City wins national CAMA award for ecosystem mapping tool

Todayville Edmonton

Published

5 years ago

2 minute read

From City of Edmonton

May 29, 2019
An urban-based land and vegetation inventory framework created by the City of Edmonton to better understand Edmonton’s natural assets has been awarded the 2019 Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) Willis Award for Innovation. The award was presented in the category of cities with populations of over 100,000.

Over the last 100 years, close to 3,000 hectares of natural areas have been protected within the City, including the North Saskatchewan River Valley, and its ravines, tableland wetlands and upland forests, but very little was known about these assets prior to the launch of the City’s Municipal Natural Asset Mapping Program in 2018.

“We needed a system that could help us identify and analyze how those natural assets provide important ecosystem services that help clean our water, purify our air, maintain our soil, recycle nutrients and regulate climate.”
Catherine Shier, Principal Ecological Planner for the City of Edmonton

Better information allows for better local and regional land use planning.

“As our city grows and changes, understanding what ecosystems we have in Edmonton will help us value and protect them. This mapping system gives us a clear picture of our natural assets.“
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson

The Willis Award for Innovation, awarded in recognition of Jack Willis for his contribution to CAMA, is presented for programs, projects or services that demonstrate exceptional innovation or meritorious initiative.

“We were extremely pleased with the quality and scope of the 35 award submissions received for this year’s CAMA Awards of Excellence,” said Lois Coutinho, Chair for the 2019 CAMA Awards Jury. “Congratulations to Edmonton and all those who took the time to enter a submission.”

People can access the raw data from the uPLVI system on the City’s Open Data portal or use the interactive version of the uPLVI map. To access the portal visit uPLVI.

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Alberta

Multi-million dollar drug seizure in southwest Edmonton

Published on October 28, 2024

Todayville

News release from ALERT (The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team)

Nearly $2.5 million in drugs and cash was seized from a southwest Edmonton condo building. A warrant has been issued for an Edmonton man.

ALERT Edmonton’s organized crime team made the seizure on October 9, 2024 after searching an address in the Windermere neighbourhood. The Edmonton Police Service helped with the search warrant execution.

ALERT seized an estimated $2.3 million worth of drugs, which included:

17.7 kilograms of cocaine;
5.3 kilograms of MDMA;
950 grams of methamphetamine;
3.1 kilograms of ketamine;
5 kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms;
20,000 oxycodone pills;
4,705 illicit prescription pills;
$41,000 cash.

ALERT searched the address following an investigation that dates back to June 2024. Investigators developed information about a high-level drug trafficker operating in the Edmonton area with a number of supply lines.

The drug seizure marks ALERT’s largest since a record bust earlier in the year. In August, 27 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a west Edmonton home. The two investigations are unrelated.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Minh Nguyen. The 36-year-old Edmonton man is wanted on charges of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession of counterfeit money.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police.

The investigation began in June 2024 after ALERT received information about a drug supplier based in the Edmonton area. ALERT alleges Nguyen was supplying other drug dealers in Edmonton and northern Alberta communities.

Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.

Alberta

Police seize more than 66 kg of illicit drugs in interprovincial trafficking investigation

Published on September 12, 2024

Todayville Edmonton

News release from the Edmonton Police Service

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has seized more than 66 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin in a large-scale drug investigation in central Edmonton.

In December 2023, members of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Section (EDGE) initiated an inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation.

During the investigation, three male suspects were noted to be involved in various aspects of inter-provincial drug trafficking, including transporting drugs into and out of Alberta, as well as distributing them throughout Edmonton, including the inner-city community. A storage location for the drugs was located in a central Edmonton high rise apartment.

On May 9, 2024, police executed search warrants at three residences and four vehicles. As a result of the search warrants, EDGE members seized:

55.7 kg of methamphetamine, worth approximately $250,650
8.7 kg of cocaine, worth approximately $696,000
2.5 kg of fentanyl, worth approximately $300,000
83.5 grams of heroin, worth approximately $28,400
20 kg of buffing agent
Five handguns, three of which were loaded at the time of seizure and two of which had defaced serial numbers. Two were also reported stolen in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and one originated from the U.S.
Four vehicles with hidden compartments
Approximately $20,000 in various currency

Drugs and firearms located in one of EPS’ largest-ever drug seizures

“This investigation is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, seizure of controlled substances in EPS history,” says Staff Sergeant David Paton, with the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Section. “Intercepting this huge volume of extremely harmful street drugs before they wreak havoc in our city is a rewarding outcome for our investigators, who have worked tirelessly for months on this operation.”

Jesse Koble, 29, is facing 27 charges, Mitchell Steeg, 31, is charged with nine offences, and Steven Santillana, 34 is charged with two offences, for a total of 38 drug and firearms-related criminal charges.

The EPS takes a strategic approach to drug and organized crime related violence through its Guns and Gangs Strategy. This plan considers the unique factors driving serious crime in the city, identifying key focus areas that require increased and sustained effort to reduce victimization and improve community safety.

The strategy leverages EPS’ internal expertise and external partnerships with other enforcement and social agencies to strike a balance between education, suppression, intervention, and prevention. It encompasses immediate and long-term solutions that both hold those perpetrating violence accountable and lead willing individuals away from gang association.