Alberta legislature wraps up fall sitting, passes pension-exit legislation

The Alberta government is sending additional firefighters and support crews to British Columbia today to help battle wildfires across the province. Alberta’s Ministry of Forestry and Parks says 186 firefighters have already arrived in B.C. and are assisting with wildfire response efforts, while another 40 personnel are being deployed Tuesday. The province is also providing air support, including two airtankers, two helitankers and a helicopter. An additional 45 support staff members, including an Incident Management Team, are also being deployed. More than 100 wildfires are currently burning

Calgary police say the man who shot at officers and struck one officer twice during a traffic stop yesterday had ties to organized crime. Police have not identified the suspect, who was later found dead in the Bow River from what they describe as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have not provided details about the type of organized crime group he was allegedly connected to. The officer was shot twice and is expected to make a full recovery. The shooting happened shortly before noon near Spruce Cliff and Edworthy Park, west of downtown Calgary.

Environment Canada has introduced a new polygon-based alert system across Canada to provide more precise warnings about severe weather. The goal is to reduce unnecessary alerts being sent to people who are not directly in the path of a storm. Previously, when a severe storm warning was issued, alerts could be sent across an entire area, even if the storm was not expected to affect all of it. Under the new system, meteorologists will draw a specific polygon on a digital map to identify the areas facing the greatest risk. This means mobile alerts will be sent only to people located within the st

RCMP have launched an investigation into the cause of the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, B.C. The Penticton South Okanagan RCMP say the fire may have been sparked by suspicious activity and investigators are looking into the circumstances. Police are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity on the afternoon of Aug. 7 near Princeton-Summerland Road, Bathville Road or Crump Recreation Site to come forward. Investigators are also asking anyone with dashcam or cellphone photos or video from the area to contact police. Police are warning the public not to spread unverified informat

Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington today as the two countries continue efforts to resolve their ongoing trade dispute. It is their third face-to-face meeting in the past few weeks. LeBlanc was scheduled to travel to Washington on Monday, but his flight was forced to return to Montreal due to bad weather. Meanwhile, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, spent Monday in the U.S. capital, where she met with an official from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Team Canada is working to find a middle ground to av