Women of ABpoli Hot Flashes - I stand with Ukraine
This week in AB
Alberta County wants to give as good as it gets
“The La Crete tour bus of #OttawaOccupation supporters is coming home. #lacrete #alberta #mennonite”
This is a doozy. Let's start with the fact that La Crete is in Mackenzie County in northern Alberta. Northern Alberta has the lowest vaccination rates in the province.
Back in January, a company published results of antibody testing of La Crete area residents who paid $100 each to give blood samples for the research. Something, something, you can pay someone to give you the results you want, but I digress - this is just background.
On February 17, Mackenzie County published a notice that they would no longer provide contracts to businesses who had implemented mandatory vaccination policies.
"Mackenzie County is appalled by the response to COVID-19 that the many governments and corporations has evoked by repeatedly violating personal rights and freedoms," it said.
"Mackenzie County does not tolerate mandatory vaccination or any other discriminatory requirements for any employees, contractor, or sub-contractor at Mackenzie County workplaces or for any work sites within Mackenzie County."
The notice specified that businesses with mandatory vaccination policies would be ineligible to bid on public contracts in the future, not including police services or Alberta Health Services for some reason.
Many have felt discriminated against, or judged, for their refusal to get vaccinated. They had privileges revoked. Now they want to revoke other's privileges, too. (It is pretty much "eye for an eye" country, after all).
So, while the words say "discriminatory requirements", what they really mean is "how does that feel, huh? How do you like it, huh?"
Sigh.
However, there's more to this story including the Chamber of Commerce and council members' involvement, and, well it's a sordid little tale with some excellent social media mining by Jane in Alberta.
P.S. I stand with Ukraine.
Provincial equalization still all the rage in UCP budget
Alberta's budget was good news for anyone who wants to see the government pretend to achieve balance - and by pretend, I mean, without rising oil prices, it wouldn't have happened.
Alberta has been playing hide and seek with oil royalties for a generation and shows no signs of being ready to take responsibility - unless you're a post-secondary student, or own a home, or had a $500 power bill, or pay insurance.
If you're any of those people, it may feel like the oil and gas payday Kenney et al., are celebrating isn't helping you out - and you'd be right.
Post-secondary is scheduled to cost the Alberta government less and less each year which means it will cost students more. The fact that Alberta maintained such a well-funded post-secondary system has long chafed those who feel the option should not exist if they aren't going to personally benefit.
The education portion of property taxes is going up $0.09 per $1000 of equalized assessment on residential and farms, and $0.14 per $1000 of equalized assessment for industrial while the "tax holiday" for shallow wells around the province will continue until after the next provincial election. Wait... what?
Back in November, the UCP introduced Bill 77, the Municipal (Restoring Tax Accountability) Amendment Act 2021 that would allow municipalities to place liens on property or infrastructure when companies did not pay their taxes.
As ABlawg contributor Drew Yurchuck pointed out, 95 per cent of oil and gas producers pay their property taxes. The other five per cent, who owe roughly $245 million, don't make *enough* revenue.
The issue with Bill 77 is that even if a municipality were to place liens on those businesses for not paying, the Orphan Well Association, or the Alberta Energy Regulator would get first dibs on any assets. More theatre, unfortunately.
Speaking of theatre, the UCP's Speech from the Throne included a few things that make you go "hmmm" aside from freedom, liberty, and the almighty ghost.
First, that "(p)atients facing end-of-life decisions must know that there are life-affirming options to physician assisted suicide". Now we know that the answer to "who will save your soul" is Jason Kenney.
Incredibly, government seeking to be involved in end-of-life decisions isn't considered as great an overreach as say, asking someone to wear a mask. Because: the ghost, don't you know.
Second, was the declaration that "(m)any vulnerable women and girls have inadequate support during pregnancy, which can effect their child’s health and life chances."
GIRLS.
SPECIFICALLY NOT ADULTS.
To assist these women and girls, the government is promising to "significantly increase and expand prenatal benefits to (low-income) mothers" who are receiving government benefits such as AISH (assured income for the severely handicapped) and IS (income support).
AISH is already below the poverty level and Income Support pays even less - and the UCP wants to encourage them to have babies so they can sleep better at night.
Now if we could just get Kenney to estimate how much he's budgeted on his peacock puffery of suing the feds, we could all sleep better at night.
I stand with Ukraine.
Kenney moves Madu to a different post after investigation finds the former Justice Minister attempted to interfere with the administration of justice
The results of the independent investigation into former Justice Minister Kaycee Madu's phone call to EPS Chief McFee (20 MINUTES) after a traffic violation, were made public Friday afternoon. The news came with a bonus tidbit that Kenney had made another musical Cabinet chair shuffle earlier in the day.
The investigation, completed by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Adele Kent, found that although Madu was unsuccessful in interfering with the administration of justice, he did attempt to interfere, and the perception exists that he did interfere. So...
Kenney chose to yankee swap Madu to another Cabinet role, Minister of Labour and Immigration.
Having also been the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Madu ties the embattled Tyler Shandro for most portfolios held in the Kenney Cabinet.
Speaking of Shandro - who is currently under review by the Law Society of Alberta for three complaints of misconduct while he was Health Minister - he is now the Minister of Justice.
Because of course he is.
Kenney files challenge against invocation of the Emergencies Act, changes it to demanding judicial inquiry after Emergencies Act revoked
The news came swiftly. Jason Kenney announced the Alberta taxpayers would challenge Trudeau's use of the Emergencies Act on Sunday, and Trudeau revoked it on Tuesday because it was "no longer needed".
The motion was being debated in the Senate on Tuesday when the announcement was made, and I'll be honest - it didn't look like it would pass in the Senate.
Kenney then decided to demand a judicial review.
By law, any invocation of the Emergencies Act must be followed up with a review of the circumstances that led to the invocation within 60 days.
Peacock puffery.
Anti-mandate mobs are still throbbing impotently because it was never about mandates
Kenney caved as soon as he finished hobnobbing with the Grand Ole Putinstans, announcing on February 3 that restrictions would end "soon". He pulled the Restrictions Exemption Program on February 8, school masking February 14, and removed almost all remaining restrictions effective March 1.
Yet the rallies and the "slow rolls" continue - that's when the douchebags drive through your neighbourhood honking their horns and "fighting for freedom" - because it isn't about mandates.
And since Russia invaded Ukraine and the world gets an opportunity to see what fighting for freedom actually looks like, it makes these "honkies" look even more pathetic.
P.S.S. I stand with Ukraine.
Canada and the world, but mostly about Ukraine
“We stand united. We stand with Ukraine.
Nous sommes unis. Nous sommes debout aux côtés de l'Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini! Слава Украіні!”
Rallies in solidarity with Ukraine broke out all over the country but also the world. Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Amsterdam, Germany, and many others... including Russia.
Russia, of course, does not allow public protest against (or opposition to) its government because it's not a "free" country, it's an authoritarian state. As thousands of Russians marched to show their dissatisfaction with the invasion of Ukraine, there were arrests and there could be other punishments as well - we don't know because their government has shut down their access to social media.
We do know that Canada is sending protective equipment to Ukraine, US is sending $350 million in military aid, Germany is sending weapons, as well as Sweden, Czech Republic, and the Dutch, and Switzerland has dropped its veneer of neutrality and will participate in freezing Russian assets.
Swiss banks, y'all - where the real money goes.
While all of this is good news, the people of Ukraine are taking up arms themselves to help their military defend their country from an actual invasion by an authoritarian psychopath.
Many are doing what they can, either through donations to the Red Cross, or direct to Ukraine's military efforts here, and here, attending rallies to help keep up Ukrainian morale, businesses, and trusts are pulling investment in Russia, some telecoms (not Telus) have cancelled Russian television channels, and many provincial liquor boards will no longer distribute Russian vodka.
All of these measures, I believe, are an attempt to raise the level of dissent from within Russia, and Putin's inner circles, in the hope that he can be persuaded to retreat.
Putin has no power on his own. Power was given to him (and every dangerously unstable person before him) by those who support him - without them, he is nothing.
Final thought: I stand with Ukraine