Headlines: July 17, 2026
By Mariam Ibrahim
- The City of Edmonton activated its extreme heat response through July 19 after temperatures were forecast to hit 29°C or higher for at least three consecutive days. Potable water is available at 29 stations across the city, attached to fire hydrants.
- Edmonton is on track for its wettest summer on record, leaving homeowners dealing with repeated basement flooding, with some discovering their insurance doesn't cover water seepage. EPCOR said rainfall events approaching 100-year levels are straining its collection system, and repair companies are receiving significantly higher call volumes.
- The Low Level Bridge will be fully closed from 8pm July 17 to 6am July 20 as crews restore the temporary paved detour near the bridge, including parts of the bridge approaches. Drivers are advised to use the James Macdonald Bridge as a detour.
- The Edmonton Police Service charged 37-year-old Kelly Smith with assault with a weapon and criminal hit and run in an alleged hate-motivated incident in which the suspect struck a woman in a hijab with her vehicle after making racist and xenophobic comments in a north Edmonton parking lot on May 27. The allegations have not been tested in court; Smith was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled in court in early August.
- Tensions flared at an Edmonton Police Commission meeting as public speakers criticized Police Chief Warren Driechel's trip to Israel. Speakers who questioned the chief about the trip during the meeting were cut off for speaking about topics outside the commission's mandate. Security was also called.
- Major Singh Bhandal, 85, and his wife Surinderjit Kaur Bhandal, 82 — the couple killed when a vehicle struck their north Edmonton apartment building, triggering a gas line explosion — are being remembered by family as devoted community members. Grandson Lali Toor described the inseparable pair, who were married for 64 years, as "best friends for life." ATCO has restored gas service to about 1,700 customers in four northeast Edmonton neighbourhoods — Glengarry, Killarney, Balwin and Delwood — after crews shut it off to support the emergency response to the fatal fire.
- The City of Edmonton hosted Connect with Our Roots, an Indigenous-led gathering that was rescheduled from June due to severe weather, at kihciy askiy-Sacred Land, where residents joined Elders and Knowledge Keepers to plant native trees and learn about Indigenous land stewardship.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith held the first Premier's Breakfast since the COVID-19 pandemic on the legislature grounds to kick off KDays. Security removed a protester who confronted Smith over her government's plan to build a $13-billion Meta AI data centre north of Edmonton.
- Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi apologized for the harm caused by a photo of him alongside the Israeli ambassador at the Calgary Stampede. Nenshi said the photo hurt many people, adding what is happening "on the other side of the world is having real implications on people" in Alberta. "We've seen massive increases in anti-Palestinian racism. We've seen massive increases in antisemitism, and we have a community that is being torn apart in so many ways," Nenshi said.
- Corus Entertainment, the owner of Global Television Network, is cutting 43 media jobs across Canada, including 28 in Alberta, as it grapples with declining advertising revenue and more than $1 billion in debt. Scott Roberts, co-anchor of Global Edmonton's 6pm newscast, confirmed he is among those being cut.
- The Edmonton Oilers will play an expanded 84-game regular season in 2026-27, opening with a home-and-home against Vancouver on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1.
Share