EDMONTON- Alberta's government has introduced legislation aimed at tightening election rules, improving ballot clarity and strengthening oversight of the legal profession. The proposed Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 would raise the number of signatures needed for a provincial election candidate from 25 to 100. Th...

FORT MCMURRAY - Fort McMurray International Airport is celebrating the launch of a new non-stop route to Vancouver as it prepares for one of its busiest holiday travel seasons. Air Canada's inaugural YMM-to-YVR flight departed Tuesday evening after a gate-side event that included greetings from airline and airport off...

FORT McMURRAY - It's a busy month ahead for the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association as the organization closes out the year with a full slate of events, training sessions and community gatherings aimed at strengthening Indigenous businesses across the Wood Buffalo region. NAABA is preparing for its ann...

FORT MCMURRAY- RCMP are looking for two suspects after a vehicle owner was assaulted during an early morning mischief incident in Fort McMurray. Police say officers were called to Tundra Drive at about 5:43 a.m. on Nov. 24 after an alarm went off on a parked vehicle. The owner went to investigate and found an unknown m...

FORT MCMURRAY - The final full moon of 2025 will put on its brightest and highest show of the year this week, offering skywatchers across Fort McMurray a clear view of December's Cold Supermoon. The full moon reaches peak illumination at 6:14 p.m. ET Thursday. Local observers will see it rise over the eastern horizon s...

EDMONTON - Alberta says it will introduce a motion under the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act to prevent provincial agencies from enforcing the federal gun seizure program and to affirm the rights of Albertans to use reasonable force to defend themselves in their homes. The motion, if passed, would direct...

EDMONTON - Alberta is allocating $69 million to help schools manage rising classroom complexity linked to student mental health needs. The province says the funding, spread over three years through the Mental Health and Well-Being Grant, will give school boards new tools to support students and reduce pressure on class...

OTTAWA - Labour productivity in Canada rose in the third quarter as business output rebounded and hours worked edged down, reversing the decline recorded earlier in the year. Statistics Canada says productivity increased 0.9 percent after falling 1.0 percent in the second quarter and remaining unchanged in the first. I...

EDMONTON - A growing number of voices are urging Premier Danielle Smith to settle Alberta's "Forever Canada" question with a simple vote in the legislature instead of a provincewide referendum, following confirmation that a pro-unity citizen initiative has cleared all legal thresholds. Elections Alberta verif...

VANCOUVER - Alberta remains the most economically free province in Canada but sits 30th overall among 92 jurisdictions in North America, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute. The think tank's annual Economic Freedom of North America study compares provinces, American states and Mexican states using data ...

FORT MCMURRAY - The Wood Buffalo Community Foundation is awarding $250,000 to ten local social profit groups to support mental health and resilience programs across the region. The funding comes through the foundation's 2025 granting cycle, which focused on projects that strengthen physical, mental and emotional well-b...

FORT McMURRAY - The Northern Lights Health Foundation says this year's Festival of Trees raised $870,000 to support healthcare projects across the Wood Buffalo region. More than 10,000 people attended the 36th annual event, presented by Suncor, which featured four signature events and dozens of festival activities. Org...

EDMONTON - Alberta's wildfire season officially ended on Oct. 31, but provincial officials say dry conditions are keeping the fire risk elevated in several regions. Crews continue to monitor for new starts and are prioritizing areas where communities or critical infrastructure could be threatened. The province says it ...

FORT McMURRAY - Wood Buffalo RCMP are stepping up impaired driving enforcement and winter road safety efforts as holiday gatherings, darker days and slippery streets combine to raise risks on local roads. Mounties say drivers should expect more check stops in and around Fort McMurray and the wider Wood Buffalo region t...

FORT CHIPEWYAN - Construction crews are working to build the Fort Chipewyan Winter Road despite delays caused by unseasonably warm weather, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo says. Municipal contractors began work in November and will continue through December, with the municipality targeting an opening before D...

EDMONTON - More than 800 workers at OEM Remanufacturing have voted to leave the Christian Labour Association of Canada and join the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 955 in what the union calls the largest migration away from CLAC ever recorded in Canada. IUOE 955 says 815 employees cast ballots during a...

FORT MCMURRAY - The Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo says Keyera has signed on as the new presenting partner for The Craze, the community's annual New Year's Eve celebration at MacDonald Island Park. The free family event, now called The Craze presented by Keyera, will run on the afternoon of Dec. 31 and...

EDMONTON - Alberta's New Democrats are pushing for a public inquiry into shrinkflation and skimpflation, arguing rising food prices are leaving families struggling to afford basic groceries. Calgary Elbow MLA Samir Kayande plans to introduce Motion 505 on Monday afternoon, calling for an inquiry under the Public Inquir...

FORT MCKAY, AB - Fort McKay First Nation says a new memorandum of understanding between Ottawa and Alberta signals long-awaited progress on how major energy projects are planned, approved and shared across the country. Chief Raymond Powder said the agreement reflects a renewed willingness from both governments to suppo...

FORT MCMURRAY - The Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association is making a final push for registrations ahead of its annual holiday networking luncheon on Thursday. The event, called Making Spirits Bright, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Fort McMurray Golf Club. NAABA says the gathering is meant to b...

VIENNA - Despite the thaw in energy relations between Alberta and Ottawa, and growing optimism in Canada's oil sector, OPEC plus will hold production steady through early 2026 as the group braces for what it calls signs of oversupply. The alliance confirmed Sunday it will keep output unchanged for the first quarter of ...

EDMONTON - Elections Alberta has verified the "Alberta Forever Canada" citizen initiative petition as successful, confirming it surpassed the legal threshold needed to advance to the Alberta legislature. The petition, also known as the "Forever Canadian" initiative, asks: "Do you agree that Alb...

EDMONTON - Alberta's licensed practical nurses and health care aides have ratified a new four year collective agreement that union leaders say will significantly boost wages, shift premiums and rural recruitment funding while heading off a provincewide strike. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees says more than 16...

FORT MCMURRAY - The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is inviting residents to learn more about recent changes to local transit service at a series of public events scheduled for early December. An open house will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic High School on Wednesday, Dec. 3. People can drop in any time between...

FORT McMURRAY - Council has signed off on a new fee schedule for 2026 that keeps most municipal charges unchanged but raises some rates for garbage, landfill, cemetery and development services while holding the line on transit and most utility costs. At its Nov. 25 meeting, council approved administration's recommendat...

FORT McMURRAY - Reaction is pouring in after Ottawa and Alberta signed a sweeping new energy agreement that promises federal backing for a West Coast bitumen pipeline, regulatory relief for the province and billions in new investment tied to carbon capture and heavy industry. Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean is calli...

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is preparing to bring forward major policy moves following a combative and highly attended United Conservative Party annual general meeting, where she pledged to resist federal firearm rules and introduce new protections for homeowners who use force during break ins. Smith told...

FORT McMURRAY - Alberta's police watchdog says an RCMP officer acted reasonably when he shot and wounded a man during an attempted arrest in a snowy ditch in Fort McMurray early last year. In a decision released Nov. 28, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team ruled there are no grounds for criminal charges against ...

FORT McMURRAY - Wood Buffalo RCMP are warning residents to be on alert as several fraud schemes continue to circulate in the region, with seniors among the most frequent targets. Police say common scams include fraudsters posing as grandchildren in need of emergency money, callers claiming to be technical support seeki...

FORT McMURRAY - Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean says the new federal provincial energy agreement marks the most significant economic breakthrough the province has seen in decades, calling the announcement a turning point for both Alberta and his own region in the north. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Daniell...

FORT McMURRAY - Arts Council Wood Buffalo has opened applications for its 2026 Artist in Residence Program and Suncor Indigenous Artist in Residence Program, offering two professional artists several weeks of dedicated time to create new work in the region. The residencies will run three to four weeks next year, with d...

OTTAWA - Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault says he resigned from cabinet with deep sadness, arguing the federal government is abandoning key elements of the climate agenda he spent years advancing. Guilbeault announced he is stepping down as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and minister responsible...

OTTAWA - Environment and Climate Change Canada is rolling out a new colour coded alert system today that will assign yellow, orange or red labels to every weather watch, advisory and warning issued across the country. The change is meant to make it easier for Canadians to understand the level of risk posed by approachi...

FORT McMURRAY - The Wood Buffalo Regional Library has a busy month lined up for kids and creators as it expands its weekly craft programs through December. The Kid Create series, aimed at children aged 6 to 8, runs twice each Sunday and continues to draw strong interest as registration opens for new dates. The next ses...

CALGARY - Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce a new energy agreement with Alberta today that would clear a path for a possible pipeline to British Columbia's coast while confirming the federal government will drop its emissions cap on the oil and gas sector. Many political observers say the deal is as mu...

EDMONTON - Alberta is proposing changes to Bill 8 that would open new pathways for powering artificial intelligence data centres by allowing developers to bring their own electricity generation. The government says the amendments to the Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 are aimed at meeting the rising energy deman...

FORT McMURRAY - The Hub Family Resource Centre and Waypoints Community Services Association are receiving new provincial support as Alberta rolls out nearly $6 million for programs that aim to prevent, interrupt and respond to family violence. The funding is part of the Taking Action on Family Violence grant program, w...

BOYLE - RCMP say one person is dead and another is in hospital after three semi trucks crashed on Highway 63 near Range Road 173. Police responded around 7:24 p.m. on Nov. 25 and arrived to find one of the trucks engulfed in flames. One driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries that are not life threatening. A...

PARKLAND COUNTY, AB. - Parkland RCMP have released images of two suspect vehicles as they search for a stolen trailer carrying 15 youth sport wheelchairs belonging to the Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball Society. Police say the trailer was taken from a high school in the Stony Plain area on Nov. 24. It is a white ...

OTTAWA - A newly tabled report shows the federal and provincial governments have collected more than $5.4 billion in cannabis tax revenue since legalization in October 2018. Figures submitted to the House of Commons list $1.2 billion going to the federal government and $4.2 billion to provinces and territories as of Au...

EDMONTON - The number of Alberta MLAs facing recall petitions has risen to 14 after Elections Alberta approved five more applications this week, adding to a growing wave of voter-led challenges to Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative caucus. The newest petitions target two cabinet ministers and three backbenche...

PARKLAND COUNTY, Alta. - Parkland RCMP are asking for the public's help after a trailer loaded with sport wheelchairs was stolen from a high school in the Stony Plain area. Police say the theft was reported on Nov. 24. The trailer contained 15 sport wheelchairs owned by the Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball Society...

VANCOUVER - Canada added 950,000 government sector jobs between 2015 and 2024, accounting for about 30 per cent of the country's total employment growth over that period, according to a new study from the Fraser Institute. The report, authored by University of Regina economist Jason Childs, says public sector employmen...

EDMONTON - Alberta and the federal government are committing $200 million to build thousands of new affordable homes across the province as Alberta remains the fastest growing province in Canada and continues to lead the country in per capita housing starts. The funding, delivered through the Affordable Housing Partner...

FORT McMURRAY - Residents across the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo can now nominate their favourite holiday light displays as the annual Nominate Your Neighbour program returns for the season. The municipality is accepting submissions until Dec. 15 for homes and businesses with standout decorations. People can ...

EDMONTON - Alberta has introduced a sweeping health bill that proposes major changes to drug coverage, physician rules, food safety and health card requirements, while Opposition critics argue the legislation pushes the province toward greater privatization. Bill 11, the Health Statutes Amendment Act 2025, was tabled M...

FORT McMURRAY - Wood Buffalo RCMP say a women-focused recruiting event held this fall drew strong interest and left several participants feeling closer to a policing career. The September presentation at the local detachment brought in about 20 aspiring applicants aged 16 to 45. They heard from more than 15 female RCMP...

FORT CHIPEWYAN - RCMP in Fort Chipewyan say four suspects were arrested after officers responded to a wellbeing check that turned into a firearms investigation. Police say they were called around 9 a.m. on Nov. 10 after a report that four masked people were seen entering a home on Henry Street. The caller was worried a...

OTTAWA - Canadian corporations reported $200 billion in operating profit in the third quarter, a 3.8 per cent increase from the previous quarter as gains in the financial industries outpaced those in non financial sectors. Statistics Canada said Tuesday that operating profit was up $7.4 billion from the second quarter ...

FORT McMURRAY - Keyano College has announced the first recipients of its expanded alumni awards program, marking a milestone in the school's 60th anniversary year. The college broadened the long running Distinguished Alumni Award into a five category program designed to showcase graduates and supporters who have made s...