ALERT's $7M Drug Haul, Downtown Suspicious Death & Mill Woods E‑scooters — Edmonton Thursday

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. ALERT seizes more than $7 million in drugs and $1 million cash. Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) announced seizures including over $7 million worth of drugs, $1 million in cash, 17 firearms and eight vehicles after searches in Edmonton, Calgary, St. Albert and Sturgeon County; investigators say the cash haul is the largest in ALERT’s 20-year history and the probe — started November 2025 — remains ongoing.

2. Edmonton police probe suspicious downtown death of 48-year-old man. Officers responded about 12:59 p.m. Wednesday to 112 Avenue and 82 Street where a 48-year-old man with serious injuries was found, taken to hospital and pronounced dead; Edmonton police have called in their specialized section and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. Alberta premier and minister publicly criticise Edmonton police social-media post on hate reporting. The Alberta premier and a cabinet minister issued criticism over an Edmonton Police Service social-media post about reporting hate; provincial leaders’ comments name the EPS post as the trigger for the public rebuke.

2. Clinics and technicians question Alberta’s new self-referral method for health tests. Health clinics and lab technicians are raising concerns about the province’s new self-referral approach for certain health tests in Alberta; the debate centres on operational questions from care providers about the policy change.

🌦️ Weather & Roads

1. City launches e-scooter safety pilot in Mill Woods. Edmonton has rolled out an e-scooter safety pilot project in the Mill Woods neighbourhood as a municipally managed trial to test rules and safety measures for shared e-scooters.

2. Strathcona County plans 'brake for snakes' measures to protect garter snakes on rural road. Strathcona County announced hope to prevent garter snake deaths on a rural road by introducing mitigation measures intended to reduce road mortality for the local snake population.

💼 Economy & Business

1. Gambling ads are saturating Alberta right now, say experts. Reporting finds gambling advertisements are widespread across Alberta, prompting experts to weigh in on their potential effects within the province.

2. WestJet cabin crew union reveals details of tentative deal after strike. The WestJet cabin crew union published details of a tentative agreement reached following the recent strike action by cabin crew.

📰 Also Today

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• Top Canadian and U.S. trade officials meet in Washington as 50% tariffs loom.
• Classified CBSA report names key members of India’s Bishnoi gang operating in Canada.
• Canada's peacekeeping legacy is fading, analysis finds.
• Climate change doubled odds of recent wildfires in N.W.T. and Ontario, analysis says.
• DFO finds critical fish habitat destroyed; probe halted and logging permits issued.
• Edmonton woman among Canadian workers opposing workplace screen-time surveillance.
• Large white supremacist meeting alarms residents of Alberta town.
• Alberta independence group completes separation blueprint, seeks expert review.
• Updated storm and tornado alerting system expected as early as Tuesday.
• Alberta begins repaving critical highway through Fort McMurray.
• Carney says 'all strategic sectors' are on the table as U.S. tariff threat looms.