Alberta is back in the black in a big way turbocharged by high-flying oil prices. Finance Minister Jason Nixon says the final number on the 2021-22 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, is a $3.9-billion surplus. It's the first time in seven years the provincial budget will not sport red ink on the bottom line. It represents a head-spinning turnaround from the $18.2-billion deficit predicted when the budget was introduced during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2021. Alberta's bread-and-butter oil and natural gas industries have soared in recent months, as global economies rampe

Calgary has been selected to host the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a release. It was in 2019 that Calgary previously hosted the Special Olympics Alberta Winter Provincial Games and the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Mayor Jyoti Gondek (joh-TEE' GONE-dek) says Calgarians will volunteer in great numbers to ensure the event delivers the experience of a lifetime for the athletes and their families. With 1,300 participants coming to the city, Tourism Calgary is predicting the event will inject more than nine-million dollars into the local economy. Special Olympi

Alberta's health delivery agency says it has reached out to ``trauma-informed physicians'' to provide support to Indigenous people who may be triggered by the Pope's visit next month. In a series of tweets, Alberta Health Services says it is committed to providing care to all attendees of the Papal visit, including the Indigenous survivors and their families, who the Pope will be addressing. The Pontiff's visit will start in Edmonton on July 24th and end in Iqaluit on July 29th, and his itinerary includes a stop at the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis (MASK-wah-cheez), south of

Rodeo and parade organizers apologized for the display, which is being condemned by the Sikh community as a racist act. Sundre Pro Rodeo posted a statement from its parade committee on Facebook which said the float had not been approved and that it joined the parade without passing through any registration. Photos of the float that circulated on social media drew condemnation from some Alberta M-Ps as well as a Sikh group in Calgary, which said the float was racist.

Police in Calgary have arrested a man after an unprovoked attack on an individual on a C-Train platform in the city in April. The victim was left unconscious on the train tracks. Ilya Zianchurin has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and will appear in court August 2nd. Investigators say they are still looking for a woman to discuss her involvement in the matter.

RCMP say an Alberta man is facing a second-degree murder charged in the death of a 30-year-old woman earlier this week. Police say officers received a report Wednesday of an unresponsive woman at an apartments complex in Brooks. They say the woman -- who has been identified as Tamara Debbie Soosay of Brooks -- was dead by the time officers arrived. A 35-year-old man has been remanded in custody with his next court appearance set for Monday at Medicine Hat Provincial Court.

A mail carrier says her costs for delivering packages along her rural route have doubled because of the steep hike in gas prices and cost of living. Jennifer Henson, one of 11-thousand rural and suburban Canada Post carriers, says she and her colleagues are responsible for the fuel and maintenance costs of the vehicles they use. She says a subsidy from Canada Post through special tax treatment helps, but it isn't enough for today's inflation. She says those measures should be increased. The 38-year-old said it used to cost her $60 to the fill the tank of her Ford Flex. "Now it's costing me $12

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