Latest news with #EdmontonCatholicSchoolDivision
Global News
14-07-2025
- General
- Global News
Fire destroys playground at St. Pius X school; Edmonton police investigating
Residents of Edmonton's Sherbrooke community woke up Saturday morning to the smell of burning rubber and large black plumes of smoke billowing above the playground at St. Pius X Elementary School. 'I was coming out and saw the huge ball of flames,' said Albert Carson, who lives nearby. Officers from the Edmonton Police Service were first on scene. The Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services fire chief said the initial call came in at 8 a.m., and his crew could see smoke from their fire station four kilometres away. The fire was extinguished at 8:20 a.m., and the fire chief said no injuries were reported. The school building was not damaged but two slides, a bridge, two canopies, and aluminium structure and the Recycled Rubber Paving Surface were all destroyed in the blaze. This playground was replaced just last year, following a nearly 10-year effort by the school's parent association to raise $250,000 for the project, which was also supported by a pair of provincial government grants. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen St. Pius X Catholic Elementary School playground in September 2024. Courtesy: Edmonton Catholic School Division View image in full screen St. Pius X Catholic Elementary School playground in September 2024. Courtesy: Edmonton Catholic School Division 'I'm devastated,' said Janine Savage, treasurer for the St. Pius X Parent Association, who also helped fundraise for the playground. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The community waited forever for this playground to be built, a labour of love, many years of fundraising, blood, sweat, tears, and now it's gone.' Story continues below advertisement St. Pius X principal Michele Wedemire called the fire a loss for the school. 'We are saddened by the fire that destroyed large portions of our playground,' she said. 'This playground was a vital part of our school, providing a safe and inclusive outdoor space for students and community members to enjoy. As we work to rebuild and restore this important area, we are committed to keeping the community informed and involved.' Police have closed off access to the playground. The school says operations for the daycare and summer camp programs will continue as planned with safety protocols in place, including air-quality monitoring to ensure the safety of people on-site. The Sherbrooke Community League and St. Pius X Parent Association have launched a fundraiser to help repair and rebuild the playground, with a goal of $50,000. Police are asking anyone with information, to contact EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anyone with dash camera or security camera footage from between the hours of 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. in the area of 122a Avenue and 128 Street is also asked to contact EPS. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at
CTV News
25-06-2025
- CTV News
Edmonton teacher facing child exploitation charges, may have left Canada: ALERT
Jimmy Buena, seen here in 2022, is wanted by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams in connection with child exploitation charges. (CTV News Edmonton) Police are searching for an Edmonton teacher wanted for child sexual exploitation charges. Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said 47-year-old Jimmy Buena, a teacher at St. Oscar Romero Catholic High School, has been charged with accessing, possessing and transmitting child pornography. According to ALERT, Buena allegedly uploaded child sexual abuse materials to Facebook. The agency said the charges are related to online offences and it's unclear whether any students were impacted. A warrant was issued for Buena's arrest and officers attempted to take him into custody on Tuesday, but he was not at the school. ALERT believes he has left the country. On Wednesday morning, the St. Oscar Romero website said Buena taught Filipino language and math. That page was later taken down. The Edmonton Catholic School Division said it was made aware of the charges against Buena on Tuesday. It said Buena's last day at the school was June 19, and that he longer worked for the school or division and would not be returning in September. 'The safety and well-being of our students is our first priority, and we are fully cooperating with police,' the division said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton. 'Our priority right now is to ensure that our school community has the support and resources it needs during this time. Given the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share further details.' Anyone with information on Buena should contact local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
CBC
08-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Edmonton Elections details finance disclosure rules for this year's campaigns
Edmonton Elections has released more information about properly disclosing campaign finances, as political parties are introduced into this year's municipal election. Alberta's Local Authorities Election Act was altered last year to allow for the creation of political parties in civic elections. Municipal parties must be separate and distinct from federal and provincial parties, and they cannot receive campaign contributions from those parties. On Friday, Aileen Giesbrecht, Edmonton's city clerk and an officer with Edmonton Elections, outlined the timeline for those interested in running, as well as transparency rules around campaign finances. "Candidates are now able to campaign over a broader period of time, and one of the conditions within the Local Authorities Election Act is an annual disclosure," Giesbrecht said during a virtual information session. Edmonton Elections, a nonpartisan group within the office of the city clerk, organizes and carries out elections for the City of Edmonton, as well as trustee positions with the Edmonton Public School Board and Edmonton Catholic School Division. The official campaign period for this year's election started last October and will run through December. Edmontonians interested in becoming candidates must submit a written notice of intent before fundraising, accepting any campaign contributions or racking up any campaign expenses. This election's campaign period is longer, so mandidates will have to include a second campaign disclosure statement, Giesbrecht said. "Even if you didn't have any contributions, you didn't self finance anything, and you had no expenses, you still have an obligation as a candidate that submitted your notice of intent to run," she said. If a notice of intent was filed in 2024, candidates will be required to submit their first disclosure by March 3. The second disclosure will be expected in 2026 for campaign contributions. Politcal parties will have until March 2026 to submit disclosure. Chris Heywood, a strategist with Edmonton Elections, also noted various stipulations regarding what kinds of donations can be accepted. "Candidates must not ask for, or accept, contributions that were submitted anonymously," Heywood said. "The same goes for accepting contributions made by an ineligible contributor, or contributions that will cause that contributor to exceed their personal limit, or [that] are being made with funds not belonging to the contributor." Candidates must also maintain campaign finance accounts and records separately and issue receipts for every contribution received. People running can self-fiance their campaigns up to $10,000, but Edmontonians can only donate $5,000 to all candidates and registered parties in a municipality. Corporations, trade unions or employee organizations can donate $5,000 to candidates per campaign period, along with $5,000 donations to registered political parties. Donors cannot combine balances to increase contribution limits to political parties, a City of Edmonton spokesperson told CBC News. Expense limits for civic election candidates and political parties range from $40,000 to more than $1 million. There are no expense limits for school board trustee candidates or political parties in trustee elections. The municipal election is on Oct. 20.
