Edmonton Weekly Digest — Mar 30 to Apr 5, 2026

[2417] Oilers beat Chicago 3-1 on April 2 as rookie Matthew Savoie scored the winner, Edmonton’s fifth straight win and leaving the club tied for the Pacific Division lead with 87 points while Leon Draisaitl remains out for the season.

[2392] Goaltender Connor Ingram celebrated his 29th birthday with a 27‑save shutout in a 3-0 win over Seattle, extending the Oilers’ recent hot stretch.

[2424] The Oilers are adding young talent — they signed Owen Michaels to a one‑year entry‑level deal (and have also signed prospect William Nicholl to an entry contract) as the club builds depth for next season.

[2314] Edmonton will remove all three scramble (diagonal) crosswalks on Whyte Avenue later this year to speed up buses and improve transit reliability, replacing them with traditional crossings and curb extensions.

[2320] A man, Morgan Banman, 33, is charged with two counts of attempted murder and multiple weapons and robbery offences after a March 1 liquor‑store robbery and an alleged stabbing attempt at Corona LRT station in downtown Edmonton.

[2351] Edmonton man Kuldeep Raj is recovering after being hit by a wrong‑way driver on March 14; he has had multiple surgeries and a GoFundMe has been set up to help his family.

[2420] Gas prices jumped — many Edmonton stations around $1.74/L — as WTI neared US$114/barrel, prompting renewed calls for fuel‑tax relief; Alberta’s tax relief program still requires a 20‑trading‑day review before cuts take effect.

[2385] Weather warning for the long weekend: a storm brought snow and mixed precipitation to Calgary and parts of southern Alberta (Edmonton saw light flurries), so give yourself extra travel time and expect quickly changing conditions.

[2423] A separate Calgary spring storm caused at least 163 crashes (22 injuries) as heavy, wet snow stalled commutes — much of it is expected to melt quickly with milder temps expected Friday–Saturday.

[2425] Calgary lifted citywide water restrictions after repairs to nine sections of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main were completed; that pipe normally supplies about 60% of the city’s water and a $381‑million replacement is underway.

[2377] Swan Hills’ only pharmacy (population ~1,400) will close April 30, forcing residents to get prescriptions up to an hour away and raising worries about access for seniors.

[2380] Minimum wage changes across Canada continue but many say they’re not enough — Alberta’s minimum wage remains $15 while federally regulated workers move to $18.15/hour on April 1.

[2343] RCMP continue searching for the remains of five‑month‑old Braylee Beasley after her mother was found dead in a St. Albert apartment; Christopher Beasley faces charges and investigators are asking the public for tips.

[2376] Two people were killed in a crash on Highway 2 near Granum after a vehicle turning onto Highway 519 was struck by a northbound semi; RCMP are investigating.

[2378] Calgary police charged a 39‑year‑old with dangerous driving and obstructing after a fatal crash on Stoney Trail and for allegedly driving through a police barricade at high speed while officers were at the scene.

[2386] Calgary police charged Rana Cheema, 45, with extortion and uttering threats in a series of intimidation and extortion incidents targeting the South Asian community; police say 41 extortion attempts have been reported since Jan 2025.

[2381] Two people — Jimmy Gassner, 18, and Deon Libsekil, 23 — have been charged in the March 14 QEII highway shooting that killed 22‑year‑old Barinder Singh; RCMP say the attack appears partially random and not hate‑motivated.

[2345] Lethbridge law enforcement seized 2.25 kg of fentanyl (estimated $450,000 street value) on March 19 — the city’s largest fentanyl seizure — and a 49‑year‑old woman was arrested.

[2346] Separatist petitioners say they’ve collected more than 177,732 signatures (10% threshold) to trigger a referendum on Alberta independence; Elections Alberta will verify counts after the May 2 deadline.

[2306] The UCP government is proposing a one‑year blackout before and after provincial elections that would block citizen‑led petitions on constitutional or policy referendums during those windows.

[2347] Alberta is pushing for constitutional change to give provinces a greater say in appointing provincial judges and plans a legislature motion this week asking Ottawa for that reform.

[2421] New Alberta bill aims to keep sexually explicit images out of reach of children at public libraries (ages 15 and under) by requiring staff control or separate areas; the change could affect 324 public library points.

[2383] Alberta introduced a plan to require employers to register before hiring temporary foreign workers, create a licensing system for recruiters and publish a registry — penalties could be up to $1.5 million for corporations.

[2340] Alberta tabled legislation to define an official “Alberta whisky” label — whisky would need to be mashed, distilled, aged and bottled in‑province, use Alberta water and have at least two‑thirds local grain.

[2342] Federal‑provincial talks tied to last year’s MOU (carbon pricing, Pathways carbon‑capture project) likely won’t meet the April 1 deadline, risking delays for billions in low‑carbon investments.

[2349] Ottawa will temporarily allow the gopher poison strychnine in Alberta and Saskatchewan until Nov 2027 after revised emergency‑use terms to protect crops and reduce environmental risk.

[2350] Artemis II is poised to launch in the April 1–6 window: Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen could become the first non‑American beyond low Earth orbit and Calgary’s Jenni Gibbons is his backup on the 10‑day lunar flyby.

[2318] The U.S. will close Border Road to Canadian traffic this summer; Alberta is spending about $8 million to build a parallel Canadian road and keep local access on this shared border stretch.

[2315] Food banks across Canada face unprecedented demand — in Alberta 132,402 people used food banks this month and Calgary research finds 64% of older clients are first‑time users, highlighting rising food insecurity.

[2387] Colorectal screening age is being lowered in some jurisdictions — PEI and Nunavut moved to 45 and other provinces, including Alberta, are reviewing the evidence.

[2310] Many migraine sufferers in Alberta report worsening symptoms with rapid weather swings; doctors say weather can be a trigger and encourage people with frequent attacks to seek care.