Alberta’s Official Opposition NDP is pressing Premier Danielle Smith and the province’s four health ministers to implement emergency measures as doctors raise alarms over overcrowded hospitals. The call comes after the Alberta Medical Association reported that hospitals have been operating at more than 110 per cent capacity for over a year, creating strains on both staff and patient care. Dr. Brian Wirzba, president of the association, said public statements are a last resort for physicians who have repeatedly voiced concerns through internal channels without seeing adequate action. Meanwh

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is expected to provide an update today on the province’s respiratory virus season, as hospitals across Alberta continue to face significant pressure. Health care leaders say elevated influenza activity has been a major factor behind ongoing capacity challenges, particularly since mid-December. Physicians have repeatedly warned that high patient volumes are limiting the system’s ability to respond to routine and urgent care needs. The provincial ministry responsible for hospitals has linked the surge in admissions to a sharp increase in flu cases

Calgary police are investigating whether speed, alcohol or drugs played a role in a deadly crash on Deerfoot Trail over the weekend that claimed the life of a man in his 50s. Investigators say the man was driving a Nissan Altima southbound on Deerfoot Trail, approaching Glenmore Trail, when the vehicle struck a construction barrier. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the impact was severe enough that the car’s engine was ejected and landed in an adjacent lane of traffic. Shortly afterward, a second vehicle, a Toyota, struck the engine. The driver of that vehicle was take

Officials in the southern Alberta town of Taber say a propane leak from an ice resurfacing machine triggered an explosion that damaged the community’s main hockey arena earlier this week. According to the town, the leak occurred inside the arena on Dec. 17, allowing propane gas to build up into a cloud. That gas was later ignited by an electric heater, causing a fireball that blew open a garage door, shattered windows and knocked down interior walls separating the facility’s two ice rinks. Town spokesperson Meghan Brennan said more than a dozen people were inside the building at the time o

The Alberta government has unveiled a new website outlining its vision for a proposed oil pipeline that would carry oilsands crude to the northwest coast of British Columbia, as the province continues early groundwork on the long discussed project. The province says the website is intended to serve as a central source of information and updates, aimed at improving public transparency and countering misinformation. The site includes a section addressing common misconceptions, including claims that construction has already started, that Alberta is financing the full project, or that a final pipe

Calgary police have charged a woman after a video circulated on social media showing a traffic pylon being tossed from a highrise balcony in the city’s downtown. Investigators said they began looking into the incident after receiving complaints about the video on Monday afternoon. The footage was determined to have been recorded the previous Saturday at an apartment building on the 1100 block of Third Street Southeast. The pylon was reportedly dropped from the 14th floor. Officers located a nearly six-kilogram traffic pylon on the sidewalk outside the building. Police said their investigatio

Calgary city councillors are set to receive and discuss a long-awaited independent report examining repeated failures of a major watermain that supplies drinking water to much of the city. The report focuses on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, a critical piece of infrastructure that delivers treated water to roughly 60 per cent of Calgary residents. The line first ruptured in the summer of 2024, triggering weeks of mandatory water restrictions across the city. Concerns intensified again late last month when the same watermain ruptured for a second time on Dec. 30, forcing the city to reintroduc

City officials in Calgary are asking residents to sharply reduce their daily water use after a key water feeder main ruptured late last month, placing pressure on the city’s drinking water system. Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the Bearspaw South Feeder Main remains in a critical state following the Dec. 30 break, leaving Calgary using more water than it can currently produce and store. The situation has prompted renewed calls for voluntary conservation across the city of roughly 1.6 million people. According to Chris Huston, the city’s manager of drinking water distribution, Calgary needs to ke

Calgary residents are facing renewed water restrictions after a major water main break overnight flooded a busy northwest interchange, trapping vehicles and forcing emergency rescues. The rupture occurred near the intersection of 16th Avenue NW and Sarcee Trail, close to Canada Olympic Park, an area that serves as a key commuter route. Fire crews were called in to rescue 13 people from vehicles surrounded by freezing water as the break sent water rushing across the roadway. Police closed the interchange, and city officials say the road will remain shut while crews assess damage and begin repai