At a Glance - February 23, 2022
Alberta Eliminates Proof-of-Vaccine Program
On February 9, Alberta officially ended the vaccine passport program. Kenney announced that this is the first step in a “careful and prudent” plan that will see an end to all COVID-19 restrictions and allow Albertans to “get our lives back to normal”. Taking place on Monday, students in Alberta schools will no longer have to wear masks, and children under 12 will no longer be required to wear masks anywhere. The provincial work-from-home order as well as the provincial mask mandate, capacity limits, and social gathering limits will all be removed on March 1, 2022.
Health Minister Copping assured Albertans that the government will continue to monitor the healthcare system and promised to act if necessary. While announcing the changes, Kenney spoke about the irreparable damage the regulations have had on the lives of Albertans, saying that the pandemic rules “disrupted and even destroyed livelihoods”. Alberta is not the first to lift restrictions, many countries in Europe have eliminated all restrictions.
Alberta’s QR Code Reader App No Longer Available
On Wednesday, Alberta eliminated the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) and has removed the QR code reader app from the app store. Businesses with the app already downloaded will still be able to use the app for “quite some time” according to Health Minister Copping. Businesses may implement their own vaccine passport program if they choose, but the program will no longer be mandated by the province. Active cases have continued to trend downwards over the past few days with officials predicting a continued decline in infection, hospitalization, and death.
Cases peaked in January at 71,600 active cases as of February 11, active cases are down to 25,339. Surveys have showed that Albertans are opposed to COVID-19 related mandates. A Leger poll released this week showed that 24% of Albertans are “angry” about the current state of the pandemic. 30% of Canadians believe it is the right time to lift restrictions and “learn to live” with the virus and 42% of Canadians say they are not afraid of COVID-19.
By-Election Called for Fort McMurray - Lac La Biche
Premier Kenney has announced the by-election for the riding Fort McMurray - Lac La Biche will take place on March 15, 2022. Kenney’s rival, Brian Jean will be representing the UCP in the upcoming by-election. Jean was the former MLA of the riding (when it was known as Fort McMurray – Conklin) and resigned in 2018 after Kenney defeated him in the 2017 UCP leadership race. Jean has been a vocal opponent of Kenney since day one and has been very clear that he intends to replace Jason Kenney as the leader of the UCP.
Jean has publicly announced his plans to sign up a massive number of new members to vote against Kenney during his April 9 leadership review. Jean will face off against NDP candidate Ariana Mancini, Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta candidate Paul Hinman, Alberta Advantage Party candidate Marilyn Burns, Michelle Landsiedel of the Alberta Party, and Abdulhakim Hussein for the Liberals. Each party is hopeful that their candidate will take the by-election, with many saying that the UCP infighting is districting and disenfranchising UCP voters, giving other parties a chance to take the lead.
Coutts Border Blockade Dismantled
Earlier this week, the Coutts boarder blockade was dismantled and regular traffic resumed along the border. Protestors had been interfering with border traffic since January 19, 2022, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, supply chain disruptions, and personal inconveniences to travelers. The blockade came to an end after the RCMP arrested 13 individuals and seized a store of firearms and ammunition including 13 long guns, handguns, a machete, body armour and a large quantity of ammunition.
Charges have been laid against some protestors after the RCMP became aware of serious threats being made against officers, the RCMP reported that “the group was said to have a willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade”. In addition to the treats, two of the protest vehicles attempted to ram RCMP cruisers. More arrests and charges are being planned.
Law Society Investigating Tyler Shandro’s Behaviour as Health Minister
The Law Society of Alberta is investigating three separate allegations of professional misconduct. Tyler Shandro served as Health Minister from April 2019 to September 2021 during the peak of COVID-19 in Alberta. He received the brunt of the criticism towards the UCP government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a disturbing event where Shandro had to pass his children over a fence to get them away from an angry crowd that had encircled the family.
The accusations against Shandro include using his position as Minister of Health to obtain the personal cell phone numbers of medical staff and contacting them outside of work hours, confronting Dr. Mukarram Zaidi at his home over a social media post, and threatening to call the authorities over emails sent to his wife. If the Law Society finds that he acted unprofessionally, Shandro could be facing reprimand, fine, suspension, or even disbarment.