Madeline Smith
@meksmith.bsky.social
Justice reporter at CBC Edmonton. Past life in newspapers (Journal, Herald, StarMetro). Fighting for my life on uncomfortable courthouse gallery benches. she/her
madeline.smith@cbc.ca
madeline.smith@cbc.ca
It's actually more like 600 people between the current repayment queue and currently active life leases.
October 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
It's actually more like 600 people between the current repayment queue and currently active life leases.
And it's been two years since I wrote the first story on this whole situation: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta seniors waiting for payments after ending life leases for housing frustrated by delays | CBC News
Former residents of several Christenson Group of Companies retirement buildings have been waiting in queues — in some cases up to two years — to be repaid hundreds of thousands of dollars they put int...
www.cbc.ca
October 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
And it's been two years since I wrote the first story on this whole situation: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
There were more than 200 people in the Christenson Group life lease payment queue at the end of 2024. That's now up to 300, and there are 301 more active life leases with payments that will become due when the lease is terminated: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
More than 200 Albertans owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for life lease repayment | CBC News
As a growing number of seniors and their families wait for an Edmonton property developer to repay the money it owes under life-lease contracts, the company says provincial regulations are a new stumb...
www.cbc.ca
October 22, 2025 at 2:54 PM
There were more than 200 people in the Christenson Group life lease payment queue at the end of 2024. That's now up to 300, and there are 301 more active life leases with payments that will become due when the lease is terminated: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
And in another ASIRT report released today, despite recommending charges against RCMP officers who killed a man after firing at him at least 20 times, Crown prosecutors will not be pursuing a case: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Crown won't prosecute RCMP officers who killed Siksika man despite ASIRT recommendations | CBC News
Alberta prosecutors have rejected the recommendation made by the province’s police watchdog that two officers face charges for the fatal Christmas Day shooting of an intoxicated Siksika man who was wi...
www.cbc.ca
October 8, 2025 at 9:30 PM
And in another ASIRT report released today, despite recommending charges against RCMP officers who killed a man after firing at him at least 20 times, Crown prosecutors will not be pursuing a case: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I checked earlier in the summer and it wasn’t finished, but I need to check again. Hopefully there will be an update at some point.
August 26, 2025 at 11:13 PM
I checked earlier in the summer and it wasn’t finished, but I need to check again. Hopefully there will be an update at some point.
Truly a story with so many twists that I never could have anticipated, that just seemed to keep going well past the point I thought there was nothing else to do. And it prompted a fair amount of reform about how council expenses are handled/disclosed in Calgary. calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
City council expense policies need reform, audit report says
A new report examining council members' expenses shows councillors are mostly following city policy, but there are "systemic issues" to fix.
calgaryherald.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Truly a story with so many twists that I never could have anticipated, that just seemed to keep going well past the point I thought there was nothing else to do. And it prompted a fair amount of reform about how council expenses are handled/disclosed in Calgary. calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
And then there was the night where council was behind closed doors for like two hours and then they came out at something like 10:30 p.m. and dropped the motion referring the expense investigation to the police: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
Magliocca banned from business travel; council refers expense audit to police
The results of the forensic audit come nearly six months after questions started to emerge about some of the costs the Ward 2 councillor billed to taxpayers
calgaryherald.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
And then there was the night where council was behind closed doors for like two hours and then they came out at something like 10:30 p.m. and dropped the motion referring the expense investigation to the police: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
I will also never forget the evening I got the email from the city's former integrity commissioner telling me he had to recuse himself from the investigation. I yelled "OH MY GOD" and my husband was very confused but I was totally unable to explain anything to him: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
Integrity commissioner recuses himself from Magliocca expense probe, citing free meal with councillor
Magliocca expensed a lunch with integrity commissioner Sal LoVecchio in 2019, which he said was a "social lunch" that taxpayers shouldn't have been billed for
calgaryherald.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
I will also never forget the evening I got the email from the city's former integrity commissioner telling me he had to recuse himself from the investigation. I yelled "OH MY GOD" and my husband was very confused but I was totally unable to explain anything to him: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
I will never forget listening to Meghan Potkins on the phone talking to the first of what would become many people who were very confused to learn their names were on Magliocca's receipts: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
Coun. Magliocca calls nonexistent guests on travel expenses a ‘clerical error'
Chestermere Coun. Yvette Kind says she was surprised to learn her name was attached to a $331 bar tab.
calgaryherald.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
I will never forget listening to Meghan Potkins on the phone talking to the first of what would become many people who were very confused to learn their names were on Magliocca's receipts: calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...
Yes it's not a long-term care thing, it's used in independent retirement living for the most part. It comes with both the upfront fee and monthly costs, but the monthly fees might be less than a typical rental cost. It's a very unique system that I had no idea about until I did this reporting!
June 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Yes it's not a long-term care thing, it's used in independent retirement living for the most part. It comes with both the upfront fee and monthly costs, but the monthly fees might be less than a typical rental cost. It's a very unique system that I had no idea about until I did this reporting!
I got more details on the background of the case, and the legal issues Sobotiak's defence team is now raising about a potential re-prosecution, through their written submissions to the court: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Review of Sobotiak murder conviction revealed undisclosed police evidence, court filing says | CBC News
Roy Sobotiak's lawyers filed written arguments in support of his bail application on Friday, which shed light on issues they raised with the investigation and trial that ended in 1991, convicting Sobo...
www.cbc.ca
June 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I got more details on the background of the case, and the legal issues Sobotiak's defence team is now raising about a potential re-prosecution, through their written submissions to the court: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
It is a thing in Manitoba but the legislation about how they're handled is actually quite different and has been held up as a good model by people who want more regulation around this type of housing.
June 2, 2025 at 4:51 PM
It is a thing in Manitoba but the legislation about how they're handled is actually quite different and has been held up as a good model by people who want more regulation around this type of housing.