EDMONTON – The province is reminding Albertans to follow public health restrictions on gathering limits as Thanksgiving is less than a week away.

“Indoor gatherings last Thanksgiving sparked the second wave of COVID with cases and hospitalizations surging after millions of Albertans celebrated in close contact with loved ones” said Premier Jason Kenney.

“We simply cannot afford a repeat scenario, not with this dangerous Delta variant that is still circulating and with our hospitals under such severe pressure.”

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, asked Albertans who are vaccinated to celebrate outside if they could. The province announced Tuesday that the limit on outdoor gatherings was being lowered from 200 to 20.

“Indoor gatherings are still not permitted for those who are unvaccinated,” said Hinshaw. “Don’t have any indoor gatherings unless you are 100 per cent sure everyone is fully vaccinated, and even then it must be no more than 10 people 12 and over from two households.”

Albertans have been making an effort to increase the vaccination rate, according to Kenney.

“If millions of people get together like it’s a normal Thanksgiving in intimate indoor family gatherings in homes, especially folks who are unvaccinated, we will likely see all the progress that has been made lost overnight and we could see a significant spike back up in cases,” said Kenney.

Hinshaw and the premier cited growing concerns about the situations in hospitals as reasons to not risk spreading COVID-19 to friends and family.

“Every person’s actions can potentially lead to a chain of transmission that can cause death, hospitalization or long COVID,” said Hinshaw. “Your actions have never mattered more and they will make a difference.”

EDMONTON — As oil prices reach a seven-year high, analysts say Canadians should brace for skyrocketing prices at the pumps this week as the global economy begins to rebound from a pandemic lull.

In Winnipeg, fuel prices soared 10 cents overnight to $1.429 cents per litre, up from the average of $1.335 cents per litre – a price that hasn’t been seen in nearly 13 years. Drivers in Toronto, meanwhile, have been told to brace for prices as high as $1.44 cents per litre by Thursday, adding to already inflated prices.

The price at the pumps is expected to jump by another cent or two across the country over the coming days, hitting historic highs just in time for the Thanksgiving weekend, thanks to increased demand and undersupply of oil globally.

“[People] want to get back on the road, they want to get back into planes,” Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst with En-Pro International, told CTV National News.

“Jet fuel demand is up 64 per cent, that’s part of the diesel family as well. That’s all going to push up gasoline prices, like it or not.”

In addition to increased consumer confidence, gas prices were driven up thanks to Hurricane Ida, which shut down a good portion of U.S. oil and natural gas production in late August.

But gasoline isn’t the only product that will have an impact on Canadians’ bottom line as winter approaches. Natural gas prices are also soaring due to a global energy crunch.

“China is clamping down on energy consumption because of a lack of coal and there is a natural gas shortage in Europe that’s pushing the price of natural has up globally to the highest levels seen in years, and that’s also affecting and pushing up the price of oil,” Gas Buddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Hann told CTV National News.

Crude oil prices are up nearly 63 per cent in 2021 while natural gas is 2.5 times higher. On Tuesday, the oil price rally continued after OPEC and its allies opted for a modest increase to production of 400,000 barrels per day in November.

De Hann, speaking to CTV Winnipeg, noted that seeing gas prices increase at this time of year is untraditional.

“Normally, we see gas prices declining into the fall and winter because of a reduction in demand,” De Haan said. “But globally, because of COVID and continued economic recovery, we’re seeing, not only in Canada and the U.S. but globally as well, the trend for oil consumption is one that consumption will likely continue to pick up as the globe continues to rebound from the effects of COVID-19.”​

With a file from The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – Alberta is expanding the eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots on Wednesday to Albertans 75 and over and First Nations, Inuit and Metis people 65 and older.

These groups can get their third vaccine dose a minimum of six months after their second, Premier Jason Kenney announced.

 As of Tuesday, 84.5 per cent of eligible Albertans had received one vaccine dose, and 75.1 per cent had two.

 Seniors who live in congregate care and some Albertans with immunocompromising conditions also qualify for booster shots.

 For a full list of who’s eligible for third doses, click here.

EDMONTON – A cooling trend is just around the corner for the Edmonton region.

We’ll get to the mid teens again this afternoon and then daytime highs will settle into the 10 to 14 degree range for a few days.

That’s not DRAMATICALLY colder. But, we’ll really start to notice it in the morning as frost becomes a more frequent issue.

Most of the city and surrounding area will stay above zero again Wednesday morning. But, Thu/Fri/Sat mornings will all likely feature frost, at least in some spots.

A rain/snow mixture continues to fall in NW Alberta this morning and will likely continue through the day.

Grande Prairie/Peace River and areas to the east will likely get just wet snow or rain later today.

However, areas west and NW of Grande Prairie are still looking at the potential for several centimetres of accumulation by Wednesday morning.

Higher elevations through the Jasper region and along the Icefields Parkway are also expected to pick up some snow later today/tonight.

Edmonton and area will be cloudy Wednesday with a few scattered showers possible in the morning and again in the evening.

No heavy, steady rain is anticipated. But, a few spots might get a brief shower.

Sun returns for Thu/Fri.

Long Weekend Outlook:

The warmest day of the Thanksgiving long weekend will probably be Saturday (high in the 12 to 16 degree range).

We’ll cool to highs in the 10-14 range for Sunday and in the 8-11 range for Monday.

Partly cloudy skies are expected for Sat/Mon. Sunday’s looking like a “mostly cloudy” day.

Here’s the forecast for Edmonton:

Today – Mostly cloudy this morning. Partly cloudy this afternoon.

High: 16

Tonight – Cloudy periods.

9pm: 13

Wednesday – Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of a shower.

Morning Low: 4

Afteroon High: 11

Thursday – Clearing in the morning. Sunny in the afternoon.

Morning Low: -1

Afternoon High: 12

Friday – Mainly sunny.

Morning Low: -2

Afternoon High: 12

Saturday – Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: -2

Afternoon High: 14

Sunday – Mostly cloudy.

Morning Low: 2

Afternoon High: 12

A motorcyclist has died after a collision on Sunday near the hamlet of Calahoo, Alta., northwest of Edmonton.

Morinville RCMP responded to the serious crash involving a pickup truck and a motorcycle around 4:50 p.m. on Highway 37 near the hamlet on Oct. 3.

According to RCMP, emergency first aid was already being performed on the motorcyclist before officers arrived on scene, but despite their efforts the individual died.

The investigation into the cause is ongoing.