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

The head of the national RCMP union is criticizing a provincial panel report that recommends Alberta continue efforts to replace the Mounties with a provincial police force. Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, described the Alberta Next panel’s report as “misleading,” saying it relies on outdated references and misinterpreted federal policies to support its conclusions. He added the panel appears to be reviving a proposal that Albertans have already rejected in past consultations. The Alberta Next Panel, established and chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, was tasked

Premier Danielle Smith says 2025 marked a turning point for Alberta’s sweeping health-care overhaul, with the legal framework for the province’s new system now firmly in place. She says the coming year will be focused on showing Albertans whether the changes deliver measurable improvements. Smith said her government believes the restructuring will lead to better patient outcomes after years of strain on the health system. Alberta is in the process of replacing Alberta Health Services as a single province-wide provider with four separate organizations responsible for acute care, primary car

RCMP in northern Alberta have charged a 42-year-old man with two counts of second-degree murder following a fatal shooting that claimed the lives of a married couple on a rural road near Grande Prairie. Police say officers were called early Saturday to reports of an active shooting near the intersection of Range Road 35 and Township Road 730, north of Grande Prairie. When officers arrived, they found David Lagace, 54, and his wife Michelle Lagace, 44, dead beside their vehicle. Investigators identified Curtis Phillip Halladay as the suspect later that day. RCMP say Halladay was known to the co