The top stories of the year, in Calgary, Canada and beyond.

JANUARY

1  The Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal involving Canada and five other nations comes into effect. On the sidelines is the U.S.

1  Ottawa imposes carbon taxes on provinces that haven’t introduced their own such taxes.

3  Democrats effectively take control of the House of Representatives, providing political opposition U.S. President Donald Trump had yet to see.

6  Citing alleged threats and intimidation, Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips sparks controversy by cancelling in-person consultations over her government’s creation of parks in the Bighorn region.

7  RCMP remove a road barrier blocking access to the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline across Wet’suwet’en First Nation traditional territory in B.C. and arrest 14 protesters. It sparks demonstrations across the country.

8  After more than four years as Calgary’s city manager, Jeff Fielding announces he’s stepping down and taking a job with the City of Toronto.

8  Semi driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu pleads guilty to all 29 charges in the April 6, 2018, collision on a Saskatchewan highway that killed 16 players and staff of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and injured 13 others.

8  Documents acquired by media outlets reveal ex-Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort provided Russians linked to the Kremlin with polling data during the 2016 race.

11  Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs escapes her kidnapper in a rural area of Wisconsin, three months after she was abducted and her parents murdered. Jake Thomas Patterson is arrested.

11  It’s revealed the FBI investigated U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 to determine if he was working for the Kremlin, following his firing of agency director James Comey the previous year.

13  The Washington Post reports the U.S. president concealed details even from senior administration officials of several meetings with Russian government members including the country’s president Vladimir Putin in 2017 and 2018.

15  Britain’s Parliament votes overwhelmingly, and across party lines, to reject Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

18  An illegally tapped gasoline pipeline in central Mexico explodes, ultimately killing about 130 people.

19  Racial tensions in the U.S. flare again with widely shared footage of members of Kentucky’s Covington Catholic school jeering and staring down Indigenous elder and Vietnam war veteran Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. The video’s portrayal of events would eventually be challenged.

22  The Alberta government says it will backstop a $2-billion heavy oil upgrader, the first one to be built in Alberta in four decades.

25  U.S. President Donald Trump ends a partial federal government shutdown he began 35 days earlier, though without Congress’s agreement to fund his coveted border wall with Mexico.

25  Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone is arrested and charged with obstruction-related offences linked to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian electoral collusion.

26  John McCallum is fired as Canada’s ambassador to Beijing after telling reporters there’s a good chance Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou could avoid extradition from Canada to the U.S.

29  Bruce McArthur pleads guilty to eight first-degree murders that terrorized Toronto’s gay community, making him one of Canada’s worst serial killers.

31  Canada’s Supreme Court rules bankrupt energy companies must clean up orphaned oil wells, numbering nearly 4,000 in Alberta.

FEBRUARY

1  Citing Russian violations, the U.S. announces it is withdrawing from the international treaty restricting intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

4  A 112-car runaway CP Rail train carrying grain derails near Field, B.C., killing three Calgary-based crew members.

7  It’s alleged then-federal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould was demoted the previous month after refusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s insistence she interfere in an investigation into Quebec-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin’s possible corrupt dealings in Libya.

8  Alexandre Bissonnette is sentenced to 40 years for the 2017 massacre of six people in a Quebec City mosque.

11  Embroiled in the SNC-Lavalin scandal, Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns from cabinet.

12  After he scouts out NFL possibilities, star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell re-signs with the CFL Calgary Stampeders, inking a four-year contract.

12  Notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman is convicted of drug and conspiracy offences in New York federal court.

13  In avoiding another government shutdown, U.S. President Donald Trump agrees to a deal on border security that calls for $1.37 billion to build 55 kilometres of fence, far short of his longtime demands.

19  Seven children of the Syrian refugee Barho family perish in a Halifax house fire.

19  Dozens of truckers from across the country form a convoy, protesting federal energy policy, and congregate on Parliament Hill.

21  The Alberta government announces changes to photo radar, saying the practice must focus more on safety than revenue generation.

22  While it issues additional conditions, the National Energy Board endorses the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, concluding it is in Canada’s interest.

25  Conservatives and Liberals both triumph in federal byelections in Ontario and Quebec respectively, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh lands a seat in the House of Commons with a win in Burnaby South.

26-27  Following a Feb. 14 guerilla attack that killed about 40 Indian paramilitaries in the disputed region of Kashmir, nuclear-armed foes India and Pakistan trade air raids, with two of New Delhi’s aircraft shot down.

27  Donald Trump’s one-time lawyer and fixer tells a Congressional committee the president is a racist conman who knew of an imminent dump of stolen emails harmful to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

27  In explosive testimony before a parliamentary committee, ex-Liberal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould says she was “inappropriately” hounded to ensure Quebec-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin escaped criminal prosecution for alleged corruption in Libya.

28  After two days of talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, negotiations between Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un on peace, denuclearization and sanctions collapse.

28  A senior prosecutor indicates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be indicted for bribery and fraud.

MARCH

3  Tornadoes ravaging Alabama leave nearly 30 people dead.

4  Citing her displeasure with the Liberal government’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair, Treasury Board President Jane Philpott resigns from her cabinet post.

4  The Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee launches sweeping investigations into allegations of corruption and obstruction committed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

10  An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashes after takeoff at Addis Ababa airport, killing all 157 people on board including 18 Canadians. A number of countries suspend the use of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a result.

12  British parliamentarians reject Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal by a 149-vote margin.

12  More than 40 people, including two Hollywood celebrities, are charged in a massive fraud and bribery scheme to gain admission into elite U.S. universities.

14  British prosecutors announce they’re charging a then-British paratrooper for the killing of two people and the attempted murder of four others in the Jan. 30, 1972, Bloody Sunday massacre in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, that left 13 unarmed demonstrators dead.

14  Republican lawmakers break with U.S. President Donald Trump, as the Senate rejects his legislation to declare a national emergency and fund his southern border wall. Trump vetoes that decision the following day.

14  Cyclone Idai pounds and floods parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing hundreds and rendering tens of thousands homeless.

15  Terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand — committed by a self-described white supremacist — leave 50 dead and nearly 50 injured.

16  A day after it was revealed the 2017 UCP leadership race was under RCMP investigation for alleged illegal financing, leaked emails suggest Jeff Callaway’s candidacy in the contest was used to help eventual winner Jason Kenney at the expense of rival Brian Jean.

18  Ex-Edmonton cop Mark Neufeld is announced as Calgary’s new chief of police.

21  Believed to be linked to a diplomatic row with Beijing, China stops purchasing canola seed from Canada, a potentially multibillion-dollar blow to the country’s farmers.

22 Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, 30, is sentenced to eight years in prison for driving the truck that killed 16 and injured 13 others when it collided with the Humboldt Broncos’ bus on April 6, 2018.

22  U.S. special prosecutor Robert Mueller delivers his report on President Donald Trump’s possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election. It clears him of collusion.

24  The Calgary Inferno defeat the Montreal Canadiennes to win the Clarkson Cup at the Canadian Women’s Hockey League championship game in Toronto. About a week later, the league goes under and announces it would cease operations on May 1.

25  An Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench judge rules ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr has completed his war crimes sentence imposed for killing an American soldier in Afghanistan in 2002.

29  Former federal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould reveals she secretly recorded a December 2018 conversation with Chief of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, further inflaming the SNC-Lavalin affair.

APRIL

1  Ottawa imposes its $20-per-tonne carbon tax on Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick — provinces that hadn’t adopted the levy.

1  A federal scientists’ report states climate change is affecting Canada twice as much as the rest of the world and is largely irreversible.

2  Ex-Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott are turfed from the federal party’s caucus as fallout from the SNC-Lavalin scandal mounts.

8  After much wrangling and indecision over spreading the tax pain between beleaguered businesses and residents, Calgary city council favours a 3.45-per-cent hike for homeowners.

10  After 10 years of effort, scientists release the first images of a black hole, this one located 55 million light years from Earth in the M87 galaxy.

10  Benjamin Netanyahu is narrowly elected for a fifth straight term as Israel’s prime minister.

11  Ecuador expels Wikileaks’ Julian Assange from its London embassy after seven years of refuge there.  He’s arrested by British authorities. Washington seeks extradition of the man, who published classified information detailing possible U.S. war crimes in Iraq and elsewhere.

14  A once-disgraced Tiger Woods makes an emotional comeback by winning the PGA Masters tournament for the first time in 14 years.

15  Fire severely damages the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

15  Four people are fatally gunned down in Penticton, B.C.; charged with the crimes is John Brittain, 68.

16  Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party ends four years of NDP rule in Alberta with a majority election victory.

18  The Mueller report on possible collusion between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russian operatives is released to Congress. It concludes Trump’s campaign hoped to benefit from illegal Russian actions while the president frequently obstructed investigations into his conduct.

21  Co-ordinated Easter Sunday bomb attacks target churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, killing more than 350 people.

21  Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, who played the role of a Ukrainian leader on television, easily wins the east European country’s presidential election by defeating incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

23  A federal scientist’s report states aerial monitoring has shown greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta oilsands operations are considerably higher than previously reported.

23  In a first, U.S. pharmaceutical distributor executives — these ones with Rochester Drug Cooperative — are charged with offences linked to trafficking and contributing to the opioid crisis.

27-28  Calgary and southern Alberta are walloped by a powerful spring storm that wreaks havoc on roads.

28  One person is killed and three others injured in a shooting attack on a synagogue near San Diego, Calif.

30  What many believe is a U.S.-backed coup to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, fails.

MAY

1  U.S. Attorney General William Barr is severely grilled in a Senate committee hearing over his alleged covering for President Donald Trump following the release of the Mueller Report into possible collusion with Russia and obstruction.

1  The Canadian army helps shore up defences as spring floodwaters ravage neighbourhoods in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

2  In the first abdication from Japan’s Chrysanthemum throne in two centuries, Emporer Akihito makes way for his son, Crown Prince Naruhito.

3  The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal rules against that province’s government, finding Ottawa’s carbon tax is constitutional.

5  Forty-one people die in a fiery crash during an emergency landing of an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet100 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

6  A UN report states one million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction amid the greatest threat to life on Earth on record and one that’s human-caused.

6  Nearly three weeks after they had disappeared, Calgary police find the bodies of Jasmine Lovett and her 22-month-old daughter Aliyah Sanderson in Kananaskis Country. Their one-time roommate, Robert Leeming, is then charged in their deaths.

8  Federal prosecutors abruptly drop a breach of trust charge against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman in a potentially politically charged case over allegations he leaked information about a $668-million shipbuilding deal.

8  Longtime international fugitive Nathan Gervais is convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 Calgary swarming death of Lukas Strasser-Hird.

12  CO2 content in the atmosphere is measured at 415 parts per million, the highest reading since the evolution of Homo sapiens began.

13  It’s revealed Onex Corp. will purchase Calgary-based air carrier WestJet in a $5 billion deal.

15  Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs into law the strictest anti-abortion ban in the U.S., one proponents hope will lead to that right being struck down nationally.

17  Ottawa and Washington come to a trade agreement that lifts nearly year-old U.S. sanctions on Canadian steel and aluminum.

20  A massive wildfire sparks the evacuation of about 5,000 people in the town of High Level and surrounding area.

24  Beset from all sides for her handling of the stalled Brexit initiative, British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation.

24  The B.C. Court of Appeal rules against that province’s argument that the toxicity of Alberta bitumen should restrict its transport to the west coast.

24  BJP Party leader Narendra Modi is declared the runaway winner of India’s national election, securing a second term as the country’s prime minister.

25  The Calgary Roughnecks won their third National Lacrosse League championship in overtime, beating the Buffalo Bandits 14-13 at the packed Saddledome.

27  Calgary city council decides not to provide a relief package to heavily taxed businesses.

29  The Court of Quebec sends to trial SNC-Lavalin, which is accused of corruption related to its dealings in Libya from 2001 to 2011.

29  U.S. special prosecutor Robert Mueller speaks on his two-year investigation to emphasize his resulting report didn’t exonerate President Donald Trump of obstruction but that it was beyond his mandate to issue any indictments.

30 Alberta’s justice ministry calls in an outside prosecutor in the case of irregularities in the 2017 UCP leadership race that had already led to more than $70,000 in fines for improper campaign financing.

30  The U.S. Midwest endures a record 13-straight days of tornadoes that unleash severe flooding and destroy hundreds of buildings, leaving several dead.

JUNE

3   Following three years of turbulent work and hearings, the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls returns a report calling its subjects’ plight genocide, while insisting on a human rights tribunal and various policies to combat systemic abuse.

10  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will ban single-use plastic items by 2021 in a bid to help curb runaway plastics pollution.

10  Pressed by business owners furious over skyrocketing property taxes, Calgary city council — grappling with gutted revenues from downtown office buildings — agrees to a $130.9-million non-residential tax cut.

11  It’s revealed a 2008 fire in Universal Studio’s backlot destroyed tens of thousands of historically significant musical master recordings.

12  The City of Calgary releases its report on the abortive bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, revealing it spent $7 million on the effort.

12  Husky Oil Operations Ltd. is fined $3.8 million for a 2016 pipeline leak that severely polluted the North Saskatchewan River, shutting off water intake for thousands of people.

13  The Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to take the first NBA championship ever won by a league team based outside the U.S.

16  A power outage blacks out tens of millions of people in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay for several hours.

16  Quebec lawmakers pass Bill 21, which forbids public workers in areas of authority, including teachers, judges and prosecutors, from wearing items of religious connotation.

17  The House of Commons passes a motion declaring a national climate change crisis, with an eye to meeting the Paris Accords on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

18  The federal government announces its second approval of the contentious Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.

19  Alberta Premier Jason Kenney creates an uproar when he hands out earplugs to his MLAs during a lengthy legislature debate over his government’s labour policies.

20  Canada’s Senate gives final approval to Bills C-69 and C-48, which critics contend tightly restrict the future of energy infrastructure projects and west coast tanker traffic respectively.

23  Calgary wins the right to host the 2023 World Petroleum Congress.

24  David Saint-Jacques returns to earth after spending 204 days on the International Space Station, setting an endurance record for a Canadian astronaut.

25  Citing fraudulent documentation linked to pork production, China suspends all Canadian meat imports.

25  Acting director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection John Sanders resigns amid growing outrage over treatment of Central American migrants along the country’s southern border.

JULY

1  The first of the Alberta UCP government’s corporate tax cuts, moving from 12 per cent to 11 per cent, goes into effect, making the province’s rate the lowest in Canada.

1  U.S. President Donald Trump deals his country’s renewable energy industry a huge blow by slapping tariffs of up to 30 per cent on foreign-sourced solar panels.

1  A fire aboard a Russian military submarine kills 14 sailors. Russian officials say the submarine was conducting a seabed survey in the Arctic.

5  Despite an NDP filibuster, Alberta’s UCP government passes Bill 8, which allows schools to inform parents their children are members of a gay-straight alliance.

6  Florida-based billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is arrested and charged with child sex abuse offences. He allegedly has ties with political figures like Donald Trump and former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Alex Acosta, who had cut a controversial deal with Epstein while a Florida prosecutor 11 years earlier, resigns as U.S. labour secretary a few days later.

11  It is announced former Calgary teacher Neil Bantleman was released from an Indonesian prison and returned to Canada after five years of incarceration.  Bantleman, convicted of sex crimes against students in his care in what his supporters call dubious circumstances, was freed in late June and quickly flew back to Canada.

12  U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence and senior congressmen tour an overcrowded migrant-holding pen near McAllen, Texas. Images of the squalid conditions intensify outrage over the U.S. response to asylum-seekers.

14  U.S. immigration enforcement officials begin much-feared sweeps in various cities to detain large numbers of undocumented immigrants, encountering resistance by some local authorities.

14  Sparking accusations he’s an unabashed racist, U.S. President Donald Trump calls out ethnic minority female Democrat congresswomen critical of his immigration policies and suggests they leave the U.S. Two days later, the House of Representatives votes to condemn Trump’s comments as racist.

17  The World Health Organization declares an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Congo.

21  Calgary city council and the owners of the NHL Flames reach a tentative deal on a new events complex with both sides evenly splitting its $550-million cost.

23  UK Conservatives choose Boris Johnson to succeed Theresa May as Britain’s prime minister. He promises to achieve Britain’s departure from the EU by the end of October.

24  In a marathon session, Calgary’s city council approves $60 million in budget cuts heavily targeting emergency services, public transit and affordable housing that will include 115 layoffs.

25  In testimony before Congress, former special counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump was not exonerated by his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

25  Much of Europe broils in a heat wave that smashes temperature records and raises fears over the consequences of climate change.

30  After years of wrangling and abortive negotiations, Calgary city council votes 11-4 to ratify a cost-sharing agreement with the NHL Flames for a new events centre/arena.

AUGUST

1  Trade talks between the U.S. and China are put on hold while U.S. President Donald Trump announces a 10 per cent tariff will be slapped on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports.

1  Utilities and Environmental Services boss David Duckworth is named Calgary’s new city manager.

3  Mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, leave 32 people dead and more than 50 injured. The politically charged Texas massacre in a Walmart claims 22 lives and appears to be the work of a white nationalist inspired by hatred of immigrants.

5  Trade war concerns between the U.S. and China sends the Dow spiralling 767 points, the sharpest drop of the year.

5  India revokes measures that granted considerable autonomy to its restive Kashmir territory while cutting communication links, sparking unrest and international condemnation.

7  Following an intense two-week manhunt, suspects in three roadside murders in B.C., Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky are found dead in dense brush near Gillam, Man.

8  Radiation level readings spike after an explosion tears through a military testing site in northern Russia that leaves several people dead. The detonation’s secretive nature and significance remains in dispute.

10  Authorities say convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, known for his ties to powerful people including current and former presidents, has committed suicide in his Manhattan jail cell.

14  Canada’s ethics commissioner rules Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated conflict of interest laws in pressuring then-justice minister Jodi Wilson-Raybould to defer the prosecution of Quebec-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin in 2018.

21  Concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s mental stability spike when he cancels a state visit to Denmark after his offer to purchase Greenland is rebuffed.

22  World leaders express grave concerns over runaway wildfires that are consuming the Amazon rain forest and other parts of South America.

26  An Oklahoma court orders pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million in damages for its part in contributing to the opioid crisis. But, it’s far less than the state of Oklahoma sought.

26  The meeting of the G7 countries in Biarritz, France, ends with the U.S. and its president isolated on issues like climate change and handling Russia.

27  Brazil agrees to accept foreign financial help to battle fires ravaging Amazon forests that many fear will have global impact.

28  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson prorogues Parliament in the fall to ensure the passage of a no-deal Brexit in what many critics contend is an anti-democratic move.

28  Anthropologists announce the discovery of a 3.8-million-year-old hominid skull in Ethiopia — dubbed MRD — considered a watershed find in piecing together human evolution.

SEPTEMBER

1-3  Hurricane Dorian lingers over the Bahamas to pound the island chain, but largely spares the U.S. east coast.

2 Thirty-four people perish when a dive boat bursts into flames off the California coast.

3  A blue ribbon panel — chaired by Janice MacKinnon and tasked with finding solutions to Alberta’s fiscal woes — returns a report recommending more private health care, results-based education spending and other austerity measures to bring down the cost of the province’s public service.

3  Rebel Tory MPs desert British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scuttle his goal of achieving a no-deal Brexit in the following month.

4  Canada federal court of appeal rules it will hear six of 12 legal challenges to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, related to Indigenous consultation.

6  Robert Mugabe, who served as Zimbabwe’s often authoritarian president for 37 years after leading it to independence, dies at age 95.

7  Nineteen-year-old Bianca Andreescu becomes the first Canadian to win a tennis grand slam by defeating legendary Serena Williams at the U.S. Open.

7  U.S. President Donald Trump nixes months of peace negotiations with the Taliban — which appeared close to fruition, to end the 18-year Afghan war — after the group claims a suicide bombing that kills an American soldier and several others.

10  The American Lung Association issues a warning on vaping as deaths from the activity mount.

10  The Alberta government announces it’s mounting a constitutional challenge against the federal Bill C-69, which regulates energy infrastructure development.

10  The Progressives Conservatives under Premier Brian Pallister win a majority in Manitoba’s provincial election.

10  National security adviser John Bolton is dumped by the Trump administration due to disagreements over foreign policy. He’s the third such adviser to be shown the door.

13  Senior RCMP intelligence official Cameron Ortis is arrested for accessing classified information and having a secret communications device in an episode Mounties say could have serious national security ramifications.

14  Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi oilfields in reprisal for the bombing of their country that knock out more than half of the kingdom’s production. It ratchets up economic fears and U.S. tensions with Iran, which is accused of mounting the attack.

18 The Washington Post reports a whistleblower within the Trump administration complained about a call the U.S. president made to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging his government to investigate the son of his possible electoral rival Joe Biden. It sparks a standoff between the director of national intelligence and House Democrats who demand records on the complaint.

18  Amid the federal Canadian election campaign, photos and videos surface of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau painted in black and brown face at several parties during his high school days and teaching career.

19  A retrial in Lethbridge finds David and Collet Stephan not guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their 19-month-old son Ezekiel, who died of meningitis in 2012.

23  Thousands of passengers are stranded as the world’s oldest travel firm, Thomas Cook Travel, collapses.

23  At the UN in New York City, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg raises hackles and praise by angrily condemning politicians and other adults for failing to act on climate change.

24  House Democrats launch impeachment proceedings prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s alleged attempts to recruit the Ukrainian government into aiding his re-election efforts.

25  A report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states the rate of ocean warming has more than doubled since 1993 and the accelerating impacts on those waters and the world’s frozen regions pose a dire threat to the environment.

26  A whistleblower’s complaint — alleging the Trump administration sought for months to gain the Ukrainian government’s help in undermining the president’s Democratic political foe — is released, pouring fuel on the impeachment effort. It’s suspected Trump withheld military funds for Ukraine in exchange for that country investigating the Bidens.

29  Calgary and much of southern Alberta is buried under a record-breaking early autumn snowfall.

OCTOBER

1  Amber Guyger is convicted of murder for shooting African-American Botham Jean in his apartment in 2018 when she was a Dallas police officer. She’s handed a 10-year prison sentence the next day.

6  The U.S. greenlights a Turkish invasion of northern Syria, sparking accusations the White House is betraying its Kurdish allies.

7  Norway’s largest pension fund says it’s divesting from Alberta’s oilsands, citing environmental concerns.

9  California energy provider PG&E initiates an unprecedented electricity blackout in the San Francisco Bay area, impacting 2.4 million customers, to prevent strong winds from downing live power lines that could spark wildfires.

15  Alberta joins B.C.’s class-action suit for financial compensation from pharmaceutical companies for the damage caused by the opioid crisis.

17  On the first anniversary of legal recreational cannabis, the prohibition on edibles and other derivatives of the drug officially ends.

21  Canada’s federal election delivers a minority Parliament. The re-elected Liberal government garners 20 fewer seats than in the 2015 vote.

22  Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, testifies that the Trump administration withheld military aid to that country until its president was to publicly announce an investigation into Trump’s main electoral rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

23  The dead bodies of 39 smuggled Chinese nationals are found in a tractor in southeast England.

24  Alberta’s UCP government brings down a budget that cuts spending by 2.8 per cent, but includes an increased deficit.

27  The U.S. announces its special forces troops killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a raid in northwestern Syria.

30  Amid deliberate power shutdowns to prevent further blazes, millions of Californians continue to be directly menaced by wind-blown wildfires whose increasing frequency and severity have been blamed on climate change.

31  Calgary-based energy giant Encana announces it is moving its base of operations to the U.S. and re-naming itself Ovintiv in what’s seen by many as another blow to confidence in Canada’s oil and gas sector.

NOVEMBER

2 — After falling behind 1-0 in the first leg, Cavalry FC’s tremendous first season ended in heartbreak at Spruce Meadows as Forge FC won again, 1-0, to claim the first CPL title.

4  After 13 years at the helm, Elizabeth May steps down as leader of Canada’s Green Party.

4  The U.S. officially announces that it will follow through on its pledge to withdraw from the Paris Accord on controlling climate change, with the actual pull-out date coming a year later.

5  China ends its four-month ban on Canadian beef and pork believed to have been motivated by Canada’s detention of a senior Huawei executive.

8  A New York court orders U.S. President Donald Trump to pay a $2 million fine for misuse of funds collected by one of his charitable foundations.

9  Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announces he is looking at ways of making Alberta more sovereign and that a provincially appointed panel will hear from Albertans on how to strike a fairer deal with Canada.

10  Bolivian President Evo Morales is ousted by the country’s military following unrest over allegations of election fraud.

11  Contentious and cantankerous hockey commentator Don Cherry is fired by Rogers Sportsnet after making on-air comments doubting immigrants’ understanding of the poppy.

14  A joint Alberta police task force announces the largest fentanyl bust in Canadian history, seizing $4 million to $6 million of the drug and making seven arrests in cracking an international crime ring.

15  Donald Trump associate Roger Stone is found guilty of lying and witness tampering in an investigation into how WikiLeaks was used to undermine the Democrats in the 2016 presidential election.

15  Impeachment hearings in Washington D.C. continue with witnesses testifying President Donald Trump sought Ukrainian help for his 2020 campaign in return for American military aid. During the hearing, Trump blasts a tweet at former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during her testimony that many see as intimidating and witness tampering.

15: Mass protests in Iran are sparked by a spike in fuel prices and are brutally suppressed by security forces. Hundreds are dissidents are killed.

18  Alberta’s UCP government reveals it’s firing the province’s elections commissioner while he investigates alleged fraud in the party’s 2017 leadership campaign.

19  About 3,200 CN Rail workers go on strike over safety issues and other working conditions. The walkout lasts about a week.

20 In bombshell testimony at the House impeachment hearings, U.S. ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland says President Donald Trump attempted to bribe the Ukrainian government with military aid for his own political gain and that several top-ranking officials in his administration were aware.

20 After a disastrous BBC interview on his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew steps away from royal duties.

21  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

23  The Calgary Dinos football team ended a 24-year national title drought with a 27-13 victory over the Montreal Carabins in the Vanier Cup, played in Quebec City.

24  Following six months of anti-Beijing protests and clashes with police, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy forces win a landslide in local elections. But the protests continue, including a wild siege at the Polytechnic University that ends after two weeks.

24  Calgary hosts the 107th Grey Cup, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12.

25  Allegations emerge that Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters repeatedly uttered racial slurs at player Akim Aliu while he was an American Hockey League bench boss a decade ago. Peters leaves the team four days later.

29  Alberta public sector unions warn of thousands of layoffs to come following the UCP government’s budget.

29  Calgary city council shifts more of the tax burden from beleaguered businesses to residences, approving a 7.5-per-cent hike for homeowners.

DECEMBER

3  After years of waiting and delays, work on the Alberta right-of-way for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion begins in the Edmonton area.

3  A combative NATO 70th anniversary gathering of member leaders in London ends in rancour when U.S. President Donald Trump makes an early exit after allegedly being mocked by counterparts.

6  In an act of apparent terrorism, Saudi military trainee Mohammed Alshamrani goes on a shooting rampage at a U.S. naval base in Pensacola, Fla. He kills three people and wounds eight others before being shot down.

9  The World Anti-Doping Agency bans Russia from international competition for four years for its systemic policy of athlete doping.

9  Sixteen people are killed when a volcano on New Zealand’s White Island erupts.

9  A confidential report acquired by the Washington Post details how U.S. military and government officials hid the truth about the lack of progress of the 18-year war in Afghanistan and privately viewed it as unwinnable.

10  Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives  unveil two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump accusing him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in allegedly seeking to bribe the Ukrainian government with military aid money to assist him in his re-election.

10  Following months of often fraught wrangling, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico ink an updated North American Free Trade Agreement.

12  Following his national election defeat, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer announces he’s stepping down from the post at the same time it’s revealed he used party money to pay for his children’s private schooling.

12  UK voters hand Boris Johnson’s Conservatives a majority victory, seemingly clearing the way for his country’s departure from the EU.

18  House Democrats impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstructing Congress, making him the third U.S. president in history to receive the censure.

19  A massively observed, continuous general strike over pension reforms disrupts France.

21  Fuelled by a record-shattering heatwave, wildfires of unprecedented ferocity continue to consume large parts of Australia and scorch areas around the country’s largest city, Sydney. Climate change is widely fingered as a contributor. The country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, faces heavy criticism for vacationing during the catastrophe.

23  Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg resigns following sustained backlash over the crashes of two of its 737 Max airliners.

25 In her annual Christmas message, Queen Elizabeth called 2019 a “bumpy” year, as much for the U.K. due to Brexit as for her own family due to Prince Andrew’s ties to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

28 Dozens are killed in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, after a truck bomb exploded at a checkpoint in the middle of morning rush hour.

28: Hannukah celebrants at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, N.Y. are slashed by a machete-wielding attacker, the latest in a series of violent anti-semitic incidents in the U.S.

Bkaufmann@postmedia.com

on Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn