Calgary Daily Digest — March 23, 2026

Big relief after a scary buy: Ashutosh Pathak bought a Ford F-150 for just under $40,000 from Summit Ram in Ponoka last fall, only to have RCMP seize it saying the VIN had been altered. After five months of loan payments and little help from AMVIC and his insurer, the dealership (Kaizen Automotive Group) repaid him days after Global News ran the story; police say VIN tampering is on the rise, with an estimated 1,500 fraudulent Alberta-origin vehicles since 2022.

Mystery at Wetaskiwin city hall: Mayor Joe Branco was banned from city hall nearly two months ago and the municipality cites confidential personnel matters under the Protection of Privacy Act. Branco’s lawyer Robert Noce has asked for the investigation report but still hasn’t received it; council held a special meeting on March 2 about threats and tabled a motion on March 10 to bring in a third-party contractor for the issue until March 24.

Faster green lights for big projects: Alberta’s UCP says it will introduce legislation to force a 120-day approval timeline for major projects, an idea linked to a mandate letter to Energy Minister Brian Jean. Critics want clearer rules and Indigenous leaders like Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine warn faster approvals must still protect Indigenous rights and the environment; details and the tabling date are not yet public.

Tragic weekend avalanches in northern B.C.: Four people died in separate avalanches on Sunday — three heli-skiers on the Iridium Shoulder of Mount Knauss (north of Terrace) and another person near the Klehini River close to the B.C.–U.S. border. Rescue crews were activated after a 1:30 p.m. call near Terrace and a Garmin SOS near Pleasant Camp triggered a helicopter response; the BC Coroners Service is investigating and Avalanche Canada rated the areas considerable to moderate.

Massive avalanche shuts Icefields Parkway: During avalanche control on Highway 93 north of Lake Louise, a slide about 500 metres wide ran 2.5 kilometres and left debris 250 metres long and 6–8 metres high near Mount Hector. Parks Canada says the atmospheric river helped create extreme hazard levels; the highway is closed while crews clear dense, ice-like snow and may stay shut until at least Saturday, March 28.

Former minister warns legislature tools weakened: Peter Guthrie, who left Danielle Smith’s cabinet, says new procedural rules stretch written-question deadlines from 15 sitting days to 120, and remove debate on rejected questions — changes he calls a way for government to dodge scrutiny. Government house leader Joseph Schow says the changes free up debate time, but NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi and others argue it reduces accountability ahead of the October 2027 election.

Alberta to allow lawsuits over deepfake intimate images: The province plans to amend existing law so people can sue those who share AI-created intimate deepfake images and expanded protections will include audio recordings, Technology Minister Nate Glubish says. The government aims to bring the legislation this fall, and crime-support groups like the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre welcome stronger tools.

Riverfront homes for sale 13 years after the flood: Six Roxboro riverfront lots that were bought and cleared after Calgary’s 2013 flood are now listed, with prices between $1.75 million and $3 million, after upstream mitigation like the Springbank Offstream Reservoir reduced risk. The province put restrictive covenants on titles (single-family only) and realtors expect strong demand for rare waterfront parcels.

Man shot dead on QEII; truck found but no arrests: On March 14, 22-year-old Birinder Singh was shot in the neck while driving south of Leduc near Township Road 490 and died from blood loss; two friends in the car survived. RCMP found a grey 2022 Ford F-150 linked to the incident but the suspect is at large; investigators say a hate motivation has not been ruled out as all in the car were wearing turbans.

Big crowd, big debate on blanket rezoning in Calgary: More than 350 people signed up to speak as council reopens debate over the 2024 citywide rezoning that allowed more housing types; if repealed, 306,774 residential parcels (about 68% of properties) would be returned to low-density rules. Speakers are split — some warn repeal will choke development, others say the policy harms neighbourhood character — and council will hear voices for long days of public hearings this week.

Vandals hit Legacy overnight; three youths arrested: Residents in Legacy woke March 22 to find over 20 vehicles (mostly white) and several buildings spray-painted pink with offensive images; All Saints High School and condo buildings were affected. Calgary police say three youths under 18 were arrested, Sgt. Chris Martin asked the city to clean public property quickly, and charges are pending.

Edmonton man wanted in two Ontario homicides arrested in Calgary: Isaiah Thomas Badger, 19, was arrested in Calgary and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar (shot Feb. 7 at Woodbine Shopping Centre, Etobicoke) and Sergio Lopes (shot Jan. 26 in Vaughan). Police say Badger also faces arson-related charges; another suspect, Jacob Wallace, 19, was arrested March 5 and charged with first-degree murder and arson in one of the cases.