These are the stories that dominated Edmontonians’ interest this week. Cost of separation quantified The University of Calgary released this week its estimate of the cost of Alberta separating from Canada: a rough ballpark between $50 billion and $176 billion in the first five years, depending on how smoothly the province separated. “Even in the simplest of scenarios, where every aspect of the process goes smoothly, establishing a new, separate Alberta would be a complicated, lengthy and contentious exercise,” the report read. Man, children missing Edmonton police are trying to identify a man who was seen with a missing father and his two children last month. Scot MacDermid, 42, and his two children – Lelsey, 9, and George, 6 – were last seen in northeast Edmonton on Aug. 28. Later that day, they were pictured with the unidentified man in Lloydminster. Investigators believe the group may have been headed to Saskatchewan or Manitoba. Formenton met with opposition Thousands of people have signed a petition started by Edmonton Oilers superfan Mary Loewen, also known as “Mama Stanley,” to reverse the signing of forward Alex Formenton, who was one of five former Canadian world junior players acquitted last year of sexual assault. The team’s management says they did their due diligence before hiring Formenton. Police kill man Edmonton police shot and killed a man on Sunday in southwest Edmonton while responding to a domestic violence call. A woman in the home was shot and an infant sustained undescribed injuries. Woman thanks those who supported her through addiction A woman who was addicted to fentanyl and faced homelessness for five years is thanking those who helped her get clean when she became pregnant. “I hope that somebody that’s struggling sees this and gets hope from it … I’m hoping that they see me doing better and it inspires them to do better. That’s my goal for talking about it. I don’t feel like I’m being vulnerable, because I’m proud of it. I did something pretty hard," Ashley Weese told CTV News Edmonton.
