News you may have missed this week

An Alberta judge ruled the province failed in its duty to consult First Nations and struck down the separatist petition.

These are the stories that dominated Edmontonians’ interest this week.

Warning: This story contains graphic detail that some readers may find disturbing.

Teens charged in assault

Two teens have been charged with an assault following an attack that left a 14-year-old Red Deer girl with internal bleeding and a concussion.

The family says it has been further traumatized by the circulation of a video of the attack on social media.

Separation petition overturned

A judge in Alberta ruled in favour of First Nations by throwing out an Alberta separatist petition, concluding the province had a duty to consult with First Nations before issuing the referendum petition.

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam said the decision “reinforces the importance of treaty rights, meaningful consultation, and the recognition of the serious impacts decisions like these would have on First Nations communities.”

Meanwhile, the petition’s organizers have promised to appeal and Premier Danielle Smith called the decision “incorrect in law and anti-democratic.”

Man sees prison sentence doubled for traumatic attack

An appeal court this week increased the sentence for Stephen Potts, who was convicted of aggravated assault after attacking an Indigenous woman in 2024, at one point forcing her to eat her own severed finger.

The appeal court ruled that the original judge downplayed the victim’s trauma, in part by commenting that he had lost the tip of his own pinky finger in adulthood and did not find significantly negatively impacted his life.

Woodlands County residents begin to return home

Because a wildfire near Whitecourt is no longer expected to grow beyond its 50 hectares, Woodlands County is allowing about 150 evacuees to return home.

The evacuation order was issued on Monday.

Warning issued about fraudulent vehicle sale scheme

Police are warning multiple Alberta communities about a scheme in which potential vehicle buyers distract sellers to damage the vehicles and purchase them for less than their worth.

To date, 13 victims have been identified.

Six men face charges, four of whom are at large.