Calgary Daily Digest — Jan. 1, 2026

Alberta health reform: Bill 11 and surgical wait times

• What: Provincial Bill 11 would allow some doctors to work in both public and private systems simultaneously.
• Why it matters: Alberta Surgical Initiative Dashboard (Sept.) shows ~83,000 Albertans on surgical wait lists — up ~4,000 vs. Sept. 2024 and ~6,900 vs. Sept. 2023. 43% waited longer than recommended target times.
• Political context: United Conservative Party tabled Bill 11 in late November. Experts remain divided on whether public–private options will reduce waits; Fraser Institute health policy director Nadeem Esmail is a notable voice in the debate.

Bearspaw water main break: officials urge immediate conservation

• Incident: Bearspaw South Feeder Main ruptured on Dec. 30; this main has burst twice in ~18 months.
• Status: Repair work ongoing; city says the feeder main remains in the “red zone” and Calgary is currently using more water than it can produce and store.
• Call to action: Mayor Jeromy Farkas and city engineers are asking every Calgarian to conserve water; city data shows consumption had not fallen two days after the break.

Grocery industry code of conduct goes fully into effect

• Effective: Jan. 1 — voluntary Grocery Code of Conduct (staged rollout complete).
• Scope: Applies to grocers, suppliers, wholesalers and primary producers; includes trade rules, governance, adjudication and dispute-resolution mechanisms and penalties for violations.
• Goal: Increase transparency, fairness and predictability across the supply chain.

De Havilland Field aircraft plant progresses east of Calgary

• Project: De Havilland Field to be production hub/headquarters; will build CL-515 water bomber and Twin Otter.
• Orders & jobs: Company has taken orders for more than two dozen CL-515s and expects to create ~500 jobs in Calgary.
• Timeline: Runway design approval cleared; partial operations targeted for 2028, per VP Neil Sweeney.

NHL: Bruins beat Oilers 6–2 in Edmonton

• Score: Boston Bruins 6, Edmonton Oilers 2 (game closed out the 2025 calendar year).
• Key numbers: David Pastrnak 2 goals + 1 assist; Hampus Lindholm and Elias Lindholm each 1 goal + 1 assist. Bruins improved to 21–18–2 and snapped a six-game losing streak. Oilers 20–15–6; Jeremy Swayman 34 saves, Connor Ingram 23 saves.