Calgary Weekly Digest — Mar 2–8, 2026

Alberta says a passenger-rail master plan (including proposals for high‑speed Edmonton–Calgary links and airport connections) will be released within weeks, aiming for an announcement next month.

Pump prices jumped: many Edmonton stations hit about $1.50/L for regular gasoline and wholesale diesel rose nearly 40¢, driven by the Middle East conflict and higher global oil benchmarks.

Canadian Natural (CNRL) has deferred early engineering on its $8.25‑billion Jackpine oilsands expansion (about $150M planned this year) as it waits for clearer federal carbon and methane rules.

Ottawa and Alberta struck a draft “one project, one review” deal to speed up major project assessments, promising integrated reviews and a maximum two‑year timeline for assessments.

Alberta is pitching itself as a data‑centre hub: Capital Power flagged strong interest and the province is targeting up to $100 billion of data‑centre investment by 2030 while the AESO limits large connections to protect grid reliability.

Calgary is asking council for a $609.5M boost to fast‑track water upgrades (including a new Bearspaw feeder main), and warned the Bearspaw shutdown starting March 9 will squeeze supply over a four‑week repair window.

Calgary businesses are bracing for higher bills after the province raised the education property tax requisition ($200M more from Calgary); median non‑residential properties could pay about $1,816 more and typical businesses nearly $3,000 extra this year.

A fatal crash on the Trans‑Canada Highway near Conrich east of Calgary early Wednesday left at least one person dead and shut westbound lanes for hours during the morning commute.

Calgary police say a Saddletowne shooting around 5 a.m. on March 4 is linked to an ongoing extortion series; since Jan 2025 there have been dozens of extortion attempts province‑ and nation‑wide tied to similar incidents.

A teenager has been charged after an armed Mar. 1 Falconridge store robbery that stole 22 cellphones; CPS arrested the suspect with help from a HAWCS helicopter and recovered the phones and a pellet handgun.

Two people died in Rundle early Tuesday in an incident believed to involve carbon‑monoxide exposure; firefighters measured 300 ppm CO in the garage — a dangerous level — and the medical examiner is investigating.

Jasper’s post‑wildfire rebuild will add at least 40 below‑market rental units by late 2026 (Phase 1), supported by $14.3M federal and $6.5M provincial contributions to help address worker and resident housing shortages.

Alberta is scrapping last year’s ad‑valorem wine tax: starting April 1 the province returns to a flat, volume‑based markup (up 58¢/L) after industry outcry and lost market certainty.

Many Calgarians reported a bright light show around 8 p.m. Thursday — astrophysicists say it was Starlink 1723 re‑entering the atmosphere as space debris burned up.

Mount Royal University held a Women in Aviation Day at Springbank Airport to encourage more women into piloting and aviation careers, with industry mentors and Air Canada pilots attending.

Calgary and Edmonton have officially submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 World Cup of Hockey; the province has offered up to $15M in support and Calgary’s new event centre (ready fall 2027) is a selling point.

NHL trade‑deadline moves included 23 deals — Nazem Kadri was traded from Calgary to Colorado (Flames retaining 20%); the deadline reshaped rosters across the league and could affect the Flames' playoff picture.

Edmonton Oilers forward Mattias Janmark had season‑ending surgery (announced Mar. 6) and will miss the rest of 2025‑26, though the club expects him ready for next training camp.

A $50,000 reward has been unveiled to revive leads in the 1983 disappearance of 16‑year‑old Shelley‑Anne Bacsu near Hinton — her family and the RCMP Historical Homicide Unit are pushing for new tips.

Project OLLIE investigators seized about 18 kg of suspected fentanyl (roughly $2.3M street value — ~180,000 lethal doses) in a multi‑province probe that led to three arrests, including one in Calgary.

Alberta teachers went to court seeking an injunction against the province’s back‑to‑work law that used the notwithstanding clause; the case could affect whether the imposed contract stays in force while the constitutional challenge proceeds.

Alberta’s government and some store owners are lobbying Ottawa to relax nicotine‑pouch rules (now limited to pharmacy counters), arguing the restriction has pushed consumers toward illicit unregulated sellers and hurt retail businesses.