Edmonton Daily Digest — March 11, 2026

Heads up: Loitering and safety worries have grown outside eRx Pharmacy in Sunalta, Calgary — neighbour Mark Wang says people coming for opioid agonist therapy (OAT) have been there for 4–5 years but surged in the last year, creating open drug use, fights and biological waste that have hurt his business. This means pharmacists are stuck balancing single-dose OAT rules with safety concerns; the Sunalta Community Association (Kaylee Bossert) and regulators say a coordinated response beyond enforcement is needed.

Trigger warning: A Calgary man, Spencer Maximus Andrews, 23, has been charged with sexual assault and voyeurism after allegedly meeting a woman on a dating app in Oct. 2025 and assaulting her at his southeast Calgary home on Nov. 1, 2025; police executed a search warrant on March 10, 2026 and he’s due in court May 19, 2026. Police remind everyone that consent is required and there’s no time limit to report sexual assault.

Big change: Alberta is ending funding for Boyle Street Community Services’ Intensive Case Management Team (an advertised 200-client housing-first program that had a caseload of 54), with funding set to stop April 1, 2026, says Social Services Minister Jason Nixon. Boyle Street is working to transition clients and staff, but clients like Cameron Litowski say losing the program feels like losing a lifeline.

Study result: The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE) found that closing an overdose prevention site in Red Deer (closed 2024) did not increase deaths, ER visits or ambulance calls among its clients when compared with Lethbridge’s ongoing site. CoRE’s Nathaniel Day and addiction specialist Dr. Monty Ghosh stress more evidence is needed, and Alberta’s Mental Health Minister Rick Wilson says he will review the study before considering other site closures.

Disturbing video: A youth in Calgary’s Taradale was struck in a marked crosswalk just after 7 a.m. (day of incident) and left with a broken leg when the car fled — security footage shows several drivers passing the injured child. Psychologist Dr. Martina Kanciruk warns this is the "bystander effect," police are searching for the suspect, and the Calgary Board of Education confirmed the victim is a student.

Parents push for change: Alberta’s education and child care minister Demetrios Nicolaides met Willowbrae Academy Millcreek parents after a staffer was charged over alleged abuse; parents say it took 82 days from the initial report to full notification. The NDP wants legal changes to force broader parent notification, a public online portal and regular reviews, and Nicolaides says he’s looking into what details can be shared without harming investigations.

Good news for patients: Edmonton’s Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute now offers a rare surgery (pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, PTE) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), so Albertans like Deborah Hoekstra could get care closer to home. The University Hospital Foundation funded training and equipment, five people have had the surgery in 16 months, and Hoekstra had her operation in June 2025 and was back at work full time by January 2026.

Local drama: Wetaskiwin city council has been silent for over a month about why Mayor Joe Branco is banned from city hall and in-person council meetings; council won’t comment and the mayor hasn’t responded. Council voted to hire a third-party investigator into the ban and threats to administration, RCMP is probing the threats, and the next meeting is March 24, 2026.

Nature alert: Parks Canada detected whirling disease in Lake Louise, so effective spring 2026 paddling and large inflatables, and wading boots while fishing, are now banned at Lake Minnewanka, Bow Lake and Moraine Lake to protect trout and salmon. Lake Louise will still allow some devices for now, but visitors must clean, drain and dry gear and fill out self-certification forms; there’s no fixed end date for the restrictions.

Online danger: Edmonton Police warn sextortion targeting youth is rising — nearly 1,000 reports from 2018–2025 and 168 cases in 2025 alone — with victims mostly aged 13–16 (15 is most common) and 68% girls. Acting Insp. Paul Looker urges parents to watch for secrecy, mood changes or urgent requests for money/gift cards and to talk to kids about online safety.

Global energy move: Canada and 31 IEA members agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency oil after the Iran war disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz (conflict began Feb. 28, 2026). IEA head Fatih Birol called it an unprecedented coordinated action as oil prices spiked near US$120 a barrel (then eased toward ~$90), and members hold over 1.2 billion barrels in emergency stockpiles.

Heritage in peril: Alberta’s 2026 budget completely eliminated provincial funding for the Historical Society of Alberta (HSA), cutting an expected $76,000 to zero — a shock to HSA president Lorien Johansen and a group founded in 1907. The ministry points to $55 million for archives and historic sites and invites HSA to apply for grants, but the society warns the cut could threaten its survival and Alberta’s storytelling for tourism.