These are the stories that dominated Edmontonians’ interest this week. Fuel tax suspended Alberta is suspending the 13-cent provincial fuel tax from Oct. 1 until the end of the year. The price of Western Texas Intermediate (WTI) averaged $90.54 per barrel over the last month, triggering the suspension. Drug house activity resumes after closure Residents of a Castle Downs seniors complex say a neighbouring property shut down by authorities this spring for drug activity is once again attracting constant traffic. They say this is the latest development in a two-year saga of concerns about safety, nuisance activity and enforcement. Super El Niño impact How could the super El Niño affect Alberta’s winter? Climate scientists say parts of Alberta could see warmer-than-average temperatures, leading to drier conditions come spring. El Niño is a natural phenomenon that happens every few years when water in the Pacific Ocean warms more than half a degree above normal. According to the National Weather Service, there is a 75-per cent chance this year’s El Niño will be a historic event, with warming forecasted to peak at 3.5 C. What is the referendum costing Alberta? A new campaign is qualifying the $130-million price tag of Alberta’s referendum. According to math done by the group Alberta’s Voice, the cost is equivalent to paying for 150 family doctors, 188 teachers, 794 educational assistants or two brand-new 900-student schools. Fans protest outside Formenton’s first game Mary Loewen, known also by her superfan moniker “Mama Stanley,” joined about 100 people outside Rogers Place for the Edmonton Oilers’ first of four pre-season games to protest the signing of Alex Formenton. “Before anything else, I am a survivor. We are standing here peacefully today because survivors have spoken. Fans have pleaded with Edmonton Oilers to listen, and this organization has chosen to move forward as though our voices do not matter,” she told the crowd. Formenton is one of the five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team who was charged and later acquitted of sexual assault.
