🚑 Breaking & Incidents
- Three waves of Monday storms flooded streets and shut a major river-valley interchange in south-central Edmonton. Environment Canada tracked storm cells that first hit at 1 p.m.; flooding closed the Connors/Scona/98 Avenue interchange and submerged streets in Belgravia, the University of Alberta area and The Alces, while transit was halted after a tree fell on Valley Line Southeast tracks near Strathearn.
- Upstream oil spill prompted a temporary shutdown of waterflow into Chestermere Lake after about 1,200 litres leaked. Alberta officials say a storage-tank failure released roughly 1,200 litres of motor and hydraulic oil into the Western Headworks Canal; Calgary Fire Department crews used a vacuum truck and the facility operator is covering cleanup costs.
🏛️ Government & Politics
- Alberta will allow out-of-pocket payments for diagnostic tests like MRIs starting Friday under provincial legislation. Premier Danielle Smith announced patients can pay at the point of service to bypass physician referrals and may be reimbursed if results lead to a cancer diagnosis; providers can choose whether to offer or modify the privately paid tests and private-paid surgeries are proposed to start in September.
- Federal and Alberta governments will each contribute $26 million to a $52-million upgrade of Calgary’s Olympic Oval. The renewal will modernize the nearly 40-year-old facility on the University of Calgary campus that has hosted national speedskating training and produced 40 Olympic medals for Canada.
- Calgary police are scaling back physical searches for an 11-year-old boy named Parker after 12 days of field work. Chief Katie McLellan said searches in his last known area and Nose Hill Park, including waterways, have been completed after teams logged more than 8,600 kilometres of walking; investigators said the case remains active and they will assess new leads.
🎨 Community & Culture
- Edmonton Elks receiver Austin Mack had 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-34 win over Saskatchewan. Mack caught four passes for 173 yards, including scoring plays of 57 and 81 yards, as Edmonton improved to 6-1 and moved four points clear atop the West Division; Vincent Blanchard kicked a 57-yard game-winning field goal on the final play.
- New research maps jade celt trade routes across the Rockies using stone analysis. The study traces prehistoric Indigenous trade in jade artifacts across the Rocky Mountains, providing new data on exchange networks and artifact provenance in the region.
📰 Also Today
- TD predicts meaningful GDP boost from a West Coast pipeline, unnamed report projects provincial economic gains.
- Small Alberta town considers joining new provincial police force, town lacks resources for its own police service.
- Some Edmontonians raise concerns over plans to naturalize greenspaces, residents voice objections to city proposals.
- Canadians Ellie Black and Josh Liendo win Commonwealth Games gold medals, national team secures podiums.
- Condo storage lockers sold with units may be illegal in some cases, homeowners warned about regulations.
- Survey suggests 1 in 10 emergency physicians are leaving Canadian ERs, national workforce concern reported.
- Alberta ERs report skull fractures from trampoline injuries, hospitals record severe pediatric trauma cases.
- Cold Lake café owner says separatist events cost 15% of revenue, Beantrees closed after petition-related backlash.
