Alberta Premier Danielle Smith avoided addressing the province’s separatist movement in her speech at Heritage Park in Calgary during an Alberta Day event. The remarks came ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum, in which Albertans will be asked whether they want to remain part of Canada or proceed with a second referendum on Alberta separation. Smith has already said she intends to vote for Alberta to remain in Canada. In her brief speech, she praised the province’s cultural diversity and said Canada recognizes Alberta’s economic and strategic importance. At the same time, Smith said the refer

Lloydminster RCMP are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in connection with the attempted abduction of a nine-year-old girl. Police received a report of the incident on August 14 and immediately launched an investigation. No further details about the circumstances have been released. As part of the investigation, RCMP investigators worked with a forensic sketch artist to create a composite sketch of the person believed to be involved. Police say the suspect’s age is unknown and describe the individual as having short hair, a nose ring and a moustache. An

A 16-year-old youth has been arrested in northern Alberta after allegedly threatening to shoot students at a school just days before the start of the new academic year. RCMP officers said they received a report in Manning about a student threatening to shoot other students on the first day of school. After nearly six days of investigation, Mounties executed a search warrant at a local residence on Tuesday. During the search, police seized seven weapons. RCMP said the 16-year-old is expected to face a charge related to uttering threats, subject to Crown approval. Manning RCMP Sgt. Gavin Ool sai

Former Alberta premiers Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley are joining forces in an effort to keep the province in Canada. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says the two former political rivals will co-chair its campaign to keep the country united. Kenney became premier in 2019 after his United Conservative Party defeated Notley’s NDP government. Notley says she and Kenney disagree on many issues, but they agree that the separation question expected in the upcoming referendum would be bad for Alberta businesses and comes at the wrong time, amid the ongoing U.S.-Canada trade war.

Federal NDP MP for Edmonton Strathcona Heather McPherson, along with leaders from across the country, has strongly condemned the attack at Nanaksar Gurdwara Sahib and expressed solidarity with the Sikh community. They called for a full investigation into the incident, urging authorities to take the growing anti-Sikh hatred in Canada seriously and implement stronger measures to protect places of worship. McPherson said everyone has the right to practise their religion freely and that such violent attacks are unacceptable under any circumstances. Meanwhile, Surrey-Newton MP Sukh Dhaliwal express

A stabbing incident at Nanaksar Gurdwara Sahib in Edmonton early Friday morning left two people injured. Police have arrested a suspect at the scene. According to police, the incident occurred at around 5:08 a.m. at the gurdwara located near 14 Street and Horsehills Road. The two injured individuals were treated at the scene, and their injuries were considered non-life-threatening. Police are questioning the arrested suspect, while officers continue their investigation in and around the gurdwara to ensure the safety of the congregation. Meanwhile, the World Sikh Organization of Canada said in

Alberta Technology Minister Nate Glubish is set to host the province’s second town hall on its plans for artificial intelligence data centres on Thursday in Redwater, north of Edmonton. The event comes amid growing concerns over the environmental and economic impacts of large-scale AI facilities. Redwater is in Sturgeon County, where tech giant Meta is planning a $13-billion AI data centre project. The proposed facility would be a major investment in the region and is expected to be one of Canada’s largest data centres. The town hall follows a contentious meeting in Lacombe on Wednesday,

A Calgary police officer charged with two counts of second-degree murder will stand trial in connection with the deaths of two men during a slow-speed police pursuit in 2023. A judge ordered a trial for 52-year-old Const. Craig Stothard on Tuesday, following the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry. The inquiry was held to determine whether there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. Stothard was charged after Wesley Davidson and Levon Boyce Fox were shot and killed on May 29, 2023, following a police pursuit involving a stolen cube van. Police had responded to a report of suspi

Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, is holding a town hall meeting in Lacombe this evening to hear residents’ views and concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. Plans to establish large-scale data centres in the area have faced opposition from some local residents and environmental advocates. Critics are particularly concerned about the large amounts of water the facilities could consume, their potential impact on the environment, and the heavy electricity demand that could put additional pressure on Alberta’s power grid and potentially increas