$106 Oil Price, Stranded on the Highway, and a Clock Change Made Official

Heavy snow and high winds closed Highway 63 and Highway 881 in and out of Fort McMurray after multiple crashes brought traffic to a complete standstill. Some drivers were stuck for more than 13 hours. One motorist told CTV News she slept in her car, pulling clothes from her suitcase to make a blanket nest to keep warm. RCMP confirmed people ran out of fuel, food and water, and parents with small children were among those stranded.

A person with a diabetic emergency became stranded overnight when EMS could not get through. RCMP had to prioritize that call and navigate the gridlock on snowmobiles. In Edmonton, 60 car crashes were reported between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, including a rollover on Whitemud Drive during the morning rush hour.

Two local men took matters into their own hands, pulling out 28 vehicles and delivering fuel, water and pizza donated by a local restaurant to dozens of stranded drivers. "Community," one of them said simply when asked why. Highway 63 is expected to remain difficult through parts of Saturday. Check 511 Alberta before you travel.

Council voted in a private meeting on March 25 to wind down the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, the Edmonton Historical Board, the Edmonton Salutes Committee, the ETS Advisory Board, the Energy Transition Climate Resilience Committee, the Women's Advisory Voice of Edmonton Committee, and the City of Edmonton Youth Council. The decision was only made public this week.

Mayor Andrew Knack says the move is about modernising how the city hears from diverse voices, not about silencing them. "It's not that you're stopping hearing from those voices," he told reporters. "It's how you're doing it, because a lot of these systems have been in place for decades."

Critics are asking why the decision was made behind closed doors, and why groups focused on anti-racism, youth engagement and climate resilience were among the first to go. The city says new engagement models will replace the boards, though details are still being worked out.

The Alberta government introduced Bill 31, the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, this week to permanently lock the province onto Mountain Daylight Time, which the government is branding as "Alberta Time." Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally tabled the legislation Thursday.

The government says it will coordinate with international time authorities to prevent devices from automatically reverting in the fall, which has been a practical concern raised since the idea was first floated. The bill still needs to pass but government holds a majority and passage is expected.

The move reflects what officials call strong public demand, though a 2021 referendum saw a narrow majority oppose the change at the time. Either way, if this passes, Albertans will never lose an hour of sleep to a clock change again.

Alberta signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea's Hanwha Group this week to pursue collaboration and investment in aerospace, energy and advanced manufacturing. Hanwha is one of South Korea's largest conglomerates with major holdings in defence, solar energy and industrial manufacturing.

The deal comes on the heels of the Kawasaki hydrogen supply chain announcement earlier this week at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention in Edmonton, continuing a strong week for Alberta's international energy positioning. Edmonton's Industrial Heartland region is central to both partnerships.

For Edmonton area readers, this is part of a broader pattern of Asian energy investment turning toward Alberta as global markets actively look to diversify away from Middle East supply chains disrupted by the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran is "losing $500 million a day" due to the US naval blockade and claimed its military and police are not being paid. A US sanctioned supertanker broke through the blockade and passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran's state media confirmed. The US responded by imposing new sanctions on a major Chinese refinery and nearly 40 other targets for buying Iranian oil.

Brent crude climbed above $106 a barrel on Friday as the Strait standoff continues to strangle global shipping. A US Senate committee chair called for talks with Iran to end and military strikes to resume. Israel's defence minister said Israel is "prepared to renew the war against Iran" and is waiting for a green light from Washington.

The Israel Lebanon ceasefire extended three weeks is technically holding, though both sides exchanged fire Friday. For Alberta, oil above $106 supports provincial revenues but keeps driving up fuel costs and grocery prices for families already absorbing a 6.9 percent property tax increase.

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