EDMONTON – Kyle Turris made the most of a rare opportunity on Wednesday night.

Turris scored the shootout winner as the Edmonton Oilers started the season off with a win despite giving up a late lead, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.

The 32-year-old forward, who had a career high 64 points with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-2015, but has fallen on tough times of late with just five points in 27 games with the Oilers last season, is eager to turn things around.

“It’s really big,” Turris said of the shootout winner. “I’ll be the first to admit I had a bad year last year. Coming back, I want to prove myself and that is what I am working towards doing. To get a shift in overtime and to be out in the shootout, it definitely helps to build the confidence and it is something I have to take advantage of.”

Jesse Puljujarvi and Zach Hyman scored in regulation for the Oilers (1-0-0), who also got a pair of assists from Connor McDavid.

“It was the first win of the season and that is big,” Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said. “You have to get that first one down and build off of it. You don’t want to be losing leads in the third period and that is something we are going to have to clean up, but at the same time we were resilient and didn’t give up the third one, didn’t give up a goal in OT and found a way to win in the shootout.”

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Quinn Hughes responded for the Canucks (0-0-1).

“They obviously have some fast players and I thought we played a hard-working game,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “To come in on the road and battle back and get a point, I was pretty happy with our effort tonight.”

Edmonton got the game’s first goal with three minutes left in the opening period as Puljujarvi showed good hands in front, picking out the rebound from a Nurse shot before depositing it past Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko.

Midway through the second, the Oilers were looking for more on a Kailer Yamamoto breakaway, but Demko was able to make the stop.

The Oilers made it 2-0 with three minutes left in the second frame with a pretty three-way passing play finished off when Hyman scored his first as an Oiler into a wide-open net on a perfect feed from Leon Draisaitl.

Vancouver finally got one past Oilers starter Mike Smith on its 32 shot of the night as Ekman-Larsson scored on a power play blast from the point with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the third.

The Canucks tied the contest with 2:49 on a goal that Smith would likely love to have back as Hughes snuck a shot in short side, eventually sending the game to overtime.

The Canucks continue their six-game road trip, the longest road swing to start a season in franchise history, in Philadelphia on Friday. The Oilers remain home to face the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2021.

EDMONTON – Alberta’s premier says he can’t understand why people would want to take a “horse dewormer” like Ivermectin – instead of a free and approved COVID-19 vaccine.

He made the comments during a live question-and-answer on Facebook Wednesday night.

“I gotta say this…I don’t know how people became partisans of a horse dewormer, but all the Ivermectin fans out there, I think there’s a very strong overlay between proponents of Ivermectin as a covid therapeutic and people who refuse to take the vaccine,” Kenney said.

“And I’ve just got to be blunt with you, I cannot get my head around this.”

Kenney was responding to a questioner who said it was “his way or the highway” on the drug – when other countries had been using a human version to treat coronavirus patients.

The premier pointed out that the drug is not approved by the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons, Health Canada or the American Food and Drug Administration.

“There’s a couple of countries where it is being used, but a couple of countries have pulled back on its use because they’ve seen that it’s been ineffective, and in some cases can be dangerous,” Kenney said.

“It would be outrageous for me to intervene and tell all of those scientific and medical experts that they have to use an anti-parasitic veterinary drug on people for COVID, when there’s no evidence to support that.”

Alberta Health Services has warned Albertans against the use of Ivermectin, and an AHS health official said 18 Albertans have called a poison and drug information line for help after ingesting a form of Ivermectin in 2021.

Thirty-eight new deaths related to COVID-19 were announced Wednesday and the province said 76 per cent of eligible Albertans are now vaccinated with two doses.

The Facebook lives do not permit journalists an opportunity to ask follow-up questions of the premier. Kenney last held a media conference on Tuesday, but he was not asked specifically about Ivermectin.

The code will be the only proof-of-vaccination accepted after Monday, Nov. 15.

Edmonton – A mediator has helped the Alberta government and the union representing public sector workers reach a tentative contract agreement.

The deal follows months of mediation and would apply to 22,000 workers with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

“Both parties worked hard to reach this settlement,” said AUPE president Guy Smith. “These were difficult negotiations and I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment and perseverance.”

Details of the settlement are not yet being made public.

“The mediator’s recommendation comes after months of dedicated negotiations, and I want to thank AUPE for their collaboration in helping us achieve labour stability for the public service,” reads a statement from Finance Minister Travis Toews.

Ratification of the deal by union members is still pending and could take several weeks. The vote will be conducted through the mail and AUPE says final results are not expected until mid-December. 

EDMONTON – The body of a missing elderly boater has been found.

RCMP say the family of the 83-year-old man from Winfield, Alta., has been notified.

Police and the Central Alberta Dive Society found the missing man on Oct. 10, several days after he was reported missing on Buck Lake.

On Oct. 6, the man’s anchored boat was spotted and officials asked the public to keep their eye out for him while launching a search.