Edmonton Daily Digest — March 12, 2026

Heads-up: an Edmonton family thought they’d bought a new Ford F-150 in October 2025, paid nearly $40,000, and then RCMP seized it in November after it turned out to be stolen — Ashutosh Pathak and his brother say the dealership (Kaizen Auto Group’s Summit Ram in Ponoka) checked the VIN and didn’t know. The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) found the dealer not at fault, insurance won’t cover it, and the truck is going to auction next week; RCMP charged 49‑year‑old Tanya Michelle Murray with fraud, forgery and uttering a forged document (next court date Aug. 2026). ALERT warns VIN tampering is growing, and Sgt. Brandon Crozier urges buyers to ask dealers about their checks.

Important: Acute Care Alberta released 16 recommendations after the December death of 44‑year‑old Prashant Shreekumar, who waited eight hours in Grey Nuns ER before dying — the review (dated Jan. 14, 2026) calls for more staff, clearer accountability and performance measures like time-to-care. The Shreekumar family’s rep Varinder Bhullar worries there are no firm deadlines or funding yet, and the province’s Matt Jones says recommendations will be used to improve patient safety.

Good news for shoppers: the CRTC announced it will ban extra fees to activate, change or cancel internet and cellphone plans, saying the move (announced March 2026) gives people more flexibility to switch to better deals. Chair Vicky Eatrides said the change strengthens the Internet and Wireless Consumer Protection Codes and the regulator will also make it easier to compare plans in the coming months.

Community ask: Delana Rovensky, diagnosed with IgA nephropathy as a teen, is now in end‑stage kidney failure and needs a living donor with blood type O+ or O‑; she’s on dialysis four times a day and was told a deceased donor wait could be five to nine years. Family and friends are fundraising (GoFundMe) and raising awareness — Great White Car Wash donated $5 per wash on World Kidney Day (March 12) and extended the offer to March 19 — and Give Life Alberta notes 272 deceased donors and 75 living donors in Alberta in 2025, while more than 500 people wait for transplants.

Quick reality check: the Canadian Climate Institute estimates a rise to $130/tonne in the industrial carbon price would cost oilsands producers roughly 50 cents per barrel on average (about a “Timbits”‑worth), up from about nine cents today. The impact varies widely across 29 facilities (Tucker Thermal could be almost $4/barrel; Peace River could get ~$2.23/barrel in credits), and the provincial‑federal MOU aims to agree on carbon pricing as talks continue ahead of an April 1 target.

Heads-up for drivers: 102 Avenue in Edmonton will be fully closed from 107 Street to 102 Street starting March 16, 2026 for the rest of the year as Valley Line West LRT work continues; the first phase runs about 20 weeks. Pedestrian access remains and bike lanes have been temporarily moved to 103 Avenue; the closure should speed work and reduce long-term traffic pain.

Sad and concerning: an Animal Justice and Japan partner report says 18 shipments (about 1,822 horses) flew from Canada to Japan between Sept. 2024 and Sept. 2025, with at least nine horses dying and more than 290 injured or sick after arrival. The CFIA’s public records show zero deaths, so the agency is reviewing the data; animal advocates want an immediate ban on air exports of horses, pointing to breaches of the 28‑hour transport limit and calling for regulatory action.