Women of ABpoli: Hot Flashes - Issue #14
This Week in AB
There’s a new sheriff in the Ministry of Health
Regular readers will know I’ve not been a fan of our governing executive, but I am enjoying some mad respect for AHS and Health for tackling the misinformation that has been running rampant on social media.
AHS took on a blog post that detailed a locum (basically a substitute) doctor’s difficulty in acquiring ivermectin for patient use. The reason he had so much difficulty is because AHS doesn’t condone its use; there just isn’t enough evidence that the horse de-wormer, and human version, used to treat parasitic infestations, has any effectiveness in treating viral infections.
Newly titled Health Minister Jason Copping applied some straight talk about the drug that’s been peddled hard enough to empty shelves in feedstores around the province. I have to say, it’s about fucking time - thank you.
Those tax cuts are really working out for us
Alberta’s final budget report for 2020-21 (year-end March 31) was released this week. Incredibly, the CERB bump didn’t affect personal income tax revenues in the province, despite a number of claims that people don’t want to work anymore. From the end of March 2020 to the end of March 2021, personal income tax revenue actually increased.
Corporate tax revenue, however, took a not unexpected nose dive between pandemic shutdowns and the unnecessary hole drilled into them when the UCP dropped the tax rate from 10 to eight per cent.
INCOME STATEMENT 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19
(in millions) Budget Actual Actual Actual
Personal income tax 12,566 11,257 11,244 11,874
Corporate income tax 4,539 3,037 4,107 4,871
Other taxes 5,782 5,285 5,747 6,833
Non-renewable resource 5,090 3,091 5,937 5,429
Transfers from Government of Canada
9,110 10,532 9,072 8,013
Investment income 2,630 2,643 2,828 2,349
Net income/(loss) from government business enterprises
2,358 (83) (225) 2,585
Premiums, fees and licences
4,194 4,021 3,929 3,911
Other revenue 3,726 3,355 3,585 3,759
Total Revenue 49,996 43,137 46,224 49,624
“Other taxes” are still a major source of reliable revenue for the province, even though they were just shy of the “cash cow”, non-renewable resource royalties, revenue in 2019-20.
In August, Finance Minister Travis Toews said the 2021-22 budget looked to be on track for a $7.8 billion-dollar deficit, rather than the $18.3 billion the government forecast. If correct, it might even out the projected $7.3 billion deficit in 2020-21 that ended up being $16.9 billion (the Covid Recovery Plan (??) only cost $4 billion).
At least their inability to manage the province’s finances can’t be blamed on popular misconceptions of their fiscal ideology.
Municipal elections are only two weeks away
That’s it – it’s about the only time I’ll say “do your own research”. This is about you, your community, and the vision you want to support for the next four years.
Have questions? Email the candidates – it’s campaign season – they want to hear from you more than anything! Find out what their priorities are and how they want to better your community – they want your vote and you want someone to vote for – happy voting!
But also... pay attention to public school board trustees
“Esther Ekpe has signed this horrific document https://t.co/jP0dIgkezN”
Religion and politics should not mix as much as they do, but religion and public schools shouldn’t mix at all. As Sharie notes, a candidate for Edmonton Public School Trustee in Ward B, Dr. Esther Ekpe, was a signatory of the One Accord, a document which stated purpose is to “help us establish a coalition of Pastors and leaders who are willing to stand together and act on these stated convictions.”
Convictions such as denying “all attempts to revise and reinterpret the time honoured traditional and biblical understandings of sexuality, morality, righteousness, and salvation”, as the signatories understand such “to be modern day heresies contrary to the revealed will of God” (Article 2).
And “that the differences between male and female reproductive structures are integral to God’s design for self-perception as male or female,” and the signatories “deny that it is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption, as revealed in Scripture, to adopt a homosexual or transgender self-perception,” (Article 8).
I’m not exactly certain how signatories are expected to “act on these stated convictions”, but I would be asking that question if one were running to be a public school trustee in my area.
The people we become
Avani’s thread spoke to me for two reasons: first, I had a wonderful job during university and my co-workers and I all had pretty interesting stories of obstacles we’d overcome in order to attend post-secondary. Our stories were one of the reasons why we were hired in the first place – to help convey that it’s not always an easy route, or easy to keep up, but we can do it.
The second reason is that we are learning more about how seeing someone succeed, when we can look at them and see something of ourselves reflected back to us, we are more likely to envision ourselves reaching similar, or even loftier, goals. Some people take on the position of role model with ease – others accept it and offer their assistance to help others, as Avani did.
Thank you.
No longer illegal to share potential exposure to deadly virus with parents
I’m good at facetious, but in this case, the reason schools were not sharing information on outbreaks and contact is because it was “illegal” to let parents know if their child had potentially come into contact with a virus that could kill someone they loved.
However, with cases rising fastest among school-aged children aged 5-11, and a family-friendly holiday just around the corner, the government finally admitted that children can spread Covid to their families. You can't make this up.
As such, UCP executive council has decided it is now legal - again - for schools to notify potential contacts and leave it up to parents to decide whether or not to put family members at risk.
Kenney then deputized Albertans with policing their family gatherings again this year because that’s how a UCP government works during a public health crisis.
Just failure, after failure, after failure, with these people.
Sisters in Spirit Day – October 4
Across the country on October 4th events were held in recognition of Sisters in Spirit Day, to honour those who have not returned home, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (#MMIWG). A virtual vigil is also being held on October 7 at 12:00PM EST (10:00AM MST) by the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Laundry List: GoA Press Releases
Spin Cycle
It’s National Catholic Health Care Week, when Albertans thank Covenant Health for providing care - or at least providing directions to the exit so patients can access public health info on the street. To be fair, they did revise their policy after receiving incredibly bad press - but seriously, wtf?
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange thanked teachers for doing the best they can through a pandemic without Ministerial guidance or leadership on World Teacher’s Day, October 5.
More than 75 per cent of Albertans have been fully immunized. It’s a number that disguises the lag in pockets of the province where people aren’t concerned about a pandemic because they don’t yet know anyone who died.
Alberta Sheriffs made a community in Lloydminster safer from drugs and people who use them by boarding up the house where they used to gather.
A court order authorized the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit to erect a fence, board up windows, change the locks - and put up a sign - which “will prevent anyone from entering”.
Authorities investigated resident complaints about “finding used needles around the neighbourhood (and) seeing assaults spilling out onto the street”.
Locals were super thrilled because it will now become some other neighbourhood’s problem.
Rinse and Repeat
Premier Jason Kenney and Energy Minister Sonya Savage voiced their support for the Trudeau government’s invocation of the 1977 Pipelines Treaty (which took place in May 2021), over the proposed shut down of Line 5. The state and Enbridge were told in May by a U.S. court to figure it out but Michigan withdrew from mediation last month - and the Alberta government is just catching up, apparently.
I worked for Alberta Seniors, and the elder abuse team, in 2015. I’m sad to report that, six years later, the government is still “working together to (even) define elder abuse”. Give me strength.
Dow (Chemicals) is making good on their January 2020 promise to upgrade the Fort Saskatchewan chemical plant to a net-zero facility that will “help convert gas emissions into clean fuel and later store carbon dioxide,” in addition to tripling the capacity of its ethylene and polyethylene manufacturing.
Back in 2020, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said the $200 million in project costs would be “shared equally” with a still unnamed “regional customer”.
Kenney says it’s totes UCP policy that made this happen and absolutely did not say it’s a $100 million-dollar taxpayer gift to yet another corporation.
And finally...
October 6 is World Cerebral Palsy Day.
Cover photo: @abpressrelease