Jason van Rassel
Edmonton Journal
Calgary, AB, Canada
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Past articles by Jason:
New documents reveal horrors of Brentwood slayings
The night he stabbed five people to death at a house party, accused murderer Matthew de Grood met one of the hosts armed with a knife, a box cutter and cloves of garlic – the latter items, he told witnesses, were to ward off the undead. De Grood handed the garlic to the friend and […] → Read More
Calgary police operation takes down gang suspects, seizes drugs
In a series of co-ordinated raids last Thursday, Calgary police seized a large quantity of illegal drugs and arrested several suspects allegedly connected to a string of shootings in the city. → Read More
Mothers who kill their children still confound society
It’s the kind of case a veteran homicide investigator never forgets: the decomposing body of 15-month-old Domenic Brown, lying on his back on the bedroom floor of a barren inner-city apartment. → Read More
505 killings, 25 years: What our analysis says about Calgary
An analysis of every homicide in Calgary in the last quarter century reveals some disturbing trends and heartbreaking stories → Read More
Beer Me: Raising a glass to made-in-Alberta brews
Today is the start of the inaugural Alberta Beer Week, which celebrates the province's homegrown brewers. Herald beer blogger Jason van Rassel takes a look at how far the industry has come. → Read More
Social service agencies urge changes to new housing standards for disabled clients
With inspectors throughout Alberta poised to start auditing homes, social service agencies that help people with developmental disabilities are urging the provincial government to delay the implementation of new safety regulations. → Read More
A look at Canadian stadiums built with public funds
With price tags in the hundreds of millions, numerous stadiums across Canada have been built -- or improved -- with public money since 2000. Here's a look at the projects (and the numbers): B.C. Place, Vancouver The B.C. → Read More
Ezra Levant cited by Law Society of Alberta over ‘inappropriate’ column criticizing human rights commission
Levant criticized the Alberta Human Rights Commission’s handling of a case involving a Muslim man who claimed discrimination when he was fired from his job → Read More
Medical marijuana grower eyeing expansion in Olds
Faced with vocal opposition to its first operation in rural Rocky View County, a local medical marijuana company planning to build a second facility is eyeing greener fields in the central Alberta town of Olds. → Read More
Last year, bloody crime scene led police to quickly conclude missing Calgary 5-year-old, grandparents likely dead
'There was blood everywhere. Jennifer O’Brien went on to report that her mom, dad and son were not in the house and that she thought they may have been murdered' → Read More
Bloody crime scene led police to conclude missing boy, grandparents likely dead
Blood-stained furniture, drag marks and a bloodied dumbbell found inside the home of Alvin and Kathy Liknes led police to conclude within the first hours of their investigation that someone had likely killed the missing couple and their five-year-old grandson, Nathan O'Brien. → Read More
New justice minister pledges court reforms
Planned reforms to Alberta's court system started by the former PC government will proceed under the NDP, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said Friday. → Read More
Alberta beer makers brewing up lobbying efforts for new provincial government
Alberta's craft beer makers are hoping the NDP government is brewing up changes to the way the province taxes and regulates the industry. With the new government taking over just as the Alberta Liq... → Read More
Regulator approves extended liquor service during Stampede
For the second year in a row, provincial regulators are allowing bars, restaurants and lounges to serve alcohol beginning at 8 a.m. during the Calgary Stampede. → Read More
Provincial regulator expanding prescription drug monitoring program to combat abuse
Regulators are expanding Alberta's prescription monitoring system to include a wider range of drugs as authorities continue to grapple with the issue of otherwise legal medications — particularly fentanyl — being abused by addicts. → Read More
Teen who killed man at house party, handed life sentence
Jazlyn Radke will spend the rest of her life under some form of supervision for murdering University of Calgary student Brett Wiese at a house party, but the victim's family said her true reckoning will come only in the afterlife. Radke was a minor when she killed Wiese on Jan. → Read More
Federal prosecutors in Alberta warned staff shortages could jeopardize cases
Senior federal prosecutors in Alberta have been warning officials in Ottawa for three years that increasingly complex cases and a shortage of lawyers — particularly experienced ones — could place cases in jeopardy. → Read More
21 years old and now the new MLA of Calgary-Hawkwood
Michael Connolly is among a slew of rookie NDP MLAs bound for the legislature, but the 21-year-old university student is not a total newcomer to politics. → Read More
Judge lifts publication ban in legal dispute between Jonathan Denis and estranged wife
A Court of Queen's Bench judge lifted the publication ban Monday on the legal dispute between former justice minister Jonathan Denis and his estranged wife Breanna Palmer, who obtained an emergency protection order against him. → Read More
Judge lifts publication ban in legal dispute between Jonathan Denis and estranged wife Breanna Palmer
The former Alberta Justice Minister’s estranged wife alleged he was often aggressive and verbally abusive and threatened that ‘he would have people do his dirty work’ → Read More