The seven candidates vying to become the next United Conservative Party leader and Alberta premier are to tackle health, the economy and other key issues in their first debate tonight. They are to square off in Medicine Hat for the first of two scheduled debates ahead of Oct. 6, when party members vote on who should replace Premier Jason Kenney. The debate will be moderated by former Calgary city councillor Jeff Davison and focus on unity, leadership and the environment. The candidates include former cabinet ministers Travis Toews, Rebecca Schulz, Rajan Sawhney and Leela Aheer. Current legisla

Pope Francis blessed a statue of Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous person to be canonized as a saint, when he visited an inner-city Catholic church in Edmonton yesterday. He held the hands of elders while at Church of Sacred Heart, touching some on the head, as he was wheeled out. Earlier in the day, Francis visited Maskwacis (MASS'-kwah-cheez), south of Edmonton, and said he was sorry the church took part in the cultural destruction and forced assimilation of Indigenous people. The Pope is scheduled to lead mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton today, and is expected to travel later

MASKWACIS — Pope Francis says he is in Canada to express his sorrow and ask for forgiveness for residential schools. The Pope is giving an address before residential school survivors and elders in Maskwacis, Alta., where the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School was one of the largest institutions in the country. Francis says he feels sorrow, indignation and shame. He says the memory of children who attended the schools is painful and every child should be treated with love, honour and respect. An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools in Canada

A downtown Calgary landmark has been severely damaged by vandalism. Councillor Terry Wong says 40 glass side panels on the Peace Bridge over the Bow River were shattered over the weekend. The tubular bridge was designed and manufactured in Spain and shipped to Calgary, where it opened in 2012. Witnesses and video footage show a man in his 40s smashing the panels using a hammer, rebar and bricks.

Pope Francis plans to visit the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School in the community of Maskwacis, south of Edmonton,today. That is where Francis is to deliver his first public statement in Canada and is expected to apologize to Indigenous Peoples for abuses they have suffered. He arrived in Edmonton yesterday to an honour drum song ahead of what he describes as a ``penitential'' trip aimed at reconciliation with Indigenous people for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools. Francis is set to speak in the afternoon with Indigenous Peoples and parish members at the Church of

The mayor of Airdrie is furious after Alberta Health Services announced that the city's urgent care centre is to be closed from 10 p-m to 7 a-m for the next eight weekends. A-H-S says the temporary closure is due to a lack of available doctors to cover shifts. Those seeking emergency treatment during those hours are asked to head to other nearby hospitals. Airdrie is about half an hour north of Calgary. Airdrie is home to 80,000 people but Mayor Brown said 150,000 from the surrounding area rely on the urgent care centre. Area residents said it's worrying to not have emergency health care close

Police say they believe a Calgary woman who disappeared more than five years ago was a victim of a homicide. Tammie Doreen Howard, who was 49 when she vanished, was last heard from on Dec. 24, 2016, and reported missing by her family four months later. Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta says investigators initially believed it was a missing person case but have followed many leads and determined Howard was killed. Police are hoping the public can provide information on a light-coloured Jeep Wrangler that is believed to be connected to Howard's death. Schiavetta says some cases are solved within hour

An Alberta legislature member who left the Opposition NDP caucus over a computer hacking investigation says he will remain in the house as an Independent and not seek re-election in 2023. Thomas Dang says in a statement that Albertans are facing a number of crucial issues, including inflation and climate change, and his predicament is distracting the NDP on those problems. Dang is a second-term member representing Edmonton-South. He left caucus in December 2021 when the RCMP began investigating a hack of Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine website.

An evacuation order is in place for parts of west-central Alberta as a wildfire burns in the area. The 366-hectare fire, which is about 19 kilometres west of Nordegg, was discovered Tuesday and initially responded well to firefighting efforts. Fire officials say it's considered out of control due to increased temperatures, low humidity and high winds. The evacuation order issued by Clearwater County on Wednesday night includes several provincial recreation areas, the Centre for Outdoor Education and Frontier Lodge. An evacuation alert is also in place for the hamlet of Nordegg, which is about