Edmonton Weekly Digest (Mar 2–8, 2026)

[1720] Hurricanes beat the Oilers 6-3 on March 6 — Jackson Blake scored twice and K’Andre Miller had three assists; Carolina’s defence contained Connor McDavid while Edmonton worries about 56 goals allowed in 12 games.

[1624] Oilers rallied for a 5-4 OT win over Ottawa on Mar 3 — Leon Draisaitl had 2 goals and 3 assists and Evan Bouchard scored the overtime winner, giving Edmonton a needed spark.

[1625] Deadline moves reshaped the Oilers: Edmonton traded Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick to get Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach (debuting this week), and also added defenceman Connor Murphy (acquired Mar 2).

[1697] Oilers forward Mattias Janmark had season-ending surgery (announced Mar 6); the 33-year-old is expected back for next season’s training camp.

[1691] Alberta’s passenger rail master plan is expected within weeks and could include a high-speed Edmonton–Calgary line linking both city airports.

[1699] Ottawa and Alberta announced a prospective “one project, one review” deal to streamline major-project assessments, with most province-only projects deferred to Alberta and reviews targeted within two years.

[1661] Canadian Natural (CNRL) deferred early engineering spending on its $8.25‑billion Jackpine oilsands expansion — about $150 million planned this year — citing regulatory uncertainty over carbon and methane rules.

[1693] Pump prices rose in Edmonton to about $1.50/L as Middle East conflict pushed oil higher (WTI near US$90/bbl by week’s end), with diesel jumping even more and wider inflation effects expected.

[1595] Higher oil prices could help Alberta’s books: every US$1/bbl change is worth roughly $680 million to the province, so sustained strength could cut the projected $9.4‑billion deficit.

[1662] Alberta will scrap last year’s value‑based wine tax and return to a flat, volume‑based markup starting April 1, raising the standard markup by 58¢ per litre.

[1627] Edmonton proposes an Attainable Housing Program to incent downtown apartment builds: grants would cover 25–100% of property taxes depending on the share of units kept affordable, supporting a goal of 24,000 downtown residents by 2030.

[1653] Jasper’s Connaught affordable‑housing rebuild is underway: Phase 1 will add 40 below‑market units (federal $14.3M, Alberta $6.5M) and Phase 2 plans another 40 units as wildfire recovery continues.

[1664] Find Edmonton thrift store celebrates 15 years of furnishing the recently housed — it furnished 1,861 homes in 2025 and is running a March 31 donation drive to collect 150 high‑need items.

[1626] Chinatown shows signs of recovery with 59 net new businesses in 2025, a $480,000 Vibrancy Fund and 3,000 people at a recent Lunar New Year event; the city will study cleanup, bridge changes and housing incentives.

[1592] Neighbours in Belgravia and McKernan warn some new infill buildings are operating like rooming houses (bedrooms rented by the day or hour); the city will produce a report to tighten rules.

[1561] Edmontonians report an uptick in “hugging bandit” distraction thefts targeting jewelry — police warn especially seniors to be cautious after several incidents.

[1620] Project OLLIE: police seized about 18 kg of suspected fentanyl (≈$2.3M street value, ~180,000 lethal doses) and arrested three people in a GTA–Calgary trafficking probe.

[1622] A fatal crash on the Trans‑Canada Highway east of Calgary (near Conrich) early Wednesday closed westbound lanes for hours while RCMP investigated.

[1597] Two people died in Calgary’s Rundle after crews found carbon monoxide at 300 ppm in a detached garage; the medical examiner is investigating.

[1688] A $50,000 reward has been offered as police and family seek new tips in the 1983 disappearance of 16‑year‑old Shelley‑Anne Bacsu; contact Alberta RCMP Historical Homicide Unit with information.

[1687] A Calmar family was reunited with their dog Chilli after nearly three months — the German Shepherd‑cross was found about 2 km from where she ran off and is recovering.

[1615] Parents of HUB mall shooting victim Brian Ilesic are backing Bill C‑243 (“Brian’s Bill”) to make parole reapplications wait five years after a denial; debate in the House is scheduled for Mar 13 with a final vote on Mar 25.

[1619] Alberta teachers asked the court for an injunction against the province’s back‑to‑work law that invoked the notwithstanding clause; a decision could affect strike‑era contract status.

[1621] Capital Power sees big opportunity in Alberta data centres as the province targets up to $100 billion in projects; AESO currently limiting large‑load connections to 1,200 MW through 2028 to protect grid reliability.

[1618] Calgary and Edmonton submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 World Cup of Hockey (Feb 2028); Alberta has offered up to $15 million in support and a host decision may come in weeks.

[1694] NHL trade ripple: the Winnipeg Jets traded Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo for Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen and draft picks (Buffalo retained half of Schenn’s salary) as teams reshuffle ahead of playoffs.