay at the hotel for a very special rate.”

Ghandour said so far five of the Westin’s staff members in Edmonton have taken advantage of the hotel’s air conditioned rooms thanks to the discounted rate.

“It was more to make sure that everybody was safe.” 

At $79 a night, right now the downtown Edmonton hotel is offering a special “Beat the Heat” discount for the general public as well.

“You can come stay in a cold, air conditioned room. You don’t have to worry about the heat,” said Ghandour. “We have lots of water, and we even have a pool you can dip in to.”

‘IT’S BEEN DISGUSTINGLY HOT’

Statistics Canada numbers from 2017 show that back then, 42 per cent of Canadians had central air conditioning, but in Alberta, 78 per cent did not. 

Up until Tuesday, Victoria Jones could have counted herself as one of those have-nots in Alberta when it came to central air.

“Would’ve been nice if it was done Sunday,” the Garneau neighbourhood homeowner told CTV News Edmonton, “but I’ll take it in advance of tomorrow’s what? The hottest day possibly ever we’ve had in Edmonton?”

Jones said she had to send her dog to her parent’s air conditioned home in order to keep it cool.

“It’s been disgustingly hot,” she said, “and fans only do so much.”

Luckily for Jones, she booked the central air conditioner installation for her Edmonton home two weeks ahead of Tuesday. That’s the standard wait time right now for the company that’s doing the job at her house.

“It’s still June,” said Jones. “If this were August, this wouldn’t be weird to me.”

One heating and cooling technician told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday that he’s been “completely swamped” installing central air in Edmonton homes. 

“We’re trying to get two done a day just to keep up with the volume,” Weiss-Johnson’s Matt Renauld said. “Everyone wants A/Cs this time of year.”

Not surprisingly, it seems those who do have A/C units are using them.

On Tuesday, Alberta’s electric grid operators warned that for a second straight day, the province could break a summertime record for power usage.

An official with the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) blamed increased use of air conditioners for the spike in power consumption.

“We were surprised by how high demand went,” AESO’s Leif Sollid said.

That demand for power consumption in the province reached such high levels that the AESO issued an emergency energy alert on Tuesday afternoon.

As the AESO asks Albertans to conserve power where they can, Jones believes the need for her new A/C unit is only going to get more frequent.

“I mean it’s climate change, right? It’s just going to happen more often, more frequently, and more extreme.”

According to CTV News Edmonton meteorologist Josh Classen, Edmontonians are now in the “core” of the hottest days, with the heat wave expected to continue through the week.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dan Grummett

EDMONTON — Alberta is reporting 61 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, including 16 variant cases, during the chief medical officer of health’s last scheduled COVID-19 update.

Alberta currently has 1,132 active COVID-19 cases, the lowest number since Aug. 26, according to Dr. Deena Hinshaw. The positivity rate for the province is sitting at 1.6 per cent after 3,453 tests on Monday.

“Across the board our numbers are moving in the right direction. Cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and our positivity rate are the lowest they’ve been since last summer,” said Hinshaw. “We should all be proud of these numbers and take heart in them.

“If we all keep making wise choices and more people get vaccinated, active cases could fall below 500 in a few short weeks.”

She also added that there are only five COVID-19 cases in all the continuing care facilities across Alberta.

There are currently 170 Albertans in hospital due to COVID-19, including 36 in intensive care. There have been four new deaths due to the disease, bringing Alberta’s total to 2,299.

“It is to prevent outcomes like this that immunization is so important,” said Hinshaw.

The province is changing the data it uses to report the percentage of Albertans who have been vaccinated to be in line with the federal government and many other provinces in Canada, according to Hinshaw.

The province will now use the Statistics Canada July 2020 population data for vaccination rate reporting, rather than Alberta Health’s 2021 population data.

Tuesday, the province reported that 72.7 per cent of eligible Albertans have received a single vaccine dose and 40.7 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

Vaccine trials are underway for children under 12, who are not eligible for any COVID-19 vaccines yet. Hinshaw said there is no timeline yet for if or when a vaccine will be approved for that age group.

She advised that the best way to protect younger Albertans is for people in their lives who are eligible to get vaccinated to do so.

Hinshaw added that crowded indoor spaces tend to be higher risk spaces, rather than outdoor spaces.

Many municipalities in the province are set to lift their own mandatory mask bylaws on July 1, like the province, but still recommend wearing masks.

RARE VACCINE SIDE EFFECT

Hinshaw addressed reports from Israel and the U.S. of “a rare side effect” that caused heart lining and heart muscle lining inflammation after Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses.

“This side effect is being seen most often in younger people, mostly males,” said Hinshaw.

“The heart inflammation reported after the second dose is almost always very mild, resolving with anti-inflammatory treatment.”

She said Canada and the U.K. had not seen similar numbers to the U.S. and Israel, “possibly due to the fact that second doses in younger people have not yet been given in large numbers.”

“Young people who get infected with COVID-19 have about 100 times greater risk of experiencing heart inflammation than what is being seen after the second dose in Israel and the U.S.,” said Hinshaw.

She added that advisory bodies in the U.S., Israel and Alberta determined that the benefit of being immunized “far outweighs” the risks.

“I continue to recommend that all Albertans 12 and older get the vaccine, first and second doses, to be protected.”

Hinshaw added that since January, 95 per cent of people infected with COVID-19 had not received a dose of a vaccine, “or hadn’t yet developed immunity from the first dose.” The same is true for 92 per cent of people hospitalized with the disease in that time frame.

“Vaccines are safe,” said Hinshaw.

ALBERTA IN STAGE 3

Alberta is set to remove all public health restrictions on Thursday. Masks will still be required under provincial regulations in certain circumstances, including on transit, in taxis and ride shares.

“While cases are dropping and spread is declining, COVID-19 is not going away completely. It remains a potentially serious illness that we must keep respecting,” said Hinshaw.

She reminded Albertans who feel “even a little unwell” to stay home and get a COVID-19 test.

Beginning on July 5, two designated support people will be allowed to visit patients at the same time at AHS acute care facilities in the province, according to Hinshaw.

Hinshaw also advised Albertans to do research before travelling as some places may still require incoming travelers to quarantine.

“There will be challenges in the months ahead. We will still identify new cases and outbreaks will occur, but we are watching closely, ready to act as needed, and I am confident that we will get through this, as we always have, together,” said Hinshaw.

Contact tracing and variant screening will continue to happen. Hinshaw added that COVID-19 will become one of many illnesses and risks Albertans deal with every day, not the main one.

Hinshaw announced June 22 that she would stop giving twice-weekly COVID-19 updates. Data will be announced online going forward unless a live update is “needed.”

An increase in cases and hospitalizations could prompt a live update from the chief medical officer of health, but she added that there could be “good news stories,” such as lifting more restrictions, that would prompt one as well. 

EDMONTON — Olivia and Noah remain Alberta’s most popular baby names.

Alberta welcomed 49,030 babies last year – 25,160 boys and 23,870 girls, said Alberta Service Minister Nate Glubish.

Amongst the newborns, Olivia ranked as the most popular girls name for the eighth year in a row. Taking the top from 2013 to 2020, the winning name is the longest streak since 1980. Noah is the most popular baby boy name since 2018.  

“In a year unlike any other, positivity seemed to be a popular theme for some new parents, with names like Hope, Peace, Faith, Charity, Joy, Happy and Brave appearing on the list of registered names,” said the minister.

Some parents draw inspiration from athletes such as Kobe and Beckham, while others turn to literature for names such as Guinevere and Atticus.

Two girls were named Deena, perhaps after Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“Every year the list has a great mix of classic names, traditional names and even some inspired by popular culture,” said Glubish.

Top 10 baby girl names:

• Olivia (236)
• Emma (184)
• Charlotte (161)
• Ava (159)
• Sophia (151)
• Amelia (145)
• Isla (133)
• Emily (127)
• Lily (123)
• Abigail (114)

Top 10 baby boy names:

• Noah (239)
• Oliver (229)
• Liam (206)
• Benjamin (182)
• William (178)
• Jack (169)
• Lucas (163)
• Theodore (159)
• Levi (153)
• Owen (152)

EDMONTON — A helicopter helping fight a wildfire west of Edmonton has been downed in a remote area only accessible by air.

RCMP confirmed to CTV News Edmonton that around 6:30 p.m. Monday an Alberta Forestry helicopter was downed near Evansburg, Alta., approximately four kilometres west of Highway 22 and five to six kilometres north of Highway 16.

Mounties said they are working with EMS, Alberta Forestry, and Evansburg Fire to get to the scene of the incident.

According to RCMP, there was only one person onboard and their condition is not known at this time.

More to come…

EDMONTON — Residents of southeast Edmonton are being asked by the city’s utilities provider to reduce non-essential water use as other surrounding areas implement water restrictions.

According to EPCOR, some customers in that area might be experiencing water pressure issues.

On Monday evening, EPCOR requested southeast Edmontonians voluntarily limit the amount of water they use for non-essential purposes due to the heat wave and limitations with pumping systems in that part of the city.

Residents located from Whitemud Drive and south and from Calgary Trail to the east end boundary are being asked to reduce their non-essential water use from the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

EPCOR says non-essential water use includes watering of lawns or gardens, washing cars or driveways, and filling a swimming pool or hot tub.

“Please practice wise water use,” EPCOR said a statement. “Every drop helps.

“For example, take short showers instead of baths and turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.”

EPCOR says Edmontonians should not be concerned about the overall supply or drinking water quality in the city.

“EPCOR continues to apply all of its technology and resources to ensuring water quality remains safe.”

SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IMPLEMENT WATER RESTRICTIONS

Many counties and municipalities in the Edmonton region issued their own water use restrictions.

Water restrictions are in effect for all residents of Sturgeon County due to the extreme heat and dry conditions placing “increased demand on the water system.”

Sturgeon County is asking residents until further notice to reduce or postpone all non-essential water use.

For those who want to continue to water their lawns, trees, or gardens, the county is asking residents to abide by an odd/even water restriction where if your address ends in an even number you can water on even dates throughout the month while addresses ending in an odd number can water on odd days of the month.

“We recognize this could be an inconvenience and ask for your patience,” Sturgeon County said in a statement. “Following this request will help reduce our demand on the water supply.”

St. Albert asked residents to use their water “efficiently” to better conserve supply levels.

Leduc, Stony Plain, and Strathcona County also implemented voluntary non-essential water use restrictions.

Parkland County temporarily shuttered their potable water station in Acheson. The county expects the station to be closed for several days.