- The City of Edmonton has seen a 15% increase in Workers' Compensation Board claims filed by city employees since 2021, totalling 5,226 claims, including 4,613 physical injuries and 613 mental health cases. City officials say Edmonton is considered high risk compared with other municipalities, prompting concerns about workplace safety and potential budget pressures. Councillors are calling for a plan to reduce injuries as the city prepares its next four-year budget, while Andrew Knack said the issue will be addressed during the budgeting process.
- Edmonton's 102 Avenue will be fully closed to vehicle traffic between 107 Street and 102 Street beginning March 16 and lasting until the end of the year. The closure will allow construction on the Valley Line West LRT project. During Phase 1, expected to last 20 weeks, 105 Street will maintain north-south traffic across 102 Avenue. Pedestrian access will be maintained via detours. Bike lanes along 102 Avenue were temporarily relocated to 103 Avenue in November 2025. The full closure aims to accelerate construction and reduce the overall effect on traffic.
- Acute Care Alberta released 16 recommendations following a review into the Dec. 22, 2025, death of Prashant Sreekumar in the Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency room in Edmonton. The report advises hospitals to prevent emergency room backlogs by not capping ward admissions and implementing triage doctors, specifically prioritizing the Edmonton region. Sreekumar's widow, Niharika Sreekumar, expressed her dissatisfaction with the report, calling it a "joke." The province previously announced triage liaison physicians for major Edmonton hospitals, which are not yet in place.
- Edmonton landowners have erected a blockade at a pumpjack site operated by MAGA Energy, saying the company has not paid its land lease for three years. Mark Dorin and Dale Braun say the unpaid lease means the company no longer has the right to access the property except to decommission the wells. The dispute reflects a broader problem in Alberta's oil and gas sector. An investigation by the Investigative Journalism Foundation found nearly 600 companies owed about $254 million in unpaid municipal property taxes and land leases by the end of 2024. Critics say the case raises questions about enforcement after the company was still approved for new well licences despite being in arrears.
- Edmonton activated its extreme weather response on March 12 to assist vulnerable populations as a significant winter storm hit the province. Environment Canada has issued warnings as the storm moves across Alberta, bringing 15 to 20 centimetres of snow to parts of central Alberta including Rocky Mountain House, Red Deer and Drumheller. Blowing snow and poor visibility are expected to make travel difficult on highways.
- Former Edmonton mayor Amarjeet Sohi and former city councillor Tim Cartmell have landed new roles. Sohi, who served as mayor from 2021 to 2025 and was also a federal minister, joined New West Public Affairs as a senior advisor. Cartmell, a two-term city councillor from 2017 to 2025, became associate vice-president of major capital projects at NAIT.
- Investigators with the Edmonton Police Service are seeking dashcam footage of a collision that happened March 10. Around noon, a 62-year-old SUV driver struck two 16-year-old girls crossing 122 Avenue at 96 Street. The teens were hospitalized with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained on scene. Police do not consider speed or alcohol factors and ask anyone with information to contact them at 780-423-4567.
- Alberta's Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides launched a $90 million pilot program to expand private school spaces across the province. Funded from Budget 2026 over three years, the program offers matching grants up to $10 million to eligible independent schools, prioritizing those serving students with specialized needs. It aims to create up to 6,000 new school spaces to help ease growing enrolment pressures.
Headlines: March 13, 2026
By Mariam Ibrahim