High density nodes get pushback at Edmonton public hearing
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What does the bylaw do?
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Bylaw 21128 is a city-led initiative that proposes applying standard residential and mixed-use zones in select priority growth areas. The goal is to support medium- and large-scale housing and mixed-use development in transit-connected areas and streamline redevelopment in alignment with the City Plan and district plans to support a population of two million.
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The approach removes the need for individual rezoning applications, aiming to cut red tape for builders and homeowners.
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Why these areas?
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According to the administration, a technical review helped select the priority growth areas based on land use patterns, redevelopment potential and transit access. Several corridors are slated to be served by the Valley Line West LRT and bus rapid transit routes B1 and B2, making them ideal candidates for higher-density, mixed-use development.
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In the University-Garneau major node, for example, the rezoning would allow buildings up to 75 metres in key locations, like 109 Street and 82 Avenue. Other areas, such as between 109 Street and 110 Street, have been scaled down to 23 metres in response to concerns from nearby small-scale residential areas.
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A divided community
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Public feedback has been mixed. While many speakers voiced strong support for the initiative, citing the need for more housing and more efficient development processes, others raised concerns over the impact on existing communities, transparency and the city's engagement process.
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Brian Murray, a partner at B&A Studios, voiced his 'strong support' for the rezoning proposal which he described as a 'real, tangible step toward delivering more housing, greater affordability, and more sustainable growth.' He argued the bylaw would reduce red tape, ensure faster delivery of new housing in the city, and create certainty for redevelopment, especially in well-connected areas like Garneau.
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'It will allow for a broader mix of housing types that reflect the diverse needs of Edmontonians,' he said.
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Ryan Jakes, a 24-year-old lifelong Edmontonian, also backed the plan, calling it an 'important step in the right direction' that balances long-term goals with neighbourhood context to provide a more affordable, livable Edmonton. He also applauded the city's youth engagement efforts.
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Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: Trump and Putin come close but don't strike deal
Leaders leave meeting citing progress but no deal yet. Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after concluding their talks in Anchorage, Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025. Photo by Wu Xiaoling / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Donald Trump stood on the red carpet in Anchorage, Alaska after leaving Air Force One and clapped as Vladimir Putin walked towards him. The two leaders then stood for a photo-op on a stage that said Alaska 2025 as F-22 fighter jets and a B-2 bomber flew over them in a show of American strength. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account From there, Putin and Trump got into The Beast, the presidential limousine, to head to their meeting. It may have been the only time that the two leaders had alone together. It was supposed to be a one-on-one meeting and gradually turned into a standard summit overtaken with staff and cabinet members. Trump's warm greeting for the Russian leader was a public display ahead of tough talks where Trump was expected to explain to Putin his options. In the meeting, Trump was expected to explain to Putin that he can end the war against Ukraine and reap economic benefits or continue fighting and face consequences. As they emerged after roughly three hours of discussions, Trump gestured to Putin to speak first. The fact that they spoke at all was a sign that some progress was made. The fact that there were no questions taken by either leader was a sign that they did not arrive at an agreement. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The situation in Ukraine has to do with fundamental threats to our security,' Putin said, making excuses for his decision to invade. For years Putin has tried to claim that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was due to NATO's expansion, but the reality is that NATO's expansion has been driven by Russian aggression as countries such as Sweden and Finland applied for membership. Putin tried during his remarks to play up ties between the United States and Russia, including their ties via Alaska and cooperation during the Second World War. Still, it was clear that while some progress was made, no deal was made. 'T here's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said after Putin's remarks. Trump said that he would be calling NATO leaders shortly after the meeting and Putin asked that European leaders not try to stop the progress that Putin and Trump were making. Neither leader, though, was willing to share what progress has been made in the meeting. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I'll of course, call up President Zelenskyy and tell them about today's meeting,' Trump said. 'We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there.' Prior to the meeting, Trump had spoken of land swaps in any negotiated settlement. That was something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had opposed. 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,' Zelenskyy said last week. He may not be able to keep up that tough talk if a real deal for peace is on the table. The most recent Gallup Poll in Ukraine shows that the majority of Ukrainians want a negotiated resolution to this war. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2022, 73% of Ukrainians said that their country ' should continue fighting until it wins the war.' Now that number sits at 24% while those saying that 'Ukraine should seek to negotiate an ending to the war as soon as possible' has risen from 22% at the start of the war to 69% now. Read More The population of Ukraine, and likely the population of Russia, are war weary and ready for this to end. 'We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there,' Trump said of the meeting. 'Next time in Moscow,' Putin said to Trump as they wrapped up their statements to the media. Trump acknowledged that meeting in Moscow may come with some heat and some problems but didn't say no. The two leaders, who clearly still have issues between them, shook hands and walked off stage before boarding their respective planes to head home. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto & GTA Columnists Ontario Other Sports Celebrity
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Trump, Putin kick off Ukraine war summit in Alaska with smiles and warm handshake
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin kicked off their Alaska summit with a warm handshake on Friday, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. After descending from Air Force One, Trump applauded as Putin approached along a red carpet. They gripped hands for an extended period of time, with both men smiling, and Putin eventually grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — flew overhead to mark the moment at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Reporters nearby yelled, 'President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?' and Russia's leader put his hand up to his ear but didn't answer. Trump and Putin then both climbed in the U.S. presidential limo, with Putin grinning widely as the vehicle rolled past the cameras. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The pair's chumminess, while not altogether surprising considering their longtime friendly relationship, was striking given the bloodshed and suffering in the war Putin started in Ukraine _ the biggest land war in Europe since World War II. It was likely to raise concerns from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, who fear that Trump will primarily focus on furthering U.S. interests and fail to press hard for Ukraine's. Zelenskyy and European leaders were excluded from Friday's meeting, and Ukraine's president was left posting a video address in which he expressed his hope for a 'strong position from the U.S.' 'Everyone wants an honest end to the war. Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible to end the war,' he said, later adding, 'The war continues and it continues precisely because there is no order, nor any signals from Moscow, that it is preparing to end this war.' The summit was a chance for Trump to prove he's a master dealmaker and peacemaker. He and his allies have cast him as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close — something he used to boast he could do quickly. For Putin, it was an opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia's gains, block Kyiv's bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow's orbit. Not meeting one-on-one anymore White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the previously planned one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin was now a three-on-three discussion including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin was joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov. The change indicates that the White House is taking a more guarded approach than it did during a 2018 meeting in Helsinki, when Trump and Putin met privately just with their interpreters for two hours and where Trump shocked the world by siding with the Russian leader over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 campaign. Trump and Putin began their discussions Friday by sitting with their aides in front of a blue backdrop printed with 'Alaska' and 'Pursuing Peace.' Putin and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference at the end of the summit. There are significant risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto U.S. soil — America bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for roughly 2 cents per acre — the president is giving him the validation he desires after his ostracization following his invasion of Ukraine 3 1/2 years ago. Zelenskyy's exclusion is a heavy blow to the West's policy of 'nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine' and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want. Any success is far from assured since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilization efforts, which are conditions rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. Trump said earlier in the week there was a 25% chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that if the meeting succeeds he could bring Zelenskyy to Alaska for a subsequent meeting with himself and Putin. Trump has also expressed doubts about getting an immediate ceasefire, but he has wanted a broad peace deal done quickly. That seemingly echoes Putin's longtime argument that Russia favors a comprehensive deal to end the fighting, reflecting its demands, and not a temporary halt to hostilities. Trump previously characterized the sit-down as ' really a feel-out meeting.' But he's also warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. Trump said before arriving in Alaska that his talks with Putin will include Russian demands that Ukraine cede territory as part of a peace deal. He said Ukraine has to decide, but he also suggested Zelenskyy should accept concessions. 'I've got to let Ukraine make that decision. And I think they'll make a proper decision,' Trump told reporters traveling with him to Alaska. Trump said there's 'a possibility' of the United States offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, 'but not in the form of NATO.' Putin has fiercely resisted Ukraine joining the trans-Atlantic security alliance, a long-term goal for Ukrainians seeking to forge stronger ties with the West. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, is in Alaska to provide 'military advice' to Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a senior NATO military official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. His presence is likely to be welcomed by European leaders who have tried to convince Trump to be firm with Putin and not deal over Kyiv's head. Potentially far-reaching implications Foreign governments are watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships. The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers) and the international date line. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace. ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jonathan J. Cooper in Washington, Elise Morton in London and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump rolls out the red carpet for Putin and adds a limo ride
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — First came the red carpet, then the warm handshakes, friendly smiles and military planes flying overhead. Finally, President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin climbed into the back seat of Trump's presidential limousine, casually chatting like reunited friends as they were whisked away to talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. It was a greeting fit for the closest U.S. allies. But instead it was rolled out for an adversarial leader who launched the largest land war in Europe since World War II and is seen as one of America's most vexing foes. Trump has repeatedly implored Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire after insisting during last year's campaign that he would be able to end the conflict in 24 hours. Trump made clear in recent weeks that he is unhappy with Russia's more than 3-year-old offensive, and he has threatened 'severe consequences' and additional sanctions if progress is not made Friday. But the tension between the two leaders was not apparent from their clasped hands and grins and the shared limo ride as Trump welcomed Putin back to U.S. soil for the first time in a decade. In a carefully choreographed scene at an Alaska military base, the men emerged from their respective planes nearly simultaneously and walked shoulder to shoulder along a red carpet that had been unfurled on the tarmac. Trump wore a ruby red tie. Putin wore burgundy. Trump applauded Putin while he awaited their greeting. His hand was outstretched as Putin approached, and the two exchanged a lengthy handshake, patting each others' elbows and chatting and smiling. As they greeted each other at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, F-22s fighter jets and a B-2 bomber flew overhead in a show of force. The stealth warplanes were designed in part for a possible conflict with the Soviet Union. Neither plane entered active service until after the Cold War ended, but their development began in the 1970s and 1980s during the height of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry. The two men ignored shouted questions from reporters as they stood on a platform emblazoned with the words 'Alaska 2025' for a photo-op and another handshake. 'President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?' one shouted. Putin gestured to his ear, suggesting he couldn't hear the question. Trump, as host, then gestured to Putin that it was time to go and directed him to where the U.S. presidential limousine was waiting. The two got into the backseat and could be seen chatting through the darkened windows. As the motorcade pulled away, Putin grinned. The pomp and military planes may have been intended to remind the Russian leader of U.S. military might. But they also underscored the dramatic contrast between Trump's treatment of Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a U.S. ally whom Trump berated for being 'disrespectful' during an extraordinary Oval Office meeting in February. That visit ended without the leaders signing a planned deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals or holding a joint news conference. Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House by top Trump advisers shortly after Trump shouted at him. 'You're gambling with World War III, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country — this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,' Trump told Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader warned that Putin could not be trusted. Since then, Trump has voiced more frustration with Putin as Russian strikes on Ukraine ramped up, writing 'Vladimir, STOP!' on social media and declaring that the Russian leader 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!' But little of that frustration was visible Friday between two leaders, who have long had a friendly relationship. ___ Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
