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An Airdrie man is facing six sexual assault charges after women were allegedly groped at retail stores in Airdrie and Calgary. Police say the same suspect was identified in all six cases. Shawn Thompson, 30, has been released and is due in court Oct. 1.

EPS says officers conducting traffic stops are regularly put at risk by vehicles speeding past them. Drivers must slow to 60 km/h or the posted limit, whichever is lower, and move over when passing stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights.

Alberta has been fighting a war against rats for more than 75 years. When Norway rats reached Alberta’s eastern border in 1950 after spreading west across the Prairies, the province declared them a pest and launched an aggressive campaign to stop them from taking over. At one point, Alberta treated 8,000 buildings on 2,700 farms with 63,600 kg of 73% arsenic trioxide tracking powder, blowing the poison underneath buildings so rats would walk through it. The chemical was eventually abandoned after livestock, poultry and pets were accidentally poisoned. The province then built a 600-km-long Rat Control Zone along the Saskatchewan border, with inspectors checking properties and destroying infestations and rats on sight. More than 70 years later, Alberta still has no established breeding population of rats. Rats occasionally hitchhike into the province on vehicles and shipments, but when they are found, they are isolated and eradicated. It is even illegal to own a pet rat in Alberta.

NEW: A dead rat has been found near Bowden, Alberta, triggering an investigation by the province’s Rat Patrol. Alberta has maintained its rat-free status since 1950, and officials are now working to determine where the rat came from and whether others are present.

A new Ipsos poll for Global News (600 Alberta adults, Sept 18–22) finds 70% plan to vote "remain in Canada" in the Oct 19 referendum, while 20% want to start the independence process.

Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel says the government has no plans to loosen restrictions on nicotine pouches, keeping authorized products behind pharmacy counters. She says the rules are intended to protect youth and help Canadians make informed health decisions.

Premier Danielle Smith floated a $1,400–$1,900 health premium for temporary residents if the Oct. 19 referendum backs a “reasonable fee.” She pointed to the UK’s visa surcharge as “the idea of what we’re looking at.”

I’ll go first:

What’s the most Alberta thing you’ve ever seen?

An Edmonton man has been sentenced to three years in prison after police found 16 privately manufactured Glock-style handguns, a 3D printer, firearm blueprints and other gun parts at his home in 2023. Roy Tucker, 31, was convicted of three firearms offences.

The Calgary Flames are bringing back their iconic 2004-era jersey for the final season at the Saddledome. The red ’04 jersey will be worn four times against Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose and Tampa Bay, the four teams Calgary faced during its 2004 playoff run.

The most popular baby names in Canada for 2025 have been revealed. Noah remained the top name for boys, while Charlotte took the top spot for girls for the first time, ending Olivia’s nine-year run.

Netanyahu’s official aircraft crossed Canadian airspace on Thursday on the way to the United Nations in New York. An International Criminal Court arrest warrant has been in effect since November 2024. PM Mark Carney has said Netanyahu would be arrested if he entered Canada.

PM Mark Carney says he has prepared for the possibility of a U.S.-led military invasion of Canada, describing it as an “extreme tail risk.” He said it is not the expected scenario, but that it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it.

Treat yourself like the Anthony Henday and never stop working on yourself

Edmonton has partly closed the viewing platform at Keillor Point — the river-valley lookout people call the End of the World — after engineers found the slope under it is still moving. The nickname stuck after Keillor Road closed in the 1990s and the dead-end became a lookout.

Canada’s first F-35A, airframe AR-1, flew today at Fort Worth. In RCAF service it will be a CF-35A, replacing the CF-188 Hornet. First jets go to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for training; aircraft are not due in Canada until 2028.

Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz introduced a motion for Edmonton to explore charging for street parking in high-demand residential zones, noting that curb space is public property.

Statistics Canada says Alberta led the provinces in population growth from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, rising 1.5 per cent — more than three times the national rate of 0.5 per cent. Alberta’s estimate on July 1, 2026, was 5,101,050.

Alberta’s Voice, a registered third-party advertiser, has launched a campaign that puts the October 19 referendum’s cost at about $134 million and translates that into 188 teachers, 150 family doctors, 794 educational assistants or two new 900-student schools.