Family members of an eight year old Alberta girl whose body was discovered in a hockey bag on the Samson Cree Nation are delivering emotional victim impact statements as a sentencing hearing continues in an Alberta court. Relatives of Nina Napope described the child as kind and loving, telling the court that her siblings continue to ask where she is and struggle to understand her absence. The statements are being presented as part of sentencing proceedings for Ashley Rattlesnake, who was previously charged in connection with the girl’s death. Court heard earlier that Nina had endured chronic

The Alberta government has tabled legislation that would shift approximately 1,200 Alberta Sheriffs employees into a newly created provincial police agency, marking a significant step in the province’s ongoing discussion about the future of policing. If passed, the bill would establish the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service and allow it to assume local policing responsibilities currently provided by the RCMP, should municipalities choose to opt in. The proposed model is designed to give communities the option of moving away from federal policing services toward a provincially managed force. Pub

Two men are facing criminal charges after Calgary police say officers disrupted what investigators describe as a violent attempted kidnapping in the city’s downtown earlier this month. The Calgary Police Service said a patrol sergeant witnessed an assault in progress shortly after midnight on February 17 and intervened immediately. Officers allege the incident involved an attempt to forcibly abduct an individual. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been released. Police said the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle but were located and arrested a short time later. In

The Alberta government is once again asking the courts to strike down Ottawa’s Impact Assessment Act, arguing that recent amendments still infringe on provincial jurisdiction over natural resources and development. The Alberta Court of Appeal began hearing arguments in Calgary this week in the province’s renewed constitutional challenge. The legislation, first enacted in 2019, establishes a federal review process for major infrastructure and resource projects, including pipelines, mines and energy developments, assessing potential environmental, economic, health and social impacts. Alberta

Nursing care staff represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees have voted to ratify a new collective agreement with Covenant Health, the union announced Monday. According to the union, 89.2 per cent of participating members supported the deal. The agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2024, and will remain in effect until the end of March 2028. The four year contract includes a 12 per cent wage increase spread over the term of the agreement, along with what the union describes as significant market adjustments aimed at addressing recruitment and retention challenges. The agreement

As Ukraine marks four years since Russia launched its full scale invasion, a Calgary man recovering from serious injuries says he intends to rejoin his unit once he is medically cleared. Mac Hughes has been serving with the Ukrainian armed forces since the early months of the conflict in 2022. He was badly burned last year when an exploding drone pinned him between a vehicle and a wall, leaving him with significant injuries that required ongoing treatment. Now recovering, Hughes says the anniversary of the invasion is unlikely to carry special meaning for troops still stationed along the front

Flights between Edmonton and the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta have been cancelled following reports of widespread violence in the state of Jalisco over the weekend. Edmonton International Airport confirmed that one outbound flight to Puerto Vallarta and three return flights to Alberta were cancelled after unrest broke out in several parts of Jalisco on Sunday. The disruptions have left a number of Edmonton-area travellers stranded in Mexico and families in Alberta seeking updates. The Government of Canada has issued a travel advisory for the state of Jalisco, urging Canadians to exer

Albertans are expressing sharply divided opinions over the provincial government’s plan to hold a referendum this October, with Premier Danielle Smith fielding support and criticism over the weekend. During her regular call-in radio program Saturday morning, Smith heard from several callers who said the proposed vote reflects public concerns, particularly around immigration levels and provincial authority. Supporters told the premier the referendum questions are timely and align with what they see as mounting pressures on housing, health care and other services. At the same time, dozens of p

Alberta residents will be asked to weigh in this October on two policy questions dealing with immigration and constitutional reform, the provincial government has announced. One of the proposed referendum questions will ask voters whether non permanent residents should be required to pay to access Alberta’s publicly funded health care and education systems. The issue comes amid ongoing debate across Canada about how provinces manage service costs as population growth increases. A second question will ask Albertans whether the province should advocate for abolishing the Senate as part of broa