One of the front-runners to replace Jason Kenney as Alberta's premier says if she wins, legislation will be introduced this fall to ignore federal laws deemed harmful to provincial interests. Danielle Smith says her government would also take the first steps to creating a provincial agency to collect taxes and launch an Alberta police force. Smith says that she does think she has to wait and run on such policy changes in the next election. She says the government has a mandate to pursue more autonomy for Alberta now given last year's equalization referendum and the findings of the Fair Deal

Alberta's health minister says the province will remain vigilant despite lifting most restrictions in the province related to COVID-19. Alberta lifted the last few pandemic restrictions last week including mandatory masking on public transit and isolation for people who test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms. Health Minister Jason Copping said Alberta is bracing for an increase in colds and flus again in the fall but he says more has to be done to reduce the strain on the health care system, which was already a problem before the pandemic. Copping says during the pandemic many people sto

Alberta's United Conservative government has announced two measures to help curb an increasing cost of living. The province says will keep a 13-cent provincial excise tax on gasoline in place for three more months after it first came into effect in April. The fuel tax relief program is to be reviewed in September. The province said in a second news release it will also provide homes, farms and small businesses with $50 monthly credits for electricity bills in July, August and September. The rebate will be applied to the bills automatically. The announcements were made after Statistics Canada r

Canadian National Railway Co. announced on Tuesday plans to invest approximately $430 million in Ontario and $365 million in Alberta this year. The Montreal-based company says the investments will be in technology, capacity, rolling stock units and company-wide decarbonization initiatives, as well as network improvements. Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra said in a news release that the announcement will help “improve the fluidity of (Canada’s) rail network against the unprecedented disruptions to service” in the last two years. CN Rail has invested more than $1 billion in Ontario an

Edmonton police are asking the public for help in identifying a man who sexually assaulted a five-year-old girl. Police say that sometime last week, the girl was playing at the Evansdale School playground when she was grabbed by man who sexually assaulted her and ran off. They say the man is described as white with short blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a brown shirt, jeans, black shoes without socks and a black watch. Police say he referred to himself as Kevin.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has announced several cabinet changes following resignations tied to his party's leadership race. Environment Minister Jason Nixon now taking over permanently as finance minister, handling off his Environment and Parks portfolio to Whitney Issik. Calgary-South East MLA Matt Jones is the new minister for children's services and Calgary-Currie member Nicholas Milliken will head up infrastructure as current Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda moves to the transportation ministry. The changes come after cabinet ministers Travis Toews (TAVES), Rebecca Schulz and Rajan

The RCMP is investigating a fatal shooting yesterday in central Alberta. Police received a report of a shooting on a rural road west of Eckville. A 46 year old man was found with life threatening injuries and later died in hospital. Police say no one has been taken into custody. On June 20, 2022, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Sylvan Lake RCMP received a report of a shooting on Range Road 34 West of Eckville. RCMP are asking the public for their assistance in this tragic event.

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. - Parks Canada is asking motorists to slowdown and watch for wildlife after three grizzly bears were struck and killed in Jasper and Yoho national parks earlier this month. The agency says two bears _ a female and a male _ died on the Trans-Canada Highway through Yoho National Park on June 7 and June 11. A third grizzly bear was hit by a transport truck on Highway 16 last week in Jasper National Park. David Laskin, a wildlife ecologist for Parks Canada in Lake Louise, says a deep snowpack high in the mountains has kept bears along the roads where there's a lot of green grass

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley has apologized to party members following complaints about the treatment of NDP staff and volunteers. An internal letter written three months ago by 15 New Democrat constituency presidents and regional vice-presidents called for an independent third-party review of what they called a pattern of mistreatment. Notley said during a speech yesterday to the NDP provincial council that complaints will be investigated by an external firm, and that an independent body will review the NDP's human resources policies to ensure they have ``robust policies and proper codes