Tornado Spike, Stampede Transit & ASIRT Update — Calgary's Week in Review.

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

1. ASIRT details fatal RCMP shooting near Irricana on July 3. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says two Airdrie RCMP officers responded to a 911 domestic-disturbance call at about 6:20 p.m.; a man exited holding what appeared to be a handgun and was shot after one officer fired multiple rounds, with paramedics pronouncing him dead at the scene.
2. Highway 28 crash north of Gibbons closed the road for hours and resulted in multiple fatalities. The collision occurred shortly after 5 p.m.; Alberta RCMP shut Highway 28 between Highway 28A and 50 Avenue, reopening it around 11 p.m., and Sturgeon County confirmed there were multiple deaths.
3. Phone-theft reports at Stampede grounds prompted Calgary Police awareness and advice. Acting Sgt. Jon Pierce said officers know of at least three phones stolen at Stampede grounds, including two at Nashville North and two at the Badlands Music Festival, and police noted thieves often use distraction techniques while victims are in crowds.

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Stampede concert thefts spurred social-media alerts and police follow-up. Victims reported thefts at Nashville North and other tents; attendees used device-location tools and shared information online as Calgary police continued investigations into multiple incidents during the weekend.
2. Community concern resurfaces over Highway 28 safety after fatal crash. Sturgeon County has long flagged high-collision intersections along Highway 28; the July 9 closure renewed calls for traffic controls following the multi-fatality collision.
3. ASIRT release confirms body-camera footage captured the Irricana interaction. The agency said the shooting was recorded on officers’ body-worn cameras and that officers provided first aid and requested emergency medical services after the shooting.
4. Immigration board orders deportation connected to Bishnoi gang amid wider enforcement. The Immigration and Refugee Board ordered Jashandeep Singh deported after video linked him to a May 19, 2025 extortion shooting in Surrey; the move follows racketeering charges against top Bishnoi leaders.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. Mark Carney told Stampede crowds he’s optimistic a pipeline will get built. While visiting the Calgary Stampede, Carney said polling shows majority support, reposted a 17-minute video June 30 arguing for interprovincial cooperation on energy, and said Canada faces a threefold energy challenge of prices, instability and climate change.
2. Prime Minister Carney met Treaty 6, 7 and 8 representatives in Calgary before Stampede visits. Carney returned from a Middle East trip and met Indigenous leaders in Calgary as part of his Stampede engagements; multiple federal ministers and MPs also attended the event this week.
3. Alberta unveils 36-plus school projects including 16 in Calgary under ‘Schools Now’. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the program aims to add or upgrade spaces for more than 39,000 students provincewide; 12 projects are due this fiscal year and 19 are approved to start construction.

💼 Economy & Business

1. Alberta’s new Meta data centre will begin operating before an adjacent power plant is finished. Provincial documents and officials say the data centre’s operations will start ahead of the neighbouring natural-gas-fired plant, raising sequencing and infrastructure questions for the region.
2. Meta outlines plans to cut water use at its massive Alberta data centre. Company materials explain water-reduction measures intended for the facility, which is planned to operate in the province and prompted provincial engagement on timelines and resource use.
3. U.S. Justice Department settles with South Bow over 2022 Keystone pipeline spill. The federal deal resolves legal exposure related to the spill, and Global reporting places the matter in the context of ongoing pipeline oversight and remediation in Alberta’s oilpatch.

🎨 Community & Culture

1. City rescinded a noise-ticket for a Stampede tent amid rising complaints. Calgary recorded 186 noise complaints as of Thursday, up from 124 last year; Cowboys Music Festival accounted for 124 complaints while Badlands produced 37, and city peace officers monitored and took measurements during the week.
2. Kananaskis trails and campgrounds are still recovering nearly two weeks after late-June floods. The worst of the storm peaked June 28, causing evacuations, basement flooding and a bridge collapse; Friends of Kananaskis Country say some trails remain closed while better-drained routes have dried out.
3. Tsuut’ina Nation is adding nearly 1,000 hectares for planned residential development. The land expansion aims to support residential projects on the Nation’s lands; the announcement details the scale and intent to grow housing capacity.

🏈 Sports

1. The Philpot twins will face off as Montreal hosts the Calgary Stampeders. Tyson and Jalen Philpot met Saturday in a CFL matchup; both receivers entered the game with strong starts to the season and 14 family members planned to be in attendance.
2. Calgary athlete Daniel won silver in a World Para Triathlon Series race. The local para triathlete earned a podium finish at an international series event, marking a notable result for a Calgary para-sport competitor.

🌦️ Weather & Roads

1. Alberta’s tornado count this year climbed to about 23, well above the 30-year average. Northern Tornadoes Project director Dave Sills said Alberta has at least 23 tornadoes this year and the three prairie provinces totalled 48, with strengths ranging from EF0 to EF2 and two EF3s reported in neighbouring provinces.
2. A tornado touched down near the Alberta–Saskatchewan border during a humid heat wave on July 11. Environment Canada issued and cancelled a red warning around 5:30 p.m. for the County of Vermilion River; the Tulliby Lake touchdown sits about 60 kilometres northwest of Lloydminster.