Criminal defence lawyers have escalated job action in an ongoing dispute with the provincial government over the amount of compensation paid by Legal Aid Alberta. Organizations representing lawyers in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and southern Alberta began job action three weeks ago by refusing to accept certain bail and duty counsel files. Today, they are to start refusing new cases for the most serious criminal charges, including sexual offences and homicides. Lawyers in Calgary and Edmonton are also planning a 90-minute walkout for Friday. Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says the gove

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province is on track for a $13.2-billion surplus in this budget year. That is above the $511-million surplus forecast when the provincial budget was introduced in February. The province is riding another wave of financial prosperity due to high oil and gas prices, along with higher royalty payouts from maturing oilsands projects. Kenney, currently on a government trip in South Korea, made the announcement in a video posted to Twitter.

Danielle Smith was facing renewed attacks Tuesday during the final debate in the campaign to replace Jason Kenney as Alberta's UCP leader and premier. Smith was criticized for her proposed Alberta sovereignty act and for leading a mass floor crossing to the Progressive Conservatives in late 2014. Smith was also attacked by multiple candidates for her policy plan to pass a bill giving the province the right to ignore federal laws and court rulings deemed harmful to its interests. Critics, including legal scholars, say such a bill is not only illegal but will create a constitutional crisis.

Police say three men died in a fiery crash that closed the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park for 37 hours. RCMP say the collision just west of the British Columbia-Alberta boundary happened just before 6:50 a-m Sunday. The preliminary investigation suggests a westbound semi truck hauling cattle crossed over the centre line and hit an eastbound semi-truck hauling lumber. All but one of the cows also died. The highway reopened around 8 p-m last night.

Firefighters in the City of Leduc, south of Edmonton, will have a new boss this fall after its last permanent fire chief stepped down earlier this year. George Clancy resigned in March after he was named in a lawsuit alleging sexual assault, misconduct and discrimination within the fire department. The lawyer representing the plaintiffs in that case expects it to be heard in court by early fall. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Bryan Singleton, who recently served as a Deputy Fire Chief in Edmonton, will start on September 26th.

The United Conservative Party of Alberta is set to hold its final leadership debate tonight as the campaign to replace Premier Jason Kenney moves into the homestretch. The seven candidates will debate the issues in Edmonton in the second of two scheduled debates. The deadline to sign up for a party membership to vote was two weeks ago, and candidates are now focused on winning support from members as their first or second choice as leader. The winner will be announced Oct. 6 using a preferential ballot, which means lower-tier choices may come into play if the first-place finisher doesn't captu

A man from Edmonton is 17-million dollars richer after winning a Lotto 6/49 draw. Pritpal Chahal (PREET'-pahl CHAH'-ahl) says he went to a local store to check his numbers for the July 30th draw. When an eight-digit number came up on the screen, he says didn't believe it and had to scan his ticket seven more times. Chahal's win is the 20th win of one-million dollars or more in Alberta this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for political leaders to take a united stance against threats of violence and intimidation after a confrontation in Alberta last week. A video circulating online over the weekend shows Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland inside City Hall in Grande Prairie, as a man repeatedly swears at her and calls her a traitor. Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says in a video posted online that the incident with Freeland was ``a disgusting display of hatred and abuse.'' She expresses gratitude for municipal staff who she says ``calmly de-escalated the situation and act

RCMP in Alberta are investigating what they call a road-rage incident that resulted in a crash where a young child was ejected from a vehicle. Police say they received reports on Saturday afternoon of a white truck passing vehicles, which they say overtook a family's SUV on Highway 2 near Carstairs. Police allege the truck braked aggressively in front of the SUV, causing it to roll and throwing a child under five from the vehicle. The child suffered life-threatening injuries, and police said yesterday they were still searching for the truck.