Daily Digest — Calgary (2026-03-17)

Big comeback on the ice — The Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on March 17, 2026, with Adam Henrique adding two assists and goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy, Vasily Podkolzin, Max Jones and Zach Hyman (Hyman's 29th in 50 games). Connor Ingram made 27 saves (Alex Nedeljkovic had 32 for the Sharks) and Edmonton, now 34-26-9, moved into a tie atop the Pacific Division; star Leon Draisaitl was announced earlier to be out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. The Oilers have now won nine straight home games vs. San Jose, and teenage Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini had his nine-game point streak end.

Questions about a VIP flight — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed she took a private plane last fall that she says was provided on behalf of the Saudi government during an Oct.–Nov. trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to discuss energy and AI. Smith says the provincial ethics commissioner approved the non-commercial travel, that she met Saudi energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and other officials, and Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi has pushed for receipts and the ethics advice to be tabled after suggesting the trip cost taxpayers about $64,000. The committee also questioned nearly $20,000 in travel to a March 2025 Florida gala where Smith spoke alongside Ben Shapiro.

A trip turned tragic on the QEII — Birinder Singh, 22, was fatally shot in an apparent drive-by near Leduc on the weekend while travelling with friends to Banff; witnesses said a pickup pulled up, someone made a hand gesture and then shots were fired. Singh was hit in the neck and died at the scene despite first responders arriving quickly; his friends fear the shooting may have been a hate-motivated act and a GoFundMe was launched to return his body to India. RCMP say there’s not yet enough information to say if the attack was targeted and no arrests have been made.

Safety alarm after a school crossing hit-and-run — Councillor Raj Dhaliwal is pushing the city for immediate safety fixes at Taradale Drive and Taravista Way after 12-year-old Bentley St. John was struck in a marked crosswalk on March 10 and left with a broken leg. City data showed no recorded collisions at that intersection in 19 years, but Mayor Jeromy Farkas warned pedestrian risk is rising citywide (nearly 80 pedestrians hit between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28), and police are still searching for the suspect vehicle. Dhaliwal wants stronger engineering, enforcement and possibly pedestrian lights to protect kids and walkers.

New hope for people with excruciating facial pain — Edmonton researchers are recruiting 80 Albertans for a clinical trial testing “ultra-early” Gamma Knife radiation as a first-line treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition Dr. Tejas Sankar calls “one of the most severe pains known to mankind.” Half of patients will get standard nerve-pain meds and half will get early Gamma Knife at the University of Alberta’s Scott and Brown Families Gamma Knife Centre, with five years of follow-up; about 700 new Alberta cases are diagnosed each year and researchers hope early treatment stops long-term brain changes and chronic pain.

City wants tougher grocery competition — Edmonton council passed a motion asking the province to remove restrictive covenants that have blocked grocery stores from opening near old sites, a move aimed at easing food deserts and improving access to affordable groceries. Mayor Andrew Knack and councillors like Ashley Salvador and Michael Janz say covenants dating back decades can stop stores replacing vacant grocers, and they point to Manitoba’s recent repeal of 23 grocery controls as a model. The change would help people who walk, bike or use transit and could improve neighbourhood access to fresh food over time.

Premier wants a budget that survives lower oil prices — Danielle Smith said she aims within about 10 years to balance Alberta’s books at roughly US$60 per barrel of oil, noting the current budget projects a $9.4-billion deficit based on WTI at about US$60.50. Smith told the Rural Municipalities of Alberta conference she’d use windfall surpluses for one-time capital projects, blamed centralized health structures for ambulance gaps (part of her reason for dismantling Alberta Health Services), and acknowledged rural concerns on ambulances and hospital capacity. Opposition NDP critics say the government’s health restructuring has added bureaucracy without improving care.

Big price tag to fix Calgary’s water system — Calgary council approved a $609.5-million boost to the capital budget and more than $500 million in extra borrowing to pay for water upgrades after Bearspaw feeder-main problems forced water restrictions. About $222 million goes to a new 22-km feeder main, $367.4 million to ongoing Bearspaw work (bringing the Bearspaw total to $439 million) and $18 million for a slip-line; the work is mostly self‑supported debt and will lead to a 14% water-rate increase in 2027 (roughly $17 extra per month). City leaders say the fast-tracked work is an unfortunate but necessary “water megaproject.”

Migraine care can be costly in southern Alberta — Many sufferers, especially during Chinook weather swings, face frequent attacks and high out-of-pocket costs for newer treatments; Calgary patient Kristi Keller says she gets 10–15 migraines a month and some effective injectables are only partially covered. Dr. Madison Young says newer migraine drugs help but private workplace plans cover them more often than government or disability plans, leaving some patients unable to afford life-changing treatments. Alberta’s drug program covers some options (triptans, Botox and others) but several drugs require special authorization, which can be a barrier.

Push for stronger accessibility laws in Alberta — Disability advocates and the NDP want Alberta to adopt overarching accessibility standards, saying the province is one of only two in Canada without such laws and that basic dignity is at stake. The NDP’s private member’s bill would form a committee (majority people with disabilities) to set rules for transit, employment and services; advocates Bean Gill and Zachary Weeks described everyday barriers like inaccessible washrooms and doors. The government’s Assisted Living Minister Jason Nixon expressed concerns about process and business input, but supporters say piecemeal measures aren’t enough.

Major drug seizure leads to charges — RCMP in Cochrane charged a 42-year-old Calgary man after seizing an estimated $450,000 in drugs during an investigation that began in April 2025; police say they seized 1.4 kg from a storage locker and an additional 2.7 kg from the suspect on March 11, 2026 (about 4.1 kg total) and $6,798 in cash. The accused faces six charges, including possession of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, and RCMP said the bust disrupts local supply — especially dangerous fentanyl. Police note Alberta had 1,181 opioid deaths in 2024, underscoring the harm officials seek to reduce.

Canada projects a big surge in electricity, led by wind — The Canada Energy Regulator forecasts electricity generation could grow 30% to more than double by 2050, driven partly by AI data centres and a big roll-out of wind power (an extra 50–150 GW vs. 2023). The report models four scenarios (current measures, higher, lower, net-zero); it expects most new generation to be low-emitting, crude oil output to peak in different years depending on prices (Canada produced 5.5 million barrels per day in 2024) and natural gas to rise to 21–32 bcf/day by 2050 with LNG exports growing. The CER also says emissions fall under all scenarios but plateau around 2035 unless further climate action is taken.

Oilers’ star Draisaitl out for rest of regular season — Leon Draisaitl will miss the remaining 14 regular-season games through April 16, 2026, with a lower-body injury after being hurt vs. Nashville; he had 97 points in 65 games and is fourth in NHL scoring. Coach Kris Knoblauch said the team won’t risk aggravating the injury and didn’t rule out his returning for the playoffs; Draisaitl is a former Hart Trophy winner (2020) and his absence is a major blow as Edmonton chases playoff position.

A friendly hack for procrastination — “Admin nights” are meetups where friends tackle bills, emails and appointments together; Vancouver’s Chloe Ng and others found them motivating, practical and even social. Financial-wellness coordinator Jeri Bittorf says they build accountability and let people share tips (like tax help), while keeping things low-pressure — meet at a café or library and get one or two small tasks done.