Edmonton Daily Digest — Feb 9, 2026

Breaking: woman found dead after house fire in central Edmonton. Firefighters responded about 5:30 a.m. in Boyle Street near 93 St and 105 Ave and discovered a woman’s body inside; the case is now with the EPS Homicide Section and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. If you have information call Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone, or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

Big project raises eyebrows: proposed $10-billion data centre in Olds, Alta. could be Canada’s largest. The company says it would create 2,000 construction jobs and more than 1,000 long-term skilled roles, but neighbours worry about electricity use, noise and strained local infrastructure; Olds council re-designated the site to light industrial and, if permits go through, construction could start as soon as next month with completion in early-to-mid 2027.

Court finds man guilty in deadly U-Haul hit-and-run that killed a Fort Saskatchewan mom. Peter Ashby, 37, was convicted on seven charges including dangerous driving causing death for the Feb. 25, 2024 death of 45-year-old Kassandra Gartner; sentencing date is pending and victim impact statements will be heard then.

Health advocates press feds over Alberta’s shift toward privatization. A coalition says Premier Danielle Smith’s law allowing doctors to work in public and private systems breaches the Canada Health Act and wants Ottawa to act; they’ve booked meetings with about 100 MPs and senators but federal Health Minister Marjorie Mitchell hasn’t agreed to meet.

Good news for renters: asking rents hit a 31-month low in January at an average $2,057. Rentals.ca/Urbanation report shows rents fell 2% year-over-year (16th straight month), one-bedrooms averaged $1,792 and Edmonton dropped to $1,488 — trends driven by more, smaller units and new rental supply.

Energy watch: Shell needs big discoveries or deals as reserves shrink. Shell’s reserve life is under eight years (total reserves 8.1 billion boe) and the company faces a 350,000–800,000 boed shortfall by 2035 unless it secures major M&A or exploration wins, CEO Wael Sawan warns — the company currently produces about 2.8 million boed.

Tough night on the ice: Southern Alberta Mustangs host memorial game after fatal collision. The team honoured JJ Wright and Cameron Casorso (both 18) and Caden Fine (17), who died in a Feb. 2 collision near Stavely; the memorial raised funds for funerals and player support and the Mustangs won the game 9–6.

Tragic roadside crash on Anthony Henday Drive during a tire change. On Sunday just before 5 p.m. near Wye Road, two SUVs stopped on the northbound shoulder were struck by a Jeep; a 53-year-old from Calgary died at the scene, a 21-year-old Calgarian was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, and the Jeep driver (21) had minor injuries — investigation ongoing.

Poll: support for Alberta independence steady at about 3 in 10. An Angus Reid poll of 979 Albertans (Feb. 2–6, 2026) found 29% would vote to separate, 57% would stay; UCP voters leaned pro-separation (57%). A separation petition needs about 177,000 signatures by May 2 to move forward, and the Forever Canadian petition previously gathered roughly 438,000 signatures.