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Headlines: Oct. 13, 2026

· The Pulse
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  • The City of Edmonton completed Stage 2 of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion, reopening construction areas and adding roadway, transit, pathway, pedestrian and cycling improvements in southwest Edmonton, the City said in a release. One westbound lane on 122 Street is expected to remain closed until late October while crews repair embankment erosion; landscaping and site restoration will continue in 2027. Stage 3 of the project is already underway and is expected to be complete by 2028.
  • The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the death of a man who was found unresponsive in police cell on Sept. 17 after spending about 24 hours in custody. The Edmonton Police Service said the man was arrested the previous evening and was later ordered released by a judge following a bail hearing. (ASIRT) said video footage showed the man moving around his cell until about 6:40pm before lying down, and that an officer found him unconscious during a check shortly after 7pm. He received emergency treatment from an on-site paramedic but died before he could be taken to hospital.
  • Advance voting for the Alberta referendum begins Oct. 13 at 9am, with 310 polling stations available across the province. The 10 questions cover immigration policy, constitutional reform and whether Alberta should remain in Canada or pursue a second, binding separation referendum. Elections Alberta projects voter turnout of 80-85%, well above the average of just over 55% in the past five provincial elections, raising the possibility of long lineups.
  • Alberta Native News profiled Edmonton photojournalist Paula Kirman, who has spent more than 20 years documenting social movements and Indigenous events, expanding into journalism, video, film and digital storytelling. Her work began around 2005 when she photographed a peace march and recognized the lack of media coverage of such events. She has since documented movements including Idle No More and initiatives raising awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, while building an online archive of her work.
  • Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser appointed Court of King's Bench Justice Thomas Rothwell to the Alberta Court of Appeal in Edmonton and Alberta Deputy Justice Minister Malcolm Lavoie to the Court of King's Bench. Rothwell replaces retired Justice F. Slatter, while Lavoie fills the seat Rothwell vacated, the federal government said.
  • In an opinion piece published in the Globe and Mail, Capital Power CEO Avik Dey argued Alberta businesses should support remaining in Canada, warning the separation debate could deter investment. Dey cited the Calgary Chamber of Commerce's estimate that a Brexit-scale decline in investment could cost Alberta as much as $15 billion in one year.
  • An obituary in the Globe and Mail chronicled some of the achievements of Alberta Chief Justice Ritu Khullar, who died Sept. 3 at the age of 62. Khullar advocated for others throughout her legal and judicial career, from disability-rights cases to leading the province's courts.
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Albertans to remain part of Canada in a Thanksgiving address from his former Edmonton high school, one week before the province's Oct. 19 referendum. The ballot includes a non-binding question asking whether Alberta should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding separation referendum. Carney cited federal housing initiatives, a proposed Edmonton-Calgary high-speed rail line and a proposed pipeline to the West Coast as examples of what Canadians can achieve together. The premier's office referred Albertans to the government's referendum website for information on the 10 ballot questions.