Karen Bartko
Online Journalist
Karen has worked at Global Edmonton since 2006, and has been an online journalist covering stories across Alberta for more than 10 years.
She is an award-winning journalist, having won two RTDNA Prairie Regional Awards with Global Edmonton’s online team for its coverage of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
Karen is grateful for the privilege of covering stories in the community she was raised in, at the TV station she grew up watching each day.
She got her start as a studio assistant at Global while still in college and became an ENG video editor for four years. Karen then moved to the editorial team as the overnight writer for Global News Morning Edmonton. Karen joined the online team in 2014. She lives for breaking news and enjoys the fast pace of the digital world.
Karen knows the Edmonton region well and that knowledge informs her coverage of local news. She grew up in Parkland County, attended high school in Devon and graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program at NAIT in 2008.
Outside of work, Karen enjoys cooking, reading, killing plants gardening, travelling and taking in Edmonton’s numerous summer festivals. She’s also learning to love/hate golf.
Karen is a pop culture geek who indulges in a long list of TV shows and can frequently be found scouring Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. She would never say no to a good glass of wine.
Contact Karen Bartko
Video Archives
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Edmonton group calls for downtown safety in next budget -
5th Project Gaslight guilty plea sends Edmonton man to prison -
Local efforts to support hurricane recovery in Jamaica -
Alberta ‘Avenue of Champions’ slogan changing -
Open Cockpit Day at Alberta Aviation Museum -
Motion to pause bike lane projects in Edmonton defeated -
Edmonton mayoral candidates make their pitches in crowded race -
Alberta sees record-breaking year for organ and tissue donors -
41st Taste of Edmonton underway in the downtown core -
Psychic predictions for the future of the Edmonton Oilers -
Edmonton Elks fans optimistic about season -
More pushback for Bill C-5 from Indigenous groups -
Edmontonians accuse Foundry Room owner of stealing their event deposits -
Edmonton gay bar Evolution moving to Jasper Avenue, will temporarily have 2 locations -
Restaurant industry reacts to federal tax ‘holiday’ -
Raw video of wildfire damage in Jasper, Alta. -
Will Alberta’s renewable energy changes help or hinder development? -
60-year-old Edmonton elementary school set to get 1st playground -
The downside of a snowless winter on Edmonton businesses that rely on it -
Southwest Edmonton school wins Connor McDavid visit after raising $15k
Author Archives
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‘E-dirt bikes are not toys’: E.R. doc fears more injuries after 2 kids hit in EdmontonEdmonton police said two boys, aged 11 and 12, on an e-dirt bike allegedly cut off a car turning onto Terwillegar Drive, triggering a crash that left them with serious injuries.HealthSep 11
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Canada’s army overhaul aims to be ‘more agile, lethal’ amid threatsCFB Edmonton will now be home to the 1st Canadian Division — the main force responsible for deploying large-scale combat operations and responding to crises at home and abroad.CanadaSep 10
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Edmonton police lay charges in Sikh temple stabbings as hate investigation continuesPolice in Edmonton will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon on their probe into the stabbing of two worshippers at a Sikh temple in the city’s northeast.CrimeSep 10
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Alberta First Nation invokes treaty clause to set up gender-affirming care safe havenSaddle Lake Cree Nation says it aims to defy Premier Danielle Smith’s government by establishing a safe haven for gender-affirming medical care — contrary to provincial law.PerspectivesSep 9
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Edmonton police ‘concerned’ for welfare of dad, 2 kids missing for 12 daysThe Edmonton Police Service is asking for help finding a 42-year-old man and his two children — a nine-year-old girl and six-year-old boy — who've been missing since Aug. 28.CrimeSep 9
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NAIT breaks ground on Advanced Skills Centre, adding 5,500 student spacesThe Advanced Skills Centre will have 29 programs teaching construction, transportation, manufacturing and energy — increasing NAIT's capacity to more than 15,000 students a year.EducationSep 8
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Black bear wanders through Edmonton neighbourhoods overnightSome north Edmonton residents woke to some unusual surveillance camera notifications: a black bear, wandering the streets of the Cumberland and Canossa neighbourhoods overnight.EnvironmentSep 8
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Choose Canada, businesses urge Albertans ahead of ‘risky gamble’ referendumThe Business Council of Alberta is joining the chorus of other groups who warn a vote to quit Canada will create massive uncertainty, putting jobs and the economy at risk.EconomySep 8
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Wife’s death after 1.5-hour wait for ambulance has Edmonton doctor demanding changeNewly widowed Dr. Guy Blais is speaking out about the state of Alberta's health-care system, after his wife waited nearly 90 minutes for an ambulance and died shortly thereafter.HealthSep 4
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Family friend of 2 young girls charged with sexual assault in Lethbridge: PoliceA 30-year-old man has been charged after Lethbridge police received reports of sexual assaults and interference involving two young girls.CrimeSep 4
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Some referendum ballots missing as Albertans begin to receive mail-in paperworkAs demand for mail-in ballots climbs ahead of the Alberta referendum, some voters are reporting problems with the packages they have received from Elections Alberta.PoliticsSep 3
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Staffer injured in Columbia Icefield all-terrain vehicle rolloverA Pursuit staff member was conducting an operational maintenance check on the Ice Odyssey all-terrain tour vehicle when the rollover happened at the Columbia Icefield.CanadaSep 2
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Premier says mistake fixed after First Nations removed from Alberta Day statementWithin an hour of sending an Alberta Day statement on Tuesday, the government sent an updated version removing the sentence including Indigenous Peoples from its English version.PoliticsSep 1
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Calgary man charged with running $164M Ponzi scheme involving more than 1,000 victimsA Calgary man is accused of stealing investment funds from more than 1,000 people in an alleged $164-million fraud and money laundering Ponzi scheme over the course of four years.CrimeSep 1
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Vehicle break-ins increasing across Edmonton, especially in west end and downtownThere were nearly 300 vehicles broken into in the west end and downtown alone in August, and in many cases Edmonton police said wallets, ID and other personal items were stolen.CrimeAug 31
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New beetle species linked to rise in Dutch elm disease in Edmonton treesThe City of Edmonton says the banded elm bark beetle is playing a significant role in spreading Dutch elm disease.EnvironmentAug 31
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Charges laid in St. Albert electric dirt bike crash as e-mobility hospitalizations spike'These are dangerous, high-speed, off-highway vehicles that need to be ridden out in the back 40 and not in the cities,' RCMP said of electric dirt bikes on municipal streets.TrafficAug 28
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Peter Pocklington’s former mansion on City of Edmonton’s auction list: ‘It’s iconic’The City of Edmonton's assessed value for 8638 Saskatchewan Drive is $2.7 million — which for 2026, translates to a municipal property tax bill of more than $28,000.ConsumerAug 27
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Explosion and fire at west Edmonton home under investigationResidents in the Canora neighbourhood heard the explosion over the noon hour at a boarded-up home along 102 Avenue near 155 Street, where a fire quickly broke out.FireAug 27
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Danielle Smith rejects taxing oil exports, pushes increased diplomacy efforts with U.S.Danielle Smith says she wants to avoid further trade war escalations and instead double down on diplomacy efforts — cautioning the U.S. has the power to cripple Canada energy-wise.PoliticsAug 26
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Killarney School students temporarily relocating after summer storm damageA thunderstorm on July 15 significantly damaged the roof at Killarney School and flooded in parts of the building on 132 Avenue near 91 Street in north Edmonton.EducationAug 26
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Bomb threat prompted more visible police presence at Edmonton Pride paradeEPS said there weren't more officers than normal at Edmonton's Pride parade but as a precaution, police adopted a more visible presence due to the bomb threat.PerspectivesAug 25
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New Hope Mission homeless shelter approved in southeast EdmontonThe Hope Mission has been looking to expand services as the need for more emergency spaces grows, and is aiming to open the permanent, 24/7 southside shelter in time for winter.CanadaAug 25
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Recovery Alberta closes Edmonton addiction treatment program, drops hundreds from wait listFor hundreds of Albertans on the waiting list at the Henwood Treatment Centre, the loss of the program means they are back to square one in their search for addiction treatment.PoliticsAug 25
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Manning teen arrested after school shooting threat made in northern Alberta townA teenager from a northern Alberta community has been arrested and seven guns seized after RCMP learned someone had threatened to shoot students on the first day of school.CrimeAug 25