Calgary Weekly Digest (Jan 5–11, 2026)

Bearspaw feeder main — repairs and contingency work

• City crews continued repairing the Bearspaw feeder main after a second rupture on Dec. 30, 2025. Back‑filling is complete and pipe filling has begun; filling the line requires nearly 22 million litres of water (≈ nine Olympic pools).
• Road repairs at 16th Ave. NW are underway. Restoring, treating and testing the water will take days; city warns there’s no guarantee of no further ruptures.
• The feeder main carries roughly 60% of Calgary’s drinking water; independent review noted inspections scheduled in 2017, 2020 and 2022 were redirected or delayed.

Mitigation, conservation and pressure on residents

• Calgary Emergency Management Agency urged continued conservation: recent daily use was about 504 million litres, down from higher levels but still strained.
• The city has implemented a "community protection plan" for neighbourhoods served by the Bearspaw South feeder main and is building contingency measures along the north bank of the Bow River.

Kings spoil Oilers night — game highlights

• Los Angeles Kings beat Edmonton Oilers 4–3 in a shootout on Jan. 10. Adrian Kempe scored the shootout winner; Corey Perry, Andre Lee and Alex Laferriere scored in regulation.
• Kings record: 19‑15‑10. Oilers: 22‑16‑7. Connor McDavid scored his 30th of the season (power play) to extend his points streak to a career‑high 18 games (19G, 23A; 42 points on the run). Leon Draisaitl had two goals.

Alberta ERs declare crisis; doctors push for emergency

• Emergency physicians, led publicly by Dr. Raj Sherman, called conditions in the Edmonton zone an "absolute crisis," urging the province to declare a state of emergency for health care.
• Doctors warned demand for acute care exceeds capacity; overcrowding and staffing shortages are placing lives at risk according to physicians with decades of experience.

Auto insurers lost $1.2 billion in Alberta (2024)

• The Alberta Superintendent of Insurance report found auto insurers in the province were collectively unprofitable, losing more than $1.2 billion on auto insurance in 2024.
• Regulators and the Insurance Bureau of Canada warn escalating claim costs may push beyond the province’s Good Driver Rate Cap, with potential premium impacts for drivers.

Politics — Danielle Smith urges faster federal approvals

• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wrote to federal Major Projects Office head Mark Carney seeking regulatory approvals within six months instead of the current target of two years.
• Smith argued faster approvals are needed amid shifting global oil dynamics and increased competition for heavy crude.