Ten years ago
2025 will mark the ten year anniversary of the tragic death of Const. David Matthew Wynn. Wynn was shot and killed in St. Albert's Century -- formerly Apex --Casino on Jan. 17 2015.
Wynn was performing routine license plate checks in the casino parking lot when he found a plate that was not registered to the vehicle it was attached to. Suspecting a stolen vehicle, he went inside the casino to check the surveillance footage. Wynn and auxiliary officer Derek Bond went into the casino to arrest the driver, Shawn Rehn.
Rehn fled when confronted by the officers. As Wynn grabbed his arm, Rehn turned, produced a firearm, and shot Wynn in the head. Bond was shot and injured trying to subdue Rehn. Rehn fled the scene and took his own life in a nearby home.
Wynn was not expected to survive. He was taken off life support and passed away from his wounds on Jan. 21.
The tragedy sent shockwaves through the community. Children at Keenooshayo school mourned the loss of their in school constable, and white ribbons adorned the city in honour of Wynn's memory. His funeral was held at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert, and saw thousands of people in attendance.
As a result of the shooting, a bill was introduced into the House of Commons called Wynn's Law. Introduced by former Senator Bob Runciman and sponsored by current St. Albert MP Michael Cooper, the bill would have made it mandatory for a suspect's criminal history to be disclosed during a bail hearing. Rehn was out on bail for 30 outstanding charges at the time of the shooting. It was ultimately not passed, much to the disappointment of Wynn's wife, Shelly, who voiced her displeasure with the Liberal government's treatment of the bill.
"It breaks my heart to see the leader of this country cannot see past blind partisanship,” she said at the time.
15 years ago
In 2010, St. Albert also broke a population of 60,000, according to the city's census. The final tally on the census done between April 1 and May 7 of that year saw a total of 60,108. Then-councillor James Burrows said that he felt it showed that "St. Albert is a very desirable place to live," adding that he had been worried that the recession would limit any growth in the city's population.
The census also revealed that St. Albert's senior population saw growth, with a reported senior population of 6,801, up from almost 6,200 in 2008, it was reported. The hope was for the population growth to help the city when applying for per capita provincial and federal funding.
Then-councillor Carol Watamaniuk also wondered how long it might take for St. Albert's population to eclipse 70,000. The answer? About 14 years. The 2024 Municipal Census completed between May 6 and June 27 2024 showed that St. Albert reached a population of 72,316, an average annual growth of 1.51 per cent.
