Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province's separation from Canada. The question seeks a yes or no answer to: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?" Elections Alberta said the proponents — the Alberta Prosperity Project and its chief executive officer, Mitch Sylvestre — have until early January to appoint a financial officer for its petition campaign, after which signature collection can begin.

This time last year, the average Canadian might have struggled to pick Mark Carney's face out of a crowd. Video: Mark Carney is The Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year for 2025 Now he's among the most recognizable figures in the country, and was selected The Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year for 2025 in an annual survey of newsroom editors and leaders from across the country.

An Alberta animal welfare agency says a dog that tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza has died. The Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says in a Saturday social media post that this is the second confirmed fatal case of bird flu in a dog in Canada. It did not provide further details on the dog's death.

A mall just outside of Edmonton says it has replaced its Santa after he slapped a little boy's hand when the boy pulled his beard. Sherwood Park Mall, located in a hamlet east of Edmonton, says it sincerely apologizes to the boy and his family. It says the Santa involved will not be returning and has been replaced. The mall says its Santa experience was briefly halted after the boy's "unacceptable" experience and resumed by Saturday evening.

A former member of Premier Danielle Smith's government caucus says Elections Alberta has approved the name for a new political party, after the province banned a list of monikers it could use, including "conservative." Airdrie-Cochrane legislature member Peter Guthrie announced in a social media post on Thursday evening that the new party will be known as the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta.

Canada's long-held consensus on immigration — that it's a net positive for the country — has been coming apart in recent years. Roughly half of the population thinks too many immigrants have been coming to Canada, according to several private polling firms. That parallels a government survey from November 2024, when 54 per cent of respondents to a phone survey conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said "too many" immigrants were coming to Canada.

At the Paris AI Action Summit in February, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders watched as U.S. Vice President JD Vance took the stage to rail against AI regulation. Vance's speech — delivered with his face projected on a large screen between the intricately-carved pillars lining the stage at the historic Grand Palais — marked the beginning of a global shift in governments' attitudes toward AI governance.

A former member of Premier Danielle Smith's government caucus says Elections Alberta has approved the name for a new political party, after the province banned a list of monikers it could use, including "conservative." Airdrie-Cochrane legislature member Peter Guthrie announced in a social media post on Thursday evening that the new party will be known as the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta.

A man found not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party is getting more freedoms but not an absolute discharge. Alberta's Criminal Code Review Board is allowing Matthew de Grood passes of up to two weeks to visit his family's home in Calgary. He is also being allowed to travel to British Columbia and Ontario if accompanied by a responsible adult.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s handpicked panel re-examining the province's relationship with Ottawa says it’s time to ditch the RCMP and hold a provincewide referendum on quitting the Canada Pension Plan. The Alberta Next panel, in a new report of findings and recommendations, says creating a provincial pension plan was the most hotly debated topic among citizens, but one that needs to proceed to a vote.

Many parts of the Prairies, along with other parts of Canada, might have to dig themselves out ahead of this coming weekend as a wintry wallop continues. Environment and Climate Change Canada says another Alberta Clipper is expected to dump upwards of 15 centimetres of snow across the southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The weather office says strong westerly wind gusts of up to 70 kilometres per hour are also expected.

Achieving the crisp audio heard on the radio and at live performances requires expert sound engineering. From setting up microphones to checking audio levels, many essential details must be coordinated properly to set a band up for success. Behind the booth is where the magic happens, though. Video: The Calgary Journal's Gabriella Lindland reports on a Calgary audio engineer's passion for making sweet sound…

Alberta has appointed a new chief medical officer of health. Dr. Vivien Suttorp, who has been the lead medical health officer for the province's South Zone, is to begin her new job Friday. There have been a number of changes in the position since 2022, when Premier Danielle Smith followed through on an election campaign promise to fire Dr. Deena Hinshaw over frustrations with COVID-19 health measures.

Alberta's top court has ruled that requiring prospective lawyers to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the reigning monarch is unconstitutional and infringes on religious freedom. The Court of Appeal of Alberta made the decision Tuesday in Prabjot Wirring's years-long case against the province and Law Society of Alberta. The court said the legally-required oath forced Wirring to choose between practising law in Alberta and his faith as an amritdhari Sikh.

It's shaping up to be a nasty blast of winter across the Prairies today with snowstorms and blizzards set to dump up to 30 centimetres in some areas. Severe blizzard conditions in Calgary temporarily halted flights in and out of the city's International Airport. Environment Canada issued a yellow-level winter storm warning, including "near-zero visibility in blowing snow continues, particularly outside Calgary City Centre."

Elections Alberta has approved a citizen recall petition against Justice Minister Mickey Amery. The petitioner in Amery's riding of Calgary-Cross says he needs to go because he has been unresponsive to constituent concerns and supports harmful policies. Amery, a member of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party caucus, says he remains committed to serving his constituents. He says the act is intended for serious ethical breaches, not to resolve policy disputes.

Canada’s governing body for figure skating says Alberta is now a no-go zone for national and international events because of its law on transgender athletes. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the organization's refusal to hold events in the province "disgraceful" and said her government expects an apology. Skate Canada, in a statement Tuesday, said its new policy is due to the provincial law — the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act — that prohibits transgender athletes from participating in female-only sports.

During the weekdays, she’s focused on her lectures and late-night study sessions. On the weekends, she shifts to being a receptionist at a nursing home. Then, on top of her busy schedule, she finds time to bake cookies for extra income. Abby De Sagun is a full-time student at St. Mary’s University, who turned her hobby and passion for baking into a marketable product.

Alberta is home to a lot of things.  Our province is intertwined with the oil sands through good times and bad. The Rocky Mountains are basically our backyard here in Calgary. And we have barley, lots and lots of it. We have so much barley that it only makes sense that our province is home to a bustling craft beer scene.

Riding saddles for horses have been around for centuries, although they looked vastly different from the modern saddle we have come to know today. Dating back more than 2000 years, the saddle was a piece of cloth secured with a surcingle — a strap that goes around the horse’s midsection.  Modern saddles have evolved significantly and now include solid structures for stability and many more features to ensure safety and comfort while riding. 

Macarons are two almond french cookies that are put together with buttercream in the middle and require very few ingredients to make. However, this creates a false sense of easiness with bakers because the recipe is extremely intricate and precise.  David Rousseau, a French chef who grew up in Brittany France, owns Ollia Macarons + Tea in Calgary located at 16th Avenue S.W.

Canada Post says the millions of Canadians who write to Santa Claus with their wish lists will get a response this year. A month-long strike by more than 55,000 postal workers last year meant Old Saint Nick couldn't respond to letters, but kids were assured he would read each one. Canada Post spokesman Phil Legault says more than one million letters are delivered to and from the Jolly Old Elf each year, and that's not about to change.

As a teen growing up in Toronto, Bhavik Sharma imagined what life would look like at 25. He and his high school friends would be starting families. They'd be on six-figure salaries and living comfortably. Now 27, he's back living with his parents in Kitchener, Ont., driven out of Toronto by high rent and other costs. "I think back then, in that generation, it was definitely a lot easier," Sharma said of the path to adulthood for his parents, who moved to Canada from India about 30 years ago.

A federal minister dropped hints about more floor crossings Monday following the defection of Ontario MP Michael Ma to the Liberals last week. When asked whether more opposition MPs are getting ready to cross the floor to join the government, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said people have reached out. "Let's say I'm getting lots of inquiries," Hodgson told a Toronto press conference.

Rising grocery costs were causing fresh pain for consumers in November, even as Statistics Canada reports the overall inflation rate held steady in the month. The agency said Monday that annual inflation rose 2.2 per cent in November, unchanged from the previous month and a tick below economists' expectations. Grocery prices were up 4.7 per cent year-over-year in November — a jump from 3.4 per cent in October and the highest level recorded since December 2023.