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Alberta Midday Roundup: Boyle Murder Charge & Doctors Ratify Deal (Oct 6, 2026)

Oct 6
9 min read
Alberta Midday Roundup: Boyle Murder Charge & Doctors Ratify Deal (Oct 6, 2026) - Alberta Radio by Jason LaFace

A woman is charged with murder near Boyle, Alberta's doctors have a new contract, and the separatist camp is toasting Quebec's new premier-designate. Here's what changed since the morning book.

By Jason LaFace | Alberta Radio

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Good afternoon. Thirteen days to the ballot. Crime first, then politics, the regions, sports and your weather.

Crime Across Alberta

Boyle — woman charged with second-degree murder. Alberta RCMP have arrested and charged Allie Reville, 32, of Athabasca County, with second-degree murder in the death of Kevin Witney, 42. CTV Edmonton reports the accused is a woman. Witney was found dead on a rural property north of the village on Sept. 28, and his death was ruled a homicide. The RCMP Major Crimes Unit took over the case after an autopsy on Sept. 30. Reville was remanded into custody after an interim release hearing and makes a first appearance in the Boyle Court of Justice on Oct. 13. RCMP had earlier called the killing an isolated incident with no risk to the public. Boyle is about 144 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The charge has not been proven in court.

Calgary — gunshot fired at resident who chased car prowler. Calgary police are asking for help identifying a man involved in a car prowling and shooting in Douglasdale. At about 4 a.m. on Sept. 13, two people are believed to have been prowling vehicles in the 100 block of Douglasview Road S.E. A resident confronted one and followed him as he ran. Police say the man pulled a handgun, fired a round into the air and kept running. He's described as 5'8" to 6' with a medium build, wearing a black, grey and white chevron-pattern hoodie, black ball cap, face covering and a crossbody bag. Call 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Edmonton — retrial under way for former EPS civilian employee. The judge-alone retrial of Yasin Cetin, 34, a former Edmonton Police Service civilian member, began Monday in Edmonton Court of King's Bench. He faces charges including luring a child under 16, sexual assault and possessing child exploitation material, stemming from an alleged incident involving a 14-year-old boy who met a man online in December 2023. A mistrial was declared in May at the Crown's request; prosecutor David Gault told court the Crown has changed its theory of the case. The identity of the man the youth met is a central issue. The trial is expected to run all week. None of the allegations have been proven.

Red Deer — help find Vada Baptiste, 15. Red Deer RCMP say the teen was last seen Sept. 28 in Red Deer and they are concerned for her well-being. She's 5'5", 114 pounds, with long brown hair and brown eyes. Call Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2300.

Earlier today: $30M Cigarette Bust in Westlock: 29.5M Smokes Seized — our full story on the RCMP's contraband tobacco case.

Alberta Politics

Separatist leaders see a friend in Quebec. A day after the Parti Québécois win, Alberta independence figure Jeff Rath says premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is a friend to the movement and that his victory could change the political dynamic of Canada. The Canadian Press notes Plamondon said during a visit to Calgary last year that he would recognize an independent Alberta if the province voted to separate. He has pledged a third Quebec sovereignty referendum, but not until after Donald Trump leaves office. Premier Danielle Smith says she's looking forward to working with his government and that Canada succeeds when provincial leaders work together.

Foreign-interference fallout: what the province says it's doing. After the Globe and Mail's report on Republican strategists meeting Alberta separatists, Public Interest Alberta is calling on Smith to ask the elections commissioner to investigate. "The issue is not Danielle Smith's personal 'affiliation' with these individuals–the issue is whether she takes the reported allegations seriously enough and whether she will act on behalf of Alberta to get to the bottom of this," executive director Bradley Lafortune said. His group's "Together No!" campaign is a registered third-party advertiser opposing the nine policy questions and separation. Smith's press secretary Sam Blackett says she isn't affiliated with the people involved, has a top-secret clearance and is receiving CSIS briefings. He says the Provincial Security and Intelligence Office monitors threats and reports concerns to the RCMP, and that ministers Mike Ellis and Nate Glubish have been tasked with tracking influence campaigns aimed at Alberta. On CBC's Power & Politics, Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack called it "a very dangerous path." Separatist figure Jeff Rath has called the Globe's claim that they were "negotiating" with the U.S. State Department "a lie."

Doctors ratify new master agreement. Alberta Medical Association members have ratified the proposed 2026–2029 master agreement with the province. Online voting closed Monday at 4 p.m. "Physician compensation and long-term fiscal responsibility are not competing priorities – they depend on one another," Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange said in a joint statement today. Finance Minister Jason Nixon called it "a fair and balanced deal" that is "responsible for taxpayers." The government's statement didn't include the vote results. The AMA holds its annual general meeting online tonight at 6:30.

Nenshi on the road: "an evil plot." On weekend stops in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi went after the nine policy questions on the Oct. 19 ballot. "These nine questions are all an evil plot by the UCP to continue stoking the fires of separatism with a side dish of stoking the fires of racism and anti-immigrant behaviour," he told Southern Alberta Newspapers. His advice: vote Option 1 to stay in Canada and "No" on the other nine. The Lethbridge Herald counted about 40 supporters at the Lethbridge event.

Catholic bishops weigh in. In a letter published last week, all five of Alberta's Catholic bishops asked parishioners to think about how the referendum's immigration proposals could affect children, the poor, the sick and the isolated. The bishops acknowledge legitimate concerns about resources and access to services, but write that a person's worth doesn't depend on citizenship, income, ability or contribution.

On the agenda today: Edmonton Public School Board trustees debate Trustee Sarah Doll's motion to have a board committee review enrolment policies against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, aimed at children whose families' immigration status has lapsed. Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CBC, "you must have valid and legal immigration status in order to receive education." CBC found at least 38 temporary-resident students across 10 urban divisions now paying international tuition, which starts at $13,500 a year in Edmonton and Calgary public schools. No result yet.

Regional Alberta

Lethbridge — $287M water plan heads to the province. City council's Community Issues Committee heard a business case today for a $287-million regional water and wastewater expansion and directed administration to send a formal request to the province for $95.6 million. The city says it would pay one-third and seek federal money through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund. The project would raise water treatment capacity to 180 million litres a day, support up to 22,000 new homes and open about 4,000 hectares in southeast Lethbridge, including land near the airport. With a provincial commitment, construction could start in 2027 and finish by 2030. Lethbridge supplies about 20 per cent of its treated water to neighbouring municipalities. "To support growth across southern Alberta, we need the infrastructure to make it possible," Mayor Blaine Hyggen said.

Red Deer — oilfield firm fined $114,000. Artis Exploration Ltd. pleaded guilty Oct. 1 in Red Deer Court of Justice to one Occupational Health and Safety count tied to hazard assessment and control. It stems from an explosion and fire at an oil battery site on May 10, 2024, that seriously injured a worker. The remaining charges were withdrawn. A second company, Synergy Well Servicing Ltd., faces four counts from the same incident and has a hearing Nov. 18.

Delburne — parents want answers on school threat. Parents at Delburne Centralized School say they got too little information about a potential threat on Sept. 24. Chinook's Edge School Division says it worked with RCMP and found no threat to students or staff. Three Hills RCMP say the student who made the rumoured comments has been identified and a violent threat risk assessment is being done. No charges have been laid. Parent Justin Dyck says many families kept their kids home the next day: "We don't want to beat around the bush. We want facts."

Oilsands — Suncor doubles down at home. Calgary-based Suncor is selling its stakes in the Terra Nova, White Rose and West White Rose offshore projects in Newfoundland and Labrador to U.K.-based Ithaca Energy for $1.2 billion upfront, plus up to $350 million more tied to oil prices. CEO Rich Kruger says the company is aligning around its "large-scale, long-life oil sands resources." Suncor is also raising monthly share buybacks from $500 million to $750 million starting this month. The deal is expected to close early in 2027.

Sports

Flames — Zary and Pachal clear waivers. Nobody claimed Connor Zary or Brayden Pachal, so both can now be sent to the AHL Calgary Wranglers. Zary, 25, had 12 goals and 13 assists in 74 games last season and has one assist in two games this year. He's in year two of a three-year deal with a $3.775-million cap hit. Calgary will carry $2.55 million of Zary's cap hit while he's in the AHL. Pachal, 27, hasn't played this season. The winless Flames have been outscored 16–3 and host Colorado on Thursday.

Source: TSN (Oct. 6)

Oilers — Levi gets Anaheim, Dickinson closing in. Mike Babcock says Devon Levi starts Wednesday in Anaheim and Tristan Jarry gets two of the three games on the California swing, starting Saturday in San Jose. The trip ends Oct. 13 in Los Angeles. Jason Dickinson was back at practice Monday, centring Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen, and Babcock hopes he plays on the trip. The coach's worry is the middle frame. Edmonton is plus-five in first periods but even in the second. "The second period hasn't been kind to us," Babcock said.

Stampeders — Adams named CFL top player again. Vernon Adams Jr. is a CFL Player of the Week for the second week running and the third time this season after going 22-of-29 with four touchdowns to four different receivers in Friday's 37–31 win in Regina. His 34 touchdown passes are a single-season career high. The 8–8 Stamps visit Winnipeg on Saturday, Oct. 10, with a 5 p.m. kickoff. The Bombers are coming off a 37–10 loss in Montreal.

Elks — back to work for Hamilton. The Elks returned to practice Monday at Commonwealth Stadium to get ready for their Week 19 trip to Hamilton. Offensive lineman David Beard (calf) and receiver Joe Robustelli (foot) were limited.

Weather Across Alberta

Environment Canada, 11:00 a.m. MDT Tue. Oct. 6 (next update 4 p.m.): no Alberta weather alerts (none on EC's alert feed at about 12:25 p.m.). A mild, breezy afternoon with a few showers and a thunderstorm risk across the north-central and northeast regions, and strong west winds in the south and the Peace. Gusts reach 70 km/h around Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek. Chilly tonight, with lows near minus 2 around Airdrie–Olds and Rocky Mountain House. Cooler and sunny Wednesday.

Edmonton 30% showers early this afternoon, NW 30 gusting 50, high 19 / clear tonight, low 3 / Wed sunny, 17 · Calgary sun and cloud, W 20 gusting 40, high 22 / low 4 / Wed 15 · Red Deer sun and cloud, NW 20 gusting 40, high 20 / low 0 / Wed 16 · Lethbridge mainly sunny, W 40 gusting 60, high 24 / low 4 / Wed 18 · Medicine Hat sunny, W 30 gusting 50 this afternoon, high 24 / low 4 / Wed 18 · Grande Prairie–Valleyview mainly sunny, W 40 gusting 60, high 15 / low 5 / Wed 14 · Fort McMurray 60% showers, risk of a thunderstorm into early evening, W 30 gusting 50, high 15 / low 4 / Wed sunny, 14.

Sources: EC north · EC south · alerts

That's the midday book. On foreign interference, the right answer is simple: Alberta's future gets decided by Albertans, and that goes for American consultants and Ottawa alike. If anyone broke the rules, investigate and lay it out in public. But don't use a few freelancers to smear the hundreds of thousands of Albertans who simply want the question asked. The same goes for Nenshi: calling nine ballot questions "an evil plot" isn't an argument. It insults the voters who'll mark them. The doctors' deal is good news if it gets patients in front of physicians faster, and that's how it should be judged. Thirteen days. Read all 10 questions, check your mail-in ballot, and vote. Stay loud, stay informed.

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