AI data centres are sucking up tons of electricity, and natural gas is seen by some energy executives as a solution to help fill the demand. It's a hot topic at CERAWeek, a massive international energy conference in Houston that's sometimes described as the "Super Bowl" of energy.

Premier Danielle Smith is returning to the U.S., this time to talk tariffs at a fundraising gala in Florida for a conservative group. Though her decision has raised some eyebrows, one expert says it fits with her strategy of diplomacy.

Along the edge of the southwest ring road, a massive new development is in the works on Tsuut'ina Nation — and those behind the project say they hope it's a major step toward economic prosperity for the nation.

Opinion

Chris Spearman, Water For Food — MD of Pincher Creek resident

The Water For Food group views the Grassy Mountain coal mine project issue not as a left-versus-right issue but as a right-versus-wrong issue.

We believe that Albertans value transparency and honesty, yet in our experience, we have encountered the opposite of this on the coal issue, from both the coal company and our Alberta government.

Over eight months ago, we initiated inquiries with Northback Holdings, the proponent of the Grassy Mountain project. We have yet to receive any responses and consider Northback’s public-engagement process to be a complete failure.

On Jan.22, 2025, the Water For Food group addressed a letter to Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean, inquiring about the potential impact of the proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine on southern Alberta’s multibillion-dollar agrifood economy.

We also sought to ascertain whether Alberta Energy had identified an alternative source of treatable water that could be utilized to provide potable water for the 200,000 residents of the Oldman River basin and the over 20 international-scale food processing plants that have invested in the region, should selenium levels in the Oldman River exceed those determined to be safe.

We have yet to receive a response from Minister Jean to our inquiries.

It’s concerning that Minister Jean’s New Coal Policy consultation process will take place only with the coal industry, excluding Albertans and Indigenous people.

How did coal companies that did not exist in Alberta 10 years ago get into a position where they can usurp the rights of Albertans?

Three weeks ago, on Feb. 13, the Water For Food group directly addressed Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, highlighting nine distinct issues that we wished to bring to her attention.

We requested clarifications and responses to our concerns, but we have yet to receive any answers.

The Government of Alberta lacks a mandate from Albertans to proceed with coal mining projects that jeopardize clean water and existing economic development in agriculture.

In June 2021, the joint federal-provincial panel rejected the Grassy Mountain coal project, citing in their decision that the proposed benefits of the coal mine did not justify the risks. They also dismissed the company’s claims regarding improved coal mining practices as unsubstantiated.

Northback/Benga appealed the decision three times and lost in the courts on all three occasions.

Following these court decisions, the company appears to have modified the designation of the Grassy Mountain coal project on the Alberta government’s website from “active” to “cancelled.” This is the current status of the Grassy Mountain coal project on the government website.

What appears to have transpired subsequently is concerning.

The coal company disregarded the court decision and resumed lobbying our provincial government to seek a solution. 

These efforts appear to have been successful. 

As Albertans, we should all be concerned if court decisions can be overturned as a result of backroom meetings with government officials and politicians. 

The Water For Food group demands full disclosure from our Alberta government regarding the events that transpired and the reasons behind the decisions to change Grassy Mountain from a cancelled project to an advanced project.

Five coal companies have initiated lawsuits against our Alberta government seeking financial compensation.

Senior provincial politicians, such as Premier Danielle Smith, Energy Minister Brian Jean and Affordability Minister Nathan Neudorf, have publicly stated that we must open the Rockies and Eastern Slopes to coal mining to avoid paying $10 billion to $20 billion in compensation.

It is incredible that our political leaders would make statements, potentially detrimental to their legal defence, prior to the case being heard by the courts.

Our government appears to have provisions in the Minerals Act that would restrict the amount of compensation paid to coal companies. 

The most dire scenario would be that our Alberta government settles with the coal companies before trial, utilizing taxpayer funds without seeking authorization from Albertans to do so.

This would deny Albertans the transparency they seek.

We all need to know the agreements that were reached between government politicians and the coal companies and would welcome that testimony, under oath, in the courts if our politicians are unwilling to answer questions from Albertans.

Premier Smith is resolute in pursuing coal mining operations in the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern Slopes, despite the absence of a mandate from the people of Alberta for such action. 

Our premier appears to disregard the aspirations of Albertans for transparency, accountability and honesty. 

If Premier Danielle Smith is unable to uphold and respect the values of Albertans, she should do the right thing and resign from office.

Shootin’ the Breeze welcomes submissions about local issues and activities. Personal views expressed in Mailbox items are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Shootin’ the Breeze ownership and staff. Mailbox articles include letters to the editor, op-eds, news releases and notes from our readers.

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Mathilda (Tillie) McLeod passed away on March 6, 2025, in Pincher Creek, Alta., at the age of 91.

Tillie was born in Bolney, Sask., and raised on the family farm near Paradise Hill, northeast of Lloydminster, Sask.

She completed her nursing training in Saskatoon and eventually found her way to Pincher Creek hospital, where she worked taking care of the newborn babies, until she retired in 1999. That’s when she devoted her time to some of her greatest joys, her grandchildren, gardening, and let’s not forget the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tillie always had time for visitors and made sure family gatherings were held frequently — always starting with fun conversation, followed by a big meal, and often ending with a game of cards.

The McLeod house was filled with the smells of fresh baking, the laughter of children, and good ole country music. Having come from a very close and loving family, Tillie instilled the same sense of family in her children.

In Tillie’s later years, she enjoyed reading inspirational and spiritual books that she found comforting. Her faith in God was unshakeable.

Tillie is forever loved and remembered by her children Kathie, Betty Anne, Brenda, Randy (Rose), Jackie, Debbie, Ken (Charity); grandchildren Joey (Nicole), Mattie (Chris), Alex (Megan), Calvin (Madison), Diann, Connor (Noema), Hailey, Eric, Anna; great-grandchildren Harper, William, Marley, Griffin, Ryan, Dawson, Cameron, Dean; sister Annette; sisters-in-law Vi Leer, Loretta Leer, Jeanette Leer, Joyce McLeod; and numerous nephews and nieces.

She was predeceased by her husband, Bill; parents Frank and Clara Leer; infant daughter Janet; brothers Ben, Laverne, Ken and John; sister Diann; brothers-in-law George McKenzie, Mel Tippe, Jack McLeod, Gordon Carlson, Joe Tuza; sisters-in-law Judy Leer, Pat Tuza, Bessie Carlson, Marcella McLeod; and nephews Sonny Leer, Rocky Leer and Leonard Leer.

A celebration of life was held at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

A fellowship event will be held after the funeral service.

Donations may be made to a charity of choice.

Arrangements entrusted to Eden’s Funeral Home

The obituary for Mathilda (Tillie) McLeod appeared in the Mar. 12, 2025, issue of Shootin’ the Breeze. Condolences are extended to family and friends.

The post Obituary | Mathilda (Tillie) McLeod appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Edmonton Muslim youth set out to create a Canadian prayer rug. Now the image is set to travel the globe one envelope at a time.

A new city report recommends reallocating resources from security guard services to increased peace officer presence, to address safety concerns on public transportation.

A judge has denied a bid to review the decision not to prosecute an Edmonton police officer who seriously injured a young Indigenous man with a kick to the head.

Edmonton city council will vote in mid-March on whether to establish a standing committee focused on infrastructure before the municipal election in October.

At a meeting on Feb. 26, councillors voted 9-4 in favour of exploring amendments to council's committee bylaw to allow it to establish an infrastructure committee. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he supports having a dedicated committee to help manage the city's infrastructure budget, which is about $8 billion over four years. "That's a lot of money we invest, so I see a value in … creating a standalone committee," he said.

The proposed committee would be composed of four councillors, plus the mayor as chair, and would operate similarly to council's existing urban planning, utility, community and public services, and executive committees. The new committee's mandate would be the "delivery, renewal, and decommissioning of city infrastructure, including financial implications of capital projects and capital project design and delivery."

Generally, the urban planning committee currently sets direction for major city-planning projects; the executive committee, meanwhile, provides input on the budget and contracts for these projects. The proposed infrastructure committee would take some workload away from both. Administration identified upcoming reports that would be moved from existing committees to the proposed new committee: A report about the closure of some driveways or parking lot entrances to allow for active transportation; a report about updates to complete streets guidelines; and a report about operational efficiencies in capital projects.

The new committee could begin holding meetings before the municipal election in October, and even as soon as April 1. At first, the committee would only have council members and the mayor, with industry professionals like architects and engineers added later. The two-phase approach is so that the committee can be established quickly, as industry professionals would need to be interviewed and vetted, city staff explained at the Feb. 26 meeting.

But Councillors Aaron Paquette, Jennifer Rice, Erin Rutherford, and Jo-Anne Wright voted against the motion. Rutherford, councillor for Ward Anirniq, said during the Feb. 26 meeting that she was "deeply uncomfortable" with the idea of creating a committee within the timelines expected. "We're rushing governance and that's concerning to me," she said.

Rutherford also expressed concern that creating a new committee could lead to more work for city administration. She said many city staff members have told her they are working overtime to create reports for council. "The reality is that we have reached a saturation point with the capacity of our administration with what we are asking them to generate," she said. "Just the other day at public hearing we asked administration to go away and do a report on the creation of a shared use path in the river valley. I can only imagine the random motions that would come out of a committee."

Meanwhile, Paquette, councillor for Ward Dene, said he was unsure what problems the proposed committee will solve, as reports about infrastructure are already discussed at other committee meetings.

The new committee would result in changes to council's schedule and the makeup of the utility committee. While only a handful of councillors are voting members of each committee, many councillors attend most committee meetings so they can stay informed and ask questions about reports. Councillors said it was important that committee meetings didn't overlap. If council approves the bylaw amendments, the utility committee would have five members instead of six, to help with scheduling and workload. Council is scheduled to vote on the amended bylaw on March 18.

The head of the Alberta Medical Association says she's worried about the number of unfilled family medicine residency positions in the province this year. There are 31 vacant spots at Alberta's two medical schools with the University of Calgary accounting for the lion's share of those openings.

On the surface, the tighter restrictions shouldn't affect schools in Alberta, given that the number of international students is well below the allowable maximum. The problem is that international students have stopped applying.

Amid an increasingly heated game of tariff-related chicken, Canadian politicians are in Houston telling Americans they're peeved — in the most stereotypically Canadian way possible.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer on the Multidisciplinary Disability and Community Arts Hub, which will provide a new venue for the National accessArts Centre and broader community.

Alberta's billion-dollar steel and aluminum industries are bracing for a big hit on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump is promising to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian metal products entering the United States.

The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton has stopped taking new clients and blames the province for cutting funds.

After opponents of the province's trans health law argued for an injunction on Monday, government lawyers argued against the call on Tuesday.

The Alberta government says Premier Danielle Smith has been in talks with a multinational oil and petrochemical player about selling two million barrels per month of province-owned heavy oil.

From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on March 13, the public can come to a special live broadcast of CBC Radio's The Homestretch at the Banff Public Library.

A small, historic office building on 12th Avenue S.W. called Lacey Court has been demolished, and it’s leaving some Calgarians feeling nostalgic for its presence.

A rural United Conservative Party backbencher kicked out of caucus for threatening to vote against the Alberta government's budget says he's disappointed but not ruling out a return to the party. Scott Sinclair now sits as an Independent legislature member for Lesser Slave Lake.

A selfless athlete and leader during her moguls skiing career, Jennifer Heil will bring those qualities and others to her role as Canada’s chef de mission for the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games in 2026, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Tuesday.

Calgary police say a man was found dead in the deep-south community of Legacy early Tuesday morning under what they describe as suspicious circumstances.

Justin Bone has cycled through four different lawyers, with the most recent leaving the case last month. Since then, Bone hasn't gotten new representation.

Manisha Arora, the director of trade for Edmonton Global, says that as Canadian businesses more seriously explore what export markets exist beyond the United States, they find the answers depend on what they export and their ability to adapt to different international standards.

"I definitely think that we've looked at the U.S. as a catchall, simply for logistical purposes," Arora told Taproot. "When we take a look at exporting outside of our borders, we look at what's the easiest and what's culturally the most similar for ease of business transactions."

For years that has meant the U.S. is Alberta's default trading partner. But as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to threaten (and change his mind on) tariffs of up to 25% on Canadian products, plus bonus tariffs on steel and aluminum, Edmonton Global has formed a Regional Tariff Ad Hoc Working Group to find ways for businesses in the region to adapt to the new realities.

Exporting is big business. The City of Edmonton's business census recently found that Edmonton companies that export employ twice the number of employees as those that do not. Zooming out to look at Alberta, in 2020, the province exported $77.5 billion in goods to the U.S., a transaction that doesn't just happen overnight — global trade is reliant on trust and relationships, Arora said.

As that trust changes, however, businesses need to diversify where they export, Arora said. A key part of that is developing the logistics to get products to new markets. Arora shared her insights on new export trade opportunities with countries that include Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Germany, and with regions that include the Middle East and South America.

"Because we have such a long-time trade relationship (with the U.S.), all those inroads have been developed over years and years and years," she said. "It's more challenging when you're going out across the pond to send your product there."

The learning curve is partly about legal standards for products, especially food and medicine. Arora offered the example of beef: To export it to Europe or Japan, she said, cattle would need to be raised differently, which will take time.

To change this is "not a one-year change, that is like a five-year change," she said. "It takes a lot for a company to actually do that because they are probably halting their production in something else to be able to do that, to send product to the European Union. It's a long-term investment that some companies just can't afford to do."

Arora gave Taproot details on what markets and products Edmonton Global has been building those relationships around.

Japan: Food

Japan's potential to buy agriculture and food/beverage exports from the region is high because it is already among the top five customers of Canadian agricultural products, Arora said. Trade relationships in Japan are usually nurtured over multiple face-to-face visits, and exporters must meet the nation's standards for food safety, which are different than those in the U.S. The rewards, Arora said, can be worth the extra effort.

"If you can export into Japan, you can probably export anywhere," she said. "They have very high standards … (The Edmonton region has) a lot of companies that, once they start exporting to Japan, though it takes a long time to get there, it's very fruitful after that."

This month, Edmonton Global is making its first trip to FOODEX Japan, a major trade fair that will host 3,000 brands from 70 countries from March 11 to 14. Companies from the region that are going include Token Bitters, SYC Brewing Co., Canada Grand Enterprises, BeeMaid Honey, and Bunge Canada.

Mexico, South America: Agriculture and RVs

Another major buyer of Canadian agricultural products is Mexico, and Arora said the Edmonton region does well exporting there. Canada exports canola, wheat, beef, and more to the country. Edmonton is on the 1,164-kilometre CANAMEX Corridor, a trucking route that runs largely parallel to a rail line, with both running from Edmonton to Mexico through the U.S. In 2024, the Alberta government invested in 62 projects over three years through its provincial construction program for the trucking route.

The North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. came into effect in 1994, and it was replaced by the Canada-United States–Mexico Agreement that became active in 2020 after it was signed by Trump during his first term. Given this history, Arora said, the existing relationship between Canada and Mexico is an important one.

"We'll need each other during this time, so I think it's a good relationship to keep fostering," she said.

Stephen Moore, the president and CEO of Orion Plastics Inc., said during a Trade Talks event held by Edmonton Global on Feb. 18 that his value-added plastic materials are used in the recreational vehicle industry, among others. The U.S. is an RV-making hub, but so is South America, he said. Moore said he may target manufacturers on that continent in the future.

South Korea, Europe: Energy

In 2023, Canada exported $199.1 billion in energy to 123 countries, and the sector accounted for 10.3% of the nominal gross domestic product. Arora said work is underway to enhance relationships with South Korea for hydrogen fuel, as the country's automotive industry is interested in it, and our region is home to the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB.

Brent Lakeman, who has been seconded from his hydrogen role at Edmonton Global in order to the lead the HUB into an "activation phase," has represented the region on trips to countries such as South Korea. One thing he's focused on now, he recently told Taproot, is equipping the Edmonton region's manufacturing industry with the tools to build parts for hydrogen infrastructure.

Germany is another promising trade partner for hydrogen fuel, Arora said. Meanwhile, in the Nordic region of Europe, she said there are opportunities related to carbon capture. Varme Energy Inc., a company that plans to open a carbon capture and waste-to-energy facility in Alberta's Industrial Heartland, relocated its global CEO from Norway to the region at the end of last year to help bring the project to completion.

"If a company like Varme is coming in here, and they're taking a look at what our ecosystem looks like, and say, 'Yeah, we want to actually build that back home,' that's a really easy way to make trade relationships," she said. "It's just highlighting our expertise in all these things."

Middle East: Life sciences

Countries in the Middle East make up five of the top 10 oil producers in the world. Accordingly, Arora said, the region is being explored for export for products that aren't related to energy, with life sciences becoming a "huge area" of focus. Edmonton Global brought five regional companies to the World Health Expo (formerly known as Arab Health) in Dubai this year, including Zanis Tech, Sinoveda, Nanostics, Rehabtronics, and Puravita.

"We took 14 Edmonton region companies with us when we exhibited at Arab Health (last year)," Arora said of her own experience attending the event last year. "We had them do B2B meetings, they met with the ministry of health of the United Arab Emirates, and there was an extreme amount of interest. I think every country is interested in innovation in the health industry."

The Middle East in particular can offer "a lot faster decision-making," she said, in comparison to bodies like Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.

"Saudi Arabia and the UAE, they are such modernizing countries that really want to be at the cutting edge of the newest technology, and that is a priority right now," she said. "We want to get our companies in front of the people there that make the decisions, because they could start selling in the Middle East before they start selling in Canada or the U.S.

Edmonton: Logistics

Work to expand global trade often happens within the Edmonton region itself. Right now, the latest cohort of the Trade Accelerator Program is underway by various organizations including Edmonton Global.

Edmonton Global also partnered with the Edmonton International Airport, Port Alberta, and Machool to launch the ShipAlberta platform, which aims to make commercial international shipping cheaper and easier. The airport also launched the YEG Wants London campaign to attract a direct flight to London, England.

A quirk of geography may cost a Cremona day-home operator $1,800 per month, due to a new regional funding formula the Government of Alberta plans to introduce on April 1.

So far, according to the Chief of Little Red River Cree Nation, one household of three people is confirmed to have contracted the virus. Contact tracing is currently underway, and the Nation is organizing a vaccination drive in John D'or Prairie.

Even though Canada and the United States are in the midst of a trade war, officials from north of the border are looking past it, in hopes of getting a piece of the energy pie.

The city announced three new residential developments in the downtown west end, as well as two office-to-residence conversions that are opening this year in Eau Claire.

The Alberta government is backing away from a program that would have provided dental, optical and other health benefits for adopted children.

A union representing more than 30,000 nurses in Alberta has reached a four-year tentative agreement with the province after six weeks of formal mediation.

Emergency health services in the province — including ground and air ambulances — will soon be transferred from Alberta Health Services to a new organization that’s launching on April 1: Acute Care Alberta.

Beckie Scott has lived many different lives. On Monday, the next chapter of her career began. Scott was named CEO of Nordiq Canada, the national sport organization that oversees cross-country and Para Nordic skiing.

Adriana LaGrange calls the children’s acetaminophen, manufactured by Turkey-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals, “good quality drugs.” It stopped being used in Alberta NICUs because of a risk that it could clog feeding tubes.

Oil and gas producers Whitecap Resources Inc. and Veren Inc. are joining forces in a $15-billion deal to create the biggest landholder in two Alberta shale formations.

Lawyers for two LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are in court Monday for the first step in their fight against the Alberta government’s transgender law that prevents doctors from providing gender-affirming treatments, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youths under the age of 16.

'He's been on a warpath against the energy industry for his entire career,' Smith said Monday at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas.

The Orchard

How the UCP covered up police violence against the U of C Palestine encampment

Tl;dr According to handwritten notes obtained by The Orchard, during and after Calgary police violently dispersed a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Calgary on May 9, Chief Mark Neufeld s…

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6 days ago · 18 likes · Jeremy Appel

For the Progress Report, I reported that one of the directors of two companies at the centre of allegations that the government pressured Alberta Health Services (AHS) to accept exorbitant contracts to operate chartered surgical facilities was AHS’s executive director of strategic contracting when he signed a contract for Shoppers Drug Mart to provide COVID tests for $42 a test.

At Alberta Native News, I wrote about Fort McKay Métis Nation’s surprise decision to leave the Alberta Métis Federation, which it helped found as an alternative to the Métis Nation of Alberta in 2020.

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The Bearspaw south feeder main ruptured last June, sparking months of water restrictions and a major repair effort.

While data indicates taking transit in Edmonton is getting safer, a new report from city administration shows that many Edmontonians still don't believe it.

This week, council committees will debate whether the city should expand the Coronation Eco Station, discuss the end of curbside Christmas tree collection, and review candidates for advisory boards and committees.

There is a city council meeting scheduled for March 10, a community and public services committee scheduled for March 11, and an urban planning committee meeting scheduled for March 12. There is also an executive committee meeting scheduled for March 12 and a utility committee meeting scheduled for March 14.

Here are key items on this week's agenda:

• Administration recommends expanding Coronation Eco Station to restructure traffic flow, increase the number of waste drop-off bins, and incorporate more climate-resilient infrastructure. A report scheduled to be presented to utility committee on March 14 said visits to eco stations increased by 22% between 2021 and 2024. The proposed expansion is budgeted at $13.5 million, with funding reallocated from a previous project that was cancelled. If council approves the expansion, construction is expected to start by the end of 2025 and finish by mid-2027.
• The city will no longer collect natural Christmas trees from in front of homes starting next holiday season. Curbside Christmas tree collection started in 1990, but city crews collected only 6,400 trees in 2025, a 51% decrease from 2015, according to a report that is scheduled to be presented to utility committee on March 14. Instead, residents will be able to drop off trees at recycling depots, eco stations, or the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. The change will save about $120,000 annually, which will be reinvested back into waste operations, the report said.
• City council is scheduled to meet to discuss the 2024 annual reports and work plans for its advisory boards and committees.
• Council committees are scheduled to meet in private for various discussions:
  • Community and public services committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Community Standards and Licence Appeal Committee, Edmonton Combative Sports Commission, Edmonton Public Library Board, Accessibility Advisory Committee, Community Services Advisory Board, Edmonton Historical Board, and the Women's Advisory Voice of Edmonton Committee.
  • Urban planning committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board, Edmonton Design Committee, and the Naming Committee.
  • Executive committee will meet to discuss the membership reports and new members of the Assessment Review Board, Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee, Edmonton Salutes Committee, and GEF Seniors Housing Board.
  • Utility committee will meet to discuss a funding opportunity for the Blatchford renewable energy utility.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

The executive committee's recommendation that Edmonton City Council should extend the downtown community revitalization levy for 10 years beyond its current 2034 expiry date may not yield decent returns on investments, the co-hosts of Episode 298 of Speaking Municipally said.

The CRLs are tools for municipalities to rejuvenate underdeveloped areas by allowing public infrastructure investments to attract private investments that can repay the public investment. Edmonton has used the downtown CRL to help build the 103A Avenue Pedway (set for completion in 2026) and invest in Warehouse Park (construction should be done this year), among other things.

But council will soon consider whether the CRL should be extended, along with a proposal for the levy to help subsidize the OEG's hoped-for new indoor and outdoor Fan Park, directly east of Rogers Place, as well as Village at ICE District, a housing, retail, and hospitality development from the company.

"This event park, like the arena itself, would be owned by the City of Edmonton. It's projected to cost $250 million, which is just an insane amount to me," co-host Mack Male said. "A third of its time would be reserved for public use. Let me just underline that again — another publicly owned and mostly publicly funded building available for the public for only a third of its lifetime."

The park would tentatively be paid for using a mix of the CRL, provincial grants, and contributions from the OEG, owned by Daryl Katz. While the city will own it, and help pay for it, the park will not be available for public use all of the time.

The province outlined its contribution to the project in its latest budget, which includes Edmonton's long-asked-for money to demolish Northlands Coliseum, as well as to provide servicing to Village at ICE District.

Co-host Troy Pavlek said he was reminded of Edmonton's decision to build the 100 Street funicular, when then-mayor Don Iveson said he felt pushed into the city contributing to the $24-million project because he didn't want to leave funds from the provincial and federal governments on the table.

"While this does get us funding from other orders of government, the provincial funding is still coming from our tax dollars, and is still — depending on your perspective — a wealth transfer to a billionaire," Pavlek said.

The March 7 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also covered the renaming of the Edmonton Prospects to the Energy City Cactus Rats, a potential new name for a field at Commonwealth Stadium, resignations at Edmonton Public Schools, and more. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.

One Calgary school is using artificial intelligence to help teachers with some of their most time-consuming tasks: creating lesson plans and writing report card comments.

Alberta’s education minister says his government’s proposed budget targets funding increases to tackle growing enrolment and other cost pressures, but economic uncertainty is preventing the province from spending more on classrooms.

Trailing with the last rock in the final end, Brad Jacobs squeezed in a great shot to score three and down Matt Dunstone's Team Manitoba. 

There were some early signs that the Edmonton Oilers many predicted to be among the Stanley Cup favourites were back in business on Saturday night, even if they had to hang on for dear life to record their second straight win.

Wind and snowfall warnings have been issued for swaths of southern and western Alberta on Sunday.

Henok Gaimm, outreach co-ordinator with the Salvation Army in Fort McMurray, helps deliver necessities to the local homeless population. CBC joined him on his rounds in downtown Fort McMurray. 

Tonight the Liberal Party will announce its next leader and the person who will soon become prime minister — a job they'll inherit amid economic turbulence and a deeply wounded relationship with the country's once closest ally.

Jasper's Anglican Church has roots dating back to the early 1900s. The building was destroyed in a July 2024 wildfire, but now there’s an opportunity to reshape the church as a community space open to everyone.

Many Ukrainians living in Edmonton are feeling relieved. Their work and study permits were set to expire on March 31, creating uncertainty about what they would do next, as the war overseas continues. But the federal government has announced an extension until March 31, 2026.