The first political pancakes have been flipped as party leaders from around Canada gather for the Calgary Stampede. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek led an early morning crowd through a series of ``Yahoos'' to herald the start of the rodeo that dubs itself The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The 10-day event is an annual staple for politicos of all stripes as they hit what's commonly known as the summer barbecue circuit. Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says he calls Stampede a``political petting zoo'' and to get away from that, he says he has encourage

Two coal companies suing Alberta's government over its mining policy flip-flop say they've reached a settlement agreement with the province. Notices published online by Evolve Power and Atrum Coal say the details are confidential and no dollar figures are disclosed. Atrum says its agreement is definitive but Evolve says the terms of its own settlement are still being finalized. The companies are among five that are suing Alberta for a collective $16 billion. The companies argue that Alberta effectively expropriated their land after it suddenly reinstated its long-standing coal polic

A section of a trail in Banff National Park remains closed to visitors two weeks after a rockfall killed two hikers and injured three more. Parks Canada spokeswoman Amy Krause says an area around Bow Glacier Falls remains closed for a geotechnical assessment and adds there's no estimated reopening date. She says Parks Canada hasn't heard of anyone violating the closure order but adds that those who do could be ticketed or arrested. The agency says on its website that fines could be as high as $25,000. The area has been closed since June 19 after a rock slide along the popular h

Two former members of Alberta's governing United Conservative Party are resuscitating the province's once-dominant Progressive Conservative Party. Former infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie and legislature member Scott Sinclair were booted from caucus earlier this year for pushing back against the Premier Danielle Smith's government and now sit as Independents. Sinclair says the province's two-party system has become too divisive, and they want to galvanize support from Albertans who feel they don't have a political home. Former NDP premier Rachel Notley ended the PC's 44-year

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a byelection for the riding of Battle River — Crowfoot in Alberta for Aug. 18. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to run in the riding after losing his Ottawa-area seat in the April to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. Former Conservative MP Damien Kurek resigned the seat earlier this month to clear the way for Poilievre to run after winning the seat with 82 per cent of the vote.

An Alberta judge has put on hold a provincial law that bans doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth. Justice Allison Kuntz, in a written judgment, has issued a temporary injunction against the law, saying it raises serious issues that need to be hashed out in court. Kuntz says a temporary stop to the law is needed to prevent what she calls ``irreparable harm'' coming to young patients while the issue is debated. The law, passed late last year but not fully in effect, would have prevented doctors from providing treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to th

Two people, including a nine-year-old girl, are dead following an early morning house fire east of the Calgary airport. The second victim, a man in his 50s, was found deceased inside the home, while the girl was sent to hospital but did not survive. Fire spokeswoman Carole Henke says emergency crews called to the Taradale neighbourhood were met by roaring flames bursting from a two-storey home, threatening other nearby structures. Six people were inside the house: an adult and a teen who escaped through an upper floor window were sent to hospital while two people in the basement suit

Alberta's finance minister is set to deliver the final bottom line number today on last year's provincial budget. Nate Horner's new figure will close the books on the budget for the fiscal year that ended in March. That budget was last forecast to come in with a nearly $6-billion surplus. Alberta's new budget year is now a few months old, but its expected bottom line number is deep in the red. This budget, introduced by Horner in February, predicts Alberta will register a $5.2-billion deficit at the end of March 2026. It also predicts deficits will continue for years after that

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the public desire in her province to quit Canada has never been higher. Smith says a recent byelection that saw a separatist candidate garner almost 18 per cent of the vote shows Albertans are deeply frustrated and angry with Ottawa. Smith says she takes that frustration seriously and hopes Prime Minister Mark Carney does as well. The premier says quelling separatist desire is in Carney's hands and could be done if he scraps laws that she has said stifle energy production in Alberta. Smith made the comments today at an unrelated news conference in Calgary al