🏛️ Government & Politics
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Advance voting for Alberta’s 10-question referendum begins at 300+ stations; officials expect record turnout. Elections Alberta says advance voting runs Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with more than 1,400 polling stations opening on Oct. 19, and officials estimate turnout between 80 and 85 per cent of nearly three million electors.
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Premier Danielle Smith says federal funding influenced Edmonton's 2024 zoning changes and ordered a rollback. Smith told a radio show the federal Housing Accelerator Fund offered Edmonton millions to fast-track rezoning for multi-unit builds, and the province has given Edmonton three months to reverse the 2024 changes.
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Mayor Andrew Knack calls the provincial rollback on infill rules surprising and disruptive. Knack told Global News Morning Edmonton the decision will affect residents’ housing choices and could create chaos in investment attraction; Calgary’s mayor Jeromy Farkas warned the move threatens local democracy.
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Pierre Poilievre will speak in Alberta on Canadian unity days before the referendum. Poilievre is listed as the keynote speaker at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Calgary on Oct. 16, followed by an address from Premier Danielle Smith and participation by Jason Kenney.
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Calgary mayor says provincial interference in Edmonton infill sets a disturbing precedent. Jeromy Farkas told reporters the province ordering how councillors must vote undermines municipal decision-making, citing new provincial powers to call removal votes for local officials.
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Tension among Albertans is rising ahead of the Oct. 19 vote, say residents. Voters in Airdrie and Sylvan Lake told reporters that family gatherings this Thanksgiving are being managed to avoid arguments over the referendum’s 10 questions, including the binding question on leaving Canada.
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Public-health data: one death and more than 400 confirmed flu cases reported in Alberta before vaccine rollout. Provincial reporting shows one flu-related death and over 400 lab-confirmed influenza cases as health officials prepared for vaccine availability ahead of peak season.
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Alberta government directs Edmonton to repeal infill zoning changes via ministerial order. The provincial order instructs the City of Edmonton to reverse recent zoning that encouraged higher-density housing in established neighbourhoods, prompting city and mayoral pushback.
💼 Economy & Business
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Company proposes an AI data centre at Edmonton Energy and Technology Park. The firm hopes to build a data centre on the ETS Energy and Technology Park site in Edmonton; company representatives presented the plan as part of regional proposals for tech infrastructure.
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Deloitte finds oilpatch profits outpacing spending so far this year. Deloitte’s oilpatch report shows that industry profits are currently growing faster than capital spending, according to the firm’s sector analysis released this week.
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Lotto Max jackpot climbs to a record $85 million; draw set for Oct. 13. With no ticket matching seven numbers, Lotto Max announced an $85-million jackpot for the Tuesday, Oct. 13 draw, plus 16 prizes of $1 million and 85 prizes of $100,000.
🎨 Community & Culture
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U of A researchers report possible first evidence of a raptor feeding on an Albertosaurus. University of Alberta paleontology student Joshua Doyon says bite-mark spacing on an Albertosaurus jaw suggests a dromaeosaurid scavenged or fed on the larger tyrannosaur shortly after its death.
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Baby Jose returns to Alberta nearly 30 years after life-saving heart surgery. Jose Moran Robles, born in Panama in 1996 with an atrioventricular septal defect, returned to Alberta to thank the medical team nearly three decades after surgery arranged with Inclusion Alberta and performed by Dr. Ivan Rebeyka.
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Edmonton Elks clinch a home playoff game with a 27-12 win over Hamilton. The Elks improved to 12-4 as Zach Mathis returned an interception 48 yards for a TD, Cody Fajardo threw key scores, and ShunDerrick Powell added a five-yard rushing TD late in the fourth quarter.
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Alberta’s first snowfall of the season is forecast for this weekend. Weather forecasts issued this week predict the province will see its initial seasonal snowfall over the coming weekend, with meteorologists noting timing across northern and central Alberta.
