Edmonton Daily Digest — Jan. 30, 2026 — 10 Stories You Should Know

Scam alert: On Jan. 24 at Vanessa’s Jewelry in Calgary’s Crossroads Market, owner Kim Xuins says two women made manual card purchases that showed as "approved" but left the store without the family actually receiving over $4,300; her son Kevin Trang says receipts looked fine at first and Calgary police are now investigating. This means the store will now ask for photo I.D. on large buys — a bitter lesson for small, family-run shops.

Disturbing care experience: Coralie Edwards says she was sent home from Pincher Creek Health Centre on Jan. 22 despite a blood pressure reading of 183 and a dangerously low blood sugar near 30 mg/dL, leaving her shaken and worried about returning. Alberta Health Services says triage guides who is seen and urges people with urgent issues to go to ER, but Edwards’ story highlights strain and the emotional toll on patients.

Big new sports hub: Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre officially opened this week after more than 15 years of planning — a $153-million centre featuring a 250-metre Category A velodrome (the only one in Western Canada), a bouldering wall, fitness centre and North America’s only indoor triathlon training centre. Mayor Andrew Knack and councillor Erin Rutherford say it will attract world-class teams (Australia, Germany and the U.S. have bookings ahead of LA 2028) — but the city warns another large-scale rec centre isn’t likely in the next four-year budget cycle.

Kinder pain care for kids: The Stollery Children’s Hospital earned ChildKind International certification for its pain practices, becoming one of 23 hospitals worldwide recognized for training everyone from nurses to housekeeping in caring for pain. Families like Erica and Ben Thomas praise measures (numbing cream, comfort holds, the “3P” approach of pharmacological, physical and psychological care) that make treatments less traumatic for kids.

Homicide probe in Redstone: Calgary police say officers found two seriously injured people after a disturbance on Redstone Park around 12:40 a.m. one Wednesday; one died at the scene and the other later in hospital. Autopsies are complete, police say the deaths are under investigation and, based on current evidence, they do not believe the killings are tied to recent extortion cases targeting the South Asian community.

Faster shutdown at Norman Wells: Imperial Oil told analysts it will wind down production at the Norman Wells oilfield by the end of Q3 2026, earlier than planned, taking a $320-million after-tax charge and calling it "difficult news" for the town of about 800. CEO John Whelan said the company will focus on decommissioning and community support; Imperial also raised its quarterly dividend 20% to $0.87 while Q4 earnings fell to $492 million from $1.23 billion a year earlier.

Wanted after violent attack in Mill Woods: Edmonton police say a woman in her 30s was seriously injured in an aggravated assault at a Mill Woods home early Friday and remains in hospital; suspect Nicholas Travis Morin, 29, is wanted on multiple warrants. Morin is believed to have fled in a stolen red 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander (plate CDV 9754); police describe him as 5'9", 240 lbs with multiple face/neck tattoos and warn he’s dangerous — call EPS immediately if you see him.

CFL roster moves: The Edmonton Elks released Canadian QB Tre Ford (27) and have committed to veteran Cody Fajardo (33) under centre; Ford threw for 4,651 yards, 29 TDs and 19 INTs in 60 Elks games. The roundup also notes Ottawa released LB Jovan Santos-Knox, DeVonte Dedmon signed in Montreal, and several CFL re-signings and additions; the report was published Jan. 30, 2026.

Separatist petition controversy in Alberta: Separatist leader Jeff Rath says some UCP MLAs have signed a petition asking if Alberta should leave Canada — the petition needs about 178,000 signatures by May to trigger a referendum step. Premier Danielle Smith’s office declined to name signers; opposition NDP figures like Rakhi Pancholi and Naheed Nenshi criticized the moves, and an Ipsos poll shows about 29% of Albertans would back separation in principle but far fewer if costs were spelled out.

Oilers stage big comeback: After trailing 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks, the Edmonton Oilers rallied for a 4-3 overtime win thanks to Leon Draisaitl (his 26th goal), goals from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman’s OT winner; goalie Connor Ingram made 17 saves and Edmonton improved to 28-19-8 and has a three-game win streak. The win shows the team’s resilience, though coach Kris Knoblauch wants cleaner, earlier starts.