Women of ABpoli: Hot Flashes - Issue #10
This Week in AB
Covid, covid, covid – still.
A collective “finally” could be heard on Thursday when a press conference was scheduled with our elusive Covid “leadership team” of Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Health Minister Tyler Shandro. Unfortunately, leadership was not on the agenda.
Between Shandro’s acknowledgement of, but subsequent refusal to answer questions about providing certainty for Albertans, or businesses, and Hinshaw trying to justify using bad data (and data the CMOH’s office couldn’t have had to inform policy in June because it wasn’t released until August), it was an incredible disappointment that they couldn’t even meet the bar of simply doing their jobs.
The undignified display was followed by an urgent update from doctors with Protect our Province. To sum, people are going to die and the decisions made by this government are directly responsible.
Meanwhile, AHS has now cancelled all elective surgeries in Calgary, with more expected in Edmonton this week – including “elective” brain surgery – due to lack of capacity. Unvaccinated Albertans still make up the majority of hospitalizations, including ICU. Their freedoms first, in the UCP’s Alberta.
Schools are on their second week
Medicine Hat is not in good shape in general - with 1.5% of Alberta’s population, the city has seen 17% of the province’s total deaths over the last four weeks. So, it’s really no surprise every public school in the city is reporting Covid outbreaks as well.
Red Deer Catholic and public schools are returning to a “mask in common areas” mandate but the board delivered a scathing letter of rebuke to the Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, MLA Red Deer North, and Jason Stephan, MLA Red Deer South, for sluffing off the responsibility onto them.
The board: “MOVED that the Board of Trustees communicates with the Government of Alberta expressing its significant concerns and frustrations on the decision making process imposed on school divisions and the lack of leadership by the government related to mask use and other COVID-19 health restrictions within schools, resulting in greater uncertainty and increased division within our communities and across the province.” RDPSD, Sept 6, 2021.
Wolf Creek, Chinook’s Edge, and Wild Rose school boards declined to enhance measures for students, instead deferring to Dr. Hinshaw’s recommendations. “We don’t have the medical expertise,” Chinook’s Edge Superintendent said.
Sure, if the last year and a half has taught us anything, it’s that we definitely didn’t learn anything.
Otherwise, it’s been a relatively quiet week
Speaking of not being political enough, recall legislation, though it received Royal Assent on July 17, hasn’t been enacted.
Thanks Deputy Speaker, for protecting the choice of those who would take away healthcare from those in need. I really hope 68% of eligible Albertans over the age of 18 show up at the polls in 2023.
Canada
Nine days to E-Day
The English leader’s debate was on Thursday. It was a tragi-comedy that has partisan twitter bickering about who “won”. If anything, more people wish they had time to get to know Annamie Paul – and that she was leading a different party.
Eat out to help out
“EAT OUT TO HELP OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/gJiC3Tv4AC”
When you hire your campaign team from the U.K., I suppose you get U.K. policy recommendations. CPC leader Erin O’Toole unveiled his party’s “Dine and Discover” promise to boost indoor dining this week. In the U.K., the program was credited with helping spur the country’s second wave of coronavirus infections in 2020. Just what we need here, obviously.
Saskatchewan, the other bastion of conservative freedom, cancels surgeries
But they won’t implement a vaccine passport, return to masking, or impose gathering limits. Freedom!!
World
Never Forget: 9/11
And show some compassion for every community that commemorates a historical tragedy with the intent and hope that it will never be allowed to happen to others.
“Isreal has rising cases of the Delta variant, therefore vaccines don’t work”
Isreal’s Delta-wave that began in June is beginning to show consistent signs of slowing. The country saw an additional 7,853 new cases on Sept 9, down from a Delta-wave high of 11,316 on Sept 2, and their hospitalization numbers dropped to 672, from a Delta-wave high of 751 in August. In comparison, Alberta’s wave is still on the rise, with an identified 1,510 cases on the same day and 679 people in hospital.
Isreal has begun its booster shots for those vaccinated earliest, as Alberta did on Sept. 1.
Laundry List: GoA Press Releases
Spin Cycle
Labour and Immigration Minister Jason Copping gave a shout out to those working on Labour Day. Copping added that his “government is committed to getting Albertans back to work in jobs that will support businesses” – which is not the labour we commemorate, but is so on brand.
Ranchers can access funding through a new $340 million spending announcement due to drought and feed hardship. Unfortunately - for consumers - government rebates don’t offset the price of beef.
Finance Minister Travis Toews said AHS offered United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) a contract of wage freezes for three years and increases in the fourth and fifth years, which “acknowledges the hard work and dedication of Alberta’s nurses while respecting the fiscal situation” of the province. UNA says the UCP backed off wage rollbacks. Both can be true.
The province is providing $36 million for in-home care in an effort to keep more Albertans out of hospitals, which are currently overrun – again – with unvaccinated covid patients.
Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer says the UCP’s $370 million Alberta Recovery Plan (announced in May 2021) is working as the unemployment rate has been steadily dropping since February.
$10 million will be spent to add operating space for charter surgical operations in Rocky Mountain House. Albertans having their surgeries postponed due to the UCP’s mismanagement of Covid are probably super pumped about it, too.
Delicates
More registry services, like ordering copies of driver’s abstracts and birth certificates, are now online.
Pheasants Forever Canada has received $256,200 to protect bird habitats along ditches in rural Alberta.
Kelly Smith-Fraser, former Chair of Alberta Beef Producers, has been appointed as Chair of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC).
Last Load
September 7 is Ukrainian Heritage Day.
Rosh Hashanah falls on September 7 this year.
September is also World Alzheimer’s Month.
September 9 is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day.
September 10 is World Suicide Awareness Day.
Cover photo credit: @abpressrelease