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CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
Local companies team up to create entirely solar-powered ice cream shop
Bestie, the seasonal and sustainable shop from Kind Ice Cream, serving customers on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti/CTV News Edmonton) Locally made ice cream just got a whole lot greener thanks to two Edmonton companies that have found a way to pair the sweet treat with clean energy practices. Bestie is the new seasonal ice cream shop that will operate outside of Crestwood Community Hall this summer. Its parent shop is Kind Ice Cream – the women-led company born and raised in Edmonton. Kind Ice Cream originated in 2019 out of Ritchie from founders and owners Paula Shyba, Candace Morris and Nicole Bhar. Shyba said that when conceptualizing the new shop, kindness to the environment was at the top of their mind. 'We started exploring and considering if it was possible to even do solar [power] on a container like this,' she said. That's when they reached out to Grengine, a clean energy company based in Edmonton that specializes in renewable-powered systems like battery energy storage systems (BESS). Grengine designed the shop's system, which runs entirely off grid using solar panels and a battery system. Connie Stacey, CEO and founder of Grengine, said she was thrilled with being approached for an eco-friendly ice cream shop. She said it was the first time the company had done a commercial shop. 'It was really quite a fun project to do, to be honest. It just had a different, lighter feel,' Stacey said. Shyba told CTV News that the entire shop cost Kind Ice Cream in the range of $100,000. 'But it feels well worth it,' Shyba said. She noted that the shop did receive the Edmonton Edge Fund grant, which will help pay for another container shop in the likes of Bestie. Stacey said that they're still figuring out the exact number of solar panels needed for this particular container – currently, there are seven – but there's a backup generator in the event that any renewable sources fail. So while there is propane as a backup, Shyba said the goal is to be solar-powered for the entire summer, barring a large amount of bad weather. 'It is a system that will be able to keep our ice cream cold, knock on wood, so we feel pretty safe with our ice cream in there,' she said. Stacey said that Grengine is looking to collect more data about the panels over the summer to perfect the system. 'Melted ice cream is a whole lot of screaming kids,' she said. 'So this is definitely serious stuff.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
Stanley Park Train won't return this year, and maybe never will
The beloved and beleaguered Stanley Park Train will remain closed for the rest of the year. The beloved and beleaguered Stanley Park Train will officially remain off the tracks for the rest of 2025 – meaning no Halloween or Christmas route – and the City of Vancouver is deliberating the future of the attraction. The 1960s-era locomotive was halted early last holiday season after a worker got sick from exhaust fumes, adding to a long list of reasons the attraction has operated only sporadically over the past five years, including mechanical problems, the pandemic, and coyotes. In a presentation to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Monday, staff said the train is at the end of its life, and therefore repairs are becoming more frequent and expensive. The Stanley Park Train lost $2.9 million from 2019 to 2024 and about $700,000 this year, according to the report. The situation as it stands poses safety, financial, reputational, and operational risks, the park board heard. Staff presented three possible options for the future of the site on Monday, which include electrifying and fixing the current train, replacing the train and its tracks, and creating a new attraction entirely with a third-party partner. 'Preliminary analysis shows that a full renewal of the train and the ancillary buildings and amenities could require substantial capital investment,' reads a Tuesday news release from the City of Vancouver. 'Alternative operating models, including some form of partnership or third-party operation could lead to a revitalized, reimagined attraction that would reduce the reliance on tax dollars to return the site to operation.' Fixing or replacing the train would cost about $8 million and would garner the lowest financial returns, staff told the board. Meanwhile, the report said the city has received 'multiple proposals' from businesses to build something new, and claimed that would lead to more revenue and more visitors, including tourists. Park Board Commissioner Scott Jensen told CTV News he'd most like to see the train remain in Stanley Park, but will keep an open mind and wants to hear what residents prefer. The presentation indicated ticket prices at an externally operated site could go up to $45. Staff anticipate an increase in prices if the attraction remains at the status quo as well, up to $20. 'I would want to look at what is going to be the best fit for that space that lets the most people have access to it, you know, some parks should not be for some and exclude others,' Jensen said. The specifics of keeping the train in action or remaking the site with a new business model remain up in the air. Consultation on the options is expected to begin this quarter and a call for expression of interest will launch later this year. Park board staff are expected to present further findings in early 2026. 'As part of their report, staff will bring forward proposed strategies for engaging key interest holders and the public, as appropriate, on any changes to the train and its site,' the city's statement reads.
CBC
34 minutes ago
- CBC
Building Canada Act a 'troubling threat' to Indigenous rights, says Amnesty International Canada
Social Sharing A global human rights organization has added to calls condemning federal legislation that many say will impact Indigenous rights in Canada. In a news release Tuesday, Amnesty International Canada said the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) a law that will allow projects deemed beneficial to national interest to bypass some federal laws, poses a "troubling threat" to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. "The right to free, prior and informed consent is enshrined in domestic and international law, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," the release said. "Bill C-5 encourages the fast-tracking of infrastructure projects without safeguarding Indigenous Peoples' right to free, prior and informed consent over development proposals that affect their territories." Amnesty International Canada did not respond to a request for an interview. Bill C-5 became law June 26 with Conservative support, despite opposition from Indigenous leaders across the country. Twenty-eight senators had backed an amendment proposed by Sen. Paul Prosper to include explicit free, prior, and informed consent by Indigenous Peoples in the language of the law. The amendment was voted down. WATCH: Sen. Paul Prosper's speech: Bill C-5 a 'betrayal' of reconciliation, says Sen. Prosper in speech 12 days ago Duration 6:39 Sen. Paul Prosper rose in the Senate chamber Thursday to speak against the way Bill C-5 is moving through Parliament. Prosper says the Liberal major projects bill is being rushed and the government has failed to properly consult Indigenous stakeholders. "Too often Indigenous peoples are painted as barriers to progress," Prosper told the Senate during the debate. "No one wants our children to grow up in squalor with no access to clean water, no opportunity for good paying jobs and no support for our sick and dying. However we do not want success and progress to come along the backs of Indigenous peoples." 'Our rights are not for sale' Prime Minister Mark Carney has framed C-5 as a viable and critical way to combat the urgent economic threat of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on the Canadian economy. The federal government has said that Indigenous Peoples will be consulted during the process of choosing the projects to be designated and the review process for projects chosen will include further consultations with those potentially impacted by them. The federal government has also announced a series of "summits" that will take place over the summer with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. A statement last month from the Assembly of First Nations said it would be holding a virtual forum with chiefs on July 10 to discuss amendments made to Bill C-5, ahead of the prime minister's planned meeting with First Nations on July 17. Woodhouse previously said her office was given one week to review Bill C-5. "Canadians and Parliamentarians should know that First Nations are united," said Woodhouse in the statement. "Our rights are not for sale."
