The Town of Peace River has issued a flood alert for areas including its downtown, warning residents to be ready to leave on short notice due to rising water levels on the Heart River. According to a municipal notice, the alert covers the area between the Highway 2 bridge and 104 Avenue in the town’s south end. Officials say the alert is precautionary but reflects the potential for flooding if river conditions worsen. Residents in the affected zone are being advised to prepare for a possible evacuation by fuelling vehicles and gathering essential items, including identification, medications

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say a man is dead after an incident at a gas station in northern Alberta that investigators are treating as suspicious. According to an RCMP news release, officers were called to a Petro-Canada location in Peace River on Thursday morning, where they found a man deceased near the fuel pumps. Police have not released the victim’s identity. Investigators say surveillance video from the scene shows a suspect entering the driver’s seat of a red Dodge Caravan taxi and striking the victim with the vehicle. The circumstances leading up to the incident have not bee

Alberta’s government has introduced legislation that would end twice-yearly clock changes and keep the province on daylight time year-round. The proposal was tabled by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government, according to a provincial announcement. If passed, the bill would eliminate the need to switch between standard time and daylight saving time each spring and fall. The government has said the change is intended to provide consistency for businesses and residents, though details on when the change would take effect have not yet been confirmed. The move would require coo

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to provide an update today on a planned provincewide referendum set for October, including previously announced questions tied to social policy and governance. According to a February announcement from the Alberta government, the referendum is to include up to nine questions. Among them are proposals that would restrict access to certain social services for some immigrants, though full wording of the questions has not yet been finalized. The update comes as debate continues in Alberta over the prospect of separation from Canada. A citizen-led initiati

Alberta’s Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial for a man previously convicted in the 2020 death of his common-law partner, finding legal errors in how intent was assessed at trial. In a decision released Friday, the court overturned Ryan Applegarth’s 2023 conviction for second-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Chantelle Firingstoney. According to the ruling, the trial judge did not make a required finding that Applegarth intended to kill, a key element for a murder conviction. Court records show Firingstoney died in November 2020 at her home in Ponoka, about 95 kilometres south

Alberta’s Opposition NDP is accusing Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government of weakening democratic processes following a proposal to review and redraw electoral boundaries. The criticism comes after the government introduced a motion to create a new committee that would examine constituency boundaries and consider changes to representation in the legislature. According to statements made during debate in the legislature on Tuesday, the proposal could also lead to an increase in the number of seats to address representation concerns in rural areas. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has signed a joint statement with South Korea that includes the removal of a three per cent tariff on crude oil exports from the province, according to an Alberta government release. The province says eliminating the tariff is expected to expand market access for Canadian energy producers exporting bitumen and other crude products. Alberta exported $400 million in crude oil to South Korea last year, and the government estimates that figure could increase to as much as $1 billion annually following the change. The agreement comes as Smith has set a target to doubl

Members of Alberta’s legislature are expected to vote today on a government motion to revisit proposed electoral boundary changes ahead of the province’s next general election in 2027. Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government has introduced the motion to reconsider a recent electoral boundaries commission report. Smith said the move follows a recommendation from the panel’s chair to examine adding more constituencies to better reflect representation in rural areas. According to statements from the premier, the government argues that population shifts and geographic consi

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province plans to eliminate twice-a-year clock changes and remain on daylight time year-round, according to comments she made to Postmedia. Smith said the change would mean Albertans would no longer set clocks forward in the spring or back in the fall, instead staying on the current time throughout the year. On a practical level, that would result in darker mornings during winter months but extended daylight in the evening. The premier indicated legislation to implement the change is expected to be introduced later this week. Details of how the transitio