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

Alberta Government House Leader Jason Nixon says he doubts controversial legislation proposed a party leadership candidate would even pass in the legislature. Nixon says the Alberta sovereignty act proposed by Danielle Smith would not only be illegal, it would be bad for business and politically catastrophic because it vastly overpromises what it can't deliver. Smith is one of the front-runners in the race to replace Jason Kenney as party leader and premier in October. She has promised that if she wins, she would bring in this fall a bill granting Alberta the power to refuse to enforce federal

A man who was convicted of manslaughter in his young son's death in 2017 is out of prison after serving two-thirds of his sentence. The toddler’s lifeless body was found outside Edmonton’s Good Shepherd Anglican Church in 2017. Joey Crier and his then-girlfriend were each charged with second-degree murder in the death of 19-month-old Anthony Joseph Raine. Crier was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison in August 2020. His sentence, however, was reduced to three years because he had been assaulted in jail and had spent much of his pre-trial time segr

Alberta's United Conservative Party has confirmed three candidates for its leadership race as the clock ticks down on the deadline for applications. Travis Toews, Danielle Smith and Brian Jean have been confirmed as candidates ahead of today's 5 p.m. deadline. Toews stepped down as finance minister in late May in order to run while Jean is currently the UCP legislature member for Fort McMurray-Lac la Biche, and Smith is the former leader of Alberta's Wildrose party. Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz, Todd Loewen and Leela Aheer say they have submitted the required number of signatures and are wait

Police officers and paramedics were called June 5 to a neighbourhood in northwest Calgary, where they found the injured senior who later died in hospital. Two dog owners are facing 12 charges under a City of Calgary bylaw after an attack that led to the death of an 86-year-old woman. Police officers and paramedics were called June 5 to a neighbourhood in northwest Calgary, where they found the injured senior who later died in hospital. The city seized three dogs, which are believed to be a North American pit bull-terrier mix, a North American Staffordshire mix and an American pit bull. A dange