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Headlines: Oct. 1, 2026

· The Pulse
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  • Prime Minister Mark Carney joined First Nations and Métis leaders in Edmonton on Sept. 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and honour residential school survivors and children who died at the schools. Speaking at Fort Edmonton Park, Carney said the legacy of the residential school system remains relevant and called reconciliation an ongoing process. Treaty 6 Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. said misinformation obstructs healing, while Otipemisiwak Métis Government president Andrea Sandmaier urged people to challenge residential school denialism.
  • Edmonton city councillors are considering whether sanctioned outdoor encampments could be an alternative to dismantling homeless camps. Speakers at a council committee meeting, including members of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition, called on the city to fund outdoor spaces for unhoused people, while chief bylaw officer David Jones warned such sites could cost as much as heated shelters and become hot spots for gang activity. Jones said bylaw officers have issued 7,904 trespassing tickets so far in 2026, along with about 1,900 property bans.
  • The Edmonton Police Service has issued Canada-wide warrants for Scot MacDermid, who is wanted on charges related to the alleged abduction of his two children. Police asked the public for tips to locate the father and children.
  • Tesoro Caffè Bar is returning to Edmonton's downtown on Jasper Avenue, 15 years after it closed. Owner Franco Maione said he hopes the café will add vibrancy to the core. "I know there's been a lot of doom and gloom in the area as of late. But I'm more of an opportunistic person, and I just see the future potential more long term for what downtown is gonna bring," Maione said.
  • Elders at Edmonton's kihcihkaw askî Indigenous cultural site saw a nearby spring as a sign of reconciliation taking root, CBC reported. Co-founder Lewis Cardinal discovered a natural spring near the site's sweat lodge in 2024, which he describes as a sacred gift from the land. The site, which opened in 2023 after a 17-year campaign, hosts ceremonies, cultural teachings and school visits for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Organizers are now exploring ways to develop the spring for ceremonial use as interest grows in creating similar urban Indigenous spaces across Canada and internationally.
  • The Alberta government extended the application deadline for its $100 Alberta Energy Rebate to Oct. 31, giving eligible residents another month to apply. The province said more than 1.45 million Albertans had applied for or received the rebate and added the 2025 Notice of Assessment as an online payment-verification option.
  • Municipalities in Alberta say it is unclear who is responsible for enforcing rules on referendum signs after provincial legislation removed much of their authority to regulate election advertising. Edmonton amended its Public Spaces Bylaw in March to remove provisions specifically governing election signs after the province introduced the changes. Elections Alberta says it oversees the content of referendum advertising but not its size, placement or damage, while the provincial government says rules apply to signs on provincial highways. Dylan Bressey of Alberta Municipalities said the lack of clear enforcement authority has left municipalities "in the wild west" ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum.
  • Edmonton Oilers coach Mike Babcock said the team had "serious work to do" after its season-opening loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 29. He said Edmonton needed to correct defensive lapses after giving up three goals in four minutes in the third period.