EDMONTON — Alberta reported 98 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths Friday.

Active cases increased to 799, after being at 676 on Thursday. There were 605 active infections at the start of the week on Monday.

More than 7,600 tests were completed, giving the province a positivity rate of about 1.3 per cent.

The Calgary zone leads the province for active cases with 473. The Edmonton zone has 155 while the North zone has 75. The South and Central zones have 56 and 39, respectively.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 declined by nine patients from Thursday. Eighty-four people are seeking treatment for COVID-19 across the province, including 26 in ICU.

The Calgary zone also leads the province for hospitalizations and those in ICU. The Central and South zones have no patients in ICU.

Approximately 75.2 per cent of Albertans aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine while 62 per cent of those eligible for vaccination are fully vaccinated.

More than 230,000Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.

EDMONTON — The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan and three state governors have asked the prime minister and President Biden to “immediately” reopen the border between Canada and the U.S.

Jason Kenney signed the letter alongside Scott Moe and the governors of Montana, North Dakota, and Idaho.

The five leaders asked U.S. president Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “end unnecessary delays” and “restore normal movement” across the border of the two countries.

“As we continue to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and work together on joint initiatives to provide vaccinations to more and more of our citizens every day, the time has come to allow our citizens to move safely and securely across our shared border,” the joint letter read.

“For the well-being and future prosperity of both our nations, we must embrace personal responsibility by providing vaccinations to citizens seeking the vaccine, reduce mitigations that cause economic harm, and encourage travel for commerce and tourism.”

The U.S. decided to extend travel limits across the border on Wednesday – two days after Ottawa decided that fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents would be allowed back Aug. 9, with the rest of the world to follow on Sept. 7.

With files from The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Two men are facing a number of drug and firearm charges after police seized nearly $175,000 worth of fentanyl and a sawed-off rifle from a downtown Edmonton home.

Police executed a search warrant at a residence in the area of 106 Avenue and 96 Street at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday and found 27 ounces of fentanyl in a concealed bathroom compartment, EPS said.

The drugs have an estimated street value of $173,400, police added.

Officers also found a sawed-off Remington 7600 model rifle, a homemade zip gun, ammunition and $3,600 in cash.

Thanh Lam, 57, and Bernard Agustin, 47, are facing a number of charges, including possession for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

EDMONTON — Police are investigating a collision where a vehicle nearly ended up inside a Boston Pizza restaurant in downtown Edmonton.

Around 5:20 p.m. Thursday a vehicle left the road, rammed a park bench, and made contact with a patio barrier outside a Boston Pizza near 106 Street and Jasper Avenue.

Edmonton police told CTV News Edmonton that only one person was in the vehicle at the time and they sustained non-life threatening injuries.

No further details were available, EPS said.

Police continue to investigate the incident.

EDMONTON — A new waterline moving water from the hamlet of Villeneuve to the neighbouring airport was announced Thursday with the hope it will help encourage growth and investment in the area.

The 2.2 million dollar project is funded by Government of Alberta’s municipal stimulus program, and will replace the current system that provides 465 cubic meters of water monthly.

Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw explained that alongside the new broadband internet project also announced on Thursday, the airport will look a lot more appealing to investors. 

“It really is just time for Sturgeon County to step into the future, and the infrastructure was here for us to be able to use this as one of those building blocks,” adding, “We want a bright future for the bright minds that are here.”

The mayor said the new waterline project will also allow current tenants to plan and expand their business, as well as allowing Sturgeon County to develop the land surrounding the airport.

Steve Maybee, vice president of operations for Edmonton Airports, said having a reliable water supply is important in making an airport a viable place for business and investment.

“We have had developments over the years that have gone elsewhere because of the water capacity,” he said.

“This will change the airport. This simple little waterline is a deal breaker, it makes the airport, so it’s great.”

Sturgeon County also confirmed today that they will be working with Edmonton Airports to operate the Villeneuve Airport water and sewer network system.  

The waterline project will begin at the end of July and is expected to be finished before November.  

The line will run along the north side of Highway 633 to Range Road 270, connecting the hamlet of Villeneuve’s water reservoir to the airport’s.  Construction is not expected to affect traffic or access to the airport.